"Hotlanta" Experience - Self Drive Tour
8 Days / 7 Nights
Seasons -
Spring, Summer, Fall
Temperature -
40° to 90° F /
4° to 32° C
Reservations must be booked and paid in advance
Day 1 : Atlanta Arrival
Arrive in Atlanta, the cultural and commercial center of the New South – and a fascinating and fun place to explore. Transfer to your hotel and overnight.
Day 2 : Atlanta - Savannah
This morning you pick up your bike and you are leaving “Coca Cola Country”, heading toward the beach. If time allows you might want to visit Stone Mountain Park – rising 825 feet above its green surroundings - just a few miles east of Atlanta. Cross over to Macon, located near the geographic center of the state and once home to Little Richard, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers. Out of Macon it’s a straight shot down to Savannah, the finest city in the South, and your stop for tonight. You are in a great place here and should take time to explore the nation’s largest historic district. Overnight.
Day 3 : Savannah - Charleston
From Savannah it’s only a short ride into North Carolina. Take Hwy 17 north and cross the Hugh Talmadge Memorial Bridge. You are in Low Country here – marshlands for miles before you can retreat into the woods with a right turn on SC 170. Follow Hwy 170 to South Carolina’s second oldest township, Beaufort – old antebellum homes and the waterfront provide great photo stops. From Beaufort you continue on Hwy 17 into Charleston, a city that is English, Spanish, African, Caribbean, Union, Confederate, old and young – and definitely one of the most gracious and enjoying cities in the southern US. Overnight.
Day 4 : Charleston - Myrtle Beach
Before you continue your ride along the Atlantic Coast, you might want to take a walking tour of the historic district, which is lined with tall, narrow houses of peeling, multicolored stucco, adorned with wooden shutters and wide porches. And – make sure to stop in Mount Pleasant, famous for Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, and Boone Hall Plantation. From Charleston you are heading north and today you are in for a beautiful ride up the coast. Pick up Hwy 17 and you are on your way to Georgetown, site of a short-lived Spanish settlement in 1526, and the first European outpost in North America. You are now traveling “The Great Strand”, famous for its sandy coast, where numerous towns provide spacious beach views. Myrtle Beach is the largest and most traveled and offers a broad range of entertainment, nightlife and outdoor recreation. Myrtle Beach is your stop for tonight.
Day 5 : Myrtle Beach - Charlotte
You are leaving Myrtle Beach and head inland toward Conway, one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Conway was created in 1734 and originally named Kingston, in honor of Great Britain’s King George II. Cruise the northern part of South Carolina and just a few miles out of Pageland you enter the state of North Carolina. Today’s destination is Charlotte, a place that combines the hospitality of a traditional Southern Belle with the perspicacity of a contemporary Yankee Trader. Overnight.
Day 6 : Charlotte - Asheville
Leave Asheville on Hwy 74 and ride via Gastonia and Shelby, through Cleveland and Rutherford County. Stick with Hwy 74 until you get to Rutherfordton – here you pick up Hwy 64 up to Lake Lure – a place that takes it name from the 1,500-acre man-made lake east of town. You find yourself surrounded by the Rumbling Bald mountain range; faults in the mountains have created landslides, exposing caves in the upper slopes. Just a few miles further on you arrive at another amazing sight – Chimney Rock, a giant granite monolith that rises sharply 315 feet! Back on Hwy 74 you head over to Asheville, a beautiful historic mountain resort with an appealing 1920’s downtown core. While here, you might want to visit the Vanderbilt family’s Biltmore Estate – the world’s biggest vacation house, which is a testament to Asheville’s primary position in the resort pantheon. Alternatively, you can enjoy riding parts of the infamous Blue Ridge Parkway. You overnight in Asheville.
Day 7 : Asheville - Atlanta
Today begins with an unforgettable ride indeed…you are riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, a road that represents the “Golden Age of Road Building”, scenic overlooks appear every few miles, it’s free of commercial traffic, business and billboards – you only have to pay attention to the dogwoods and evergreens, the meadows, glades, and stone bridges. You ride up to Cherokee, near the Southern Entrance of Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Pick up your old friend, Hwy 74, and go south, enjoy a beautiful ride along Nantahala River, and through ancient Cherokee Indian tribal land. Continue all the way into Murphy and from here it’s a straight shot back to Atlanta. Upon arrival it will be time to return your motorcycle and transfer back to your hotel. Overnight.
Day 8 : Atlanta Departure
Today your adventure will end with your departure flight back home.