USA Trip

[GreenMachine]

Hey guys,

My wife and I are going to do a road trip in the States in August next year. We'll start with a week in New York, then fly down to Miami and buy a car.

Remains to be seen if we'll buy something old or just get a cheap Crown Vic or Camaro and set fire to it at the end of the trip. Rental for that long over so many miles was going to be hugely expensive, so as long as we can get a car for under about $4000 we'll be winners.

I was wondering if any of the Americans on here, or anyone who has been to the States had any advice on the route we're planning on taking - particularly if we're going to miss something cool.

Lots of driving, but who doesn't love driving??

Thanks!

NH



Day 1

Miami, Florida - Key West, Florida (160 miles)

- Scenery, water etc.

Day 2

Key West, Florida – Miami, Florida (160 miles)

- Ernest Hemingway’s House

Day 3

Miami, Florida

- Everglades National Park

Day 4

Miami, Florida - Daytona Beach, Florida (260 miles)

- Daytona Speedway/Museum
- Trip to SeaWorld Orlando

Day 5

Daytona Beach, Florida – Savannah, Georgia (230 miles)

- Daytona Speedway

Day 6

Savannah, Georgia

- Architecture, old city

Day 7

Savannah, Georgia – Macon, Georgia (166 miles)

Day 8

Macon, Georgia

- Antebellum trail

Day 9

Macon, Georgia – Atlanta, Georgia (90 miles)

- Martin Luther King Jnr Museum

Day 10

Atlanta, Georgia – Birmingham, Alabama (150 miles)

Day 11

Birmingham, Alabama – Nashville, Tennessee (200 miles)

Day 12

Nashville, Tennessee

- Country Music Hall of Fame
- Music Row
- Grand Ole Opry
- Bluebird Café

Day 13

Nashville, Tennessee

Day 14

Nashville, Tennessee – Memphis, Tennessee (210 miles)

- Detour to Shiloh (Civil War battlefield)

Day 15

Memphis, Tennessee

- Beale St
- WC Handy Museum
- Civil Rights Museum
- Stax Records
- Graceland
- Sun Studios

Day 16

Memphis, Tennessee

Day 17

Memphis, Tennessee – Greenwood, Mississippi (134 miles)

- Visit Clarksdale (Robert Johnson/Tennessee Williams)
- Greenwood Blues Museum

Day 18

Greenwood, Mississippi – Jackson, Mississippi (100 miles)

- Stop in Canton (heaps of films made there, scenery)

Day 19

Jackson, Mississippi – New Orleans, Louisiana (190 miles)

Day 20

New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 21

New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 22

New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 23

New Orleans, Louisiana – Lake Charles, Louisiana (200 miles)

- Cajun food
- Delta, scenery

Day 24

Lake Charles, Louisiana – Houston, Texas (150 miles)

- San Jacinto Battleground (Texas/Mexico war)
- NASA

Day 25

Houston, Texas – Dallas, Texas (240 miles)

Day 26

Dallas, Texas

[flappist]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

Hey guys,

My wife and I are going to do a road trip in the States in August next year. We'll start with a week in New York, then fly down to Miami and buy a car.

Remains to be seen if we'll buy something old or just get a cheap Crown Vic or Camaro and set fire to it at the end of the trip. Rental for that long over so many miles was going to be hugely expensive, so as long as we can get a car for under about $4000 we'll be winners.

I was wondering if any of the Americans on here, or anyone who has been to the States had any advice on the route we're planning on taking - particularly if we're going to miss something cool.

Lots of driving, but who doesn't love driving??

Thanks!

NH

Day 1

Miami, Florida - Key West, Florida (160 miles)

- Scenery, water etc.

Key West is very "alternative" (like Oxford St Sydney) and other than the bridges there is not a lot to see.

Day 2

Key West, Florida – Miami, Florida (160 miles)

- Ernest Hemingway’s House

Day 3

Miami, Florida

- Everglades National Park

Be very careful in Miami, it is a very dangerous place with a lot of violence.

Day 4

Miami, Florida - Daytona Beach, Florida (260 miles)

- Daytona Speedway/Museum
- Trip to SeaWorld Orlando

If you are into aircraft the Piper factory at Vero Beach is very interesting.

Day 5

Daytona Beach, Florida – Savannah, Georgia (230 miles)

- Daytona Speedway

Day 6

Savannah, Georgia

- Architecture, old city

Be very careful on the road. If pulled over DO NOT get out of the car or look for your license, just sit there with both hands in plain sight until instructed otherwise. Bullets and tasers hurt.

Day 7

Savannah, Georgia – Macon, Georgia (166 miles)

Day 8

Macon, Georgia

- Antebellum trail

Day 9

Macon, Georgia – Atlanta, Georgia (90 miles)

- Martin Luther King Jnr Museum

Day 10

Atlanta, Georgia – Birmingham, Alabama (150 miles)

Day 11

Birmingham, Alabama – Nashville, Tennessee (200 miles)

Day 12

Nashville, Tennessee

- Country Music Hall of Fame
- Music Row
- Grand Ole Opry
- Bluebird Café

Don't go to Nashville on a Monday....it is football night and usually chaos.

Day 13

Nashville, Tennessee

Just north of Nashville is Elizbethtown Ky. Near there is the Corvette factory and muesum and well as Fort Knox and the Patton tank muesum.
If you go down towards Chatanooga and turn right you go through Lynchburg and Jack Daniels country. Definitely the best distillery I have ever been to. Also you will be off the interstate for a while and see a bit of the "real" Tennessee.

Day 14

Nashville, Tennessee – Memphis, Tennessee (210 miles)

- Detour to Shiloh (Civil War battlefield)

Day 15

Memphis, Tennessee

- Beale St
- WC Handy Museum
- Civil Rights Museum
- Stax Records
- Graceland
- Sun Studios

Graceland will be a bit of a surprise, it is not what you would expect.

Day 16

Memphis, Tennessee

Day 17

Memphis, Tennessee – Greenwood, Mississippi (134 miles)

- Visit Clarksdale (Robert Johnson/Tennessee Williams)
- Greenwood Blues Museum

Day 18

Greenwood, Mississippi – Jackson, Mississippi (100 miles)
Wander off to Vickburg and Natches both are extremely interesting.

- Stop in Canton (heaps of films made there, scenery)

Day 19

Jackson, Mississippi – New Orleans, Louisiana (190 miles)

Day 20

New Orleans, Louisiana

Stay away from Algiers or actually anything on that side of the river. French quarter is like Kings Cross. Don't take cred cards or much money whaen you wander about there, again it can be rather violent.
Paddle boats are ok and a visit to the swamp is worth it but they will go on and on about Alligators (like a cross between a croc and a gecko) and snakes (because they are the only place in the world that has snakes)

Day 21

New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 22

New Orleans, Louisiana

Day 23

New Orleans, Louisiana – Lake Charles, Louisiana (200 miles)

- Cajun food
- Delta, scenery

Day 24

Lake Charles, Louisiana – Houston, Texas (150 miles)

- San Jacinto Battleground (Texas/Mexico war)
- NASA

Day 25

Houston, Texas – Dallas, Texas (240 miles)

Day 26

Dallas, Texas

You will have lots of fun, the people are mostly very friendly but will not understand a word you are saying unless you put on some fake yank accent and talk slowly. They will think you are poms but once you explain you are from Australia they are almost always easy to deal with.

Petrol (gas) is another trick, they want you to pay up front or give them your card.

Their beer is crap, they have never heard of rum or wine but they do have a lot of good bourbons and scotches.

Driving is fun but it will take a few days to get used to doing everything backwards and be wary of single lane roads. If you are on a single lane road and oncoming traffic appears you will tend to move to the wrong side of the road which will be "interesting".

It is a fun place and you will have a ball.....

[LUXO_8]

ive thought about this before, what's the go with getting a car??... from my research you need a permenant residence to be able to get registration/insurance...

[Ben73]

I'm doing something similar In a few years but backwards.
I want to start in San Fransico, go down to Vegas and then across east and finish in Key West.
I have no idea where to go between Vegas and Florida though.

[GreenMachine]

Thanks Flappist - all that advice is much appreciated. Slightly concerned about the violence aspect, but I guess the trick is just to keep your wits about you, don'y carry expensive stuff and try not to look too much like tourists. The driving will take some getting used to, but at least my wife and I are used to a LHD car.

Luxo - You theoretically need a social security number and a residence to buy/title a car, but hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in pickup trucks say there's ways around that. Easiest is a "temporary tag" for interstate moving of vehicles, same as permits here. Buy insurance, get a 30 day tag, leave the state immediately, no worries.

Ben - We had intended to continue from Houston across Texas to Las Vegas and then on to California, but it doubles the distance, time and cost (Texas is thousands of miles wide) and we just couldn't do it. We'll do the west coast next time.

[Polyal]

That would be a heap of fun. So I assume Fox Body is winning the race?

[Jastel]

Look through here

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...ht=new+orleans

[SE Ute]

I've only gotten as far south as Memphis, your route looks pretty good to me, would love to do that part of the US next time, especially New Orleans and the NASA stuff in Houston and Florida.

Make sure you've got your drinking shoes on for Beale Street, it was heaps more fun than i thought it'd be. Be warned the "big *** beers" are bigger than you realise. Messy night i had there.. People will tell you to do the Peabody Ducks in Memphis, have a look at them on youtube, bit over rated by the locals for some reason. Don't skip Graceland or Sun Studios for the ducks.

Get a GPS, let it handle navigation, and get your wife to keep reminding you "keep right" and "left loose, right tight". It'll get easier after a day or two, but it's when you start relaxing that you can make a mistake. Find out how four way stop signs work before you go. Everybody speeds, don't be the fastest car on the road or do anything really silly and the cops shouldn't worry about you. They're stricter in roadworks though, obey the temporary speedlimits etc.

I've never had a problem with violence over there, keep your wits about you, stay in busy (touristy) places etc in the cities and you should be fine. There's heaps of cops everywhere in the big cities. Be prepared for lots of bums/homeless after money, they can be a bit pushy, but mostly really polite which is weird.

Once you get out of the touristy areas and big cities, be prepared for everyone wanting to chat once they realise you're an aussie. Asking questions about kangaroos etc. They love aussie's for some reason, can work to your advantage sometimes too. I've been there a couple of times and still haven't worked out the tipping properly, it feels weird doing it, and it's annoying sometimes, but if you do a generous tip they'll really look after you. And if you're tight with a tip on your first drink at a bar, the service will stink. Tip big on the first drink.

Don't forget the grassy knoll and book depository in Dallas if you're interested in that.

[SE Ute]

Oops double post.

[dogwatch2]

Hi, we just came back form 12 weeks over there and most things are so much cheaper, so go with empty bags. My wife's favourite shops were Dillards, JC Pennys ans Kohls -for clothes etc. I've also found that the department sroes can be cheaper for sneakers than the factory outlets. We flew with Virgin - much better than Qantas etc, as their planes are new and have good entertainment systems, but take some foam/cushion for your bum as the seat bottoms are hard. Try traveljigsaw.com.au for rental car price as they are the best and their price includes all insurances with zero excess in the USA, unlimited Kms etc, I've used them 4 times now and they have phone backup if any probs. The rental car mob will try and hit you with breakdown cover and GPS, just say NO politely, as the cars are new and if you have NRMA etc it is affiliated with AAA - gets you discounts, maps over there if you want. I bought a Garmin GPS from walmart for $98 with lifetime map updates. Also get a GE Money 28degrees credit card (online) - no annual fee and no 3% overseas transaction charge and you can load it up with cash and use it as an ATM/eftpos card with no ATM fee back here. Worth going to Gracelands in Memphis -it was better than I expected ( can get a discounted ticket via AAA), but try and pick a quiet time and check if open as they have maintenance days. Try restaurant chains like Red Lobster, Carrabbas, IHops (pancakes and main meals), etc. Remember 15% tip now plus state tax on all prices. The price of things compared to here will make you cry eg Porshes from $49K, caravans for one fifth the price etc.

[SE Ute]

As dogwatch said, take half the clothes you need, buy the rest there, they're cheap. Take an extra suitcase too, or buy one there..

I think the 28 degrees credit card calculates the exchange rate at the time of the transaction, ie you can't lock in a rate like you can with a travel card. Advantages and disadvantages to both. Depends if you think the exchange rate will be better or worse when you travel.

www.priceline.com for accomodation if you're booking before you go. If you're happy with an x star hotel in x area, then bidding is the way to go. We saved heaps, and stayed in some pretty flash places. With a bit of research on forums you can work out which hotels you're likely to get. I've heard good things about hotwire too, but i had more luck with priceline.

Another vote for traveljigsaw for rental cars and we've used driveawayholidays too, similar as far as insurance etc goes.

[OffRoadFalcon]

Sounds like an awesome trip, bet it'll be fun! Can't wait till I get to go the USA one day.

If you buy a cheap Crown Vic, take lotsa pics, TheInterceptor will love to see it... and then I'm sure he'd wanna import it.

[noosacuda]

Love the idea! Keep the tips and hints coming,my bro-in-law and i are doing Route 66 next april,Chicago to LA via Tennessee. Only problem so far is getting a hire car- Challenger or Mustang from Chicago,they usually go TO Chicago.

[SE Ute]

Originally Posted by noosacuda

Love the idea! Keep the tips and hints coming,my bro-in-law and i are doing Route 66 next april,Chicago to LA via Tennessee. Only problem so far is getting a hire car- Challenger or Mustang from Chicago,they usually go TO Chicago.

I know there's heaps of travel shows/doco's on route 66, but one worth downloading if you do that is a six or seven part series called "Riding Route 66". Pommy fella buys a Harley in Chicago and rides to LA, bit boring in parts, but worth a look if you're doing the trip. He spent a fair bit of time on the interstate as they kept losing the old road, or it'd turn to dirt (not so nice on a bike) or just hit a dead end. I'd love to do it one day too..

If you're a blues brothers fan check out Joliet prison on your way out of Chicago.

[Spanrz]

If ya get lost in NY (State), let me know, I've just about been everywhere in NY. You could call me an "adopted NY'er"
You talking to a person who drives through Queens at 2am.

Make sure you "atleast" do the speed limit, you'll get run over otherwise. 70mph in Florida
In Florida, they have red lights with red turning arrows, you can turn "right" on red arrow, usually it's just the red light (jeez).

When in N'awlins....(<---yes say it like that), visit the voodoo shops. Hit Bourbon street and make sure you visit "Cafe Beignet" (http://www.cafebeignet.com/) for the fullest flavour of N'awlins music.
Great small band/trumpet player frequents there during the night time.
Great time can be had at the "plantations". Oak Valley we visited, awesome history there. They dress up in period clothing too. You can also almost hear Johnny Cash's ghost in the tree's.
Also, there is a steak house (can't remember the name), who serve up a 1-2kg steak... Funny as, but best ever steak I have had, takes 40 minutes to cook, but melts in ya mouth!

When around Cape Canaveral, NASA will take you 2 days to do, if your a space nut. We spent 3 days in NASA itself, 1 day isn't enough, unless you just want to take a sneak peak and be happy with a glance. We watched a shuttle go up last year....Now that was awesome.

If your taking a phone, it's probably better getting a phone there, as they really haven't done a lot of 3G, it's going 4G.
We used our iPhone's there this year and they still won't support "PrePaid" plans on these phones. Noone wanted anything to do with iPhones. If you talked 12 month plan, they "ahh, sit right down - Sir, lets talk".
My phone was on Telstra, same as the wife's, but her international roaming didn't work, mine did. Had helluva time getting hers to work. Chop sims and sign up prepaid...Ohh too much BS.

[GreenMachine]

Great advice - thanks so much, guys!

[Ben73]

I got the best birthday present today of my GF.
When in USA in February I get to drive either a Ferrari F430 F1, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, Audi R8 V10, Aston V8 Vantage, Nissan GTR or a Porsche 997 Carrara S around Las Vegas Raceway. Can't wait

[Spanrz]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I got the best birthday present today of my GF.
When in USA in February I get to drive either a Ferrari F430 F1, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, Audi R8 V10, Aston V8 Vantage, Nissan GTR or a Porsche 997 Carrara S around Las Vegas Raceway. Can't wait

Oooh Feb, cool then, but nice in LV. Don't get stuck in the airports with the snow. LOL
Though, Sounds like the GF isn't going............... I'm coming along instead.....

[Moby Vic]

I live in Orlando, Florida.

I haven't ventured much farther south than here, but I would recommend taking the Florida Turnpike (toll road) rather than I-95. I-95 is always busy. It's worse southbound than northbound, but the turnpike is a much more pleasant experience.

For a few Florida detours, I recommend Fantasy of Flight (http://www.fantastyofflight.com) near Lakeland if you're interested in aviation. You can easily spend half a day there if not a full day.

I also recommend the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (http://www.garlits.com) in Ocala. There are some great old cars there. He also has an antique car museum at the same site that has such oddities as a four-door Plymouth Belvedere with a 426 Hemi that was used by the FBI.

There are local car events throughout Florida year round. On Saturday nights at Old Town in Kissimmee (very close to Disney) they have a cruise-in for any American car from 1972 or earlier. There is some great muscle there!

If you're in the Orlando area on the second Saturday of the month, the local Mustang club has a cruise-in that is open to any type of car from any era. I've seen everything from a 1925 Packard Twin Six to a Dodge Viper GTS to a new Boss 302 Laguna Seca there.

[GreenMachine]

Thanks mate, much appreciated. A few people have recommended the Don Garlits museum, will definitely check it out!

[Nickxb]

New Orleans is great. Stay in the French Quarter as there really isn’t much else to do (apart from the swamp tours). Make sure you go so you stay on a Fri or Sat night. During the week there is heaps of people out and about but not compared to a Fri or Sat night. It is chaos but in a good way.

looks like a great trip.

Nick

[z80]

I'm in Orlando Miami tonight....as I type this...

We have rented a new Corvette in Miami a few days ago and are using it for a few days more.

What a weapon of a car...obscene amount of horsepower.

Avis rents cars about a quarter of the price here compared to Aus.

We've already done 1600 miles in it and worse case is 3mpg...LOL

In Orlando a must see is NASA space centre.

Did that today and got up close to the shuttle, a tour in vehicle assembly, launch pads etc.

Average freeway speed was 80-85 mph...although posted speed was less everyone drives around that speed.

Sensational stuff.

I cannot believe how cheap the US is at the moment, just booked a 5 star hotel in Las Vegas for $45 a night ( The Luxor...big black pyramid)


Around $3.65 a gallon for petrol....

[vbvbvb088]

I drove Vegas - NYC 2 years ago.

Starts Hollywood....I 'Greyhound'ed it to Vegas (flew to San Francisco) ...back to Vegas then drove to NYC.

http://youtu.be/ZLet5m8YwZY

Just short of 10,000 kms - so instead of me dribbling on - any Q's just shout out.

If link does not work type 'driving vegas to nyc' in youtube... second video down. Image is 'Times Square' surrounded by a sea of yellow cabs..........

[Tokyo Geoff]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I got the best birthday present today of my GF.
When in USA in February I get to drive either a Ferrari F430 F1, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, Audi R8 V10, Aston V8 Vantage, Nissan GTR or a Porsche 997 Carrara S around Las Vegas Raceway. Can't wait

Hi
I did this in Nov last year and it was friggin awesome. The GTR in full auto mode was far more fun than the F430! The ride in the Super leggara was a hoot too! Buy extra laps they are well worth it and COUNT them carefully as I got ripped off by one which I only noticed at night watching the video. They did give me three extra laps as a consolation the next day.

I'd go back to Vegas just to do it again.
Cheers
Geoff

[Miss_XR6]

I work in travel and have lived in USA many a fair bit including Miami and Dallas....

Whats your main reasons going to some of those towns. would be the first thing you need to think about
Car hire would be costly if your looking at a large car like a sedan or 4wd and you will have a massive one way drop off fee too if you wanted something samller though it would be cheaper

Are you flying QF back to OZ direct from DFW or got more to do on the trip

[Moby Vic]

Originally Posted by z80

I'm in Orlando Miami tonight....as I type this...

We have rented a new Corvette in Miami a few days ago and are using it for a few days more.

What a weapon of a car...obscene amount of horsepower.

Avis rents cars about a quarter of the price here compared to Aus.

We've already done 1600 miles in it and worse case is 3mpg...LOL

In Orlando a must see is NASA space centre.

Did that today and got up close to the shuttle, a tour in vehicle assembly, launch pads etc.

Average freeway speed was 80-85 mph...although posted speed was less everyone drives around that speed.

Sensational stuff.

I cannot believe how cheap the US is at the moment, just booked a 5 star hotel in Las Vegas for $45 a night ( The Luxor...big black pyramid)


Around $3.65 a gallon for petrol....

Orlando Miami, eh? That's a new one.

The Kennedy Space Center is actually in Titusville (less than an hour drive from Orlando). It's definitely worth seeing. In the big visitor center they have a Saturn V Apollo rocket laying on its side. Sadly you don't get to see a space shuttle on the pad anymore.

I used to love being able to complain about the shuttle waking me up when it landed. It signaled its arrival by two sonic booms (one for the fuselage and one for the tail), and for some reason would often land in the wee hours of the morning.

If you're paying $3.65/gal for regular gas you're getting ripped off. That's what I'm paying for premium (and I think it's insanely expensive!).

An oddball local tourist attraction to see in the Orlando area is Gatorland. It's actually central Florida's oldest tourist attraction. It's cheesy, but that's half the fun: http://www.gatorland.com

[BPXR6T]

Yep, I'm jealous. Your route is almost identical to the trip I was all set to take a couple of years back. Although I was heading up through Vegas then onto redmond to visit Microsoft, then back down to LA.

[NickyN]

Here's an interesting site to check out. It's gasbuddy.com. Prices are updated by users who post up prices so others know where to go for cheaper gas and it helps others know to skip certain stations because of their prices. Gas prices differ hugely from state to state. You'll notice certain stations have lower prices than others (Tesoro, 76, Shell, etc)

This is a comparison of US states and Canada.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Price_List.aspx

You can also select the state, city, county and it'll give you info on prices in that area.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_StateList.aspx

Have fun on your cross country road trip and stay safe!

[Moby Vic]

Yes, gas prices vary from state to state because different states tax it differently. In Florida the tax even varies by county, so gas is more expensive in Volusia County (Daytona) than Orange County (Orlando).

I drove to Canada last year and the year before. It was difficult to figure out how much gas cost because they charge by the liter and we charge by the gallon (but I knew it cost a lot more and was lower octane).

[NickyN]

Yes, that's the other thing. Gas is still by the gallon. Pretty backwards but that's what it is.