good call.....6 state ....wow

but whats your call on ruby falls and incline??? worth the extra spondulies?

can you adjust your route to check out the rural studio work in alabama?

ahh blow off ruby. it's about as spectacular as peeing down a curb.

incline would be nice and lush this time of year.

you could stay at the choo choo for the night!

just stay away from the loonies down at the bend.

of course dolly is right down the road too.

take the north route on I-40 through Arkansas and stop at Toad Suck. You've never seen anything like it!

go to the vanderbilt mansion in ashville north carolina, cool town, olmstead landscaping, and that house is just plain big and french

really depends on your route.
-fay jones pinecote pavilion in picayune, mississippi is off the beaten track, but worth a trip.
-you'll want to stop at UVa and Monticello in Virginia, if you're on 64 or 85.
-clark/menefee work in charleston sc is very nice, as is work by ray huff. and you can visit hilton head and savannah while you're in the vicinity.
-vanderbilt in asheville is a good one. and also the newly renovated/reopened arcade building in downtown.
-we'd love to have more tourists in louisville and, believe it or not, there is a lot to see here: mies, graves, hargreaves, stern, goff, olmsted...

brian, what cities or route are you looking to take or want to take?

i'm actually pretty clueless right now. I was hoping starting this thread might help me chart a path. I'm taking my 15 year old brother, so I don't want to just do architecture. Neither of us have driven through this part of the country so everything is going to be new and exciting. I have the uhaul for 7 days. Rather than blasting up there in 2.5 days I'd like to take about 4. Thanks for your help so far. I'm going to start researching.

what r your other non-arch interests? music (blues/jazz), nature ?

The way I see it there are a few options for your trip.

Gulf Coast trip through LA, MS, AL and then up the Atlantic states. When I was down there they didn't like me with MN plates on my car. Got called a Yankee a lot, but great place to visit. Ate loads of shrimp and had a great time in Birmingham with an old friend.

Then there is the great lakes trip going up through IL, IN, OH and then across PA. I just love Pennsylvania, but IL, IN and OH are all quite flat and boring for my taste. Don't take the turnpike either. Expensive for nothing to even look at.

Last is the central trip where you can zig zag states like TN, KY, WV.
Too bad your brother is only 15, or else you could do the Kentucky burbon tour or visit the Jack Daniels distillery. Your best bet for seeing the mountains. Weak by rocky mountain standards but scenic none the less.

My brother will no longer be accompanying me on my trip. So I'm free to pack in all the 21+ and architecture related excursions I can handle.

I'm starting off near Amarillo, so I'm planning on taking I-40 to Nashville. I'd really like to do the JD Tour, but its a little out of the way. The Monticello in Virginia sounds good, is it worth it?

Hit up Richmond: Monument Avenue, Carytown, etc. The Fan district has one of the largest collections of intact victorian brick rowhouse architecture. Second to Boston's South End I think. Interesting city. The Byrd Theatre in the Carytown district still plays its wurlitzer organ before movies.
Check out Baltimore: a city of contradictions. It may look like a typical industrial city but it is culturally southern. Confederate and Union monuments anchor various city parks. Southwest Baltimore is home to the longest continuous rowhouse block. Check out the new Brown Center at MICA designed by Charles Brickbauer.
Take the ferry out to Smith and Tangier Islands in the Chesapeake Bay. The inhabitants speak a kind of Elizabethan English. The islands will disappear into the Bay in a few decades and with it the local culture.

I'm actually moving to Fells Point in Baltimore, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the city has to offer. I might check out Richmond. Thanks for the suggestions.

branson misery of course.