Travel from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi

We drove our coach 180 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:

Route

An interactive map:

Leaving the Red Bay Acres RV park:

Leaving Red Bay Acres

Leaving Red Bay Acres

“Welcome to Mississippi”:

Welcome to Mississippi

Highway 76:

Highway 76

Exit to I-22:

Exit to I-22

I-22:

I-22

Tombigbee River:

Tombigbee River

A momentary loss of visibility from farm dust:

Farm dust

The speed limit signs also have a minimum speed, unusually:

Minimum speed sign

Exit to Tupelo:

Exit to Tupelo

We stopped for lunch at Tin Lizzie Cafe in West Point, Mississippi:

Tin Lizzie Cafe

Tin Lizzie Cafe

Tin Lizzie Cafe

Tin Lizzie Cafe

Tin Lizzie Cafe

BLT (without the tomato) and “tater babies” wedges:

BLT and wedges

The highway had frequent turnaround lanes:

Turnaround

Paladin asleep next to the passenger chair:

Paladin

Highway 45:

Highway 45

Exit to I-20:

Exit to I-20

I-20:

I-20

TA fuel stop:

TA fuel stop

TA fuel stop

TA fuel stop

TA fuel stop

The pump price was $371.99 for 107 gallons of diesel (thirsty coach!), though we actually paid less, thanks to our Open Roads discount (see below):

$371.99 for 107 gallons of diesel

The slowest DEF pump; it took 10 minutes to pump five gallons:

DEF

$23.69 for 5.779 gallons of DEF:

$23.69 for 5.779 gallons of DEF

The Open Roads statement indicated that we saved $30.65 on the diesel (the DEF isn’t discounted):

Open Roads statement

A narrow road to our destination:

Narrow road

And a narrower road:

Narrower road

Our destination, a KOA Journey:

Our destination

Our destination

Our site:

Our destination

Our destination

Unfortunately no travel video today; my dashcam had filled up and failed to record.

Natchez Trace Parkway

We drove along about 140 miles of the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. A weird park barely wider than the road, with thousands of years of history.

Though we drove both ways on that portion, so a total of about 280 miles, plus some detours, over two days.

We also drove past Elvis Presley’s birthplace and Tupelo National Battlefield, and visited Meriwether Lewis National Monument.

An interactive map (see the NPS site for the full route map):

Natchez Trace Parkway

Natchez Trace Parkway

Bridge

Tombigbee waterway

Waterway

Waterway

Pharr Mounds:

Pharr Mounds

Pharr Mounds

Pharr Mounds

Natchez Trace Parkway

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Tupelo:

Tupelo

Tupelo

Tupelo

Tupelo National Battlefield:

Tupelo National Battlefield

Tupelo National Battlefield

Tupelo

Elvis Presley’s birthplace:

Elvis' birthplace

Elvis' birthplace

Back to the Parkway:

Natchez Trace Parkway

Natchez Trace Parkway

Natchez Trace Parkway

Cave Spring Trail:

Cave Spring

Cave Spring

Cave Spring

Cave Spring

Cave Spring

Alabama state line:

Alabama state line

Bear Creek picnic area:

Bear Creek picnic area

Bear Creek picnic area

Buzzard Roost Spring:

Buzzard Roost Spring

Buzzard Roost Spring

Buzzard Roost Spring

Buzzard Roost Spring

Tennessee River:

Tennessee River

Tennessee River

Bridge

Tennessee State Line:

Tennessee State Line

Meriwether Lewis National Monument, where Lewis of Lewis & Clark died and was buried:

Meriwether Lewis National Monument

Meriwether Lewis National Monument

Meriwether Lewis National Monument

Meriwether Lewis National Monument

Fall Hollow Trail:

Fall Hollow Trail

Fall Hollow Trail

Fall Hollow Trail

Laurel Hill Road:

Laurel Hill Road

Laurel Hill Road

Sunset:

Sunset

Sunset

A nice scenic drive, with some interesting stops.

Red Bay Acres RV Resort

We stayed at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in Red Bay, Alabama. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice full-hookup RV park in the hometown of Tiffin Motorhomes.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-11-07
  • Check out: 2023-11-18
  • 11 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps ranging between 63-80°F, lows around 41-62°F
  • A little wind, gusts to 24 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train noise
  • Hourly clock tower noise
  • A little neighbor and tech services noise

Site:

  • #31, back in, concrete
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Level; used air and hydraulic leveling at different times
  • Concrete driveway about 60 feet long by about 12 feet wide
  • Grass between sites wedge-shaped, from about 20 to 35 feet wide
  • Picnic table on 12 by 12 feet concrete patio; fire pit
  • Clean site
  • Lots of ladybug-like insects invading our coach; we kept finding them for months afterwards

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 60 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, fairly conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 55 Mbps down, 18 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
  • AT&T: 117-122 Mbps down, 11-16 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • Verizon: 4-28 Mbps down, 9-12 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Package delivery to site
  • Onsite restaurant
  • Pond
  • Hometown of Tiffin; local RV repairs

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice place to return to after service

This is the place to stay when in Red Bay for service. It is a beautifully maintained park, with all the sites facing the fishing pond. All the other parks in town were basic gravel lots. The one drawback is having to back in to the site when coming back from service each day, but that’s not a big deal. The concrete pad was nicely level and all the utilities were good. It’s also nice to have the Yacht Club on-site for a bite to eat at the end of the day. If you’re looking to get service done on-site, make sure to check the list of approved vendors. We camped at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Lost Pines Coffee had decent coffee and baked goods for a midday pick-me-up. The Natchez Trace Parkway is fairly close and a very nice scenic drive.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site was one of the Luxury sites on the corners, with more space and a fire pit (which of course we didn’t use):

Our site

Staying here was a bit different than most campgrounds, as we drove our coach to RV service companies in town on several days; waking up early and driving about 7 minutes to get some services done, then driving back to our site to spend the night. So we used air leveling and didn’t put on the Magne Shades on those days.

But we did have several days without any services in the middle of our stay, so we put on the Magne Shade and used hydraulic leveling then:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

We boarded Paladin at a local vet during the first few days of our stay, since the techs needed frequent access to the inside of our coach during that period. So we were able to leave our entry door and screen door open; very unusual for us (though we didn’t leave it open long, to avoid bugs invading):

Open door

Later in our stay, there was an influx of Asian Lady Beetles, invasive ladybug-like beetles. We spent a few days catching dozens of them (and releasing them outside):

Asian Lady Beetles

A nice sunset:

Sunset

Other sites; since Red Bay is the home of the Tiffin factory, most of the people staying here were also Tiffin owners, also here for servicing:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

The RV park features a nice pond in the center:

Pond

Bridge

Pond

Pond

Pond

It also has an onsite cafe and lounge, called the “Red Bay Yacht Club” (because motorhomes are like land yachts):

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

Red Bay Yacht Club

We ate there several times, with pizzas the first night:

Pizza

Loaded fries and wings another night:

Loaded fries and wings

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Sandwiches for lunch:

Sandwiches

A view of the pond from the cafe:

Pond

Pond

Pond

Pond

Pickleball court:

Pickleball court

The office and general store:

Office and general store

We enjoyed our stay, and have already booked another stay for when we visit again in early 2024.

Travel from Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama

We drove our coach 139 miles, about 2 hours of driving, from Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:

Route

An interactive map:

“Welcome to Mississippi” sign (just passing through):

Welcome to Mississippi

Building transportation:

Building transportation

Our coach at a truck stop for lunch:

Our coach at truck stop

Menu:

Menu

Breakfast for lunch:

Breakfast for lunch

River:

River

“Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama” sign:

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama

Exit to Red Bay:

Exit to Red Bay

Hotel Red Bay:

Hotel Red Bay

Our destination, Red Bay Acres RV Resort:

Red Bay Acres RV Resort

General Store:

General Store

Store

Heading to our site:

Heading to our site

Our site (#31):

Our site (31)

Graceland

We visited Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tennessee.

An interactive map:

Gate to the visitor center:

Graceland gates

Welcome to Graceland:

Welcome to Graceland

We had a reservation for a self-guided tour of the Graceland mansion. We each had a somewhat trashed iPad and headphones with an audio and video guide for the tour:

iPad tour guide

Shuttle bus across the road to the mansion:

Shuttle bus to mansion

Graceland mansion:

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Upstairs was not included in the tour; it’s private to the family:

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Backyard:

Graceland mansion

The manager’s office:

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Elvis's birthplace

More exhibits, starting with Elvis as a child and his parents:

Parents

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Pool

Pool

Gym:

Graceland

Graceland

Graceland

Horses:

Graceland

The Presley graveyard, where Elvis and his family are buried:

Graceland

Graceland

Graveyard

Graveyard

Graveyard

Graceland

Graveyard

Graveyard

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Graceland mansion

Then we shuttled back over the road to the museum area, and lunch at Gladys’ Diner:

Glady's Diner

Glady's Diner

Glady's Diner

Glady's Diner

We of course had to have grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches:

Glady's Diner

Glady's Diner

Gift store:

Gift store

Elvis exhibits:

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Elvis exhibits

Graceland mansion

Elvis pic

An interesting experience.

Graceland RV Park & Campground

We stayed at Graceland RV Park & Campground in Memphis, Tennessee. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An RV park right next to the museum for Elvis Presley’s Graceland.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-11-05
  • Check out: 2023-11-07
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temps ranging between 77-79°F, lows around 54-59°F
  • A little wind, gusts to 23 MPH.

Noise:

  • Nearby road and city noise (sirens etc)
  • No train noise (though might have heard one once)
  • Occasional plane noise
  • A little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #7-17, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Unlevel front-to-back and side-to-side; used hydraulic jacks
  • Gravel driveway about 73 feet long by about 12 feet wide
  • Nobody on driver side, grass about 14 feet wide
  • Grass between sites on passenger side about 10 feet wide
  • Picnic table on grass; no fire pit
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 67 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, too recessed (though I have a fix for that), conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 6-18 Mbps down, 17 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
  • Verizon: 6-9 Mbps down, 13-16 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Seasonally closed pool
  • Gate to Graceland

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Basic park on Graceland’s doorstep

This was a reasonably basic, no-frills RV park close to Graceland and the associated museum exhibits, which was our main reason for coming to Memphis. It was tough to get a reservation, not because they were full, but because it was impossible to get anyone to answer the phone. It took three days of calling multiple times a day before I reached them. Upon arrival, the office was closed (in the middle of the day), so we went through the extremely old-school check-in process of filling out a carbonless paper form and submitting our payment information through the “night” slot before going to our assigned site. A bit later, we noticed the office was open, so we went in and finished the registration process. It was a little confusing, but we got there in the end. Being able to walk over to Graceland made it all worthwhile. Despite being in the middle of the city, we found it to be pretty quiet at night. We camped at Graceland RV Park & Campground in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Definitely plan on spending half a day in Graceland in order to see all the exhibits. Marlowe’s is like a BBQ version of Hard Rock Café, but with all-Elvis swag.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

The sewer was a little too recessed, so I used a handy new extension for the first time. And the water faucet was in an irrigation valve box, which was rather unusual:

Sewer and water

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Gazebo

The park emptied out quite a bit the next morning (a Monday):

Other sites

Office/store:

Store

Store

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Picnic shelter and tenter cooking area:

Picnic shelter

Closed pool:

Closed pool

Gate to the parking lot for Graceland:

Gate to Graceland

A basic but decent RV park, super-convenient to Graceland, and only minutes to downtown Memphis. We’d be happy to stay here again, and probably will, since we didn’t have time to explore downtown and the many other attractions.


Food bonus:

We went to Marlowe’s Ribs and Restaurant for an Elvis-themed dinner:

Marlowe's

Marlowe's

Marlowe's

Marlowe's

Jenn had ribs:

Ribs

I had baked potatoes with pulled pork:

Baked potatoes and pulled pork

Our first time trying fried green tomatoes (we liked them):

Fried green tomatoes

Crispy Crème Banana Foster Sundae for dessert:

Crispy Crème Banana Foster Sundae

A swag shop in the restaurant:

Swag

Swag

Tasty food, and I’m sure we didn’t need those years it knocked off our lives.

Travel from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee

We drove our coach 196 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:

Route

An interactive map:

Leaving the RV park:

Leaving RV park

Bubba’s, where we got tasty food during our stay:

Bubba's

An uncomfortably narrow lane due to roadworks:

Narrow lane

A break at some truck parking:

Truck parking

Truck parking

I had fun watching traffic cameras to spot us driving by; yes, that’s our coach and truck in the right lane at the bottom:

Traffic camera

Another traffic camera showing us:

Traffic camera

And another one, showing us from the other direction:

Traffic camera

Another snapshot:

Traffic camera

Another stop at truck parking:

Truck parking

Truck parking

A snapshot:

Traffic camera

A bridge over the Mississippi River into Tennessee; a big milestone for us, crossing this major river for the first time:

Bridge over Mississippi River

Bridge over Mississippi River

Dissapointingly, there was no sign marking the occasion. Probably due to roadworks (with uncomfortably narrow lanes again):

Roadworks

Roadworks

Our destination, Graceland RV Park:

Graceland RV Park

The office:

Office

Our site before parking:

Our site before parking

Garvan Woodland Gardens

We visited Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Map:

Map

An interactive map:

An impressive architectural feature is Anthony Chapel, which we had to quickly visit as it was about to be closed for a wedding:

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

Anthony Chapel

A waterfall:

Waterfall

Waterfall

Model trains:

Model trains

Model trains

This was in early November, so they were in the process of adding holiday decorations:

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Gardens

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

Gardens

An impressive treehouse:

Treehouse

Treehouse

Treehouse

Gardens

Treehouse

Treehouse

Treehouse

Tiny

Tiny

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Waterfall

Waterfall

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Holiday decorations

Japanese garden

Japanese garden

Japanese garden

A very nice garden, highly recommended.

Hot Springs National Park

We visited Hot Springs National Park, an urban park in the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Map:

Map

Sign

Hot Springs

Convenient free parking:

Free parking

The main feature of this national park is “Bathhouse Row”, a series of historic bathhouses that used the natural hot water of the area; some of which still operate today.

Buckstaff Baths is one that still offers bathing; Jenn did a traditional bath and massage package here:

Buckstaff Baths

Ozark:

Ozark

Quapaw Baths is another that still operates; Jenn did a more modern spa package here:

Quapaw Baths

Lamar:

Lamar

This bathhouse contains a gift store:

Gift store

The Maurice:

The Maurice

The Hale:

The Hale

The Fordyce contains the park visitor center:

The Fordyce and visitor center

Floor plan:

Floor plan

Stained glass windows:

Stained glass windows

Historic bathhouse exhibits:

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

 

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

Machinery in the basement:

Machinery

Tanks

Spring in the basement:

Spring in the basement

Locker room:

Locker room

Ladies lounge:

Ladies lounge

Exhibits:

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Gym:

Gym

Info exhibits:

Exhibits

Exhibits

A handy reference model of Bathhouse Row:

Exhibits

Outside

Superior Baths contains a restaurant and brewery — the only brewery on national park land:

Superior Baths

Superior restaurant

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Menu

Food

Food

Dessert

Trolley:

Trolley

Hot fountain:

Hot fountain

Hot spring:

Hot spring

The Grand Promenade:

The Grand Promenade

Hot spring:

Hot spring

Arlington Hotel:

Arlington Hotel

We also visited the nearby Hot Springs Mountain Tower, with a view of downtown.

Approaching the tower:

Approaching the tower

A switchback road to the tower:

Switchback road

Tower

Info sign:

Info sign

Token to go up the elevator:

Token to go up the elevator

There are two viewing levels; the lower one is enclosed:

Enclosed viewing level

Enclosed viewing level

Enclosed viewing level

Upstairs is an outdoor viewing level:

Outdoor viewing level

Outdoor viewing level

Parking area:

Parking area

View of downtown:

View

View

View

View

A bit different than the usual national park.

Catherine’s Landing

We stayed at Catherine’s Landing in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A pleasant resort near Hot Springs National Park and Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-10-29
  • Check out: 2023-11-05
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Rain on first couple of days, then sunny
  • High temps ranging between 52-66°F, lows around 30-51°F
  • Negligible wind

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train noise
  • A little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #123, back in, concrete
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front
  • Very level; used hydraulic jacks
  • Asphalt driveway 30 feet long, concrete RV pad 40 feet long by about 16 feet wide
  • Diagonal offset sites, with grass about 14 feet wide
  • Concrete patio extension of RV pad, with picnic table and charcoal grill
  • Fire pit
  • Lots of cigarette butts in fire pit

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 45 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Unthreaded sewer connection, very conveniently located (2 2-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Starlink: 15-73 Mbps down, 6-12 Mbps up, 56-99 ms ping
  • Campground Wi-Fi: 8 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 36 ms ping
  • T-Mobile: 2 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 110 ms ping
  • Verizon: 5-10 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 140 ms ping
  • AT&T: 105 Mbps down, 15 Mbps up, 70 ms ping

Amenities:

  • Trash pickup from site
  • Package delivery to office
  • Closed pool
  • Lake/river

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Lovely down by the water

This is a large, well-maintained campground near everything Hot Springs has to offer. We went for one of the Executive back-in sites by the water and loved watching the peaceful scenery. Since it was the off-season, most of the amenities were closed, so $110/night seems a bit much, but the view and serenity were worth it. Our site was perfectly level, which you expect with a concrete pad. We’d definitely stay here again. We camped at Catherine’s Landing in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Bubba’s Catfish was really good and just up the road.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities (before hooking up the sewer, but you can see the sewer cap immediately opposite the wet bay):

Utilities

The Power Watchdog had the red light that indicated that the power neutral was missing, which is apparently not a fatal problem (since the dog face wasn’t red), but not ideal:

Power Watchdog

The site was perfectly level:

Level

After visiting Hot Springs National Park, we added its sticker; the last National Park of 2023:

National Park stickers

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine:

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine

Office:

Office

Office

The pool was closed:

Pool

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine

Rental boat docks; they removed the pontoon boats for the winter during our stay:

Boat docks

Boat docks

Boat docks

A guest’s pontoon boat:

Boat

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine:

Ouachita River / Lake Catherine

Morning mist:

Morning mist

Morning mist

Morning mist

Morning mist

Morning mist

The motorhome that was next to us when we arrived made an annoying compressor noise every few minutes; we were glad when they left about halfway through our stay:

Motorhome next to us

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

A nice resort; we’d be happy to stay here again.


Bonus: some food samples from our stay in Hot Springs.

We enjoyed some Chinese delivery on our first night:

Chinese delivery

And some takeout from Bubba’s Catfish and Seafood on another night:

Bubba's Catfish and Seafood

Bubba's Catfish and Seafood

Bubba's Catfish and Seafood

And David’s Burgers:

David's Burgers

David's Burgers

David's Burgers

David's Burgers

A nice touch: they bring around bowls of tasty fresh fries while waiting for the ordered food:

David's Burgers

A decent burger:

David's Burgers

Another nice bonus, free ice cream delivered to the table:

David's Burgers