Given that it’s back-to-school time for some folks, and that many will be opting for last-minute road trips before summer officially ends, we’re bringing you the ABC’s of things to see on I-75, the main vacation artery for travel across the Southeast. It’s known as the spring break speedway, running through Knoxville, past Chattanooga, Atlanta, middle Georgia, and down into Florida, where it swings just north of all the Orlando hotels on its way toward Tampa, and then back across the state to where it finally ends in Miami.
With interesting towns, people, attractions, dining options, scenery, and entertainment, it’s a micro-cosm of all that a Southeast vacation is, and a stretch of highway I’ve driven countless times (six excursions over the past three months). Sure, you could always find a cheap flight to your next getaway, but then you’d miss out on all that I-75 has to offer!
A is for…
Agrirama! (if you stop in Tifton, check it out). A is also for the Airplane perched at Exit 146, and Antiques–if you’re an antique collector, this stretch of asphalt is your highway to heaven. (Source)
B is for…
Billboards. From Bible verses to adult-oriented advertising and everything in-between, the number of billboards often outnumber the amount of cars you’ll see on the road. They serve as notice for the next pit-stop as well as entertainment. (Source)
C is for…
Chick-fil-A and Cracker Barrel–good Southern-born food that is scattered all over this stretch of highway. C is also for Cops. They’re everywhere, so don’t go too fast.
D is for…
Downtown Atlanta, the biggest city this stretch of federal pavement hits in the Southeast. You might be tempted to go around it on I-285, but then you’ll miss all the big buildings, riding on the downtown connector, the big Chick-fil-A and So-So Def billboards, and all the urban crawl–an Atlanta commuter’s favorite pastime. (Source)
E is for…
Explanations you have to give to your kids for all the adult-oriented billboards they see (“Since it says ‘Truckers Welcome!’ does that mean we can’t go there because we’re in a mini-van’?” “Yes, son, that’s exactly what that means.”).
F is for…
Farmland. Lots and lots of farmland, growing all kinds of different crops: peanuts, tobacco, corn, cotton, beans, oranges, and more.
G is for…
Goo-Goo Clusters. Available at nearly every exit. Yum. (Source)
H is for…
Holiday Traffic. Forget it around Christmas, Thanksgiving, Spring Break, the Fourth of July, or any other celebrated day. (Source)
I is for…
Intersecting Interstates along the Southeast: I-10, I-16, I-20, I-40, I-65, I-85, I-285.
J is for…
Junk on the side of the road. Stuff I’ve passed lately: bags of trash, roadkill, wrought-iron chairs, half of a mattress, hats, lots of tire tread, a chainsaw, and even a grill (it looked like it was in decent shape–near Exit 172 if you want it).
K is for…
Knoxville. The start of the collegiate spring break stretch of I-75, where Rocky Top Volunteers begin the student migration to the beaches of the South. The stretch between Knoxville and Atlanta (by way of Athens, Ga.) or Gainesville, Fla. is also known as the Trail of Tears for UT football fans when retreating home from Sanford Stadium or The Swamp. (Source)
L is for…
Left-lane Lollygaggers. Get the heck out of my way!
M is for…
McDonnough. Even if you travel through this town at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday in February, you’re going to hit traffic for some odd reason. It never fails. Pass through during rush-hour and M is also for major delays. Make that MAJOR delays.
N is for…
“No Trucks Allowed in Left Lane” signs. I wish all highways had this policy. (Source)
O is for…
Outlets. Save big bucks north of Atlanta, south of Atlanta, near the Florida state line, and Ocala among others. It doesn’t matter if it’s clothing, hunting gear, or lamps. There’s a discount outlet for everything somewhere along here.
P is for…
Pecans, Peaches, and Peanuts. You can probably count at least 100 self-made signs advertising these. And then there’s the largest peanut in the world memorial at Exit 82.
Q is for…
Quirky tourist stops. There’s a plethora between Atlanta and the Florida Turnpike exit: The Jefferson Davis Historic Capture Site, the Crime & Punishment Museum (vastly different from D.C.’s), the Georgia State Cotton Museum, the Tubman Museum, the free National Peanut Museum, and Big Daddy Don Garlit’s Museum of Drag Racing.
R is for…
Rocket-Powered Confederate Missile in Cordele, Ga. at Exit 101. R is also for Rest Stop–be careful what you touch.
S is for…
State Fairgrounds in Perry, Ga. (you never know what you’ll find at these places.)
T is for…
Truck Stops–lots of them, Trees (about all there is to see for miles and miles), and numerous T-shirt places offering three for $9.99 USD deals.
U is for…
Unadilla. “Where people make the difference”… and the adults apparently like discount shopping.
V is for…
Vasectomy. Yes, they even advertise those on billboards, believe it or not. I’ve also seen another sign for Vasectomy Reversals. So they do those too. Money-back guarantee.
W is for…
Weigh Stations. There’s always an empty state trooper cruiser parked at these that makes you slow down even though you know there’s no cop inside.
X is for…
Xings. Deer, cows, raccoons, armadillos, skunks, dogs, and even the occasional hitch hiker (don’t pick them up though–the hitch hiker that is–remember The Hitcher?). None are very cautious with their crossing the road, so keep your eyes open.
Y is for…
Yeehaw Junction. Yeeeeeeehhhhhaaawwww! Get off I-75 and come here for discounted Disney tickets and free OJ.
Z is for…
Zones. As in Construction Zone. I swear they’ve been working on that 12.2 mile stretch for the last nine years. There’s always an area that’s under construction, which means there’s plenty of uneven pavement and 50 mph zones. (Source)
Z is also for Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…… which is exactly what most people do on this Interstate, unless they’re driving (hopefully) or looking for all the items on this list.
Been there, done that–MANY times. Apt descriptions!
What a stretch of road 75 is. Not always the easiest, but I enjoy it better than I-95
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