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What are your interests? History? Art? Music? Food? Hikes? Bikes? Night clubs? Strip clubs? Remember, we don't know you, and what we like may be what you hate.

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Popular topic recently.

Personally I can provide you little personal guidance south of Virginia. But basically

• there is an Eastern more suburban) route, with some nature a LOT of history and beaches and a couple of amusement parks that an Orlando-bound traveler will probably ignore.
• there is a western route (quite rural) route with a lot of nature a lot of "Americana," a decent amount of history, and a better chance at some really good southern cuisine.

I don't mean to sound like I am denigrating your post, but that's pretty much it.

The eastern route is much quicker but considerably more expensive. It seems to be the popular one. My current travel style favors the western one, but that may change again in a few years.

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deleting duplicate post.

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Edited by: LongIslandBob

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The south east of the USA sure is a beautiful area!
I would definitely recommend visiting Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA (if you can only go to one of these, I would suggest Charleston!).
Charlotte is also a wonderful city (I spent a few months here) however, it's not really a 'touristy' city and if you're young and not traveling with a family than it can be worth it but if not than it may bore you a little. It may, however, be out of your way if you're choosing to see more of the coast.
You could also consider Raleigh, visit the state capital and the museums.
Other places you could visit are Wilmington, NC, The Outer Banks, NC, Myrtle Beach, SC,

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thanks travel bag.
I'd like to hear more of the SE.

I lived for 2 years in Jarratt VA.and loved the area.

Nearly all the sites we saw were in VA. Each was well worth the visit, but I have long dreamed of a sort of "eating drinking and hanging out" tour of the SE.

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You have five days to get to xOrlando. It takes roughly 14 hours to drive this, along the fastest route, excluding delays for food, gas, sightseeing, etc.

Day 1 - Drive to xRichmond.
Day 2 - Drive to xCharleston.
Day 3 - xCharleston.
Day 4 - xSavannah.
Day 5 - Drive to xOrlando, with a stop in xSt. Augustine.
On a map.

I wouldn't plan too much outdoor time. It's cold, and largely barren. Animals are much less active.

Avoid the xOuter Banks. They are practically shut down in winter.

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Look here. December is not the best month for casual wildlife vieing in the Smokies. The bears are usually denned up by December. Many of the smaller mammals are hibernating. The seasonal birds are gone. US-441 across the park will still be open, weather permitting but the road to Clingmans Dome will be closed. Expect snow and ice at the higher elevations. The road between Gatlinburg and Towsend through the park and the road to Cade's Cove are also open, weather permitting. As in any other month, what wildlife you may see depends on your powers of observation and the luck of the draw. Although "winter" will be the normal weather to expect in December, I have been there in December when the daytime temperatures were in the mid-seventies (degrees F) and there was no snow at all. I've also been there when the first snow fell in October. What you get is what you get.

Enjoy your trip.