Heading south in March

[Devildogmom]

We are heading to Houston for the rodeo in March. We're both pretty excited! On the way back we plan to see Fredericksburg, Shiloh Battlegrounds, Jack Daniels Distillery and Arrington Vineyards. Any other places we need to stop?

[hankaye]

DDMom, Howdy;

Graceland & Grand Ol' Oprey Dollywood rest of the Pidgen Forge area Smokey Mtn. Nat. Park, Branson, Mo., Monmonth Cave, Ky. ... any other Mom & Pop tourist trap that catches your eye...

hankaye

[geo]

X2 on everything Hankaye suggested! If you plan to stop at Mammoth Cave and want to go on any of the guided tours, get on Mammoth's website and make reservations//tickets well before you arrive. Cave City RV is a nice campground, not that fancy, but nice. The Graceland RV Park (right behind Heartbeat Hotel) is a little pricey but worth it, IMHO. It has security, great place to walk dogs, etc., and you can catch the free shuttle at the hotel to go to Sun Records and downtown. In downtown is Beale Street and in easy walking distance, the National Civil Rights Museum. The Museum is a "must see", but be prepared for at least 2 or 3 hours and worth every minute! There is also a shuttle at night ($10RT) to Beale Street to hear real Memphis blues. If you stop in Nashville, be sure to take the "stars" bus tour given by Tommy. He is a hoot! And if you like music (both kinds - country and western), be sure to take in Printer's Alley some evening.

And please be careful in Houston's traffic!

Ron

[hankaye]

geo, Howdy;

Houston dosent have traffic ... they have a 24 hour a day free-for-all on the roads.... Sorta like bumper cars on steriods going as fast as they think they can get away with.....NOT for the faint of heart... Rush hours are even worse!!!
If ya want to practice drive around Alanta, Ga. I-285 during rush hour. It's akin to Houston's NON rush hour traffic...
hankaye

[Ironryders]

Best barbecue I ever put in my mouth is in Houston Texas. Goode Co.Texas Bar-B-Q on Kirby Dr off HWY 59. "You might give some serious thought to thanking your lucky stars you're in Texas." It would be terrible to be there and not get some. Have fun. Ron

[geo]

Ron, you are correct that Goode Co. is probably the best BBQ that is best known, but I think some of the best BBQ in Houston is at Luling City Market BBQ. It's located on the north side of Richmond Avenue about two blocks east of I-610. Right northeast of the intersection of Southwest Freeway and I-610. You might even find the officials from the livestock show there, gathered around a table "shooting the bull"!

Again, Hankaye is correct. Once DW and I escaped The Big H, she would hate for me to go back to Houston. She said it would take a week for me to "detox my driving" where she wasn't white knuckled in the car! I kept telling her that all rental cars in Houston had a special light on the right side of the dash that would come on when you got on the Gulf Freeway. The light lit up and said, "Kamakazee Driving Rules In Effect"!!!

Ron

[MILBY]

It looks like you are comeing back on the east a little but on the way down if you are comeing from Mich. and going down I-55 stop by St. Louis and go though the Bud. plant, they have two tours one is free and one you pay for, take the pay for tour it's worth it. Also by your sreen name I take it you have a Marine somewhere, tell him or her thank you and SEMPER FI from another MARINE from a few year back, Still have a son-in-law and another daughters boyfriend in the CORPS and could not be more proud.

[geo]

Can't believe I forgot this one . . .

Devildogmom - Are you a fan of "American Pickers" on the History Channel? If you are, the "American Pickers" store opened late last June in Nashville. It is in the old Marathon Motors building on the west side of downtown on Clinton Street south of I-40 and west of I-440. You should have seen the crowd on opening day! I could not find a place to park a F-350 dually anywhere!

Ron