Southern States 9 day road trip Summary

Road trip across 6 southern states from Atlanta, GA covering Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Mammoth Cave National Park and many smaller NPS sites in between.

Click here to view Picture book of our 2020 trip – link will open a new tab on shutterfly site.

Trip Highlights

• 6 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama
• 2 National Parks
  • Great Smoky Mountain National Park
  • Mammoth Cave National Park
• 7 other NPS sites
  • Cumberland Cap National Historic Park
  • Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
  • Stones River National Battlefield
  • Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
  • Russel Cave National Monument
  • Little River Canyon National Preserve
  • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
• Other
  • Gatlinburg sky bridge
  • Cumberland Falls State Park
  • Nashville – Gaylord Opryland
  • Ruby Falls
  • Atlanta – World of Coca Cola

Day1 Fly to Atlanta

9:00 – 13:00	Fly to Atlanta
13:00 – 14:00	Pick up rental car
14:00 – 15:00	Walmart grocery shopping
15:00 – 18:00	Drive to Cherokee, NC
18:00 – 18:30	Road to nowhere tunnel

Day2-4 Great Smoky Mountain National Park

	First day
9:00 – 10:00	Oconaluftee Visitor Center
10:00 – 11:30	Newfond Gap Road to Clingmans Dome
11:30 – 13:30	hike Clingmans Dome
13:30- 13:45	Drive to inspiration point
13:45 – 15:30	Hike Alum Cave Bluff
15:30 – 16:30	drive to sugarland visitor center
16:30 – 17:00	drive to Gatlinburg
	Second day
9:30 – 11:00	Drive to Cades Cove
11:00 – 13:00	Cades Cove loop
13:00 – 14:00	Spruce Flats Falls
14:00 – 15:00	Drive to Laurel Falls
15:00 – 16:00	Laurel Falls
16:00 – 17:00	Drive to Gatlinburg
	Third Day
9:30 – 10:00	Drive to Grotto Falls trailhead
10:00 – 11:30	Grotto Falls Hike
11:30 – 12:30	Drive Roaring Fork Rd to Gatlinburg
12:30 – 13:00	hotel lunch
13:00 – 15:00	Gatlinburg Sky lift/bridge
15:00 – 16:00	Gatlinburg downtown
16:00 – 17:30	Hotel
17:30 – 19:00	Gatlinburg sky lift/bridge

Day5 – Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Falls, Big South Fork

8:30 – 11:30	Drive to Cumberland Gap
11:00 – 11:30	Cumberland Gap National Historic Park
11:30 – 13:00	Drive to Cumberland Falls
13:00 – 13:30	Cumberland Falls state park
13:30 – 15:30	Drive to Big South Fork National River
15:30 – 16:30	Hike to Yahoo Arch and Falls
16:30 – 18:30	Drive to Cave City * time zone change to central time

Day6 Mammoth Cave National Park & Nashville

9:30 – 13:00	Mammoth Cave National Park
13:00 – 14:30	Drive to Nashville
14:30 – 15:00	Grocery shopping
15:00 – 19:00	Gaylord Resort

Day7 Stones River, Russell Cave, Chattanooga

10:00 – 10:30	Drive to Stones River National Battlefield
10:30 – 13:30	Stones River National Battlefield
13:30 – 15:00	Drive to Russell Cave National Monument
15:00 – 15:30	Russell Cave National Monument
15:30 – 16:30	Drive to Chattanooga
16:30 – 17:30	Point Park at Lookout Mountain
17:30 – 20:00	Ruby Falls

Day8 Little River Canyon & Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

10:00 – 11:00	Drive to Little River Canyon
11:00 – 14:30	Little River Canyon National Preserve
14:30 – 16:00	Drive to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park * note timezone change back to Eastern time
16:00 – 17:00	Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
17:00 – 18:30	Drive to Atlanta, GA

Day9 – World of Coca Cola

9:00 – 11:30	World of Coca Cola
11:30 – 12:00	Drive to Atlanta Airport

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Where we stayed/Hotel

# nights	City
1 night	Cherokee, NC
3 nights	Gatlinburg, TN
1 night	Cave City, KY
1 night	Nashville, TN
1 night	Chattanooga, TN
1 night	Atlanta, GA

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