Mississippi State Line sign

Finishing the South – Mar 2016

Summary

I’ve taken a couple national park roadtrips through the South, but couldn’t quite make it to a handful of parks in Georgia and Alabama. I’ve stared at my map of national parks I’ve visited, frustrated with these six orphaned units for quite some time. Realizing that I hadn’t taken a national park roadtrip in, well, years, I decided that I’d just have to make the loooong drive on out there and mark them off. With the encouragement of Jen (and her donation of unused United miles), I instead saved the time and expense and flew there instead.

Camping in my rental car and eating cheaply allowed me to afford an eight-day trip, making it possible to mark off two additional units—one in Missouri and the other in Tennessee—beyond the original six. It was a quick but highly productive trip, as you can see below. And in true Scott roadtrip fashion, I managed to mark off a bunch of additional attractions, too—including several breweries and the high points of otherwise flat states.

Boy, does it feel good to have finally filled in that glaring hole in the map!

Stats

  • 8 days
  • 9 states
  • 3000 miles driven
  • 8 national park units completed
  • ___ park stamps obtained (haven’t counted yet, sorry!)
  • 5 high points completed
  • 1 night in a bed

National Parks I marked off

  • Ocmulgee NHS
  • Horseshoe Bend NMP
  • Tuskegee Airmen NHS
  • Tuskegee Institute NHS
  • Manhattan Project NHP
  • Ozark NSR
  • Jimmy Carter NHS
  • Andersonville NHS

Other Parks and Attractions

  • Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
  • Natchez Trace Parkway
  • Jack Daniel’s Distillery
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Rosenbaum House”
  • Lorraine Motel/National Civil Rights Museum
  • Graceland
  • FD Roosevelt’s Little White House (Warm Springs)
  • Ivy Green – Helen Keller’s birthplace
  • Lindbergh’s Solo Flight
  • Franklin D Roosevelt State Park

High Points of Flat States

Craft Breweries

  • Rocket Republic
  • Old Black Bear
  • Hop Alley
  • Railyard (formerly Montgomery)
  • Good People
  • Chattahoochee

Map