Roadtrip: Austin --> Miami

[Stuck_At_Work]

My girlfriend and I are considering an 8 to 9 day road-trip from Austin to Miami sometime in March. We are looking for neat/fun things to do along that route (keep in mind we are in our mid-twenties). For example, we'll stop and check out the French Quarter and nightlife in New Orleans. If it is warm enough, we would love to hit up some beaches. Any thoughts/recommendations?

 

[CleverNickname]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but outside of New Orleans, that's one of the most brutal drives in the country. The piney woods that begin around Houston are basically uninterrupted until you get out of the Florida panhandle. As someone who really likes long camping/road trips, I realized what I actualy like are long road trips in the western US. Where there are vistas and things to see. But all along that drive is nothing but tall evergreens, so all you ever see are waffle houses and truck stops. Most of the time you don't even see the west bound lanes. I am sure there are many beautiful things about the deep south, but I-10 east of Houston is just ugly.

My only advice would be to maybe check out civil war battlefields? As far as beaches, nothing along the gulf coast is going to really compare to south Florida.

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

I used to make the drive with my folks growing up and I remember it being boring, but I was hoping that was because I was young and with family...

So... let me change my question. If you were planning on taking an 8 day roadtrip from Austin, where would you guys go and what would you see along the way? Keep in mind we did an LA roadtrip in 2005 to see the Rose Bowl and would like a different final destination.

 

[hornfan_82]

there are some casinos in mississippi. ive been to the ones in biloxi....not sure how far that is out of your way.

 

[LazyEngineer]

Your best bet would be to go West. Car travel is better for going west than air in my opinion. New Mexico is great to drive through. Very interesting topography. Over eight days, you could make it to Yellowstone. Take the route Austin > Santa Fe > Denver > Yellowstone > Utah > Glen Canyon > Grand Canyon > Austin

If you are just interested in driving, you would need to average 450 miles per day. That's pretty easy since it is mostly interstate driving. I've done this trip with the addition of Glacier National Park. It was about 5,000 miles over 10 days. Incredible trip. Grand Teton is just incredible.

 

[KazooMan]

Having lived in the FL panhandle for most of the last 15 years (except for a couple of years when we were sentenced to Jacksonville), I can speak with first hand experience about the area. The beaches are the prettiest in the world - but March is spring break time, and the area from Panama City - Pensacola will be filled with 20 year old kids determined to get drunk and laid. The water is still pretty cold in March, and will not have turned that pretty green that the area is known for (it is called the Emerald Coast for a reason). If you are into that sort of entertainment, come on down - otherwise, take the advice on this board and go west. The Mississippi casinos can be fun, but the beaches there are ugly - too much pollution from the mouth of the Mississippi River. Tampa and Clearwater can be entertaining, with Busch Gardens and warmer water in March. If you are determined to see some of FL, fly to Tampa or Clearwater, and then drive to Miami - not too bad a drive from Tampa/St. Pete. Or like a previous poster said, fly directly to Miami, and then drive to the keys.

But other than casinos and spring break crowds, there is not much to see from New Orleans - Orlando, outside of outlet malls and Wal-Marts. Come see our beaches during the summer - you will get spoiled, and never want to go back to Padre Island. But coming in March will be a waste of time.

 

[longhrnfan]

there is lots to do, but you have to plan well. riverboats, new orleans, mobile... lots of beach destinations (destin, etc) in florida.

pick a coast in florida.... both have their advantages, and will take about the same amount of time (just do NOT go turnpike).

I'd go st. pete, to sanibel, then over...

 

[idigTexas]

Go west. Unless you intend to just spend all day every day behind the wheel, I'd go with Santa Fe or maybe as far as Sedona, AZ for a destination. Any farther, and it's going to be all about the mileage. There are tons of cool places to stop on the way or for the night.

 

[longhrnfan]

Do I know you ? are you coming to my wedding in March? ha... you never know.

 

[longyak]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[breakfast_taco]

Itinerary:
Lafayette, LA - eat at Prejean's
Convent, LA - eat at Hymel's on the river road (real non-tourist cajun joint), cross over and check out Oak Alley Plantation
New Orleans, LA- eat at Mother's; see all the typical stuff
Mississippi - Nothing to see here, keep going
Alabama - Drive through Fairhope (quaint town) then to Gulf Shores. Go to the Red Bar in Grayton Beach.
Florida - Drive along the peninsula beach highway; check out Seaside.
Orlando - all the Disney stuff
Miami - hit the beach and bars.

Then, sell the car and fly back.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Keep in mind that it's a 2 day drive to South Florida. Take that same trip in reverse & 8 days now is 4 days.

One day in N'Orleans & now you're down to 3 days.

Another stop off @ any of the beaches in Western / Panhandle Florida & now you are 2 days left.

Instead of trying to cram a lot of stuff into one trip, why not head one direction & make ONE stop on the way out, one stop on the way back?

 

[goat]

I have done the exact trip twice kinda....driving the GF back to Miamia after graduation in 2003. And did a spring break Road trip in 2001 all the way to Orlando. I would never ever do it round trip to Miami...one way wasnt so bad....you may want to say....drive to Destin and then catch a flight to S. Florida from Pensecola or Ft. Walton. But we stopped in NO and partied, and one of the trips we hit up the NCAA basketball tourney and saw Texas play...worked out nicely. From there stopped in Biloxi and gambled one night. Then on to Destin for a few days. Then on to Gainesville to visit some friends at UF. Then onto Orlando (one trip for Astros training camp, one to Disney) and then on to Miami. Fun trips...drive was brutal.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[bigup2dahorns]

a lot going on in FL in march. you've got spring training baseball, the pga tour is in the state for a few events, spring break. the beau rivage casino in biloxi is pretty nice, worth a stop if you like gambling. but as others have pointed out, it's a LONG drive all the way down to south florida. some good stuff to see on the east coast, cocoa beach, kennedy space center.