danthemjfan23

holy shit you guys, thank you all so much for the amazing (and detailed!) responses. after i made this post last night, i mapped out my route and did some more tentative research, and came up with this basic itinerary:
 
Friday, 10/21
leave Chicago and get to Carbondale, IL in time for the shows that night.
 
Saturday, 10/22
fuck around in Carbondale during the day, more shows that night
 
Sunday, 10/23
leave Carbondale in the morning
drive to Memphis, TN and visit Graceland (never been here before. i'm incredibly well-prepared for how cheesy and ridiculous it's going to be)
drive to Jackson, MS at night and sleep there
 
Monday, 10/24
tour the Medgar Evers home in the morning/early afternoon
drive to New Orleans and get there in the early evening
 
Tuesday, 10/25
do New Orleans-y shit
> Café du Monde for beignets and café au lait
> St. Roch Cemetery #1
> St. Louis Cemetery #1
 
Wednesday, 10/26
more New Orleans-y shit
 
Thursday, 10/27
leave New Orleans in the morning, drive to Mobile, AL
see the USS Alabama, hang there for a short while
drive to Gainesville, get there around 9 pm
 
Friday, 10/28
Fest
 
Saturday, 10/29
Fest
 
Sunday, 10/30
Fest
 
Monday, 10/31
leave Gainesville around noon, drive to Montgomery, AL
walk on the steps of the Capitol Building, then drive to Selma (the reverse route of the marches)
cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge (the site of the conflict of Bloody Sunday)
go to the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (where the marches from Selma to Montgomery started)
drive to Birmingham and sleep there
 
Tuesday, 11/1
see where the Barons play because i'm an MJ nerd
maybe grab lunch with Birdwell???
drive up to Sheffield and tour Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
drive to Louisville that night and sleep there
 
Wednesday, 11/2
tour the Louisville Slugger Factory
leave in the late afternoon for Chicago
get home that night
 
 
i know it's pretty jam-packed, but that's the way i like to do road trips. some of these places i might never get back to again, so i try to do as much as possible while i'm there. the long days and amount of driving don't bother me. i'd rather be driving while i'm awake than sitting on a bed in a hotel room thinking about what else i could be seeing!

Just a heads-up, the new Barons stadium downtown was only built 3 years ago. The stadium where Jordan played is out in Hoover at the Hoover Met. The field depicted at the beginning of Space Jam is supposed to be Rickwood Field located here in BHam....which is actually the oldest Baseball Park in the world and really really fucking awesome.....but in a sketchy part of town.If I'm still in town, I'm SO down for food.

the only time I have ever been to Mississippi I drove past a gas tanker truck that drove off the interstate right before a bridge and slam into the bridge wall below and exploding.  most intense thing ever.  I tried to google the story... apparently this happens often?  like... once a year in that state?  so weird.

I assume Muscle Shoals/Florence AL for Fame and Muscle Shoals Sound? The last record store up there closed a few weeks ago because the owner simply didn't want to run it anymore.
My hometown of Huntsville has the Space and Rocket Center which is really rad....but also a bit expensive. My friends own a record store (Vertical House Records) there that's pretty nice located inside what I would argue is the cultural hub of the city, The Lowe Mill (a converted textile mill). Open Wed-Sat with the artisan market open on Saturdays. Also within the past couple of weeks the smallest record store in the state opened up inside of a converted storage unit....which I've heard actually has a decent selection. Two breweries bought an old middle school a few blocks from the Lowe Mill and are doing collaborative brewing and storage there as well as harboring new food joints such as food fired oven Pizzas and the like.
Birmingham, where I currently live, has three record stores, one of which my buddy owns (Seasick Records)....the other two within walking distance of one another (Charlemagne and Rennaissance Records). We also have the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Civil Rights Museum, and an ok Art Museum. The food in this city is better than anywhere else in the state as well as the music. Decent breweries each with their own vibe here as well.
Don't know much about Montgomery (other than I don't particular care for it)....but it is home to the Hank Williams museum, which is kind of rad. The movie Big Fish was mostly filmed there as well.
Geographically, if you're coming north from Florida....you'll hit Montgomery first, then Birmingham, then You'd choose west for Muscle shoals or East for Huntsville.
If you need/want food recommendations in BHam or HVille if you decide to stop I'd be happy to recommend.

Additionally.......Memphis, TN. Don't fuck with Rendevou BBQ or Interstate BBQ......Central BBQ, please trust me on this.....Central BBQ is in my top 3 BBQ joints ever

Also worth mentioning that you'll be in SEC territory during one of the heaviest times of the year as far as college football is concerned

New Orleans is cool. Super scummy but cool.

New Orleans is great. I recommend going to Frenchman street. Pretty much every venue on that street has amazing live music.

Don't hit Muscle Shoals on a Sunday, most of the town was closed when I went through (included Fame & Sound Studio). Do eat at Champy's Famous Fried Chicken. I also suggest going to the preserve/dam, there is a cool water fall and some nice nature trails.
 
Memphis, if you're into sports (outdoor), the Bass Pro Shop was kind of amazing, and they have a observation deck looking out at Memphis. Definitely do the tour at Sun Studios, that was easily the highlight of Memphis for me. The Gibson Factory tours fill up quickly, we got there at like 10am and it was already full for the day (and next day). Beale Street is like a relaxed version of Bourbon, it's not bad. Food, I suggest Gus's World Famous Hot Chicken.
 
New Orleans wasn't really for me (I don't drink/care for people that are drunk), but the music scene is great, if you can.. see Preservation Hall Jazz Band (or any show at the Hall), that was a great experience. I hit a Saints & Pelicans game while there, the Saints game was definitely cool (the game got them in the playoffs, so it was a elevated atmosphere). Also check out The National World War II Museum. The beignets at Cafe du Monde is my suggestion there.

Just spent a week on Frenchman street. 10/10
Easily had the best meals of my entire life in the French Quarter.
Still bummed I found a flyer for a Weedeater/Today is the Day show...5 hours after the show started.

yeah....Sundays in the south are kind of a bummer, a lot of shit is closed

Yeah, sure we still use Facebook! I tried your application but I rather use a professional one like Rumbletalk. I mostly use it on my Facebook channel and on my radio website. It is really good Radio Chat application. 
 
You would ask why I like it so much?
 
1. It works on phones and tablets really nice
2. You can post anykind of videos, pictures, charts into it
3. You can manage your design just as much as you want
4. It is really well protected application, unlike many others on the market
5. It is synchronizing really well(you can use it on more platforms at the same time)
6. It has about 100 other functions as well.
 
They have a free trial going on now so it is worth having a peek!
 
Cheers
 

I don't know who is voting for "This Could Be Love" over "San Francisco" but the rest of you have 3 hours to make up for their stupidity.
 
Truth. 

Was searching for something entirely different that led me to this thread and just have to say that this performance of this song rules. Wish I could see Bob at your place this weekend but I'll be in Rockford for Easter. Will keep up on this thread in the future though!

Got engaged to my girlfriend of 7 years last week.
It's alright.

Finally, a website for music,

Hell Yes is top 5.

Hell Yes.

My boss told me about this last week....I literally just dropped my head and shook it back and forth....

Maybe it's because I don't wear eyeliner but I strongly prefer the pre Crimson material and am 16.

Jaked on Green Beers is a good song.

Both Fine and burned is the house is OUT? say whaaaat.

God I fucking love single elimination tournaments

yes, hollow sunshine is a good band. love their songs....

you doing multiple days to vote per round?  i can't seem to see how long voting lasts.