I agree with many of the others, from Birmingham I would definitely hit the Smokies. Key West to me would be a no go as it is about a 900 mile or two day trip, meaning you are riding there doing a U turn and blasting back in hopes you get back in time. NOLA is a great city to visit, we are 3 hrs from there and go a good bit but not on the bikes. Traffic is hell in NOLA and BR and in NOLA you hope you find a safe place to park and your bike is still there when you return. The back roads in South LA through the swaps are cool but not nearly as fun as the mountains in TN/NC
From Bham I would head North on 59 to Chattanooga then 75 to Cleveland, 64 out of Cleveland into the Cherokee National Forrest. Within 3 hrs of leaving Bham you are on great roads along the Ocoee and Nantahala with endless great roads in the Smokeys in any direction. To me that would be a no brainer for a long weekend out of Bham. I'll be blasting through Bham May 4 from MS headed to the Smokeys for a week of riding
I would head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It starts in Cherokee NC and heads north. 469 miles of 45MPH cruising with no stop signs. Leaving from Birmingham and you go up through Atlanta, only a bit north of Atlanta you are in the mountains. Many neat towns. Maggie Valley and the wheels Through Time museum. Probably the biggest collection of motorcycles you will ever see. Little Switzerland Inn is about 150 miles up the BRP which is a great resort along with the Diamond Back. The diamondback is a 38 mile loop. With your limited 4 days I would turn around at Little Switzerland and head back south and head back towards Tail of the Dragon. Many motorcycle resorts in that area along with many loops including the Cherohala Skyway. You wont be disappointed.
I would not head towards Florida. Flat-Boring-Interstate riding all day???
Tons of great advice here guys. East Tenn is definitely something to consider even though I have ridden a fair bit of it in the past ( we go to gatlinburg sometimes twice a year) I tend to lean towards places I haven’t been, but like most of you have said 4 days narrows down the options quite a bit. There’s a lot to consider. I have family sprinkled all over the southeast that I’d love to catch up with. I have a cousin in Fort Myers I haven’t seen in years. She’s 12-13ish hours away from where I’m staying. I’d like to tell myself I can make it there in a day but the most time I’ve ever clocked in a single day was 9.5 and that was brutal.
02-03-2019, 04:29 AM
