Driving to Austin, Texas, and want to make a road trip out of it? There are some routes that can make the drive from the East Coast to Austin memorable.

Waking up early for this drive might be best, especially if you want to see the outdoors in Virginia.

If you’re coming from NYC, for instance, the recommended route is Interstate 95 south. Heading to DC, you can see some spectacular views of the city.

Eventually it would be best to get onto I-66 to get to I-81, guiding you through to Virginia. Since this tends to be a tedious and meaty drive of about 325 miles, breaking it up will reduce fatigue.

Natural Bridge State Park— at exit #181– would be a grand place to stretch the legs and restore tranquility. Connecting to nature will definitely boost your will to continue to the drive.

However long you decide to spend in Virginia, denotes whether or not you’ll have enough daylight to see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park resides alongside the Tennessee- North Carolina border. They are a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains and is considered to be the most visited American Park System.

To get to the Smoky Mountains, take I-26, near Johnson City, Tennessee.

Live Music and Good Food

Getting back on track, you can reach I-40 to bring you to Knoxville and eventually into Nashville. If you have some time to stay the night, definitely check out the strip in Downtown. There you will find some lively music.

Although there are tourists, there are a lot of cool alleyways filled with bars and restaurants to continue the adventure. Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar brings you in a whole other world. The bar immerses you with live jazz and cocktails, the New Orleans way.

Afterwards, Memphis is nearby as well. People tend to like one or the other better.

If you’ve given up all of your energy, you can go straight onto 40, taking you to 30, then 35 to get to Austin. The other option is to go south off the Interstate towards Mississippi.

If you didn’t have enough of the New Orleans experience back in Nashville, no worries. You’ll be heading to Louisiana soon enough.

During the day, the French Quarter is a quaint place, filled to the brim with French-inspired architecture and cafes. At night, you can find Cajun food, voodoo shops, and even more live jazz.

After the not-so-hard journey, you can now reach your destination. Behind you, a bunch off experiences tied into one road trip.