How to Drive the Southern Pacific Route - From California to Georgia

• By: Editor
• On: 10/Apr/2009
• In: USA Travel Tips

The Southern Pacific Route
This road trip starts in San Diego on the west coast, winds its way east along the Mexico border and the southern states, before ending on the east coast in Savannah, Georgia some 3,800 kms later.

Starting in San Diego, California’s second city you will find a city which has a rich culture and a fascinating history. The main attraction the coast is the fantastic weather and beaches. There are many other outdoor activities to partake in as well as visiting Balboa Park, go shopping in Downtown or visit Shamu in Sea World.

Heading east on the I-8 you will find yourself driving parallel with the Mexican Border. After about 275 kms you will arrive in Yuma just inside the Arizona border.

Yuma is the sunniest place on Earth (according to the Guinness Book of Records) as well as one of the hottest cities in the US with an average June temperature of 42°C! On your way there you could visit Yuma Crossing Park, other parks on your way to Yuma include Cleveland National Forest and the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Continuing east on the I-8 you will be heading for Tucson. After about 280kms you will merge with the I-10 which connects Phoenix to Tucson. You have a chance here to head north to Phoenix or continuing on another 100kms to Tucson. Some interesting places to visit on this leg of the journey include the Kofa National Wildlife Reserve, the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, or the Painted Rock Petroglyphs.

If you head north you will have an opportunity to visit Phoenix. This is the largest city in the American Southwest after Los Angeles. There you can have a look around the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, the Arizona Science Center, the Desert Botanical Garden or the Heard Museum. Located just 190kms to the north of Phoenix is the Meteor Crater, which was created about 50,000 years ago and remains the best preserved meteorite crater in the world.

If you head south you will find yourself in Tucson. This high altitude city is a little cooler than its big sister Phoenix. Some decent sights worth visiting include the Gem Show, the Titan Missile Museum, the Old Tucson Studios, the Coronado National Forest and the Saguaro National Park, which has one of the densest cactus forests in the country.

Once you have finished with these cities you can resume your journey east towards El Paso on the I-10 for another 500kms.This journey will take you past the Kartchner Caverns State Park and the Chiricahua National Monument which might be worth a visit.

El Paso is one of the main cities of the Borderland area of Texas. It is so called because the area sits right on the border with the neighbouring Mexico. One of the unique attractions of the city includes going on a visit to Licon Dairy, where you can try Asadero Cheese and visit the petting zoo.

It would be handy to know some Spanish in this city though not completely necessary. You can even pop over the border and visit Juarez and do a little Mexican shopping. Alternatively, a trip to Roswell (famed for the alleged alien crash landing in the 40s) which is just 330kms to the northeast might be fun.

Continuing your journey on the I-10 along the Mexican border you will come to a junction after 270 kms. You can turn north onto the I-20 to visit Fort Worth and Dallas; or stay on the I-10 and head for San Antonio and Houston. Staying on the Southern Pacific Route will take you to Dallas.

Dallas, along with Fort Worth, forms a single huge metropolitan area home to almost 6 million people. The city is reputed to have the highest number of shopping centres per capita in the US, truly a shopper’s paradise. This is also the city where JFK was shot and you can visit The Sixth Floor Museum to learn all about the incident. In Fort Worth there are few sights worth seeing including The National Cowboys of Colour Museum, the C.R. Smith Aviation Museum and many more.

Moving on from the Lone Star State you will arrive in Shreveport, Louisiana some 300kms later. The I-20 will take you all the way there though you will have opportunities to visit such towns as Tyler, Longview and Marshall on the way.

Once you arrive in Shreveport you will have the opportunity to visit the Norton Art Gallery, the American Rose Center and the Barksdale Air Force Base, which hosts an annual air show in May definitely worth a visit if you are around in this time of year.

The next stop on our journey east is the city of Jackson in the state of Mississippi. You will find Jackson after 350kms on the I-20 from Shreveport. Along the way you will pass through Gibson which is the famed location of the death of Bonnie and Clyde. Another option you have when you are heading for Jackson is to head south first and stopover in New Orleans.

No visit to the Creole State would be complete without a quick detour to visit New Orleans. The city has largely recovered from Hurricane Katrina and continues to be a top tourist destination. If you are around for the New Orleans Mardi Gras then you are definitely in for a treat.

In Jackson you will find a nice number of attractions that make stopping in Jackson worth while. Some of these attractions include the Dixie National Livestock Show, Parade and Rodeo; Malaco Records and many more.

After Jackson you will be heading into Alabama and to the city of Montgomery. This is a 400km journey that starts out on the I-20, but will require you to turn off on to the US-80 at the halfway point. On this trip you will pass through Bienville National Forest which is worth a visit if you have the time.

Montgomery is a city that has a lot of history, it was a capital of the confederacy during the civil war (until it was moved to Richmond) and it was Dexter Avenue Baptist Church that Martin Luther King Jr. became a Pastor in 1954.

Moving out of Alabama and into Georgia you will come to Columbus. The journey will take place mostly on the US-80 for 135kms. On the journey you will pass by the smallest national forest in the country, Tuskegee National Forest.

The city of Columbus sits just inside the Georgia border. This is the last state you will visit on this route. Some of the sights you can visit in the area include the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Chattahoochee River Walk and the National Civil War Naval Museum.

You can if you wish go for a small detour and visit Atlanta which is just 175kms to the north. This city is a unusual in that it is a successful blend of Old South and New South culture. There is much to see in the city but some of the highlights include the CNN Center, the HQ for the 24-hour news station; the Georgia Aquarium, with over 100,000 animals in 8 million gallons of water; the Centennial Olympic Park, where the 100th modern Olympic Games was held; amongst others.

The next city along the Southern Pacific Route is the city of Macon. This city is just 160kms on the US-80, to the east of Columbus.

While passing through Macon be sure to drop into the Ocmulgee National Monument. Some other places to drop into would include the Tubman African American Museum, the Cannonball House and Civil War Museum, and Fort Hawkins.

And for the final leg of this journey you will be heading for Savannah. It is just 270kms on the I-16 to get to Savannah.

This area of Georgia was first settled by Europeans in 1733. The city of Savannah retains much of its historic district due to a deal the Mayor of the town struck with a marauding enemy general. With all the town squares retaining their distinctive features you will have a great time exploring them all.

This magnificent journey will take a fairly long time to do, so it would be wise to get a comfortable car and it has to be big enough to handle the bigger roads and bigger loads that you will be carrying. We have a great selection of car available for you purview on our car hire USA page.

So if you have any questions why not leave your message in the comment box below.