Adam Karlin, Kate Armstrong, Ashley Harrell,

Kevin Raub, Regis St Louis

AMAZING ROAD TRIPS28

BEST TRIPS

FLORIDA & THE SOUTH’S

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

MAP LEGEND

SYMBOLS IN THIS BOOK CONTENTS

% Telephone Number

h Opening Hours

p Parking

n Nonsmoking

a Air- Conditioning

i Internet Access

W Wi-Fi Access

v Vegetarian Selection

s Swimming Pool

E English- Language Menu

c Family-Friendly

# Pet-Friendly

Tips from Locals

Top Tips

Link Your Trips

Trip Detour

5 Eating

Family

History & Culture

Food & Drink

Outdoors

Essential Photo

Walking Tour

4 Sleeping

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Florida & the South ...................................... 7

Florida & the South Highlights ......................................... 8

If You Like … ................................. 20

Need to Know ................................. 22

City Guide ........................................24

Florida & the South by Region ........................................ 28

Florida & the South Classic Trips .................................. 30

ON THE ROAD

FLORIDA ............................33

1 Highway 1 .................6 Days 37

2 The Everglades ............2–3 Days 49

3 North Florida Backwaters & Byways ..............5–7 Days 57

4 Doing Disney & More ................6–10 Days 65

5 Overseas Highway to Key West ..........3–5 Days 75

Walk Track/Path

River/CreekIntermittent RiverSwamp/MangroveCanalWaterDry/Salt/ Intermittent LakeGlacier

BeachCemetery (Christian)Cemetery (Other)ParkForest

Sportsground

International

Cliff

Capital (National)Capital (State/Province)City/Large TownTown/Village

State/Province

StepsPlaza/Mall

Pedestrian Overpass

Tunnel

Walk RouteLinked TripTrip DetourTrip Route

Airport

Underground station

Train/Railway

Cable Car/ Funicular

BART stationBoston T station

US Interstate Hwy US National Hwy

State Hwy

ReservationUrban Area

Trip Stop

Tram

Trip Numbers

Walking tour

Trip Detour

ParkingSubway station

Metro/Muni station

LaneTertiary

TollwayFreewayPrimarySecondary

Unsealed Road

Transport

Hydrography

Areas

Boundaries

Population

Routes

Route Markers

Trips

Note: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

WELCOME TO

Life is rich – make that indulgent – in the Southern states. Food, music, culture, history:

all of it is robust, spiced to the hilt and alive.

The 28 road trips in this book will introduce you to that way-out crab shack, the sweltering

juke joint and the lonely trail. We’ll show you upscale kitchens and that romantic jazz club

of your dreams, and we’ll tell you the best (not necessarily the quickest) way to get there.

From the mighty Mississippi River to the Florida Keys, from a Blues Highway to the Nashville

honky-tonks, from the Smoky Mountains and the Appalachian Trail to the vibrant, thrumming

cities of Atlanta and Miami, you’ll find your rhythm. And if you’ve only got time for one trip,

make it one of our nine Classic Trips, which take you to the very best of Florida & the South.

Turn the page for more.

FLORIDA & THE SOUTH

Dry Tortugas National Park Fort JeffersonPHIL SUNKEL / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Sparkling beaches, rugged mountains and have-another-biscuit hospitality. Yep, the Carolinas share more than just a name and a border.

For a drive on the wild side, North Carolina is the place to start. In the western mountains the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smokies serve up wildlife, white water and lofty peaks. In the east, windswept dunes and roaming mustangs keep the cruising wild in the Outer Banks.

South Carolina has its share of adventure, but the scenery and history slow the pace. Lowcountry roads meander past plantations and mossy live oaks while Upcountry byways take in battlefields and mountain foothills. And rocking chairs are everywhere – just waiting to ruin your itinerary.

Blue Ridge Parkway Riding on the Linn Cove ViaductMATT MUNRO / LONELY PLANET ©

The Carolinas

Vacationers have flocked to Florida since the late 1800s, when Henry Flagler built his famous railroad down the coast. The state’s status as vacation paradise was cemented when Walt Disney snapped up a sizable chunk of it in the 1960s to build his new theme park.

There’s no denying the state’s appeal, and its incessant sunshine and natural beauty make it particularly well suited for road-tripping. The narrow peninsula packs in the hedonistic pleasures, from white-sand beaches to fantasy-fueled amusement parks – with historical monuments, natural wonders and roadside attractions sprinwkled liberally along the way.

Florida Keys Driving the Overseas HwyPISAPHOTOGRAPHY / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Florida

Georgia and Alabama are a microcosm of the South, on the one hand home to jet-set cities and urban glitterati, and on the other, a slow lifestyle steeped in tradition and history. In Georgia, Atlanta tempts visitors with slick design hotels, hipster bars, sensational restaurants and world-class cultural attractions. There’s wine-drenched Dahlonega in the north; prim and proper Savannah, a gorgeous Southern belle with an edge, to the south; and tempting barbecue throughout. Alabama, steeped in palpable and captivating civil rights history, is also home to two iconic sports venues, and offers Birmingham, an endearing up-and-coming city, and a progressive example of the new South.

Birmingham The Old Mill along Shades Creek, Mountain BrookROBBIE BREWER / 500PX ©

Georgia & Alabama

141

Venture into these three distinct, alluring states, and you may just fall in love. Arkansas flaunts granite bluffs, scenic rivers, quirky mountain towns and narrow trails that lead to the edge of heaven. In sultry Mississippi, juke joints hum until the wee hours, historic Oxford is the kind of fun-yet-refined college town that reels you in, and the Natchez Trace Parkway is simply the most beautiful highway in the South. Then let Louisiana satiate you with the naughty flavor, period architecture and addictive soundtrack of New Orleans. Outside the Crescent City limits explore a fertile maze of plantations, misty bayous and swamps, and tasty Cajun towns. The complex, tortured, musical, joyful Southern soul will be laid bare here, and you’ll leave inspired.

Whitaker Point Granite table-top high above the Buffalo River regionBRANDON ALMS / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Mississippi, Louisiana & Arkansas

195

Bourbon and blues, bluegrass and honky-tonks, and some of the finest cities in America: welcome to an undercover wonderland. Tennessee has three distinct regions, represented by the three stars on the state flag. In the east you’ll hike through the heather-colored Great Smokies. In the middle of the state you’ll check out the glittering honky-tonks of Nashville, and in the Delta lowlands of the west, you’ll dig barbecue and blues. Kentucky is stitched together with bluegrass pastures and jutting seams of limestone. Lonely two-lane roads link distilleries on the Bourbon Trail and skirt the breeding grounds of million-dollar thoroughbreds in the countryside surrounding Lexington and Louisville – homes to one of America’s best parties.

Memphis Neon-lit signs line Beale St, home of blues musicTETRA IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES ©

Tennessee & Kentucky

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WRITER THANKSADAM KARLINThanks y’all: to Lauren Keith and Trisha Ping, editors extraordinaire; to my brother in arms on Southern road trips, Kevin Raub; to the parks workers and bartenders and baristas and service-industry folks who showed me how much there is to discover in my own backyard; to Mom and Dad, for their constant support; to Karen Shacham and Michelle Putnam (and Lior!), the best hosts Atlanta could provide; and Rachel and Sanda, both for joining me on the road and tolerating my absences.

KATE ARMSTRONGLa’Vell Brown: thank you for your magic wand, plus your passion, knowledge and

insights into Disney World, and for transforming me from the Beastess into Cinderella herself. Thanks to Cory O’Born, Visit Orlando; Nathalia Romano and Ashlynn Webb, Universal Orlando; Jessica Savage, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; and to Chris, for your flexibility, patience and everything (except holding my hand on the Hogwarts Express). Finally, thank you to Lauren Keith and Trisha Ping for their understanding and helping to put out a few nothing-but-Disney fireworks.

ASHLEY HARRELLThanks to: editors Lauren and Trisha, and my co-authors for your support. Josie, Nora and Ashley Guttuso for having me at the fort. Tiffany Grandstaff for the upgrade.

Alex Pickett for existing. Trevor, Malissa and Soraya Aaronson for being my surrogate family. Tom Francis for finally coming. Alanna Bjork for dog-sitting and the cozy shack. Beanie Guez for destroying me in shuffleboard and Elodie Guez for bringing wine (and glasses). Andy Lavender for showing up in Sarasota, and in general.

KEVIN RAUB

Thanks to my wife, Adriana Schmidt Raub, who shockingly sticks around despite my travels! Lauren Keith, Trisha Ping, MaSovaida Morgan and all my partners in crime at Lonely Planet. On the road: Jana Clauser, Kristi Amburgey, Susan Dallas, Dawn Przystal, Niki Heichelbech-Goldey, Erin Hilton, Courtney McKinney, Brian Mansfield, Alison Duke, Erin Donovan, Liz Beck, Eleanor

BEHIND THE

SCENES

THIS BOOKThis 3rd edition of Lonely Planet’s Florida & the South’s Best Trips guidebook was curated by Adam Karlin and researched and written by Adam Karlin, Kate Armstrong, Ashley Harrell, Kevin Raub and Regis St Louis. The previous edition was written by Amy Balfour, Adam Karlin, Mariella Krause and Adam Skolnick. This guidebook was produced by the following:

Destination Editors Lauren Keith, Trisha Ping

Product Editors Susan Paterson, Anne Mason

Senior Cartographer Alison Lyall

Cartographer Julie Dodkins

Book Designers Lauren Egan, Jessica Rose

Assisting Editors Judith Bamber, Imogen Bannister, Melanie Dankel, Gabrielle Innes, Anita Isalska, Kellie Langdon,

Jodie Martire, Rosie Nicholson, Kristin Odijk, Gabrielle Stefanos, Saralinda Turner, Simon Williamson

Cover Researcher Brendan Dempsey-Spencer

Thanks to Nichole Cancellare, Hannah Cartmel, Joel Cotterell, Sasha Drew, Liz Heynes, Indra Kilfoyle, Cat Naghten, Claire Naylor, Karyn Noble, Lauren O’Connell, Kirsten Rawlings, Alexander Roberson, Ellie Simpson, David Vence

340

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Talley, Dodie Stephens, Sarah Lowery, Anne Fitten Glenn, Kaitlin Sheppard, Heather Darnell, Scott Peacock, Doug Warner, Halsey Perrin, Charlie Clark, Kim Jamieson and Jeff Hulett.

REGIS ST LOUISCountless people helped along the way, and I’m grateful to national park guides, lodging hosts, restaurant servers, barkeeps and baristas who shared tips and insight throughout South Florida. Big thanks to Adam Karlin who

did such an outstanding job on previous editions. I’d also like to thank Cassandra and our daughters, Magdalena and Genevieve, who made the Miami trip all the more worthwhile.

ACKNOWLEDGE­MENTS Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’,

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 163344.

Front cover photographs: (top) Bald cypress trees, Apalachicola Forest, Florida, Danita Delimont Stock/AWL ©; (bottom left) Vintage car, Miami Beach, Benny Marty/Alamy ©; (bottom right) Live-music venues on Broadway, Nashville, Richard Taylor/4Corners ©

Back cover photograph: Boat to Fort Sumter with Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge in the background, Charleston, Danita Delimont Stock/AWL ©

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