We spent about two weeks adventuring from Maryland down to Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. We also made quick stops in the Carolinas. It was an epic roadtrip with a family favorite being the drop of 15,000 beach balls with a free kid focused event in Florida. This post will share an outline of how we covered so much ground and what we did in each place along with how much this trip cost. I share details around things we loved and recommendations if I planned it again. If I found a helpful IG account, I included that as well. Much of this trip was planned last minute, with the goal being for Addy (6 years old) to visit her last three states in the lower 48 and for my husband to visit his last three states – he’s a 50 stater now. (I still need Hawaii!) We are ambitious travelers so buckle up!
Travel Dates: Friday, December 20, 2024 to Saturday, January 4, 2025 (to beat a huge winter storm and return our rental car ahead of it)
Rental Car: I like CarRentals.com and rented an unlimited mileage car from 12/19/2024-1/6/2025 from Next Car in Wheaton, Maryland. This was my second time using them and my only note is to ensure you know your car insurance coverage days (i.e., 30 days) or credit card coverage days that you used for the rental, at least for this place. We ended up with a 2025 hybrid car since the first car smelled like smoke, which was a nice upgrade. I paid $779.74 for this rental and booked on 12/9/2024. I did see it for cheaper if I booked in the Fall. It’s also worth checking each of the airports (e.g., BWI, DCA or IAD) to compare prices if you have that flexibility. I don’t recommend Turo for a trip like this because unlimited mileage is key.
General Approach: I used a Word document to start putting all of my ideas in one place. I also read quite a few blogs and looked on Insta. For hotels, I tended to sort by price for brands I recognized (that were a step up from a Motel 6 or Super 8) and then read recent reviews to find places with hot breakfast (having a pool was a bonus and we got lucky at the end of the trip). I would stay again at all of the hotels and I booked each either the same day we stayed or the night before. Even on New Years Eve, I didn’t book our hotel until almost 9 pm that day (the hotel did sell out that night). For this trip, I exclusively used Super.com.* When we slept in the car, Addy and I had Cracker Barrel breakfast (sign up for the app to get points towards discounts) the next morning (which is our family deal), but typically we did not eat out and got our food from Wal-Mart. We are treat people, so ice cream, donuts, coffee were purchased when exploring! We buy the Maryland Science Center pass each year on Groupon (typically posted in November for a few months each year and you have a few months to redeem and start the one year clock) and this gives us FREE access to ASTC Passport museums outside 90 miles via reciprocity. Read my article, Your Family Needs the ASTC Passport. You won’t need more convincing than this.
*This is a referral link. You should receive a bonus (like $15) for signing up and it will prompt you for your phone number. I appreciate you using my link if you’ve never booked with them before.
Itinerary:
- Friday, December 20 – North Carolina to see family
- Saturday, December 21 – South Carolina to see family
- Sunday, December 22 – Cleveland, Helen and Dahlonega, Georgia
- IG accounts to follow: AlpineHelenGA and Discover.Dahlonega
- Babyland General Hospital (Cleveland) – We spent about 30 minutes here walking around. It’s a unique place that’s free to visit and see the home of the Cabbage Patch Doll. They had a room beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and a chance to see Santa too. We did not buy anything and did not get a witness a “birth”.
- Downtown Helen – This town is cute and was on my list for years! We illegally parked in the Dollar General lot, which I don’t recommend. Seems we could have found some free parking by the City of Helen Riverside Park (all lit up with holiday lights) or paid around $10 to park in a lot close to the toy store. The town is very walkable. There were holiday lights everywhere (which are kept up until mid-February) and it was fun to wander through the stores.
- Downtown Dahlonega – This was a last minute add after seeing it marketed as a “Hallmark Christmas” town. It was cute, with horse drawn carriages, a fun general store, chocolate shop, etc. around a public square and free parking. But don’t feel bad if you skip it and opt for more time in Helen instead.
- Sleep: We slept in the car in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, just south of Atlanta.
- Monday, December 23 – Auburn and Montgomery, Alabama
- IG accounts to follow: DowntownAuburn and ExperienceMontgomery
- Auburn – Such a great college town (but don’t, worry, I’m not trading in my beloved Gamecocks). We got our free kids cookie from Publix (and learn from us, don’t walk off the property and leave your car). Luckily, parking in downtown during this time of year is free. We saw the most incredible gingerbread displays of Auburn landmarks at the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center for free. Then we walked the small town and went in some stores like Toomers Corner, drove the college campus and enjoyed their epic new inclusive playground called Town Creek Park (don’t miss this with kids) that’s 6,000 square feet.
- Montgomery – We found free parking and headed to the Museum of Alabama. It’s free to visit and had a wonderful Children’s Gallery called Grandma’s Attic. It is closed in 2025 and is supposed to reopen, fully renovated in 2026. From here we went inside the First White House of the Confederacy. This was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the docent was very engaging. And as we love to collect Capitol buildings, we went into the Alabama State Capitol. We then drove so I could try coffee at Prevail Union (the specialty latte was a little too expensive for my taste). We then found parking to explore the Riverfront. You go through a tunnel and then end up along the water, where you can see the Harriott II (ship) decorated along with other holiday decorations nearby. The sunset was very pretty here.
- Sleep: Best Western in Daphne, Alabama for $78.81
- Tuesday, December 24 – Daphne and Mobile, Alabama; Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi
- IG accounts to follow: VisitMobileAL, CammiesOldDutch, and TheTatonutShop
- Bass Pro Shops (Spanish Fork) – We love seeing Bass Pro in different cities. This one has alligator door handles and since it was the holidays, you can sign up in advance or walk-in for a picture with Santa. There are also kids games and coloring – all for free. We love seeing the large fish tank and the taxidermy animals too.
- Daphne – We went to Gator Boardwalk, which is free, but did not see any gators. We then drove to the historic area, near Daphne City Hall to see pretty decorations. There is a nice playground across the street and some shops nearby, but we opted to skip. We did get our Publix cookie nearby (love the south for this grocery store) and then headed toward Mobile. If we had more time, I would have liked to try Maurice’s BBQ, which was recommended to me.
- Mobile – We really liked this city and I would love to return here for Mardi Gras. There’s free parking near the parks, like Mardi Gras park and Bienville Square park and both parks are worth walking around. We found metered parking before we realized this. We enjoyed walking Lower Dauphin Street and finding the gorgeous oysters that were painted. It was a HUGE hit to find Mardi Gras beads everywhere that I’m guessing were from a holiday parade. Collecting them was a highlight for Addy. The children’s museum was closed when we visited, but I would have liked to visit since it’s covered by the ASTC Passport. If you don’t know what that is, check out my article ___.
- Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe (Mobile) – This is an absolute must and has been in business over 55 years! Visit the Old Shell Road (original) location. The flavors were absolutely incredible and so many holiday ones! Usually we split ice cream, but for the price and flavor, we splurged and each got our own. Check their Instagram for up to date hours, especially during the holidays.
- Ocean Springs – This was my favorite small town we visited! There are some great shops and I loved that they were open on Christmas Eve. Free parking at the visitor center and this town has street art, the most fabulous donuts at the Tatonut (go early), a toy store, candy store, a coffee shop (closed unfortunately), clothing, etc. Make sure to drive down to the beach too!
- Biloxi – We stopped to see the Beau Rivage casino. If you like Christmas decorations, it had beautiful trees, nutcrackers and polar bears on display.
- Bay St. Louis – We essentially drove by, but the tree that’s been shaped into an angel by the de Montluzin Boardwalk is unique. There were quite a few restaurants here.
- Louisiana – We stopped at the Welcome Center off the highway to take pictures by the huge “Welcome to Louisiana” sign and state shaped sign. This was a jam packed day and we were exhausted by the end.
- Sleep: Comfort Suites New Orleans, Louisiana for $97.99
- Wednesday, December 25 – New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana
- IG accounts to follow: VisitNewOrleans, VisitBatonRouge and DowntownLafayette
- New Orleans – So technically we did explore here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We found a free meter parking both days near H&M – check the official website for free holiday parking dates. At least some stores are open and people are out and about. It was fun to wander the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and pop into some of the fancy hotels to see their holiday decorations. Royal Sonesta had a beautiful row of trees that was a great photo opp and we cut through the courtyard and there’s a bathroom. The Ritz Carlton has a door person, but you are allowed to enter. There was an amazing larger than life gingerbread making of a riverboat. Windsor Court was another favorite with a gorgeous street and a train running around it and a pelican made of chocolate. PJ’s Coffee was open in the DoubleTree by Hilton, surprisingly inexpensive (like $5 for a flavored latte) and another great place for a bathroom. The one that shouldn’t be missed is going into the Canal Place mall and going to the 11th floor to see the view from the Westin! I love a free, incredible view. Plus there’s free water and cups out. There’s also great animal street art by the aquarium. (Don’t worry, we returned later for Café du Monde.)
- Baton Rouge – We stopped and saw Mike, the tiger on LSU’s campus. It is free to see this real tiger. We then drove to view the outside of the tallest state Capitol building and the Mississippi River. (We went inside on our return trip.) Knock Knock Children’s Museum looked amazing! It’s not covered by the ASTC, but if we had more time, I may have splurged for this one.
- Lafayette – There is a small downtown and another museum covered by the ASTC Passport. Everything was closed on Christmas Day and unless you need this stop to break up your drive, I would skip. Louisiana is quite boring to drive through in my opinion.
- Sulphur – Pecan Street is a magical holiday lights street. We drove it and wanted to drive it again it’s so well done. We drove it from east to west, but it seemed you could drive from either direction.
- Sleep: La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Beaumont West for $98.84 (I had originally booked a different hotel for around $81, but they had a fire the night before and couldn’t offer breakfast, so I cancelled for free, then got a letter from the hotel so that Super reimbursed me in full for this extenuating circumstance.)
- Thursday, December 26 – Houston, Texas
- IG accounts to follow: Visit_Houston, MommyPoppinsHouston, Houston_with_Kids
- Houston Children’s Museum – We parked in Hermann Park for free and walked by McGovern Centennial Gardens to get here. This museum was free with our ASTC Passport from the Maryland Science Center, but it’s also free on Thursday nights from 5-8 pm. It is huge with multiple floors and an outdoor space. We loved finding the hidden elves and Addy loved all of the tables with crafts and climbing the huge structure.
- Museum of Fine Arts – Free on Thursdays! We loved the colorful rooms and came to see the Yayoi Kusama “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity” room (get a free timed ticket). It’s huge and no doubt there’s more to see, but this is all we came for.
- The Health Museum – Free on Thursdays from 2-7 pm. Can you see the pattern? This is also covered by the ASTC Passport. It’s a fun interactive museum and Addy liked the screaming room, hanging on the bar and the hamster wheel.
- The Galleria (mall) – Free parking and this is one of the biggest malls in the US. It was fun to see the huge Christmas tree, watch the ice skaters and play in the free playspace. We also built Lego characters in the store.
- Bass Pro (League City) – We were tired, but this was a smaller location not worth visiting. We picked this area to stay in so we would be close to the Space Center the next day.
- Sleep: Holiday Inn & Suites Houston (League City) for $103.97
- Friday, December 27 – Houston, Texas
- Space Center Houston – This is the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center and it was free for us with our ASTC Passport. Our one-day admission would have been more than we paid for our Maryland Science Center pass on Groupon. It’s $10 to park. We spent 3 hours here and could easily have spent more. There are experiences you can reserve for free (wish I had known) that sounded really cool. We took the tram out to see Rocket Park. I definitely recommend doing this – the tram line gets pretty long, so may be worth arriving when it first opens and going right away. There were interactive stations for kids, including upstairs which is easy to miss.
- Houston Central Library – We have been to quite a few big city libraries, and this one was underwhelming. There is a dedicated kids room with some play items and coloring, but it fell short for us. You also pay for parking in the parking garage that’s underground.
- Waterwall Park – We returned to the Galleria and then walked over to this very unique waterfall that’s a fun place to take pictures.
- Sleep: We slept in the car in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Louisiana, I believe near Lafayette.
- Saturday, December 28 – Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana
- Louisiana State Capitol – We love free fun and this is a very unique Capitol and the tallest one! It’s incredible to go to the top and walk around on the outside for the views of the Mississippi River. Don’t miss the states on the outside steps too.
- New Orleans – We returned because we couldn’t leave without getting beignets from Café du Monde (bring cash and skip the coffee). I tried them the summer after high school graduation, right before Hurricane Katrina hit. It was a full circle moment to return and they were even better than I remembered. We also enjoyed watching street performers. Addy was mesmerized. We then went to the brand new (in 2024) Goodwill Outlet. It’s the nicest one I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to many). Here you go through buckets and everything is by weight. I was thankful this location allows kids too.
- City of Kenner – This is a cute area that’s beautifully decorated and called Kenner Christmas Village. It’s a park you can walk through and it’s free. Prior to Christmas, there are chances to see Santa. We parked off 3rd St. in a free lot.
- Sleep: Best Western Seaway Inn in Gulfport, Mississippi for $84.98
- Sunday, December 29 – Ocean Springs in Mississippi, Fairhope and Foley in Alabama
- IG account to follow: VisitOWA
- Ocean Springs – I woke up early in order to drive to the Tatonut. Since we missed the open hours on the front end, I made a point to try this on the way home. My only regret is that I only got one donut. It was so reasonably price and it’s to die for!
- Gulf Islands National Seashore – We love national parks and when we saw this was close to us, we decided to check it out. Addy got her Junior Ranger badge, we took in the view from the back and continued on our trip within 40 minutes.
- Fairhope -This was another adorable small town to get out and walk around with free street parking. They had a bookstore, ice cream shop, candy store, toy store, an alley kitty in their French Quarter and some street art. I was excited to get my popcorn jelly beans at Fairhope Sweet Shop.
- Foley – OWA is a great shopping area with pretty fountains. We timed it so we arrived for their Bubbles and Beats event which was free and had quite a few activities for kids, including a bubble truck, face painting, bounce house, a sprite toast and lots of photo opps. Heritage Park is in downtown Foley and was great to walk around to see the variety of holiday decorations, including the little village of kids sized houses (couldn’t go in them). Also some great backdrops for pictures. I would return to this area.
- Sleep: Econo Lodge Inn & Suites in Foley, Alabama for $70.72
- Monday, December 30 – Gulf Shores, Alabama and Florida panhandle from Pensacola to Destin
- IG accounts to follow: VisitPensacola, DowntownPensacola, HWVDestin, TheDestinCommons, BaytoneWharf
- Gulf State Park Nature Center (Gulf Shores, Alabama) – I think there’s a small cost, but we didn’t get charged to get on the property (where there’s lot of camping/RV sites). We arrived for a great birds of prey event and got to see some owls and a hawk up close. There are additional animals inside the building and below the building (birds). Bike riding seemed very popular here and the main beach had flat rate parking.
- Pensacola – We parked for free not too far from Palafox Street and walked between the pier, where we saw real pelicans to down a few blocks so we could find the painted pelicans. Check if the Palafox Market is happening. There’s lots of street art and we particularly liked the blue trees and art behind the Pensacola Museum of History. The Pensacola Children’s Museum (looked small) was closed, but is covered by the ASTC Passport if you visit at a different time.
- Emerald Coast Science Center (Fort Walton) – We got in to this small kids museum for free with our ASTC Passport and arrived about an hour before closing. Loved their unique animals like the chincillas and flying squirrels. Addy liked getting sucked into a bubble, building an arch and playing with legos. There’s also an outdoor section where you can sit on a boat and see more real animals.
- HarborWalk Village (Destin) – This was one of our favorite places to walk. We enjoyed the various art and decorations, wandering into shop, counting blue herons and watching pelicans wait for scrap fish at the end of the day. It was free parking in the garage when we were there and the turn is right after the bridge. I didn’t indulge since we had just been in New Orleans, but the Beignets & Brew looked good.
- Gator Beach (Destin) – Attached to Fudpucker’s, this is a fun free stop to see some real alligators of various sizes. There’s also a very small playground.
- Destin Commons – This is a great outdoor shopping area with a Bass Pro, BAM, Starbucks and tons of other stores. We liked finding the street art, the play structure was a fun climbing one (reminded us of Summerlin near Vegas) and seeing the Christmas tree and holiday decorations. I believe there’s a kids fountain in the summer too.
- The Village of Baytowne Wharf – This is a shopping village inside a gated and guarded community. You stop at the gate and tell them you’re going here and get a free pass for your car. The parking structure at Baytowne is small and there’s also valet. This is another cute area to walk around and we went to see the tree light up at the top of the hour to music. It was about 10 minutes long. There are lots of bridges, many who ride golf carts to get here and a carousel, plus shopping, adventures and restaurants.
- Sleep: Comfort Inn Miramar Beach, Florida for $76.32
- Tuesday, December 31 –
- IG accounts to follow: SeasideFL, Rosemary_BeachFL. Visit_PCB
- Seaside – I really wanted to stop here, but there was zero parking available. There’s a designated public parking lot. Recommend going early. Learn from my mistake!
- Rosemary Beach – This place is adorable and the white post office with the huge holiday wreath is photogenic. We found free parking and walked around. The white sand beach was incredible. We walked right on behind people, but seems you’re supposed to be a member of being staying at a nearby property (and perhaps have a fob or something). Check out the toy store, coffee shop and bookstore (The Hidden Lantern).
- Pier Park (Panama City) – This was the trip highlight with free parking and a free event. My only regret is we didn’t arrive exactly when it started. We got free New Years hats, played games (like a darts type game), Addy got her face painted and got a balloon animal bracelet. There were also tons of bounce houses, caricature drawings and a jewelry making station. There were also real bathrooms at this park – Aaron Bessant Park. We loved the live music and lucked up and received VIP passes to enjoy the front row for the music. Taylor Shines was so good! At 8 pm, 15,000 beach balls dropped. Addy loved this! At first we didn’t get one, but then people who had many, offered some to us and we ended up with three. We then went to the main Pier Park which is a fun shopping area to explore and you can walk straight to the beach. We enjoyed music here too! I would 100% return for this event and hope to do so in a future year.
- Sleep: Wingate by Wyndham Panama City Area in Lynn Haven, Florida for $72.63 had an indoor pool and hot tub that we enjoyed
- Wednesday, January 1 – Panama City and south of Columbus, Georgia
- Oakland Terrace (Panama City) – This was an incredible playground that’s fully fenced in and has options for a wide range of ages.
- Providence Canyon State Park – An unexpected red rock park in Georgia. It’s $5 to park and you put a tag in your car. There are different canyons to explore. We walked the loop and ducked in to see a few canyons. Make sure to grab a map or take a picture of one and follow the signs to respect the canyons by not climbing them. This helped break up our drive from Panama City to Atlanta.
- Sleep: Wingate by Wyndham Atlanta Airport in Fairburn, Georgia for $113.17 with an indoor pool that Addy and Mike enjoyed (opened early)
- Thursday, January 2 – Atlanta, Georgia and then return to South Carolina family
- Georgia State Capitol – We paid for meter parking nearby and then ventured around the building, which is free to visit after going through security. Given we were here right after President Jimmy Carter’s death, we saw them put a white wreath in front of his portrait. There’s also a statue on the grounds.
- Atlanta Aquarium – We bought our tickets off Groupon (recommend having the app downloaded for entry) and bought nearby parking on Spot Hero. We arrived in the afternoon and enjoyed a few hours here, staying until it nearly closed. The bonus of doing it this way, is the crowds thinned out and we could revisit places we wanted to see again and take better pictures. Even without tickets in hand, I was able to book the Sea Lion show and the Dolphin show through the app as soon as they became available for the day. These cannot be missed and we scheduled these for shortly after arriving for our timed ticket, which I would do again. Make sure to bring a poncho or avoid sitting in the “get wet” seats – we saw people get soaked! Make sure to keep consulting the map so you don’t miss anything. Everything feeds back to the middle.
- The only place I’m bummed we didn’t get to visit was Boarding Pass Coffee. This is on my list for next time since I love coffee and it looks kid friendly.
- Sleep: Returned to see family in South Carolina
- Friday, January 3 – South Carolina to see family
- Saturday, January 4 – Drove home with stop in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Marbles Kids Museum – Downtown street parking was free and access to this museum was free with our ASTC Passport. This is an incredible two-story museum. There’s a real workshop area to make something, a big crafting/painting area, a sports room (including a hockey set-up), a submarine, a slide in a hallway and lots more. This is a museum we would definitely like to return too as well as a city we would like to further explore.
Total Cost: Thank you for reading this far. The total cost came to $2,650.80 and here’s the breakdown:
- Rental Car: $779.74 for 18 days (43.32 per day)
- Gas/Oil Change: $269.59 for gas and $94.38 for an oil change for the brand new hybrid
- Hotels: $797.43 for 9 nights ($88.60 on average)
- Food: $460.94 This includes shopping at Wal-Mart, coffee shops, ice cream/treats, Sam’s Club cafe, Cracker Barrel, etc. Since we left from our house in Maryland and drove, we did take some food/snacks and a flat pack of water that are not included here.
- Miscellaneous: $248.72 This includes shopping at Goodwill Outlets (our fave in four different cities), parking, Atlanta Aquarium tickets on Groupon (like $153), etc.
Closing Thoughts: I was happy with our spending for such an involved roadtrip. My personal goal was to spend under $100 per night, on average for accommodations, so I feel like I succeeded there. And keeping the trip under $3,000 total feels like a win. Staying a few days with family members also helped our overall cost since we had a place to sleep and meals. It was a lot of driving, but I feel like we did a good job breaking up the drives where we could. I would love to know your thoughts or additional questions you have. Did the cost surprise you? Any place you want to visit now after reading this?
About the Author
Lydia Garry and her family, TeamTravelsBaby, live in Silver Spring, Maryland, and are working to achieve “vagabond status”. Much of their affordable family travel experiences include U.S. travel, national parks and Europe. Adventure with them here, subscribe to their newsletter and follow along on Instagram!
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