Trip to the Deep South

spring start you mean what is winter.

Avoid early March through mid-to-end of April. Spring break season. Places like Panama City Beach, Florida and anywhere along the coast, New Orleans... everywhere ... is a total nuthouse with High School and College Age Spring Breakers. Then you have young families that make the other end of the spectrum obnoxious with their grade school kids out of school... although Disney Resorts and Cruises is REALLY the insane place to be then.

We really enjoyed one of the FLorida state parks, Blackwater River I believe was the name. It's inland, so no beach, but beautiful grounds, and the CG had really spacious FHU sites. If most of their state parks are like this, they are worth spending some time in!

St. Augustine is wonderful... Just remember that real Florida is not found with the mouse or on the beach. Real Florida is found inland. See Wikki Watchee Springs, Ft. Desoto Park has an amazing campground right on some water channels...just look before you step.

If you can get off the coast there are some great historical places to see in the ‘Deep South’ that are not on A1A or in Florida. Lots of Civil War era sites.

Beautiful Appalachian mountains and Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. South Carolina has strange BBQ... I love the south. Georgia is beautiful, Alabama has a good football team and some great beaches on the Gulf.

There is so much to do and see.

Good luck and don’t judge us too hard down here. We talk a little slower and with a little draw but in general would do anything for you.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

After reading this post I went to Wikipedia to find out just where the "Deep South" is. Seems it includes East TX, LA, MS. AL,GA & West FL. Since the OP indicated an interest in the Gulf Coast, this narrows the search somewhat. I would recommend getting on US 90 somewhere in East TX and travel east. Switch to US 98 once in a while to stay on the coast. Visit all the National Seashores, national wildlife refuges, old Forts, and quaint towns along the way. Visit barrier islands, climb lighthouses. Camp in state parks, national forests, and other out-of-the-way places. Ask the locals where to eat, especially seafood. When you get to the Suwannee River stop and take stock. The "deep" Gulf South is over. Lots of "Old South" to see but it is to the north of you now. lizzie

Everyone has different ideas of what constitutes "spring." Get on weather.com and check the info for some cities in the area you are interested in. Go to the monthly forecast, and down below it you can pick a future month and see historic average temps, record temps, and rainfall.

It's about 400 miles from where I live south to Natchez. Left Tennessee on April 6 and dogwoods were just starting to bloom. In Natchez they were past peak already. 400 miles makes 2-3 weeks difference in the seasons.

Two of my regular snowbird stops are Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, MS and Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve on the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation near Atmore, AL.

Spring in the south can be a bit crazy, we can go from 80 one day to 30 the next. There is lots to see and do in the south from mountains, lakes and the coast. I'm guessing you are used to mountains, and are probably looking for beaches. If you want touristy places there is plenty of that from Gulf Shores, AL to Panama City. If you want a natural beach, St George Island State Park is awesome!!!

New Orleans is a great stop with lots to see and great food. Also if you like to fish, a side trip down to Venice LA, has great fishing.

There is great BBQ all over the south, but you will learn that from state to state the style varies, and we are as passionate about who has the best Q, as we are on the best football team.

Have a great trip.

Come on down before the weather gets way too hot.

You can spend months looking around and traveling the back roads in our area.

There's free camping spots in my area, simply PM me with any questions.

Have a good trip.

The Gulf Coast can be pretty busy any time of year. I would be looking at where I want to go and making some reservations, especially at state and national campgrounds. The hurricanes damaged some parks, like Fort Pickens. Getting a spot in Fort DeSoto can be difficult at times, though it’s a great place to park it for a couple of weeks.
Asking Southerners about BBQ can start some interesting discussions. Wherever you go along the coast, get local fish and shrimp. In Pensacola, don’t miss Joe Patti’s Seafood store.
Have fun and poke around all the little towns.