Another year gone meant another northern trek!
This year, my trip started a little later. After a late night with a friend who was also leaving, I didn’t step outside until 8:00 a.m.
It was a clear morning in Orlando under a crystal sky as I packed up my final few things. As you can tell, the condensation from the night before took a minute to disappear before I could leave.
I sat an awkwardly long time blasting the air. Finally clear, I was able to leave around 8:30 a.m. Downtown Orlando faded in the rearview as I moved towards Daytona Beach.
It was still technically rush hour, so I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of traffic!
My original plan for this trip had me strictly leaving at 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise, but since I was running behind I decided to beeline into Georgia.
I did, however, stop at Chick-Fil-A for breakfast somewhere outside St. Augustine. It was just before they cut it off at 10:30 a.m.
Around noon, I deviated from Interstate 95 for my first stop: Jekyll Island.
Driving arcross the bridge, I learned there was a “Parking Fee” just to enter the island. I turned around and drove right back.
I circumnavigated Brunswick on US-17, crossing instead onto St. Simons Island.
I visited this FREE island a few years ago with my friends and was excited to check it out again!
I parked and walked around waterside Neptune Park.
Sitting on the Saint Simons Sound, it had GORGEOUS views of the Atlantic.
And about a mile across was Jekyll Island. I’d visit it on my return trip and I can confidently say the $8 is worth it.
I finished my circular walking tour with a stop at the island’s lighthouse, all decked in garland, before heading back to my car.
I was still running about four hours behind where I wanted to be, so I didn’t have as much time to explore as I would’ve liked. I wanted to get some coffee, but was disappointed to find low review of pretty much every store on the island. Combining the two, I left.
One of my favorite things about these road trips is the opportunity to see new things. Because of this, I had decided to take a round-a-bout way up to Charlotte, passing through more of Georgia.
My route took me northwest on Interstate 16 by Savannah, before navigating me onto Highway 25. Almost immediately after leaving the coast, I watched the temperature drop 15 degrees.
It was an …interesting experience driving through the backwoods of southeast Georgia.
I stopped at a gas station in the middle of a cotton field around 2:30 p.m.
I think about three different pick up trucks swung into the gas station. Inside each of them were a different number of shirtless men who waltzed into the small store. It was very strange.
The whole point of this detour was to visit Augusta, one of Georgia’s largest cities. I didn’t have an agenda for when I arrived, so I wasn’t super disappointed it was raining.
Honestly, the rain set the vibe for the southern city. Augusta allegedly has a metro population of 611,000 people but it felt like a small town. The Main Street area was very similar to Savannah, substituting trees for palms. It was honestly really pretty!
It was about 4:30 p.m. when I drove in.
When you come off the interstate, the city just kind of starts with these houses.
I parked in a cool street-median lot. It was a pretty inventive idea, separating the two lanes while also having a ton of open parking. More cities should try this!
I went to a used bookstore across the street, where I bought Pride and Prejudice.
Afterwards, I mobile ordered a turkey burger from a local shop. It was going to take about half an hour, so I decided to go get coffee while I waited.
Ubora Coffee Roasters had such a nice vibe! I spent a few minutes compiling some notes in my phone while soaking in the atmosphere.
When my burger was done, I took my coffee on a small walking tour of the city.
I don’t really love eating alone, so I grabbed my dinner and took it to a small park that looked towards this strange castle-looking factory!
Apparently, it’s a power center.
Charlotte was still about 2.5 hours away, so I didn’t hang around too much after eating.
I wanted to swing by Columbia, but instead continued on the freeway around the city. I was tired, it was raining and I was still about 90 miles south of Charlotte.
I pulled into the CLT around 8 p.m. I checked into my hotel near the South Carolina border and drove north into Uptown.
Naturally, my first stop was Optimist Hall.
It was near closing so, for the first time ever, parking wasn’t a struggle. However, it was still surprisingly packed.
I opted for an empanada and called my mom while I ate.
Seating inside was pretty scarce, so I took shelter under a small umbrella while I watched the rain.
Before heading out, I grabbed a hot chocolate gelato (with marshmallow pieces) and walked around to appreciate the decor.
Afterwards, I threw on the Kasey Musgrave’s Christmas Special and drove around the rich neighborhoods to check out the lights. I was back and the hotel and asleep by midnight.
I apologize for the abbreviated day. I have this thing on road trips where I set a schedule for myself and feel rushed if I fall behind. It’s kind of strange. In the future, I really need to focus on just enjoying myself as opposed to being behind a schedule.
ANYWAYS
I was up at 8 a.m. the next morning. I quickly got ready and checked out of the hotel.
As is tradition, the first stop was breakfast at my beloved Amelie’s.
If you’ve read any other article about Charlotte on here, you probably have a good idea of what’s coming.
I took my croissant to Freedom Park and wandered around for a bit.
It was chilly and overcast. I feel like the cold and clouds get a lot of hate, but after subjecting myself to Florida’s constant 9,000 degree torture, I’ve grown appreciative.
My next stop was coffee at Coco and the Director.
As always, the vibes were incredible. I sat for a bit to write with my dirty chai.
My final stop in Charlotte was around 11:00 a.m., when I visited this cool little used bookstore on the outskirts of downtown. There were cats EVERYWHERE. It’s actually a really simple formula to make a successful store: used books + cats = good time.
With a few extra books in my bag, I continued north of Charlotte. This part of the drive always veers between gorgeous and boring. Parts are expansive miles of pastures, while others see you against large hills; a pretty accurate description of the Piedmont.
Two and a half hours later, the skyline of Raleigh loomed on the horizon. And yes, I was surprised by the existence of the buildings too!
I was here for one thing — The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science. I parked about a block away in front of this old house. It’s literally just sitting there surrounded by a parking lot. I genuinely think it’s just an old house. I couldn’t really find any information on its purpose or history.
The last time I stopped in Raleigh, I was there for just an hour or so. I popped around the food halls and grabbed a picture in front of the capitol. I was excited to be in North Carolina’s capital city again!
The museum sits in a little campus surrounded by a few others. Next time, I’m planning to stop in the North Carolina History Museum. It’s also free, but covers the human side of the state’s history.
The block of museums are across the street from the state capitol. Raleigh isn’t huge, which makes navigation super easy.
Exhbits are spread across four floors, covering topics from dinosaurs to modern day Carolina creatures.
It was a cool mix of bones, live animals and dioramas.
Unfortunately, it was also PACKED. It seemed like every kid in North Carolina was at the museum for the day.
There was a lot of information to take in and I couldn’t really concentrate, so I did a lap before heading back into the chilly city.
I’d be interested in coming again. There’s a whole other side to the museum, the Natural Discovery Center, that I didn’t even touch! The glass bridge behind the globe is a connection between the two.
I still had some time on my parking meter, so I grabbed a few postcards and found a little coffeeshop to write them.
I took to the streets, grabbing dinner from Morgan Street Food Hall. Being boring, I got fried chicken to go. I did, however, make note of this cool bar inside the food hall:
The food hall sits in the warehouse district. In researching for this article, I’ve decided I didn’t give it ample time. There’s so many cool things and I can’t believe I didn’t explore!
On the way back to the car, I walked past the capitol building. It also was pretty busy! Last time I was in Raleigh, I remembered it being a ghost town. This was definitely a nice change. They even had a cute little Christmas tree out front.
There was little Christmas festival happening down Fayetteville St.
I really wanted to check it out, but my sister was expecting me for dinner. Around 4:00 p.m., I was back on the road.
I always underestimate the stretch between northern North Carolina and Virginia. What’s technically just under 100 miles seems to take FOREVER and drags like no other.
Alas, I pushed through my exhaustion and crossed back into Virginia. From there, it was only another hour up into Richmond.
For Christmas, the city wraps lights around some of their buildings. It was actually really pretty when driving across the James!
I typically wouldn’t stop in Richmond for dinner, but my sister lives here and I wanted to see her. We went to this little restaurant near the university. A cafe/bar hybrid, it was kind of weird to eat pancakes next to a bar stocked with a ton of alcohol.
After dropping her back at home, I hopped back onto the interstate and continued north into NoVA. Like the drive into Richmond, this last hour and a half was brutal. I was tired and just wanted to be home.
Thankfully, it was pretty painless. The traffic has already dispersed, so I made good time. I was home by 10:00 p.m.!
Aside from beating myself up over the late start, this was a very good trip!
Highlights definitely were:
- The rainy evening in Augusta
- Beautiful St. Simons Island
- Charlotte, as always
- Raleigh
Low points:
- Driving through middle of nowhere Georgia and being slightly afraid
- Jekyll Island’s surprise fee
- Late starts!
Turquoise Skies 