Hi Guys and Gals
Flying into Atlanta on 16th May (from London UK) and then off to Key West via Savannah, Daytona Beach,St Augustine, return up west coast, through Panhandle, Alabama and back to Atlanta on 30th May - 2 weeks in all.

Any suggestions on route or places to stay would be most welcome. have bought the MadMap of Florida as a start, and I've visited Orlando theme parks and Cape Canaveral before, but otherwise don't know Florida at all apart from what I've seen on TV.

Nelson

 

Too many places to way in on. Years ago I had a place in St.Augustine Beach. Low key. Check out Sunset Grill and Salt Life Food Shack to name a few. And don't forget the Tradewinds downtown - a smokey, drunken, mess of a place that's awesome!

 

I live in Fort Lauderdale. It takes 5 hours to get to Key West from Miami. If you've never done it, the 5 hour 50KPH ride stop and go might be interesting, but then to turn around and come back the same way (there's only 1 road) and then up the West Coast (75) to Atlanta. Yuck. I could have suggested a dozen better places. You won't see anything in Daytona. Outside of the speedway, and Bike Week, the town is literally dead. A ghost town with tumbleweed blowing in the streets. Fort Lauderdale is a nice little city, and the beaches are very nice. Perhaps you could get off in Delray (Atlantic Avenue, just South of West Palm Beach) and ride East to A1A and take that all the way South until it ends in Fort Lauderdale. Scenic and touristy area.


There are a few cool out of the way places in the Keys too. Normally, I'd ask to be your guide (it's fun to show tourists the great spots) but I have an annual mountain bike race in Tsali near the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I'll be in North Carolina for the same week you'll be down here.


Near Atlanta, check out Helen Georgia. Beautiful little town built to resemble Switzerland.

 

What Thumper09 said!

But Atlanta is a great starting point to some of the best riding in the U.S of A. Head north into the Tennesee, North and South Carolina, Virgina the great riding is endless in this area.

Here is a start: http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/51...la-Skyway.html

And this is only the tip of the iceburg.

 

Cherohala skyway triangle is my favorite ride anywhere! The Blue Ridge Mountains have the best motorcycle roads in the US. Sure, there are bigger mountain ranges, but the roads covering those ranges are nowhere near as twisty and scenic.


The picture below was taken on US129 NC/TN border.

 

Make sure that when you come back up from the Keys over to the West Coast that you take the old Alligator Alley rather than the Interstate. You WILL see gators and "Old" Florida at its best.

 

Also make sure you ride A1A from Palm Bay to Daytona. The best unobstructed views of the ocean you'll find, especially the stretch from Flagler Beach to Daytona. One of my favorite rides.

 

Your question covers a huge amount of real estate.

Let's leave the details out and hit the high points.
Places to see:
Saint Augustine (ride through and move on to Daytona)
Daytona (main street at minimum, Destination Daytona is a favorite for tourists also)
Miami from a sky line distance. (the traffic in town is bad, very bad)
A1A through the keys to Key West (make arrangements to spend the night, see the sunset, drink too much)
(You can make Key West from Miami in 3.5 hours on a good day. 4.5 hours on a horrible day. I frequently go down and back in 1 day)
Tamiani Trail (US 41) through the everglades to the west coast of Florida (the original alligator alley)
Apalachicola FL (or some other old Florida waterfront towns from the big bend west)
Navarre to Pensacola on 399 (riding through Gulf Island National Seashore)
Fort Morgan AL to the ferry
At that point you are an hour from New Orleans and I strongly recommend making the ride and spending the night in New Orleans. (Bourbon Street in the evening, Café du-monde for coffee and beignets in the morning in the French Quarter)

I've lived all over Florida including the Pensacola area. Very familiar with the state. I've spent a lot of time in Mobile and New Orleans so ask away with specific questions.

I live in South Florida now and will buy you a beer or ride a ways with you if you like and we can work it out.

When you have more specific questions, just post or send me a note.

NOTE: Florida highways as a rule, especially the turnpike, I-95 and I-75. Get out in the hammer lane and haul ***. Don't linger, don't ride slow. Get away from entrance and exit lanes with merging traffic. Far left lane with a shoulder to escape... I-75 is a drag strip. I-95 can be just plain dangerous in Broward and Dade counties south of Palm Beach. Left lane haul ***!! Be ready to brake. No matter what, don't hit I-95 in south Florida at rush hour. Stop for dinner, or take a nap and let rush hour pass.

 

PM me when you get to the Tampa area & I'll be glad to be your tour guide!

There is a place in (I think) Lake Wales called "Spook Hill", where you pull your car (or bike) up to a white line across the road, put it in neutral, and you car coasts UPHILL! Tacky Florida at it's best!

 

Germany, specifically the Bavarian Alps. Until recently the HPD Police cars said "Polizei" on the back...They still might. It's become a popular weekend motorcycle destination.