Looking to trailer my bike from Northwestern Ontario, down to Memphis unload leaving the truck and trailer there and ride for a few days. The trip would likely be starting on the 20th of March, and my route will be something like this:

Day 1- Memphis to Nashville
Day 2- Nashville to Deals Gap
Day 3- Deals Gap to Columbus
Day 4- Columbus to Birmingham
Day 5- Birmingham to Memphis

Hoping to tent out, just wondering what to expect weather wise? Know of a few roads I'd like to ride, and attractions I would like to see, but would love to hear about some things I may not know of, or even about your guys' treks in the area.
Cheers.

 

not to rain on your parade, but that time of year you can count on at least one if not two cold fronts coming through. probably better weather than where you are coming from, but i would guess you would have more than one day that would not be conducive to riding. I live in SE Okla, and that is about the time of our spring break (i teach ms math) and i would not consider going that direction for our spring break ride because of the weather. I only go south and that still can be iffy.

 

NC is hit & miss in March. We can have some decent weather, but we have also had some of our biggest snow storms in March. Up around Deals Gap will probably still be pretty cold in March and maybe even icy. If you can wait another 4-6 weeks, you will probably have much better conditions. Late May - early June is ideal for the NC-TN mountains.

 

I've done it before myself but I'm a lot closer. Plan on cold in the mountains and maybe some snow. You might even prefer snow to rain and 34 degrees. The roads in and around the Smokey's can close due to snow until mid April and this winter is not cooperating with Al Gore's global warming theory.

How about you stay out of Deal's Gap and the mountains. Hang in Memphis, visit Graceland then head south on the Blues Highway Rt.61. Hit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS. (outstanding). Continue south along the River Rd. Route 1 into Natchez, then up the Natchez Trace toward Nashville. Make the trip music or history oriented. This will keep you out of the highlands. If you must go to the Gap watch the weather carefully.

 

Buzzard's suggestion is a good one. In Memphis go to The BBQ Shop on Madison Ave. It's close to downtown / Beale Street and the best you'll find imo. Hit Stax museum on the way to Graceland and party on Beale just be mindful of your surroundings and don't stray they are all in bad areas. If you go to Birmingham then Barber's museum is an absolute must. Plan half a day at least there. If you do go to deals gap and go thru pigeon forge / Gatlinburg then stop at Floyd garret's muscle car museum in sevierville. Smaller museum but real nice collection if you like muscle cars.

 

Sadly, What 72 Norton said about Beale St. is true. Only about 4 blocks are semi-safe. (at night) Do the museum and studio tours during the day. My last time down there the motel manager was a retired Memphis cop. He told me to leave the bike at the motel and take the motel shuttle or a cab to Beale St. and not move away from the crowds and never down a side street.

I did ride to Graceland and returned well after dark. The crackheads were out driving sideways up the street, smoking tires and ignoring traffic signs.

If you go to the Blues Museum there are some seedy blues roadhouse juke joints just down the block. You can walk there from the parking lot.

Along the Natchez Trace is Tupelo, MS. Birthplace of the king.

 

I live about 20 minutes south of Nashville. March is hit or miss. It could be highs in the 70's or highs in the 40's. It just depends on if there is a cold front coming through. You must head down to the Jack Daniels distillery. It's about 1.5 hrs south of Nashville. The tour is free and is most excellent. From there you can take back roads east to Gatlinburge / Pigeon Forge area or you can get back on an interstate for a quicker ride. Helen, GA is a cool town to see. All the buildings are designed and architectually similar to what you'd see in the Swiss Alps. It's a unique town. It's in North East Georgia so not too far out of the way if your heading to Gatlinburge.

 

In Memphis, go to Sun Studios, amazing history and a good time overall. Yes Memphis is a little sketchy, Nashville is much nicer for a care free walk around. We stayed in a hotel right around the corner from Beale Street, fenced in covered parking, 2 minute walk to the action, bike was very safe. Graceland is a must and also a really good time. If you do go west, Jack Daniels Tour is a blast. Overall Tennessee is a good time, but mind the others' comments on weather. Every time I have been to the Dragon, it rained at some part of the day. Mountains = Weather

 

As others have said March can be "iffy" on the weather. It is traditionally our wettest month. And we have had some "historic" storms in March. Some photos in the link of a March storm. Probably not a big deal to someone from Canada but certainly a big deal in the south.

http://www.knoxnews.com/photos/galle...section_header

 

If you plan on that time of year, I hope you have heated seats otherwise you might shrivel your pod.