Every so often, I have to trek from my current home in the ATL (That’s Atlanta, for you non-hipsters) down to my former home in New Orleans (That’s “I’ve always wondered what urine and vomit smell like on a hot summer day”, for those of you who’ve never been to the French Quarter)((I’m kidding. Kind of)).
So I use MapQuest for my travel planning. Normally, I take I-85S to I-65 South to Mobile via Montgomery and then catch I-10W over to New Orleans. I don’t mind this as much because, while most of Alabama is boring as hell, once I get to the Mobile-New Orleans part of the run, I know the area pretty well.
This year, for some reason, MapQuest is sending me via I-20 West to Birmingham and then putting me on I-59 South down to Baton Rouge, then on I-10 into New Orleans. I’m not real comfortable with this route, because I know the Atlanta-Mobile-New Orleans route pretty well, but if it’ll save me some time, I’ll do it. But I’ve never been that way, so I could use some info.
Thoughts, opinions, obscenities welcome. According to Mapquest, it looks about the same timewise, so it’s just the question of backcountry MS vs. backcountry AL.
When I did that I went east first to Savannah, then south to Jacksonville and then straight west along the coast. Of course I was exploring for the fun of it and didn’t care about the time.
Oh well, I’m not the most practical person on this board.
Why would I-59 take you to Baton Rouge? Is it sending you on some wierd cross country back road?
I just pulled out my atlas - I-59 runs south from Meridian, through Hattiesburg and picks up I-10 just inside the LA border, around Slidell.
It’s not a bad drive. Kind of boring, but not bad. I used to drive the Meridian-New Orleans section quite a bit, but I can’t compare it to the Montgomery route because I never drove that.
Personally, I’d stay off I-59/20 as much as possible. Talladega to Birmingham is a death trap.
Lessee, leave Atlanta - get to Montgomery in around 2 1/2 hours. Remember there is nothing but fast food between here and Mobile (and not much of that). Once in Mobile (in 2 1/2 hours), there is a pastry shop on Dauphin that is to DIE for. Then it’s pretty much a straight shot on I-10 to N’awlins (again, around 2 1/2 hours). Don’t forget the outlet mall in Gulfport! And then there’s Gambino’s Bakery across the street from Five Happiness Chinese restaurant in New Orleans.
Yep, travel with DeVena - it’s all about shopping and good pastry.
Oh, I was looking at the “zoomed way out” map when I was looking at it, it’s my bad.
And Five Happiness is Chinese to DIE for. Best Chinese place ever. Would you believe I’m going to visit heathens in a city known for its food that want to take me to…not any of the fine restaurants…oh no…The freakin’ SIZZLER!
Ordinarily, I don’t trust Mapquest–it always sends me through the projects, always, and once sent me down a “State Highway” in backwoods Louisiana that was just a barely-there gravel road. But it’s pretty good when it comes to interstates and stuff.
I’m not driving down to Savannah. That’s like the worst, most boring drive on Earth. Once you leave Macon, it’s just…nothing! I’d rather fly to Savannah next time then do that evil drive again.
If you’re really looking for a different route, and don’t mind an extra 75-100 miles to do it, see how you can get to the Natchez Trace Parkway somewhere west of Tuscaloosa and south of Tupelo. That is one beautiful road. Quiet, serene and just one long National Park looking drive. It is, in fact, a National Park!
We drove it all the way from Nashville to Natchez in 1995 and had a great leisurely drive the whole 500+ miles. The jump from Natchez to NOLA is the only hassle, plus getting on it from Atlanta.
We drove the Mississippi route through Meridian from Nashville once before and it’s not a lot to see other than straight roads and oodles of pines. The Trace makes up for that monotony, though.
Well, I live in Atlanta and drive to New Orleans from time to time, and the I-20/I-59/I-10 route is the way I go, but that’s because I have friends in Meridian. I used to do the Montgomery to Mobile route years ago, but find the Birmingham/Meridian/New Orleans is about the same trip (Seven hours if you drive fast, seven and three-quarters if you don’t).
When are you going? Right now, I-20 west of Atlanta is all torn up from construction. If you’re going in the imediate future, I’d take 85 to Montgomery, just to avoid that mess.
I just got back from being a chaperone on a youth trip to NO from ATL. We did the 85-65-10 route because of road construction on I-20 in Georgia and, from what we heard, around Birmingham as well. We made the trip in 9.5 hours. Not bad for 30 people in two 15 passenger vans and a pick-up with a U-Haul trailer full of luggage, bathroom stops every 2 hours and an hour for lunch. I actually enjoyed the drive.