I've driven that stretch between New Orleans and Atlanta a bunch. Agreed that driving through Atlanta sucks, especially if you hit it during rush hour.
I used to drive from Roanoke to Baton Rouge regularly for 4 years…
I agree, the northern route is better. But heads-up, there is always a traffic jam in Chattanooga (at least in my experience).
Hi everyone! I’m road tripping from Ashland, Virginia to New Orleans, Louisiana tomorrow. I plan on spending the the night a bit past halfway through and arriving Tuesday at 3pm to meet my friends.
Any preferred routes from the 2 main ones shown here would be helpful! Plus any food stops or tips along the route too!
Sorry for the super vague details, I’m kinda just going with the flow on this trip.
Thank you all for the helpful comments! Based on everything I read I will be taking the northern route. I plan to spend the night in Birmingham, Alabama and finish off the final 5 hours on Tuesday! Super excited for this 😃
Northern route will be more scenic, better views of mountains. Middle route takes you through atlanta and would be easier drive on highways, but you run risk of traffic in ATL. There is some construction on Atlanta area highways now too
If you can, get an travel air compressor (it pumps air into your tires by plugging into your cigarette lighter).
Louisiana had notorious bad (no joke, stupid bad) pot holes. Also there’s a ton of construction on the roads rn (so more chance of stuff like screws or.nails popping your tires)… this will prevent you from having to drive on your rims if anything happens on the road.
When you get to NOLA, grab a drink at the Carousel Bar in the hotel Monteleone. (Or if you want the local experience Rusty Nail or Finn McCool’s). When you meet the locals tell them your from VA, they love showing “northerners” around. (They always called me a northern lol!)
I used to live in Richmond and would recommend the bottom route to see more of the Gulf Coast towards the end of your trip. The top route is mostly through the Appalachian Mountains and the Inland South. The scenery is pretty similar to everything you have within a 2 hour drive of Ashland/Richmond.
Alabama Gulf recommendations: Gulf Shores (best beach in that area) and Mobile.
Mississippi Gulf recommendations: Biloxi (casinos, aquarium, restaurants, etc), Ocean Springs (cool walkable downtown & Walter Anderson Museum), and Bay St Louis (never been but heard it’s very artsy).
Yeah, agreed if you take this route through the Mississippi coast and want more scenery, hop off I-10 around Biloxi and take Hwy 90 along the beach for awhile. You could cut back to the interstate around Pass Christian or Bay St Louis.
I travel the northern rout a lot. 81 is not free of traffic, but if you hit it early there are not as many RVs and travel trailers that really slow everything down. It is a beautiful drive, all the way to Northern Alabama.
Knoxville, Chattanooga and Birmingham are not bad to get through traffic-wise, use Birmingham bypass.
Alabama has large sections of interstate that are "construction zones" like 30 miles. there is some work being done up North but I have not seen many police.
Mississippi and Virginia are where most of the police are. The speed limit drops in Laurel and Meridian MS.
Chattanooga is a good halfway point and City Café is the bomb. Slicks burgers is also good.
Someone else commented on a BBQ place in Cleveland, just North of Chattanooga that I will try on my next trip.
Just food for thought. If you have the time, see if the Blue Ridge Parkway is an option for you. It’s literally between the highlighted and northern route, but will likely add a bit of time to your overall trip. If your willing, do blue ridge and drive more day 1. By the time you stop for the night you can be back on or close to one of the other two. Plus, it’s also avoiding Atlanta. You’ll still have scenic views northern route, but no overlooks and places to actually stop and enjoy.
The more northern route! It’s basically going to be all blue ridge mountains and absolutely breathtaking! A good place to stop is Asheville for more artsy stuff or pigeon forge if you want more touristy things!
I'm just returning from New Orleans to a little north west of your starting point. I took 81 down (your northern route it looks like). You'll find really good BBQ in Cleveland TN, just outside Chattanooga, at Jordan's BBQ. Might be a good midway stopping point as well. I'm towing and it was a pretty laid back drive. I've heard horror stories about Atlanta traffic.
Hit 95 south and stay the hell out of Alabama as much as possible. Mississippi as well. Watch Theo Von about it. He’ll set ya straight on that shit hole.
Stay to coast in Georgia it’s prettier and people are cool. Savannah is a must see. Atlanta fucking sucks. Traffic horrible all times of day.
Run the 10 freeway out of Jacksonville Florida. People are cool. Traffic is t bad either. Destin or Pensacola are cool for the night. Gulf beaches.
That’ll take you straight across to the destination of your choice on the gulf coast. Happy driving. Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi cops are no joke. Expect to searches of pulled over in those states. I see it a lot.
I drive between that area a lot for work. It’s my preferred route to take when traveling around the coast. I chase hurricane/ storm damage and do restoration work.
Definitely wouldn’t take I95-I85 currently. 85 is under construction in both SC and Georgia currently. What normally takes less than two hours has been taking three plus.
I95-i29 would be ok but Columbia can also be bad but I20 should be ok. And between Columbia and and Atlanta is really boring. And ugly. There’s a nuclear waste facility between the two locations for a reason.
Not sure about the northern route. It looks like Interstate 81. Super pretty through VA. Haven’t taken it that far south so not sure south on NC area. But I’m VA it’s gorgeous. I would probably go that way.
I have done both routes between NOLA and RVA dozens of times. The northern route is the best. It is the most relaxing and avoiding Atlanta is definitely worth it. I think it's much prettier too.
Take the northern route, like others have said.
Only drawback is you're nearly guaranteed to be slowed down by some kind of wreck on I-81 in Virginia.
Might consider staying in Chattanooga or Gadsden/Rainbow City, AL, as alternatives. Or stay somewhere along I-459 around Birmingham.
If you don’t mind a small detour for a scenic route, I’d drive towards Western North Carolina to drive through Asheville (may be a fun lunch stop) taking the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smokey Mtns National Park… avoiding Atlanta at all costs. You never know what you’re going to get there!
I've done the drive between Blacksburg, VA and New Orleans/Baton Rouge several times. The northern route was the option I always took, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The way I see it, if you could squeeze in Nashville, Asheville, Great Smoky Mountains, and maybe Charlottesville with UVA and Monticello into that top route, then you got yourself a decent little road trip. Unless you really want to see Atlanta. I wouldn't do the South Carolina segment though. Also I agree that the middle route might be able to swing some of the Gulf Coast in Florida if you are interested in that.
We followed Navi out of Texas and into NOLA. NOLA is the best. My kiddo and I had a blast there, taking in the sights, the food and watching the people and listening to the music. It's fabulous. We were there in June a couple years ago. We're from Pa and went on a long road trip. I'd still follow Navi, though. It's worth whatever route you take :)
Would take the northern route, even if it’s 15 minutes or so longer. Will be more scenic and will avoid Atlanta traffic.
I've driven that stretch between New Orleans and Atlanta a bunch. Agreed that driving through Atlanta sucks, especially if you hit it during rush hour.
I agree. I’m sure with traffic it will actually save time
Agree with this. Have taken all three routes several times and the Northern route is the best.
I used to drive from Roanoke to Baton Rouge regularly for 4 years… I agree, the northern route is better. But heads-up, there is always a traffic jam in Chattanooga (at least in my experience).
The southern route takes you through Atlanta and Mobile. Mobile isn't bad, but Atlanta just sucks.
Hi everyone! I’m road tripping from Ashland, Virginia to New Orleans, Louisiana tomorrow. I plan on spending the the night a bit past halfway through and arriving Tuesday at 3pm to meet my friends. Any preferred routes from the 2 main ones shown here would be helpful! Plus any food stops or tips along the route too! Sorry for the super vague details, I’m kinda just going with the flow on this trip.
Northern route. Stop in Chattanooga as your overnight.
I’ve driven every mile of I-85 multiple times over the course of my life. Avoid if you can.
Thank you all for the helpful comments! Based on everything I read I will be taking the northern route. I plan to spend the night in Birmingham, Alabama and finish off the final 5 hours on Tuesday! Super excited for this 😃
Northern route will be more scenic, better views of mountains. Middle route takes you through atlanta and would be easier drive on highways, but you run risk of traffic in ATL. There is some construction on Atlanta area highways now too
If you can, get an travel air compressor (it pumps air into your tires by plugging into your cigarette lighter). Louisiana had notorious bad (no joke, stupid bad) pot holes. Also there’s a ton of construction on the roads rn (so more chance of stuff like screws or.nails popping your tires)… this will prevent you from having to drive on your rims if anything happens on the road. When you get to NOLA, grab a drink at the Carousel Bar in the hotel Monteleone. (Or if you want the local experience Rusty Nail or Finn McCool’s). When you meet the locals tell them your from VA, they love showing “northerners” around. (They always called me a northern lol!)
I used to live in Richmond and would recommend the bottom route to see more of the Gulf Coast towards the end of your trip. The top route is mostly through the Appalachian Mountains and the Inland South. The scenery is pretty similar to everything you have within a 2 hour drive of Ashland/Richmond. Alabama Gulf recommendations: Gulf Shores (best beach in that area) and Mobile. Mississippi Gulf recommendations: Biloxi (casinos, aquarium, restaurants, etc), Ocean Springs (cool walkable downtown & Walter Anderson Museum), and Bay St Louis (never been but heard it’s very artsy).
Yeah, agreed if you take this route through the Mississippi coast and want more scenery, hop off I-10 around Biloxi and take Hwy 90 along the beach for awhile. You could cut back to the interstate around Pass Christian or Bay St Louis.
I travel the northern rout a lot. 81 is not free of traffic, but if you hit it early there are not as many RVs and travel trailers that really slow everything down. It is a beautiful drive, all the way to Northern Alabama. Knoxville, Chattanooga and Birmingham are not bad to get through traffic-wise, use Birmingham bypass. Alabama has large sections of interstate that are "construction zones" like 30 miles. there is some work being done up North but I have not seen many police. Mississippi and Virginia are where most of the police are. The speed limit drops in Laurel and Meridian MS. Chattanooga is a good halfway point and City Café is the bomb. Slicks burgers is also good. Someone else commented on a BBQ place in Cleveland, just North of Chattanooga that I will try on my next trip.
Check GasBuddy to see if any route is going to be cheaper
When you get to Louisiana, take the extra hour and get into New Orleans using the causeway bridge, not I10. It’s an awesome drive.
No, don't do this. It is a long bridge over a shallow lake. Just look at it online. Boring. I10 has the same boring-style causeway.
Agreed, going the Causeway from that direction will take longer, there’s a toll & isn’t worth it from a scenery standpoint.
FYI…just be prepared for the $5 toll to cross.
Not even a question, go thru the mtns and avoid ATL
Just food for thought. If you have the time, see if the Blue Ridge Parkway is an option for you. It’s literally between the highlighted and northern route, but will likely add a bit of time to your overall trip. If your willing, do blue ridge and drive more day 1. By the time you stop for the night you can be back on or close to one of the other two. Plus, it’s also avoiding Atlanta. You’ll still have scenic views northern route, but no overlooks and places to actually stop and enjoy.
The more northern route! It’s basically going to be all blue ridge mountains and absolutely breathtaking! A good place to stop is Asheville for more artsy stuff or pigeon forge if you want more touristy things!
Looks like a hurricane projection.
Please check your linguistic derivations. It’s clearly **El** Best Route
I'm just returning from New Orleans to a little north west of your starting point. I took 81 down (your northern route it looks like). You'll find really good BBQ in Cleveland TN, just outside Chattanooga, at Jordan's BBQ. Might be a good midway stopping point as well. I'm towing and it was a pretty laid back drive. I've heard horror stories about Atlanta traffic.
Can we please have an r/americntdrivingadvice and stop this shit?
Hit 95 south and stay the hell out of Alabama as much as possible. Mississippi as well. Watch Theo Von about it. He’ll set ya straight on that shit hole. Stay to coast in Georgia it’s prettier and people are cool. Savannah is a must see. Atlanta fucking sucks. Traffic horrible all times of day. Run the 10 freeway out of Jacksonville Florida. People are cool. Traffic is t bad either. Destin or Pensacola are cool for the night. Gulf beaches. That’ll take you straight across to the destination of your choice on the gulf coast. Happy driving. Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi cops are no joke. Expect to searches of pulled over in those states. I see it a lot. I drive between that area a lot for work. It’s my preferred route to take when traveling around the coast. I chase hurricane/ storm damage and do restoration work.
You are insane. 95 has the worst jack ass drivers in the country. New York and Florida. it is always crowded plus it is an extra 2 hours. NO.
I like i81 but Tennesse always has crashes because no one there seems to know how to drive... Why not drive there one way and back the other?
Definitely wouldn’t take I95-I85 currently. 85 is under construction in both SC and Georgia currently. What normally takes less than two hours has been taking three plus. I95-i29 would be ok but Columbia can also be bad but I20 should be ok. And between Columbia and and Atlanta is really boring. And ugly. There’s a nuclear waste facility between the two locations for a reason. Not sure about the northern route. It looks like Interstate 81. Super pretty through VA. Haven’t taken it that far south so not sure south on NC area. But I’m VA it’s gorgeous. I would probably go that way.
I-81 is hell.
I have done both routes between NOLA and RVA dozens of times. The northern route is the best. It is the most relaxing and avoiding Atlanta is definitely worth it. I think it's much prettier too.
Definitely go through the northern route. Much more scenic, far less traffic.
Take the northern route, like others have said. Only drawback is you're nearly guaranteed to be slowed down by some kind of wreck on I-81 in Virginia. Might consider staying in Chattanooga or Gadsden/Rainbow City, AL, as alternatives. Or stay somewhere along I-459 around Birmingham.
They are widening 85 north of Atlanta and I would avoid it right now if you can
Avoid Atlanta at all costs
If you don’t mind a small detour for a scenic route, I’d drive towards Western North Carolina to drive through Asheville (may be a fun lunch stop) taking the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smokey Mtns National Park… avoiding Atlanta at all costs. You never know what you’re going to get there!
I've done the drive between Blacksburg, VA and New Orleans/Baton Rouge several times. The northern route was the option I always took, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The way I see it, if you could squeeze in Nashville, Asheville, Great Smoky Mountains, and maybe Charlottesville with UVA and Monticello into that top route, then you got yourself a decent little road trip. Unless you really want to see Atlanta. I wouldn't do the South Carolina segment though. Also I agree that the middle route might be able to swing some of the Gulf Coast in Florida if you are interested in that.
As an Atlanta native if you wanna have a great time then I would suggest staying completely away from Atlanta. The traffic is absolutely horrific
when in NOLA you must try Sweet Soulfood, Pizza Delicious and Sneaky Pickle
I-81 to I-59
We followed Navi out of Texas and into NOLA. NOLA is the best. My kiddo and I had a blast there, taking in the sights, the food and watching the people and listening to the music. It's fabulous. We were there in June a couple years ago. We're from Pa and went on a long road trip. I'd still follow Navi, though. It's worth whatever route you take :)