Pre-made trip plan
Griswold Hidden Gems — The South's Best-Kept Road Trip
Seven days. Mostly the Southeast. Every stop on this trip is one Pixie clients ask about AFTER they've already done the Disney run twice. The South the locals don't put on the brochures.
- Days
- 7
- Total drive
- 1840 mi
- Drive time
- 33.5 h
Steve’s take
I've lived in Georgia my whole adult life and booked Southeast travel for two decades, and the question Pixie clients ask the most after they've done Disney three times is: 'OK what's actually different we can do?' This trip is that answer. None of these stops are in a top-100 list because they're slightly weird, slightly off the highway, or slightly inconvenient to slot into a normal vacation. But they're the ones I take Lisa to on our own time. Cross Garden is the kind of folk art the world doesn't make anymore. Bonaventure Cemetery is genuinely beautiful even if you've never read the book. Tallulah Gorge is the prettiest gorge between New England and Colorado. The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is the strangest morning detour you'll ever take. The Truckster knows the way.
Who this trip is for
- ✓Southeast families who've already done Disney/cruise/beach and want something different
- ✓Atlanta locals looking for a 'we should really go there sometime' week
- ✓Anyone who picks up a road-trip book and skips to the strange-Americana chapter
- ✓Steve's personal taste — the trip Lisa and I would take if we had a free week
Day-by-day
Day 1
Atlanta → Stone Mountain → Helen
130 mi · 2.5 hr
Easy first day, all in north Georgia. Stone Mountain morning, lunch in Atlanta at the Varsity, evening in Helen (Georgia's Alpine village).
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Stone Mountain ParkMile 20 · Morning of
Mountain and park in Georgia, United States
Cable car to the top, dinosaur explore zone for younger kids, summit walk for everyone. Laser show after dark in summer. Twenty minutes off I-285.
10 mi · 12m to next stop
The Varsity, Atlanta (lunch)
Mile 30 · Stretch / break
What'll ya have? The Truckster has been here many times. Get a chili slaw dog, a frosted orange, onion rings. They've been doing this since 1928. Eat in the car if the line outside is too long.
100 mi · 1h 55m to next stop
Helen, GA (sleep)
Mile 130 · Overnight
Faux-Bavarian Alpine village in the Georgia mountains. Yes, it's kitschy. Yes, it's wonderful. Inner-tubing on the Chattahoochee in summer, Oktoberfest in fall. Stay at the Helendorf Inn for the river view.
Sleep at: Helen, GA
Day 2
Helen → Tallulah Gorge → Greenville, SC
160 mi · 3.5 hr
Through Georgia's most underrated state park to Greenville's downtown. Helen and Tallulah are quintessential north-Georgia road trip stops nobody outside the South talks about.
Tallulah Gorge State Park
Mile 40 · Stretch / break
1,000-foot gorge with a suspension bridge across the middle. Free with parking pass. The North Rim trail is stroller-friendly, the suspension bridge needs sturdy shoes and ten dollars of confidence.
120 mi · 2h 38m to next stop
Downtown Greenville, SC (sleep)
Mile 160 · Overnight
Falls Park on the Reedy — the suspension bridge over the waterfall in the middle of downtown is the photo. Walkable Main Street with great restaurants. Sleep at the Westin Poinsett (1925 historic building).
Sleep at: Greenville, SC
Day 3
Greenville → Savannah
280 mi · 5 hr
Long drive day, payoff is Savannah at sunset. Walk River Street, dinner at Mrs. Wilkes if you can swing the line.
Lunch in Columbia, SC
Mile 110 · Stretch / break
Stop at Lizard's Thicket (Southern meat-and-three) or Hampton Street Vineyard if you want fancier. Fried chicken belongs on this trip somewhere.
170 mi · 3h 2m to next stop
Savannah Historic District (sleep)
Mile 280 · Overnight
Sleep downtown — Mansion on Forsyth Park or Embassy Suites Riverfront. Walk to River Street for dinner. Savannah at night is a movie set.
Sleep at: Savannah, GA
Day 4
Savannah day — Bonaventure Cemetery + Forsyth Park
30 mi · 1 hr
All-day in Savannah. Bonaventure in the morning (cool light), Forsyth Park lunch, ghost tour after dinner if you've got the kids for it.
Bonaventure CemeteryMile 10 · Morning of
Burial ground in Savannah, Georgia
Spanish moss, marble angels, 18th-century markers. Free to walk. Take the Bonaventure Historical Society's free 1.5-hour walking tour on Saturdays. Older kids find it beautiful; little ones get bored — bring snacks.
10 mi · 20m to next stop
Lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Mile 20 · Stretch / break
Family-style Southern lunch since 1943. The line is 90 minutes and worth every minute. Open Monday-Friday only. Bring cash.
10 mi · 20m to next stop
Forsyth Park + ghost tour after dinnerMile 30 · You arrive!
Public park in Savannah, Georgia
Walk Forsyth Park (the iconic fountain), browse boutiques on Whitaker Street. Ghost tour at 9 PM if you've got the kids for it — Old Town Trolley does a family-friendly one.
Sleep at: Savannah, GA
Day 5
Savannah → Cross Garden (AL detour) → Tallahassee
420 mi · 7 hr
The single weirdest day on this trip. A 90-minute detour into rural Alabama for W.C. Rice's Cross Garden — the most committed piece of folk-religious outsider art in America. Then push to Tallahassee for the night.
- W.C. Rice's Cross Garden, Prattville AL
Mile 280 · Stretch / break
Hundreds of hand-painted crosses and folk-religious signs covering a hillside. Open-air, free, donation box. The late W.C. Rice's family still maintains it. Older kids and weird-curious adults only. Quietly transcendent.
140 mi · 2h 20m to next stop
Hotel Duval, Tallahassee (sleep)
Mile 420 · Overnight
Boutique downtown hotel, rooftop bar, good base for tomorrow's springs day. Eat at Sage or Backwoods Bistro for a real Florida meal.
Sleep at: Tallahassee, FL
Day 6
Tallahassee → Wakulla Springs → Cassadaga → Mount Dora
280 mi · 5.5 hr
Florida's hidden side. Wakulla Springs morning (Tarzan-movie boat tour), Cassadaga afternoon (the spiritualist camp), sleep in Mount Dora.
Wakulla Springs State ParkMile 20 · Morning of
State Park near Tallahassee, Florida
One of the deepest freshwater springs in the world. Glass-bottom-boat ride over manatees and alligators. The original Tarzan movies were filmed here. The 1937 lodge serves a real Southern breakfast.
210 mi · 4h 8m to next stop
Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp
Mile 230 · Stretch / break
America's longest-running spiritualist community since 1894. Walk the streets, see the gingerbread cottages, optionally book a 30-minute reading at one of the resident mediums. The kids will be confused; that's the point.
50 mi · 59m to next stop
Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora (sleep)
Mile 280 · Overnight
1883 lakefront hotel. Pool, antiques, lake at sunset. Walkable downtown for dinner — try The Goblin Market.
Sleep at: Mount Dora, FL
Day 7
Mount Dora → Bok Tower → Atlanta
540 mi · 9 hr
The long way home. One final stop at Bok Tower, then it's I-75 north back to Atlanta. The kids will sleep most of the way.
Bok Tower GardensMile 50 · Morning of
Garden and bird sanctuary in Polk County, Florida, US
205-foot pink-marble carillon tower in an Olmsted garden on a hill (rare in Florida). The 1 PM bell concert is the reason to time the visit. Stroller-friendly, grandparent-friendly, photographer's dream.
490 mi · 8h 10m to next stop
Lunch + final push home
Mile 540 · You arrive!
Cracker Barrel in Valdosta or Tifton for a final family lunch. Then it's straight up I-75 to Atlanta. You'll know hidden gems your friends don't.
Sleep at: Home!
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Other Pre-made trips
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- The Universal Orlando Road Trip Guide (Epic Universe Edition)Six days, three parks, one new Epic Universe. The complete road-trip-to-Universal plan from a Pixie agent who's been booking it since the Hulk had paint cracks. Hagrid's at rope-drop, Velocicoaster at sunset, CityWalk dinner.
- NYC to Port Canaveral Cruise3 days down I-95 to your Disney/Royal/Carnival cruise — with a Savannah dinner stop, a pre-cruise night in Cocoa Beach, and the only honest answer to 'should we drive Friday or Saturday?' (Friday).
- Atlanta to Port Tampa CruiseAtlanta to Tampa is the easy cruise — a single 7-hour driving day, dinner at Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City the night before, and a 15-minute morning drive to your Carnival or Royal ship.
- Chicago to Port Canaveral Cruise1,250 miles from Chicago to Port Canaveral over three driving days — Nashville Hot Brown overnight, a Hampton Inn Tifton GA pit stop, and a Cocoa Beach pre-cruise night so you board Saturday morning fresh.
- Charlotte to Port Everglades CruiseCharlotte to Port Everglades is the perfect 2-day cruise drive — through Savannah for a Mrs. Wilkes lunch, sleep in St. Augustine, easy morning into Fort Lauderdale, board your Princess or Holland America ship by noon.
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