The South's Best Scenic Drives 2020

Start at Navarre Beach and head west toward Pensacola right around sunset. It’s an unforgettable drive, with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Santa Rosa Sound on the other, unspoiled white sand and blue water all around, the whole scene softened by a coastal sky painted in pinks and corals.

From the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake, Monticello to the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia is definitely for (wine) lovers, with almost 300 wineries and vineyards in the Commonwealth. Choose your region and plan your trip here.  

This two-lane highway threads Ocracoke, Hatteras, and Bodie Islands, with the powerful Atlantic Ocean on one side and the calmer waters of four sounds—Currituck, Albemarle, Roanoke, and Pamlico—on the other. Prepare for incredible seascapes.

What began as a railroad from mainland Florida to Key West eventually became one of the most breathtaking drives in the South, including Seven Mile Bridge over the gleaming turquoise waters of the Keys.

Shaped roughly like an upside-down triangle—the three points being Louisville, Lexington, and Loretto (just southeast of Bardstown)—the Bourbon Trail takes you through horse country and some of the prettiest landscapes in the state. All this plus sipping opportunities aplenty.

A series of state and local highways make up this beautiful parkway across Lookout Mountain, beginning at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, Alabama, passing through Georgia (within detour range of Cloudland Canyon State Park), and ending in Chattanooga, Tennessee, easily one of the South’s best cities for outdoor fun.

Both a National Park and a 444-mile scenic drive, the Parkway roughly follows the Old Natchez Trace, a trade route used by Native Americans, traders—anybody en route from Mississippi to Tennessee by way of Alabama. Enjoy outdoor recreation and visit historic sites along the way. (FYI, you’ll traverse some sparsely populated miles where major exits can seem pretty far apart, so pack snacks.)

Maybe it’s not the fastest route from northern Florida to Key West, but it has to be the most interesting. Though you won’t always have an ocean view, occasional glimpses of the Atlantic and the colorful coastal towns you’ll ramble through make this road serious bucket list material.

There are seventy-five overlooks along this 105-mile meander through Shenandoah National Park, offering spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and abundant Instagram opportunities.

The wildly popular 469-mile drive through Appalachia is divided into four regions—Ridge, Plateau, Highlands, and Pisgah—and bookended by two Southern treasures, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park.