After a busy summer, time for some holidays !! Since the Mrs. and I like driving
around - we decided to travel around the southern US. Departing 8 Sep.

Landing in Houston, and travelling clockwise to Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Pensacola, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and back to Houston.

Since nothing can beat local knowledge, looking for some suggestions/comments
on this route. Maybe something I shouldn't miss or something like that...

Organising this trip without travel agent...I usually do everything ad hoc, but
wouldn't mind any local tips !! ;)

Of course would be nice to meet up with any E60 buddies :cool: if you're
in the area... :thumbsup:

TIA

Andy.

PS. Are BMW accessories cheaper in the US ??? :whistle:

I hope you bring an extra suitcase for the mrs. with all the outlet stores over there.. hehehe

Yeah...and with 30kg bag allowance it will be bad !! :'(

:lol: :lol:

Well, I currently live in Atlanta, and grew up in Pensacola. Any reason you're going to Pensacola (except for the beach, of course).

Atlanta is just like any other big city, really. There's nothing terribly compelling about the city from a tourist perspective, as far as I'm concerned. The "World of Coke" museum is worth a couple of hours. Try to catch a baseball game at Turner Field (the pennant races will be heating up, so the games will actually "mean" something).

Do make every effort to go to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola. It's located within NAS Pensacola. Pensacola is the home of US Naval aviation; every Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Officer does at least _some_ training in Pensacola. The museum is open pretty much every day of the year. It has a collection of US Naval aircraft that rivals the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. There is a IMAX theater there, too. Admission is free.

Unless you enjoy 80 thousand drunk college football fans (and by football, I don't mean "futbol"), I would check the LSU Tigers football schedule and stay away from Baton Rouge on the Saturday of a home football game weekend. If you're in to that, then Baton Rouge would be a killer party during a home game weekend.

Check out the Audubon Park zoo in New Orleans, and make sure to ride the trolley out St. Charles Street to see all the pretty antebellum houses in the "quiet" part of town. I've heard that the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans is outstanding, but I haven't been there. Another "must-see" museum in New Orleans is the National D-Day museum, located in the plant where Andrew Higgins designed the "Higgins" boats; those flat-bottomed landing craft that took the invasion troops that last mile to the beach.

Hope this helps,
-MrB

MrB, appreciate it!! Excellent tips and relevant for my background, we like museums, sports, aviation ( have a pilots and air traffic controller licence )
war movies.. fantastic :D

Any huge shopping mall location for the Mrs. ?? :P

Thanks

Maybe if u're near Atlanta, you can stop by Savannah, GA...
I lived there for a couple of summers when I was younger..

the whole quaint southern beach vibe was great.. .. be sure to check out any of the local's recommended seafood restaurants and also Pralines.. that stuff is so good I still mail-order them to this day during Holiday season..lolz.....

Hey MrBelk, the New Orleans stuff is my territory! :D But clearly you've been here before as you gave a pretty good summary. The Auqarium is very well done, but if you don't have too long to stay in the city, I would push it down the list of things to see.

Andy, give me some idea of how long you'll be in New Orleans/Baton Rouge and I can help you out with things to see as well as hotel/restaurant ideas. Don't know when you'll be in Baton Rouge, but its a smaller city (state capital) with less focus on tourism. If you have any interest in american football, Sept 4th there is a college football game at LSU in Baton Rouge. The pre-game festivities on campus are a lot of fun. If you'll be around, let me know and I'll give you directions to where we hang and have a few beers before the game.

And watch out for the speed traps on Interstate 10 between New Orleans and Houston!

Thanks for your input kscarrol!!
Whole trip will be for 3 weeks...not sure how to even out the time yet,
usually 2-3 days at each location , unless a somewhere particular is more
interesting...will adjust the time accordingly! ;)

Thanks!!

PS. We will reach New Orleans, probably around 20 Sep....

Andreas, you need someone to drive you??????? :D :D :D

Thanks for the input Initialdl !! :D