US South - 2 weeks - New Orleans plus ?

If you add the night to N.O. you have seven remaining.
You could drive north to St. Francisville, Louisiana and stay at the Myrtles Plantation— reputedly the most haunted house in America! Then continue north on Highway 61 to Natchez, Mississippi for two nights and along the Natchez Trace to Vicksburg for one night. Then continue further north on Hwy. 61 on the Blues Highway to Greenwood and **Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Conclude the week-long road trip in Memphis, Tennessee

Perhaps on another trip, I recommend a trip that includes St. Augustine, Florida, just south of Jacksonville.
Then move north to check out the Golden Isles of Georgia (Jekyll Island, Saint Simons Island) (also consider visiting the Okefenokee Swamp.

https://okeswamp.org

Continue north to Savannah, Georgia, which as a charming historical city. It was featured in the famous movie Midnight in the Garden of Evil.

https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/savannah-georgia-midnight-road-trip/

Then move north to Charleston, SC, which is amazing.

If you want more, continue up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for amazing beaches and to see where the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk.
Then north into Virgina which is loaded with history, with President Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, as well as many Civil War Battle sites.

I think you are right to do the easiest secondary itinerary. I do think highly of the AL Civil Rights sites, but (depending on your driving tolerance), it is a bit of a haul from NO.

So I'd pick "Just Louisiana and Mississippi (Natchez Trace? Delta. Oxford?) and fly open jaw, in to Memphis and home from NOLA?"

Fly into Memphis and spend some time (1-2 nights?)--they do have a good civil rights museum-- https://civilrightsmuseum.org/
I'm not that into music but it was nice enough to walk around their downtown and see all the lights (this was February so the scene was pretty dead). There is also Graceland if that appeals.

I'd then do your MS and LA sites (sorry, no good advice as I haven't been to the places you mention) and end in NO.

My thinking is ‘less is more’...

With that thought in mind, driving the Natchez Trace will be a great way to unwind after the tour. There are plenty of side trips just off the Trace, and Memphis has a charm of it's own. Just a possibility to consider.

I also agree with the "less is more" theory in this instance, as you will have plenty to do between LA and MS. As another poster mentioned, St. Francisville, LA is full of antebellum/Civil War history, and many of the old homes that were working plantations are intact and available to tour. The Myrtles "haunted" tour is fun (albeit rather corny), and the restaurant on site is fantastic. Natchez, MS is a beautiful town with a lot of charm, but it has a larger and denser city center than St. Francisville. Again, it's full of history and beautiful old homes to tour. These two places are only about an hour drive from one another, so you could get sleeping arrangements in one and do a day trip to the other easily.

The Lafayette area is what is considered Cajun country, and the surrounding small towns each have a bit of history and culture that is unique even to Louisiana. If you want to catch a baseball game in Baton Rouge, it looks like The Tigers are playing New Orleans on 4/21 at 6:30. That could be fun, too. You could walk around campus and visit Mike the Tiger. He's rather personable.

Have you also considered the MS Gulf Coast? Towns like Bay St. Louis have experienced tremendous growth lately, but they also have nice little downtown areas. Lots of fun restaurants and live music options for you there.

No matter what you do, the weather should be great, and it won't be too hot yet. New Orleans is a gem of a city, and you really won't run out of things to do (or eat ha ha). I've lived in S. Louisiana the vast majority of my life, so I'm happy to answer any questions for you!

We took a side trip from New Orleans to the area around Eunice, Mamou, etc.
If you are a music lover this would be fantastic...also for a food lover.
You can attend at least two live radio shows with dancing...we had a fabulous time..

I can offer some details if you are considering that area.

Ekscrunchy

That would be great. I see you already talked about Eunice, Mamou and Lafayette in response to my earlier query, so yesterday I started to ponder a trip that includes the Mississippi Delta / Hiway 61, Vicksburg/Natchez, Acadiana and NOLA.

With or without Memphis? Open jaw or NOLA RT?

What do you know about the Scott Boudin Festival? It’s the weekend before the French Q Fest.

LATE ENTRY - looking at drive times … open jaw flight to Memphis makes sense. Drives: Memphis to Clarksdale, then perhaps Vicksburg or perhaps Jackson, then Natchez, then Lafayette and finally N.O.

Perhaps 17 nights total, incl 7 in N.O. 10 nights Memphis thru Lafayette, with 3 in Lafayette, 2 in most other places and a single one night stand.

Sounds wonderful! Just make sure to time the days if you want to go to Fred's Lounge on Saturday morning...I would not miss this but I know it's tricky to time the trip based on only that..

It's such a wonderful region and once you get there people will be eager to offer advice on things to see that might not be noted in guidebooks......

https://countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/visual-performing-arts/fred-s-lounge/

We stopped at a few boudin stores and had an exceptionally fun time....it's tasty, too!!
https://countryroadsmagazine.com/cuisine/Louisiana-foodways/18-drive-your-own-boudin-trail/

...and in NOLA, new boudin place:

https://frissonsnola.com

Kara … or anyone else,

Have you ever been to the Scott Boudin Festival? Or the Festivale Internationale de Louisiane?

What can you say about the

• Music
• Food
• Arts?
• Vibe.

The Scott Boudin looks more Louisiana Cajun/Zydeco and the Internationale looks more Pan French Creole & Cajun including performers from other French speaking areas of the globe. One is the weekend of April 10-12 and the other is April 22-26. Both in or very near Lafayette.

So far, the only rez made is the Road Scholar French Quarter Fest tour, April 15-20.

Choices, choices.

I will be with a few of the others. Look no further than New Orleans, up the Mississippi River to Natchez, Vicksburg, the Blues Trail, and up to Memphis. No more really needed (and I say that despite spending a good amount of my time in south central Louisiana in the heart of Cajun Country).

I love new orleans.
I also just returned from a really intense 5 day civil rights history bus tour from Iowa through Memphis one night, two nights in Montgomery, and one night in Memphis as we headed north. Great, but exhausting. From Montgomery we also did day trips to selma and Birmingham. While there are the three amazing EJI museum/sculpture park in Montgomery, I wonder if we could have slept those nights in Birmingham and spent one long exhausting day in Montgomery seeing those museums. We did a group photo on the steps of the Montgomery capital, even tho it's historical, it looks like most other state capitals and we could have skipped that stop. Maybe do a bit of Memphis (BBQ, music) and save the civil rights history for another trip. I've been to Jackson Mississippi several times visiting friends, but can't speak the history sites available in MS.

I highly recommend the guided tour at the Whitney Plantation. I will never forget what I saw and heard that day.

I second the Whitney Plantation. Not just a look-see of the fancy furniture in the big house. (Likewise the Boone Hall Plantation near Charleston, SC.)

The best plantation in the Charleston area is Hopsewee, north of Charleston just south of Georgetown. It was the birthplace of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and he was in his 20's when he signed, as were all the other SC signers except one who was 30! Hopsewee also has a Tea Room with great food for lunch.

doricB, I have lived in AL for 21 years, have never been to the state capitol, and see no reason to go. Huntsville is a much better destination.

All, Thanks for your ideas for both this trip (I would never have picked up Lafayette, Red’s or St. Francisville without you) and for one or two later trip(s) to include civil rights trail, EJI (we are huge fans of Brian Stevenson and his work), Atlanta, Savannah and parts of the Carolinas.

Pretty well decided on

• Memphis 2 nights (though arrival from SEA limits activity on night 1; National Civil Rights Museum; music) (Rent car for travel from Memphis to NOLA)
• Clarksdale MS 2 nights (music; Delta Blues Museum)
• Vicksburg 1 night (Drive through Indianola to see BB King Museum and Delta Interp Ctr on way; Vicksburg Natl Military Park)
• Natchez 2 nights - (Drive a 40 mile stretch of Natchez Trace Pkwy; Natchez Spring Pilgrimage Tour)
• Lafayette or Eunice (Acadiana) 3 nights - (Drive there via St. Francisville LA or Louisiana State Arboretum or both; Scott Boudin Festival. Also perhaps Red’s Lounge in Mamou.)
• New Orleans 2 nights in advance of the 5-night Road Scholar Tour that coincides with - and features - the French Quarter Festival. (Drive to New Orleans via US 90 with stops in one or more of the following: Houma, Mandalay Natl. Wildlife Sanctuary, Jean Lafite Natl. Hist. Park & Preserve)

So 7 nights total in NOLA; 17 nights total for trip.

Comments or further recommendations?

• Hotel, inns or B&Bs for locations other than NOLA
• Restaurants anywhere
• Sights, shops, galleries, parks
• Advance reading, movies

Thnx

Fred,
Sounds like a really nice plan. Can I hitchy a ride in your suitcase?

Judy,

Thanks for your several responses. Just looked again at your posts both here and on my earlier query, so I see I need to weigh/balance the US 90 marsh and bayou approach to NO vs the river road and Whitney Plantation. One just can’t do it all.

Last year, we learned about the lives and histories of slaves at Mt. Vernon, Montpelier (James and Dolley Madison’s home) and Monticello, as part of our journey from D,C. through colonial Virginia, Appomattox Courthouse, the Blue Ridge Mtns, Asheville, the Smokeys and Nashville. TR here

So, as you can see, this upcoming trip is part of our quest to see and experience the life and history of the American South.

fred, in order to experience the American South, you must plan a trip to Charleston. Slavery on the rice plantations in that area was different from that on tobacco(VA) or cotton plantations. Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant not only has original slave cabins but also talks and a really interesting Gullah show.

cala is spot on about Boone Hall, for whenever you get to Charleston.

Judy, Cala … and those others of you who’ve responded to this post and my earlier one (geovagriffith, ekscrunchy, archer, TC, Mother Duck, Rachel, Valdelphia, salbeachbum, Celeste, David, Jojo Rabbit and more, yet),

We will look forward to more of the South as Act 3 of this tale in 2027. Alabama, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston and Eastern NC and perhaps more. Lots more civil rights, history, Southern charm and BBQ to explore. Your insights have been great - and I’ve certainly learned to not compare grits with cream of wheat from y’all.

My Act 2 TR should be published in late April 26. Still looking forward to restaurant, lodging and more suggestions of sites and sights on our Memphis to NOLA, Hiway 61 and Acadiana itinerary.

Fred, I am late to this new trip plan thread, but I give it two thumbs up!

Much better - "less is more" is my philosophy in most things in life.

Late to this party, but fwiw I agree with your itinerary.

We had family that lived in NOLA so our accommodations were frequently taken care of; however, when they were not, we typically stayed at the Hampton Inn on St. Charles Ave. We like the area and family lived nearby; also, while I think they charge now, they have onsite parking, which was a plus for us.

Since you will be there for the French Quarter Fest, you will get a pretty good dose of music, but here are some live music venues-the Maple Leaf, Tipitinas, Preservation Hall and Snug Harbour.

Restaurants…Too many to consider, but here are some of our favorites.
Gris-Gris on Magazine Street.

Jacques-Imos on Maple Street next door to the Maple Leaf (live music referenced above).
For po-boys, we love Parkway Bakery-I realize po-boys are regional but I strongly suggest trying them - fried seafood or roast beef and gravy are our favorites.
We also like Cafe Degas.
For a really nice dinner, we enjoy Brigtsens, Lilette’s and Commanders Palace. If you want to go to Commanders for lunch it is a little more laid back and they used to have cheap martinis at lunch. You will need reservations for everything except Parkway Bakery and maybe Cafe Degas.

fred, you will definitely want to go to the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham-it is very well done. Also the African American Museum in Charleston.

Memphis, we had a great breakfast at the Cupboard. I also had very good crab cakes somewhere on Beale street in a cool old bar

Oops - saw some more requests you had posted.

Audubon Park is lovely and in the spring should be a perfect time for strolling through the park and surrounding neighborhood. City park is huge and nice, but if I had to choose one, Audubon is my preference.

Reading… A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Classic New Orleans quirky humor with snapshot in time of 1960’s New Orleans. It used to be a required reading for incoming Freshman at Tulane University. As you may know, the author Anne Rice is from New Orleans and one of her lesser known works is a historical fiction book which provides an interesting historical background of the French Quarter and the “gens de couleur libre” the free people of color.

I think some others have mentioned the World War 2 museum which I would definitely recommend. If you are a real history buff (WW2 era), set aside most of a day for the museum.

Hope this helps.

Salb…

Definitely a help. Some of your suggestions are already on my radar, not all.

I expect we’ll see an old friend in N.O. who volunteers at the WW2 Museum. The Audubon Park is a definite maybe. We may pass Audubon’s path elsewhere and we may take in enough marsh, bayou and wilderness on the way to N.O. that we may opt for more urban sights, though the Butterfly Garden might tantalise us.

Thanks for your suggestion of A Confederacy of Dunces, which I have yet to read.

BTW - how bad will mosquitos be in April - in all places along this journey?

Re: "doricB, I have lived in AL for 21 years, have never been to the state capitol, and see no reason to go. Huntsville is a much better destination."

As someone who grew up in Montgomery and goes back to visit family, I think you are missing the point of what the OP wanted. Huntsville is not a great choice for civil rights touring in comparison to Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham. I don't dispute that Huntsville is the better place to live/visit if you aren't looking for as specific a type of visit.

I also would argue against staying in Birmingham and doing a daytrip to Montgomery for the EJI stuff, but I'm very aware that I'm highly biased in that regard AND could spend a long time in each of their museum/memorial spaces. I also grew up with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) which often runs original works by Southern playwrights and would always try to catch a show if it coordinated.

Fred: "Restaurants anywhere
Sights, shops, galleries, parks
Advance reading, movies"

Memphis:
-try the BBQ! Several places are famous/good. I liked Rendevous (officially "Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous"), but some will say it is too touristy/not that good. Read the reviews and check out the menu. It is a long-time Memphis standard. I enjoyed it very much in Feb 2025.
-the bar at the Peabody hotel lobby

NOLA:
-I don't actually like Commander's Palace---I found everything oversalted and very meh. This was pre-Covid though, so I don't have super recent experience.

-French Truck Coffee (multiple locations)
-You need to try beignets somewhere! (I go to Cafe du Monde on the river for nostalgia, but I know there are others)
-WW2 Museum for sure though do some pre-reading on some of the controversies re: racism and then some issues with Stephen Ambrose
-Spike Lee's documentary When the Levees Broke OR the HBO docuseries If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise--also Spike Lee but more focused on how the city was coming back. I know it has been 20 years since Katrina, but if you don't know much about this part of NOLA history, I think it is important to learn.

If I think of anything else, I'll add on!

Pestilence is an issue along the gulf coast, especially if the winter has been mild--all going back to weather, which is a crap shoot. Since you will have a car, I suggest grabbing some Off wipes for mosquitos, gnats and depending on where you go-ticks.

I have not had an issue in New Orleans during that time of year with mosquitos but I will give you a heads up on a benign looking critter that does emerge that time of year. It is a caterpillar that is black/dark purple that looks soft and furry and falls out of the trees; the sidewalks can be littered with them. I had one fall on my hand as I was walking; it left an imprint on my hand and stung as well. Without treatment, the stinging went away within an hour.

from today's NY Times 36 Hours Memphis
I think the military was deployed to Memphis recently - something to consider.

For Memphis, consider a side visit to Oxford, MS.

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