Must sees on road trip between Florida and New Orleans?

[meggiebeth]

Hello all,

We have decided we would like to do a road trip for about a week before our Disney vacation. We fly into Jacksonville, FL but would like to visit New Orleans and figured we could visit places like Jackson while we are there (if it’s worth visiting - at this point I have no idea!) We don’t want to make the long trip in one drive though so are wondering if there are any great places to stop off at on the way from Jacksonville? Does anyone have any knowledge or experience that I could gratefully recieve?

The other option is flying from Jacksonville to Nashville and then driving from there through Franklin, Oxford, Jackson and then New Orleans before either flying or driving back to Florida, however this would be more expensive as we would need two flights so I’m not sure if it’s worth it. (Flights from Florida to Mississippi or Tennessee are coming up quite literally as expensive as our flights from the U.K. to Florida which seems crazy! I’m struggling to find any good deals.)

Another possibility would be staying in St Augustine, FL for a few nights and then driving on to New Orleans.

I’m totally stuck! Is anyone familiar with the area able to help or offer any advice?

Thanks!

 

[luvsJack]

You could fly into Memphis and then drive down the Natchez trace. Beautiful drive with lots of history. Natchez and Vicksburg are beautiful, historic areas. Head on down to NOLA and then fly from there.

Gulfport MS advertises $99 flights to Orlando but I have no clue of the details.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

If you drive from Jacksonville to New Orleans, you'll probably go across I-10 rather than I-20, so you would cross the MS Gulf Coast rather than the Jackson area. Jackson would be about 2.5 hours north. If you end up visiting Jackson, I think the Civil Rights and Mississippi History museums are worth seeing.

What ages are traveling with you? There is a great children's museum in Gulfport, MS. If you do go between New Orleans and Jackson, you can take a detour to see antebellum houses and Civil War sites in Vicksburg and Natchez.

There is a budget airline, Via Air, that flies between Orlando and Jackson; otherwise, the flights are often pretty high. I live in the Jackson area, but I often price Memphis, New Orleans, and Gulfport for flights. For Memphis and New Orleans, check Southwest's website - it won't come up on many of the comparison websites.

 

[bgirldeb]

There are beautiful beaches between Jacksonville and New Orleans, some of the most beautiful in Florida, in my opinion.

Some towns have been severely affected by Hurricane Michael. I recommend visiting the beautiful beaches along 30-A. I believe they were spared the worst of the storm damage, as they are west of the worst damage.

 

[meggiebeth]

You could fly into Memphis and then drive down the Natchez trace. Beautiful drive with lots of history. Natchez and Vicksburg are beautiful, historic areas. Head on down to NOLA and then fly from there.

Gulfport MS advertises $99 flights to Orlando but I have no clue of the details.

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I haven’t heard of the Natchez Trace but just looked it up and it looks lovely - are there any nice towns with hotels on the way do you know?

I just looked at Gulfport MS flights and they have some great prices! Booking is only up to next May at the moment so I will have to impatiently wait for their August flights to be released!

If you drive from Jacksonville to New Orleans, you'll probably go across I-10 rather than I-20, so you would cross the MS Gulf Coast rather than the Jackson area. Jackson would be about 2.5 hours north. If you end up visiting Jackson, I think the Civil Rights and Mississippi History museums are worth seeing.

What ages are traveling with you? There is a great children's museum in Gulfport, MS. If you do go between New Orleans and Jackson, you can take a detour to see antebellum houses and Civil War sites in Vicksburg and Natchez.

There is a budget airline, Via Air, that flies between Orlando and Jackson; otherwise, the flights are often pretty high. I live in the Jackson area, but I often price Memphis, New Orleans, and Gulfport for flights. For Memphis and New Orleans, check Southwest's website - it won't come up on many of the comparison websites.

Thank you so much for the heads up on flights. I saw some great prices from Via Air to Jackson and am very tempted but wasn’t sure if it was a reputable airline as the reviews are not great. I’m guessing it’s similar to our Ryanair in the U.K. though. I didn’t realise about Southwest - will go and check that out now.

Would you say Jackson is worth visiting, and a nice town? We have only really been to Charleston, SC so far in terms of historic US cities and thought it was beautiful so I’m not sure anything will live up to it! We are a family of all adults with a fourteen year old so I don’t know if the children’s museum will be suitable for us but I will check it out regardless and see! Thank you for all your advice - it’s really appreciated!

There are beautiful beaches between Jacksonville and New Orleans, some of the most beautiful in Florida, in my opinion.

Some towns have been severely affected by Hurricane Michael. I recommend visiting the beautiful beaches along 30-A. I believe they were spared the worst of the storm damage, as they are west of the worst damage.

Thank you so much! Do you know of any pretty towns near to these beautiful beaches? We’d probably be looking for somewhere to spend a night or two.

 

[luvsJack]

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I haven’t heard of the Natchez Trace but just looked it up and it looks lovely - are there any nice towns with hotels on the way do you know?

I just looked at Gulfport MS flights and they have some great prices! Booking is only up to next May at the moment so I will have to impatiently wait for their August flights to be released!



Thank you so much for the heads up on flights. I saw some great prices from Via Air to Jackson and am very tempted but wasn’t sure if it was a reputable airline as the reviews are not great. I’m guessing it’s similar to our Ryanair in the U.K. though. I didn’t realise about Southwest - will go and check that out now.

Would you say Jackson is worth visiting, and a nice town? We have only really been to Charleston, SC so far in terms of historic US cities and thought it was beautiful so I’m not sure anything will live up to it! We are a family of all adults with a fourteen year old so I don’t know if the children’s museum will be suitable for us but I will check it out regardless and see! Thank you for all your advice - it’s really appreciated!



Thank you so much! Do you know of any pretty towns near to these beautiful beaches? We’d probably be looking for somewhere to spend a night or two.

There are several towns along the Trace. You have to exit off but several small towns and a few bigger ones. I, personally, love Natchez and Vicksburg.

Personally, as someone who has lived in MS almost her whole life, Jackson would be last on my list to visit. But that’s just my opinion. There are things to do and see, I just am not particularly fond of our capital city. Someone with the opposite opinion could probably give you more suggestions.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

This is something that’s just interesting, a couple of hour visit with not much else around the immediate area but I like weird things.
http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/08/stonehenge_replica_hidden_in_a.html

 

[Planogirl]

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is nice and pretty close to Mobile Alabama. I agree that the Natchez Trace is beautiful and Natchez itself is really fun to explore. You could stop or take a side trip to St. Francisville and stay in the haunted Myrtles Plantation or somewhere less spooky. It might a bit too far out of the way unless you drive through Natchez. If you do just keep heading south. This is one of my favorite road trips.

We have stopped for the night in Jackson and I don't remember there being much there. If you like battlefields, Vicksburg is better and close to a good place to enter the Trace.

 

[luvsJack]

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is nice and pretty close to Mobile Alabama. I agree that the Natchez Trace is beautiful and Natchez itself is really fun to explore. You could stop or take a side trip to St. Francisville and stay in the haunted Myrtles Plantation or somewhere less spooky. It might a bit too far out of the way unless you drive through Natchez. If you do just keep heading south. This is one of my favorite road trips.

We have stopped for the night in Jackson and I don't remember there being much there. If you like battlefields, Vicksburg is better and close to a good place to enter the Trace.

I would LOVE to stay at Myrtles! Can’t talk my family into it lol. OP, if you like history and spooky, this would be an excellent suggestion!

There is a haunted Natchez tour too.

 

[Southernmiss]

You could fly into Memphis and then drive down the Natchez trace. Beautiful drive with lots of history. Natchez and Vicksburg are beautiful, historic areas. Head on down to NOLA and then fly from there.

Gulfport MS advertises $99 flights to Orlando but I have no clue of the details.

I live in Gulfport, MS. Much to see in the area that OP will be traveling. If OP can fly into Memphis, then they could drive over to Oxford (about an hour from Memphis) take a day to tour Oxford-pretty little college town with a few museums (Rowan Oak-William Faulkner's home and the Lamar House I believe it is -a home of a Civil War figure). Oxford has the "Square" with shops and restaurants-stop in and say hi to my sons at the yogurt shop! Oxford is really just a one day experience.

Then drive down the Natchez Trace through Mississippi. The trace is a very scenic highway with lots of historical sights and free things to see and do. One must plan to exit into the towns to find gas and food. (We almost ran out of gas on the Trace in Tennessee and lucked into exiting just in time to find a gas station.) You can easily take the Trace and exit into Jackson, Vicksburg and Natchez. Jackson is our capital city and unfortunately, the city itself is not looked upon with favor. Most of the nicer areas have moved outside of town. Jackson would be a good day trip to see museums in the City, but I would stay outside of the City.

My Husband and I honeymooned in Natchez and Vicksburg. They are old Mississippi towns with a whole lot of Civil War History and antebellum homes. You could stay in one of them as there are many bed and breakfast places. I would drive from Oxford to Jackson (about 2.5 hours). Tour any museums in Jackson you want to see, then head over to Natchez and Vicksburg. Planning to stay in one of those towns take a day to tour one of them and any historic sites you'd like to see.

Then if you want to drive into Louisiana (just across the bridge in Natchez) you could see a few sights in Louisiana like the Myrtles. Then head to New Orleans to spend a day there. From New Orleans, head east to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The children's museum in Gulfport is very nice, but would not appeal to your 14 year old.

However, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast we have an air and space museum in Hancock County, seafood history museum in Biloxi, audubon nature park (Pascagoula) and a very nice 26 mile highway 90 along the Gulf of Mexico stretching from Hancock County to Jackson County. Lots of good places to eat on the Mississippi Gulf Coast-seafood is big. We are an hour and a half away from New Orleans, so the food influences are the same.

We do have casinos with a new Margaritaville casino with a big family fun center. And we have Big Play Family Fun center in Biloxi that a lot of local teens like to go to--many arcade things, mini golf, go carts, etc. We have white sand beaches here. Because we have barrier islands that keep silt in close to shore, the Gulf of Mexico water is brown here. Locals either take a boat out to Ship Island or drive over to Destin, Florida (about 3 hours away) for beautiful swimming beaches. Destin would be on your way to Jacksonville.

And if you wanted to see Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile. Leave the Mississippi Gulf Coast and head east. Mobile is an hour away. Tour Bellingrath Gardens, stay in Mobile lots of Spanish and French influenced history in our region. Mobile also has many museums and a battleship that can be toured. You can leave there and be in Destin in 2 hours to see the really pretty water.

The Mississippi Coast to Jacksonville is about a 7 hour drive depending on traffic-can be more. Interstate 10 can become quite congested depending on where you are and if there are accidents on the highway, but it is the best straight route to Jacksonville.

St. Augustine is about 1 hour south of Jacksonville, it is a beautiful walkable town with lots of history. I can spend a day or two there myself.

Hello all,

We have decided we would like to do a road trip for about a week before our Disney vacation. We fly into Jacksonville, FL but would like to visit New Orleans and figured we could visit places like Jackson while we are there (if it’s worth visiting - at this point I have no idea!) We don’t want to make the long trip in one drive though so are wondering if there are any great places to stop off at on the way from Jacksonville? Does anyone have any knowledge or experience that I could gratefully recieve?

The other option is flying from Jacksonville to Nashville and then driving from there through Franklin, Oxford, Jackson and then New Orleans before either flying or driving back to Florida, however this would be more expensive as we would need two flights so I’m not sure if it’s worth it. (Flights from Florida to Mississippi or Tennessee are coming up quite literally as expensive as our flights from the U.K. to Florida which seems crazy! I’m struggling to find any good deals.)

Another possibility would be staying in St Augustine, FL for a few nights and then driving on to New Orleans.

I’m totally stuck! Is anyone familiar with the area able to help or offer any advice?

Thanks!

There is also much to see and do in Nashville, if you wanted to go that route. You can drive down the Natchez Trace through Tennessee, also.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is nice and pretty close to Mobile Alabama. I agree that the Natchez Trace is beautiful and Natchez itself is really fun to explore. You could stop or take a side trip to St. Francisville and stay in the haunted Myrtles Plantation or somewhere less spooky. It might a bit too far out of the way unless you drive through Natchez. If you do just keep heading south. This is one of my favorite road trips.

We have stopped for the night in Jackson and I don't remember there being much there. If you like battlefields, Vicksburg is better and close to a good place to enter the Trace.

I know I have rambled a lot. I hope some of what I have said has made sense and might be helpful to you, OP. You can't go wrong with any of what you decide. It's all a matter of what you and your family would like to see and do.

Please ask if I can make anything more clear.

Good luck and I hope you come and will love our region of the US!

 

[bgirldeb]

Thank you so much! Do you know of any pretty towns near to these beautiful beaches? We’d probably be looking for somewhere to spend a night or two.

You're welcome! There are a lot of pretty towns and beaches lined up next to each other, each with unique features. You can rent bicycles and explore.

This gives a good idea about the differnt locations:
https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/beaches

One that we like to visit is Seaside, where The Truman Show was filmed.
https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/beaches/seaside

 

[Gary M]

meggiebeth, I see you are from England and plan on flying to the USA in August. I am wondering if you have been to the Southern US in the summer? The heat and humidity is brutal. I'm just trying to make you aware of the weather. Maybe you don't have trouble with the hot summer weather.

Have a great trip.

 

[Southernmiss]

meggiebeth, I see you are from England and plan on flying to the USA in August. I am wondering if you have been to the Southern US in the summer? The heat and humidity is brutal. I'm just trying to make you aware of the weather. Maybe you don't have trouble with the hot summer weather.

Have a great trip.

Yes, it will be HOT! But all indoor places have cold air conditioning-it is a MUST!

 

[meggiebeth]

This is something that’s just interesting, a couple of hour visit with not much else around the immediate area but I like weird things.
http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/08/stonehenge_replica_hidden_in_a.html

Very interesting! Funnily, I’ve never been to Stonehenge so will have to look into this! Thanks!

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is nice and pretty close to Mobile Alabama. I agree that the Natchez Trace is beautiful and Natchez itself is really fun to explore. You could stop or take a side trip to St. Francisville and stay in the haunted Myrtles Plantation or somewhere less spooky. It might a bit too far out of the way unless you drive through Natchez. If you do just keep heading south. This is one of my favorite road trips.

We have stopped for the night in Jackson and I don't remember there being much there. If you like battlefields, Vicksburg is better and close to a good place to enter the Trace.

Thanks for your advice! I’m undecided on whether to go through the Natchez Trace as it would add on another three hours to our drive, but it sounds like it would be worth it! If the scenery is lovely all the way through, the journey would probably seem a lot shorter anyway.

I live in Gulfport, MS. Much to see in the area that OP will be traveling. If OP can fly into Memphis, then they could drive over to Oxford (about an hour from Memphis) take a day to tour Oxford-pretty little college town with a few museums (Rowan Oak-William Faulkner's home and the Lamar House I believe it is -a home of a Civil War figure). Oxford has the "Square" with shops and restaurants-stop in and say hi to my sons at the yogurt shop! Oxford is really just a one day experience.

Then drive down the Natchez Trace through Mississippi. The trace is a very scenic highway with lots of historical sights and free things to see and do. One must plan to exit into the towns to find gas and food. (We almost ran out of gas on the Trace in Tennessee and lucked into exiting just in time to find a gas station.) You can easily take the Trace and exit into Jackson, Vicksburg and Natchez. Jackson is our capital city and unfortunately, the city itself is not looked upon with favor. Most of the nicer areas have moved outside of town. Jackson would be a good day trip to see museums in the City, but I would stay outside of the City.

My Husband and I honeymooned in Natchez and Vicksburg. They are old Mississippi towns with a whole lot of Civil War History and antebellum homes. You could stay in one of them as there are many bed and breakfast places. I would drive from Oxford to Jackson (about 2.5 hours). Tour any museums in Jackson you want to see, then head over to Natchez and Vicksburg. Planning to stay in one of those towns take a day to tour one of them and any historic sites you'd like to see.

Then if you want to drive into Louisiana (just across the bridge in Natchez) you could see a few sights in Louisiana like the Myrtles. Then head to New Orleans to spend a day there. From New Orleans, head east to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The children's museum in Gulfport is very nice, but would not appeal to your 14 year old.

However, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast we have an air and space museum in Hancock County, seafood history museum in Biloxi, audubon nature park (Pascagoula) and a very nice 26 mile highway 90 along the Gulf of Mexico stretching from Hancock County to Jackson County. Lots of good places to eat on the Mississippi Gulf Coast-seafood is big. We are an hour and a half away from New Orleans, so the food influences are the same.

We do have casinos with a new Margaritaville casino with a big family fun center. And we have Big Play Family Fun center in Biloxi that a lot of local teens like to go to--many arcade things, mini golf, go carts, etc. We have white sand beaches here. Because we have barrier islands that keep silt in close to shore, the Gulf of Mexico water is brown here. Locals either take a boat out to Ship Island or drive over to Destin, Florida (about 3 hours away) for beautiful swimming beaches. Destin would be on your way to Jacksonville.

And if you wanted to see Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile. Leave the Mississippi Gulf Coast and head east. Mobile is an hour away. Tour Bellingrath Gardens, stay in Mobile lots of Spanish and French influenced history in our region. Mobile also has many museums and a battleship that can be toured. You can leave there and be in Destin in 2 hours to see the really pretty water.

The Mississippi Coast to Jacksonville is about a 7 hour drive depending on traffic-can be more. Interstate 10 can become quite congested depending on where you are and if there are accidents on the highway, but it is the best straight route to Jacksonville.

St. Augustine is about 1 hour south of Jacksonville, it is a beautiful walkable town with lots of history. I can spend a day or two there myself.




There is also much to see and do in Nashville, if you wanted to go that route. You can drive down the Natchez Trace through Tennessee, also.




I know I have rambled a lot. I hope some of what I have said has made sense and might be helpful to you, OP. You can't go wrong with any of what you decide. It's all a matter of what you and your family would like to see and do.

Please ask if I can make anything more clear.

Good luck and I hope you come and will love our region of the US!

Thank you so much southernmiss! You are really selling me on the region!

With Jackson, the main reason we wanted to go was because one of my family’s favourite films is The Help and we’d quite like to eat at the diner from the movie and do the driving tour. I wasn’t sure whether to stay there though and from what you’ve said it sounds like it will be better to stay elsewhere! Would you say driving through, it’s safe to leave luggage in the car? I’ve heard there’s a lot of car break ins in the US in areas which would be the only worry I will have driving through towns and leaving the car to explore.

If you don’t mind me asking, how long would you stay in Nashville? And would you choose that, or St Augustine, for a brief trip? There’s so many lovely looking places to visit, and so little time - we only have a week in all.

Thank you so much for all of your advice - you’ve really given me a better idea of where to start looking!

You're welcome! There are a lot of pretty towns and beaches lined up next to each other, each with unique features. You can rent bicycles and explore.

This gives a good idea about the differnt locations:
https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/beaches

One that we like to visit is Seaside, where The Truman Show was filmed.
https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/beaches/seaside

Thank you - they look absolutely beautiful! It would be lovely to have a nice stopover there!

meggiebeth, I see you are from England and plan on flying to the USA in August. I am wondering if you have been to the Southern US in the summer? The heat and humidity is brutal. I'm just trying to make you aware of the weather. Maybe you don't have trouble with the hot summer weather.

Have a great trip.

Thanks Gary! We’ve been to Florida a few times before in August, but not elsewhere in the South. It was a struggle at times but we made sure to use the pool and air conditioning as much as we could. I’m hoping the rest of the South isn’t worse! Our summer weather tends to be awful, so it’s nice to go somewhere much warmer in a lot of ways.

 

[Southernmiss]

Very interesting! Funnily, I’ve never been to Stonehenge so will have to look into this! Thanks!



Thanks for your advice! I’m undecided on whether to go through the Natchez Trace as it would add on another three hours to our drive, but it sounds like it would be worth it! If the scenery is lovely all the way through, the journey would probably seem a lot shorter anyway.



Thank you so much southernmiss! You are really selling me on the region!

With Jackson, the main reason we wanted to go was because one of my family’s favourite films is The Help and we’d quite like to eat at the diner from the movie and do the driving tour. I wasn’t sure whether to stay there though and from what you’ve said it sounds like it will be better to stay elsewhere! Would you say driving through, it’s safe to leave luggage in the car? I’ve heard there’s a lot of car break ins in the US in areas which would be the only worry I will have driving through towns and leaving the car to explore. I am familiar with the movie the Help, but was not familiar with the filming locations. So I googled. While the setting of the book is Jackson, the movie was filmed in Greenwood Mississippi which is about an hour and a half away from Jackson. It is in between Jackson and Oxford. I visited Greenwood one time for a quick day when DH was considering a job there. Greenwood is located in the Mississippi Delta, which though I am a native Mississippian, it's an area that is different than the Coast, the Delta is traditionally known as a poorer area of the state and not one that I can give a lot of comment about. It would work with your drive from Oxford and then down the Natchez Trace. Hopefully, someone else can give more info about Greenwood.

If you don’t mind me asking, how long would you stay in Nashville? And would you choose that, or St Augustine, for a brief trip? There’s so many lovely looking places to visit, and so little time - we only have a week in all. @amberpi I believe lives near Nashville and can give you a better overview. ((Needed to add that Nashville to Greenwood, MS is about a 5 1/2 hour drive.)) But here is my perspective as an occasional visitor. Nashville is a lovely City. We visited it for the day in July. MIL lives an hour south of Nashville. I really enjoy the region and always find something new to explore. Country music is the main thing Nashville is known for. On our day in Nashville, we toured the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium and the Johnny Cash Museum and ate at a restaurant where they teach line dancing. Vanderbilt University is in the heart of Nashville. We drove through the campus as we have a daughter who is starting to decide on Universities and wanted her to get a feel for Vanderbilt. DH and I are not usually country music fans, but having grown up with parents/relatives who listened to country music, we found each museum very interesting and worth our time to visit. There is so much to do in the area of Nashville--that area of Tennessee is known as Middle Tennessee. Beautiful rolling hills and countrysides. There's Civil War history there, too. Touring Nashville and it's surrounding areas would be different (not in a bad or good way) than touring the Mississippi/Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast area. The Gulf Coast from Louisiana, to the panhandle of Florida over to Jacksonville has been very much influenced by the history of its rule by Spanish and French influences in the 1700s. The areas north of the St. Stephen's line was ruled by English. So there were different settlers to the areas and as a native, I can see the differences and influences played out even today. The Gulf Coast area all has a tropical, beachy vibe-especially in August. There will be heat indices each day of 100+. Long story to say either Nashville or St. Augustine would be lovely, just depends on what your family would like to see and enjoy.

Thank you so much for all of your advice - you’ve really given me a better idea of where t. o start looking!



Thank you - they look absolutely beautiful! It would be lovely to have a nice stopover there!



Thanks Gary! We’ve been to Florida a few times before in August, but not elsewhere in the South. It was a struggle at times but we made sure to use the pool and air conditioning as much as we could. I’m hoping the rest of the South isn’t worse! Our summer weather tends to be awful, so it’s nice to go somewhere much warmer in a lot of ways.

 

[LSUmiss]

Very interesting! Funnily, I’ve never been to Stonehenge so will have to look into this! Thanks!



Thanks for your advice! I’m undecided on whether to go through the Natchez Trace as it would add on another three hours to our drive, but it sounds like it would be worth it! If the scenery is lovely all the way through, the journey would probably seem a lot shorter anyway.



Thank you so much southernmiss! You are really selling me on the region!

With Jackson, the main reason we wanted to go was because one of my family’s favourite films is The Help and we’d quite like to eat at the diner from the movie and do the driving tour. I wasn’t sure whether to stay there though and from what you’ve said it sounds like it will be better to stay elsewhere! Would you say driving through, it’s safe to leave luggage in the car? I’ve heard there’s a lot of car break ins in the US in areas which would be the only worry I will have driving through towns and leaving the car to explore.

If you don’t mind me asking, how long would you stay in Nashville? And would you choose that, or St Augustine, for a brief trip? There’s so many lovely looking places to visit, and so little time - we only have a week in all.

Thank you so much for all of your advice - you’ve really given me a better idea of where to start looking!



Thank you - they look absolutely beautiful! It would be lovely to have a nice stopover there!



Thanks Gary! We’ve been to Florida a few times before in August, but not elsewhere in the South. It was a struggle at times but we made sure to use the pool and air conditioning as much as we could. I’m hoping the rest of the South isn’t worse! Our summer weather tends to be awful, so it’s nice to go somewhere much warmer in a lot of ways.

It’s not any worse. It’s pretty much the same as Florida.

 

[luvsJack]

The Delta is a very different part of the state. I haven’t seen all of it but where I have been is very rural. Lots of farms. Dh used to work up there a lot in construction. All he says is the food is amazing, the music is great, the people are nice and the mosquitoes will carry you off lol. Lots of places with music and food apparently lol.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I used to live about three/four hours west of Jackson in Shreveport and had to travel to Jackson MS often for work. It's not a place I would visit if I was sightseeing around the South. But then Shreveport wasn't much either. Also lived in Montgomery AL for about two years and wouldn't sightsee there either.

I would spend time visiting Civil War destinations because I'm a history buff.

 

[Wendy31]

We used to have family that lived near Jackson, MS. Now, they live in Biloxi.

I didn't find anything terribly special about Jackson, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Biloxi/Gulfport area. I would love it if DH could find a job somewhere near there, & we could move to the area. On our 1st visit, we toured Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis's home & presidential library, which was really interesting & very well done. Margaritaville is fun for the whole family, & Ocean Springs is a lovely community just over the bridge w/ lots of unique shops & restaurants - it's also very "walkable". New Orleans is about an hour away, & we really enjoyed our visit when we drove over for the day during one of our times in Biloxi. On another visit, we drove over to Dauphin Island, AL, which was fun.

We also visit St. Augustine 2-3 times/year - it's our absolute favorite city. If you only have a week before your Disney trip, there is honestly plenty to do in St. Augustine & the surrounding area that would keep you occupied for the week. I could write pages & pages of things to do & see & places to eat! You seem like you may be more interested in the Gulf Coast, though; however, if you'd like any specific recommendations for St. Augustine, just ask! If you do decide to go w/ St. Augustine, you could also drive down to the Kennedy Space Center which is about an hour & 1/2 away.

Regarding the heat, we live in the south, &, where we live, is actually usually hotter/more humid in the summer than the coastal area around St. Augustine.

 

[arminnie]

We travel to Orlando from New Orleans multiple times a year. Occasionally we will take a jog and go over to St. Augustine which is lovely.

I am very fond of Mobile. It's a great city. And I love Bellingrath Gardens outside of Mobile. Lots to do in the Biloxi/Gulfport area. That's were many New Orleans people spent their vacations for many years.

Not sure where you are leaving from, but there are now direct flights to New Orleans from London. The driving time between New Orleans and Orlando is 9-10 hours plus of course the time you spend stopping on the way.