I have family in the St. Petersburg FL so I have made the trek from Minneapolis to Saint Petersburg twice a year for the last quarter century, although we seem to fly more often than drive lately. Most often we do it in two days and use Paducah Kentucky as a stopping point. It is the midway point for our drive and there are inexpensive hotels in Paducah. Last month while driving home after a Thanksgiving visit we hit a deer and totaled out our car just East of Paducah. The tow truck driver told us that it happens 3 to 4 times a week in that stretch of highway. We were on I 24 at about mile marker six. Be careful.
On the north end of the drive there are two possible routes. You can go through Wisconsin and down through Illinois or you can go south through Iowa down to St. Louis and then head east towards Southern Illinois. According to my GPS the difference between the different routes is only 11 miles and less than 15 minutes. If you’re passing through St. Louis during daylight hours and it is decent weather it’s fun to stop by the arch. Of course St. Louis has many other visitor stops depending on your taste.
In Nashville they have a full size replica of the Parthenon. (
https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com) It’s in a city park so it’s free to walk around the outside although you have to pay admission if you want to see the inside . Also in Nashville is the Opryland Hotel. The gardens and grounds very are impressive but the whole place is not for the faint of wallet.
We’ve never made any tourist stops in the Atlanta area. We are usually watching the GPS and trying to avoid traffic delays as best we can. In Ocala Florida there is the Don Garlits museum of drag racing. I’ve never had the chance to stop there but it’s on my bucket list.
Safe Travels - PeeWee
