My daughter and her boyfriend are planning a fly-drive holiday to the southern USA in Sept 2009. Where should they go, what should they do, who should they see? Indeed what should they drive?

They are both musos - not limited to hard-core folk, liking a wide range of stuff from metal through rock, soft rock, country-rock, some jazzy stuff, Motown, Stax, soul, some blues (Delta and Chicago) and near-blues, race-music and old-fashioned definition Rhythm'n'blues (via Jackie Brenton's genre-defining "Rocket 88" to the (UK) "Blues Band"), country, new-country, alt-country, old-timey, bluegrass, as well as 1954 definition folk and US terminology folk (Weavers, Seeger, Guthrie, Odetta, etc).

She sings, he plays full-kit drums (not percussion) but sometimes carries sticks and a practice pad to join in joining-in style acoustic stuff. He will of coursenot have the full kit with him.

Oh, they are a bit foodie too - spices, chili, plan to eat some real meat while in the land of the burnt cow, any new culinary experiences.

Current plans (still vague and movable) are: -

Fly to Houston then drive: -
Austin
Dallas
Hot Springs
Memphis & Graceland
Nashville
Jackson
Down the Mississippi
New Orleans
Coastal Road back to Houston.


1891 miles. 15 days in total. Probably in September, if there are no problems with work etc.


They are half thinkig of hiring an SUV, but a friend of mine who recently did something a bit similar siad he nearly rolled one off a mountain several times due to the difference between US handling and UK handling in cars... but maybe he is a more insistent driver.


I KNOW the Mudcat will have useful suggestions...