Holmes County State Park
Address: State Park Road, Durant, Mississippi 39063 USA.
This state park built around two lakes covering a land span of 88 acres has around 28 campsites fro travelers to bunk. The lakes are popular spots for fishing. The architecture is rustic and aligns well with the natural landscape of the property. Its also home to a wide variety of wildlife. This will make for a great stop on your Chicago to New Orleans road trip, before you hit the bright lights of NOLA.
How We Got There
Forget about taking a plane. Hit the highway instead and visit small towns along the way. For this trip, we were lucky to have Ford reach out to drive one of their cars. We needed something spacious since we are a family of five . We ended up getting the Ford Edge Titanium 2019 in baltic sea green, which was perfect for this adventure. With plenty of legroom in the back seat, the kids had more than enough space to be comfortable and plenty of UBS port and plugs-ins for all of the electronics. Some features we loved included the panoramic moonroof, heated/a/c seats, and, of course, the smooth ride. The trunk space was perfectnot too big and not too small.
Listen To Memphis Blues On Beale Street
A little over 4 hours driving further south from St Louis brings us to Memphis, the second-largest city in the state of Tennessee after Nashville.
This is a city where music isn’t just one of its attractions it’s the main event. It features a prominent music scene, particularly in rock and blues, where the unique Memphis Blues genre originated.
A stroll down the legendary Beale Street will reveal numerous historic clubs, just waiting for you to come in and experience what Memphis music is all about.
However, for most, the main attraction lies in the south-western part of the city. That’s where you’ll find the world-famous Graceland.
A 16.8-acre estate, this was once the home of legendary musician and the king of rock and roll himself, Elvis Presley.
5 years after his death in 1977, his daughter converted the mansion into a museum to his legacy, containing countless musical artifacts, displays and rooms still styled as he left them all those years ago.
If you want to live a piece of music history, there’s no better place to do it than here. Graceland is such a popular attraction that it welcomes over 650,000 visitors per year, making it the second most visited home in America, behind only the White House.
To make the most of the music, bars, and restaurants in Memphis, you want to stay somewhere within walking distance of the main sights.
Also Check: Top Strip Clubs In Chicago
Why Use The American Road Trip Company
We are experienced road trippers and bring an expertise that is hard to match. This means you’ll see the best places, drive the best roads and stay in the best hotels. Organising a multi destination road trip is time consuming to say the least, so why not sit back, relax and leave it to the people who live to road trip. We aim to offer you the very best value for money – whether you are looking for luxury or on a tighter budget, you’ll get a great deal with us.
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Drive From Chicago To New Orleans
New Orleans, LA, is known for its colorful Mardi Gras spirit, but this city offers much more than just parades. Its charm attracts visitors year-round for its historic homes, Southern, Cajun, and Creole dining, picturesque parks, and so much more. When traveling from Chicago to New Orleans, you can easily transition from chilly weather to humid heat. Pick up a comfortable full-size sedan from Enterprise to make your road trip comfortable and convenient as you make your way south to this soulful city. Be prepared for the open road by visiting our checklist of road trip essentials.
Drive Time from Chicago to New Orleans: approximately 15 hoursDistance from Chicago to New Orleans: approximately 1,000 milesRecommended car for this road trip: Full-size sedan
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Ultimate Roadtrip From Chicago To New Orleans
Roadtripping across Americas vast width is a dream many long to tick off their bucket list. But how about roadtripping from the North to the South? At the United States narrowest point, you can drive from Chicago all the way down to New Orleans in under 24 hours. So once again our lead travel writer Catherine Lux took on the challenge and turned a 1,341 mile drive into a luxurious two-week adventure, passing through Chicago, St Louis, Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Natchez, and New Orleans.
Chicagos The Bean at Cloud Gate
Chicago To New Orleans Road Trip Planner
Here’s a sample itinerary for a drive from Chicago to New Orleans. If you’re planning a road trip to New Orleans, you can research locations to stop along the way. Traveling with a dog or cat? View pet-friendly stops between Chicago and New Orleans. Camping along the way? View RV campgrounds between Chicago and New Orleans. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on themost talked about places recommended by Trippy members.
10:00 am start in Chicagodrive for about 2.5 hours
stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:18 pmdrive for about 1.5 hours
stay for about 1 hour and leave at 3:49 pmdrive for about 4 hours
stay overnight and leave the next day around 8:00 am
day 1 driving 7.5 hours
8:00 am leave from Dyersburgdrive for about 1.5 hours
stay for about 2.5 hours and leave at 12:06 pmdrive for about 2 hours
stay for about 1 hour and leave at 3:03 pmdrive for about 1.5 hours
stay for about 1 hour and leave at 5:34 pmdrive for about 2 hours
stay for about 1 hour and leave at 8:40 pmdrive for about 1 hour
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Where’s The Best Place To Stay In New Orleans
Are you going straight to a hotel, orlooking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?
The best resource on neighborhoods, areas,and hotels is the Trippy page onwhere to stay in New Orleans.
If you’re looking for a quick answer, you can check out Hotel Monteleone, which was mentioned 11 times on Trippy.
Here are some more hotels people talk about:
Jackson & Natchez Mississippi 2 Nights
Once again youre going to want to break up the drive between Memphis and New Orleans, so make two one-night stops one in Jackson Mississippi, and one in Natchez Mississippi. Drive down to Jackson from Memphis on a Monday, stop for a famous milkshake at Brents Drugs , and check-in at Westin Jackson, then head to Hal and Mals Blues Club to experience true Jackson Blues. Hal and Mals is famous for world-class blues, and their blues night is only on Mondays at 7pm.
The next morning drive down the old Natchez Trace Parkway. You need to drive off the highway and follow the signs for the Natchez Trace Parkway. Trucks arent allowed onto the road, and its practically empty. Its one of the most beautiful scenic drives and shows you the true Mississippi. En-route to Natchez stop off in Vicksburg which is about an hour north of Natchez. Visit the Vicksburg National Military Park, and the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum which is where Coca-Cola was first bottled. If youre lucky you may even see the famous Steamboat down on the river!
When you arrive in Natchez check-in at Monmouth Historic Inn, and make sure to book a Pond Cottage. Enjoy the late afternoon and evening in one of the rocking chairs on the porch with a good book, before heading into town for dinner at the popular local riverside restaurant, Magnolia Grill. Magnolia Grill specialise in local fish and seafood, and the staff are just lovely.
A musician in New Orleans French Quarter
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How Far Is New York City From Chicago And How Long Will It Take To Get There
Travelling from the 3rd largest city in the United States to the 1st, you might feel there won’t be much difference. It’s only when you realize that New York City’s population is over 3 times that of Chicago that you start to get a feel for just how unique this city is.
The fastest and shortest route between the Chicago and New York is 805 miles and takes 12 to 13 hours of driving before accounting for rest, fuel and food stops.
However, doing this drive almost exclusively on one Interstate, doesn’t feel like much of a road trip – if your sole objective is to get from A to B, you might as well fly. So we’re going to shake it up and use a slightly more scenic route, with plenty of things to do and see along the way instead.
The better driving route from Chicago to New York comes in at a shade under 900 miles and will take between 14 and 15 hours of driving time. With 3 fuel stops, food and rest breaks, expect to spend around 20 hours on the road.
What Are Some Things To Do In New Orleans
This section could be endless, so rather than trying tosuggest every local activity or attraction, we’ll leave itopen-ended.
These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:
Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questionsbecause there’s an entire community of travelers talkingto each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is whereyou can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets,trip dates & more!
For example, here are some questions people have asked about New Orleans. Click on any question to see answers from the community!
Tom from Los Angeles asked:
Read Also: Taste Of Chicago Time
Things To See On A Road Trip From Chicago To New Orleans
If you do break up your journey into shorter drives with stops along the way, you will buy yourself time to explore some of the amazing sights, cities and nature along the route right down the middle of the United States.
As the majority of the attractions I mentioned at our overnight spots were very music centred, there is also a little more variety here, as the last thing you want on such a fabulous trip is to not explore the diverse landscape you’ll be traversing because you’re solely focused on one thing.
With so much on offer, it’s impossible to put together an exhaustive list of everything there is to see on this incredible journey. However, the 16 items on this list are the highlights of the lot and are stops well worth factoring in if you possibly can.
Listen To The Legendary St Louis Blues
The second-largest city in the state of Missouri, this incredible city’s claim to fame is its Gateway Arch.
The Gateway Arch is an astounding 630-foot piece of architecture on the banks of the Mississippi River and lays claim to being the tallest arch in the world. It represents the city’s heritage as the gateway to the west, the last vestige of civilization during the westward expansion of the 1800s.
However, for a trip like ours, that isn’t the only historical significance this city holds. The St. Louis Blues may be the name of the city’s NHL franchise, but it comes from the city’s history with music, most specifically the blues genre.
Take this opportunity to see some of the city’s famous musical locations, like the remnants of gaslight square, where artists performed during the boom period of the 50s and 60s.
Have an evening out at Blueberry Hill, the legendary music club where the godfather of rock and roll Chuck Berry continued to play until he passed away at the age of 90. There’s even the St Louis Symphony, home to the second oldest symphony orchestra in the United States.
Wherever you look, there’s musical history just waiting to be discovered.
With an experience like this, the accommodation needs to be special too, which is why I would recommend staying at the best hotel in town – the Four Seasons St. Louis.
A rooftop pool and bar offer phenomenal views of the city with the Gateway Arch right in front, and the rooms are hands down the most luxurious in St. Louis.
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Chicago To New Orleans
We are planning on driving from Chicago to New Orleans in July this year, would like to use 10-12 days on the trip.Being from Norway we would love to get good tips on where to stop and what to see.Every advise is appreciated!!
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Welcome to RTA!Is this a round trip, or a one way trip? Do you like nature? History? City life? Or…??? It will help us give you meaningful information, to have that information.Donna
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Hi Donna – this will be a one way trip, we fly in to Chicago and back to Norway from New Orleans. We like the genuine and small town USA – no fancy big resturants, more the family style diners, we also like history, country music and everything that involves cars 🙂
Where To Eat In Memphis
Bountiful food options means travelers are spoiled for choice in Memphis. Book dinner at local secret Itta Bena, which is a gorgeous fine dining restaurant located above BB Kings Blues Club. There is no sign outside, you need to walk into BB Kings and ask them how to get to Itta Bena . Make sure you order the Crab stuffed avocado as an appetiser, and dont leave without trying their pecan pie!
Young Avenue Deli is a brilliant local lunch spot, and dont miss the pecan and chocolate pie at Muddy Waters just around the corner. Central BBQ is also unmissable, with some of the best BBQ ribs I have ever had, and a great banana pudding too. Expect to queue at Central BBQ as youre unable to book, but I promise the wait is worth it.
Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana
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The Deep South: Chicago To New Orleans Road Trip
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You’ll hear plenty of soulful jazz in New Orleans
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Be transported back in time as you arrive in Clarksdale
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Drive through the gorgeous Kentucky countryside
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Discover Nashville, the heart of country music
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Discover the southern charm of Natchez – nestled on the Mississippi river
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Memphis is the home of rocknroll, blues and jazz
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Wander the bustling streets of Chicago
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Head to the French Quarter for a truly unique experience
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