When we found out in 2023 that there would be a total eclipse on 4/8/2024 we decided we would find a secluded place in the path and make a road trip out of it. After some research on the path of totality we decided on Arkansas as our eclipse destination. Lynn is from Ohio, which is also in the path of totality and would allow us to also visit friends and family but our thought was that the further south we go the better the chances of clear sky for viewing.
Once we determined that Arkansas was the destination I went to work on planning the details. I found Lake Ouachita which is about 50 miles south west of Little Rock. There is Brady Mountain Resort and Marina with cabin rentals and it is dead center in the path of totality. I booked a cabin for 2 nights, 4/7 and 4/8 and reserved a pontoon for the day of 4/8 from the marina. This marina is part of Safe Harbor of which we are members so we even got a discount! Sweet.
Once the time got a bit closer and we started planning the road trip we decided we would leave on Friday 4/5 and spend a couple of days getting to Arkansas. Our thought was to spend Friday night in Knoxville, Saturday night in or near Memphis, then on to Lake Ouachita on Sunday. We left our return trip open as we did not want to commit to getting back at a certain day or time.
The time finally arrived and we were packed up and hitting the road by 9:00am Friday morning.
Since we were heading west our first stop was in Hendersonville, NC to drop in on my mom. It turns out my aunt and uncle were also there so we had a nice visit with them also.
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From there we headed on to Knoxville where we checked into the Courtyard Marriot downtown. This hotel is very reasonable and within walking distance to both Market Square with restaurants and shops as well as S. Gay Street that offers more options for dining and shopping. We enjoy Knoxville and were looking forward to our stay there.
Once we got settled into the hotel we did a little shopping on S. Gay Street and then went over to Market Square where we had dinner at Stock and Barrel. Our road trip was shaping up to be very relaxing long weekend.
The next day the plan was to stop in Nashville to have lunch with some friends of ours, Lee and Erika, that live in Brentwood. The weather was beautiful so we put the top down and headed toward Brentwood.
We got to Lee and Erika's around 11:30am. They had recently completed some serious renovations and were eager to show us the results. Stunning! This was an ongoing project for about a year and the end result was really special. They entertain large groups often and the new renovations are conducive to a large number of people throughout the main floor.
From there we went into Franklin for lunch at one of Lee and Erika's favorite spots, 55 South. They have a Bloody Mary bar and an excellent brunch menu.
We got back on the road after lunch and were in no hurry so we decided to take The Natchez Trace Parkway scenic route toward Memphis. This turned out to be a wonderful drive. I had taken this route on motorcycle trips before but never by car and never with Lynn. This parkway is part of the National Park System and commemorates the historical trail used by Native Americans. It runs 444 miles from Nashville into Mississippi. The route is very scenic and has many historical memorials along the way. We only experienced a small section as we needed to turn west on Hwy 50 at Duck River in order to stay on track to Memphis.
We had booked a room at the Memphian, which is in the Overton Square area of Memphis and away from the tourist areas around Beale Street. We did not want to stay anywhere around Beale Street due to the increasing crime and dangers associated with the area. We did stop in during the day when we arrived, walked Beale, and had a drink at B.B. King's Blues Bar. No issues during the day but we just did not want to be there overnight.
The Memphian is a fantastic Hotel. Upscale with some interesting decor. Plenty of restaurants that you can walk to in Overton Square and a really interesting roof top bar as well. We would highly recommend it if you want to stay in Memphis.
Some scenes from Beale Street:
And scenes from the Memphian:
We had dinner right across the street at Second Line. This is a Cajun Creole restaurant that has indoor and outdoor seating and occupies 2 adjacent historic houses. The food and ambiance was excellent!
And after dinner we just had to check out that roof top bar. The bar is called Tiger and Peacock and is decorated accordingly, if you can imagine. It offers specialty cocktails and has both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for indoor as it was bit chilly, plus we wanted to enjoy the funky decor inside.
The plan for the next day, being Sunday, was to move on to Royal, AK and get checked into the cabin at Brown Mountain Resort. So we checked out and got on the road about noon. Lake Ouachita is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Memphis so we were not in any hurry. We knew we would stop along the way for a late lunch also.
On the road. What are we even looking at here??
We got into Little Rock around 2:00pm and stopped into Dugan's Pub downtown for a late lunch and to watch the Women's College Basketball game that was happening that day. This is the game where Caitlin Clark lead Iowa in an attempt to win against South Carolina. Although Iowa did not win it was an historical game in the world of Women's College Basketball. This was the most watched Women's College Basketball game in history. There was some friendly rivalry going on in the pub during the game. We also met a couple there that are in the boating industry and they had a lot to say about Lake Ouachita and how beautiful it is.
We left Dugan's a little after 4:00pm headed for Lake Ouachita. Mostly rural roads from there and it was a beautiful drive. I have been through Arkansas on motorcycle trips before and the natural beauty of the state always leaves an impression. We got to the resort about 5:30 and got checked in, then went down to the marina to check out the lake and to make sure we knew where to pick up the pontoon for the next day.
This is a beautiful lake and we enjoyed cruising around in the morning since we had plenty of time before the eclipse.
After lunch we decided we would just stay on the road until we were either too tired to keep going and needed to stop for the night, or if we just wanted to stop and enjoy the evening somewhere along the way. We both were wanting to get home so we hit the interstate with an open mind.
A stop at Bucee's is always a must do...
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