Nashville to Detroit: Any suggestions?

I'm flying down to Nashville to pick up a new-to-me Honda Pacific Coast, and riding back to Detroit. I have never ridden for more than 2 hours on a freeway, so I plan on breaking it up by stopping every few hours, maybe in Louisville, Cincy, other spots. Anybody have any tips or cool places along I-65 and I-75 in the TN-KY-OH corridor?

I'll be riding back Friday.

All I can say is be careful of those exit ramps through the hills on 75. Depending on the outcome, they are either going to be a very good or a very bad place to test your new bike's brakes.

Wow, a Tuperware Tourer headed to Detroit.
Do you know of the most famous version in Detroit?
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265019

Well, if you are heading up by way of Louisville, there's the Vette factory/museum in Bowling Green and I seem to remember another auto related attraction....I just can't remember the name.

And I second the trick on/off ramps on I-75. There's one outside Nashville that I nearly "wiped out" on in my Civic as it's a decreasing radius turn that also heads uphill.

Be sure to really look at your maps and use the bypasses where appropriate. Cincinnati, especially, is a tricky ride through in a small car so I would imagine a bike to be worse (coming out of it you are headed uphill at a high rate of speed) so I use the "thru route" only when heading south...and late at night. Louisville is also a racetrack if you head though it directly. After those 2, things are better.

From what my buddy says about Detroit, I might suggest you stay in Nashville. Though I assume you are more familiar with Detroit than I.

Hmm, I have driven in an old Civic through Cincy and Louisville a couple times, but maybe I'm just not remembering the freeways right, as I don't recall any real close calls through there. I may end up using a bypass in this situation, thanks for the heads-up.

I lived in Novi for five years. If you can get a one-way ticket out of Detroit, take it. My ticket is gonna end up costing me about $80,000. Worth every penny.

Other than the Corvette museum and factory, there's no other must-see things I can think of. Lots of state highways and back roads, if you're into that stuff, but it will really increase your drive time.

Maybe the Dayton Air and Space Museum or the Wapakoneta Neal Armstrong museum, but they take some time.

In reply to Kramer:

I'm going to second the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. It is THE museum of the USAF so if you are any kind of aviation fan you are going to want to see it. If they bought an airframe in quantity, there will be one there, including a B-2 Stealth Bomber and an F-117 Stealth Fighter.

Edit: it's also free

Before you leave Nashville, eat at Jack's Place downtown. GREAT BBQ joint! I eat there every time I'm in Nashville. And being from Detroit, every time I go to Nashville I wanna stay.

Just got back from Nashville, you might stick around a day or two if you can. TONS of stuff to do/see/eat there.

Lane Auto Museum was cool, Yazoo brewery tour (their Sly Rye Porter is out of this world good), Frist Center for the Visual Arts, etc etc etc. Some good local bars/dive bars, and of course the Honky Tonks.

And that's before you get to any of the outdoorsy and Civil War stuff.

I'm a big fan of Nashville if you can't tell.

29 yrold and never been on an Interstate for more than 2 hrs at a time ???? WOW

Watch for grooved pavement in the Nashville neck of the woods, nasty.

Try the Flying Saucer near the Frist Center, enjoy the nice "views"

Down near the Parthenon, (no not Greece but a reasonable approximation, with a nice art museum) go to Rotier's for a Jimmy Buffett made famous burger.

Check out a Nashville Roller Derby match if you decide to make it a weekend. Make sure you have a DD for the after party.

Make sure you stop by Tootsie's and the Ryman. Night is a good time to go. On occasion Hank Williams Sr. can be heard and if you are lucky seen.

Love Nashville lived there for about 8 years, Great city.

Oh man, how could I forget about Lane???

If you are an adult beverage sampler, Kentucky Bourbon Trail along I-64 east out of Loser, errr, Louisville.

Pick up US 68 just past Bowling Green, KY off I-65. (Love the Museum!) My wife's from Central KY, and the first time up there I found US 68. It goes through Central KY (Duh), but when it gets curvy and hilly... I mean, I went from 3/4 asleep to widethefrackawake in seconds. Some joyful fun in a Tarus SHO. I can only imagine it on a motorcycle. It's not a fast road, but someone had a sinful amount of fun with it.

BTW- Ale 8 One is a great Ginger Ale. You get it in Central KY.

"On occasion Hank Williams Sr. can be heard and if you are lucky seen. " GHOST?

I second (third?) that "how could I forget to mention the Lane?" I FINALLY got there in December, after driving through Nashville dozens of times. WELL worth the time spent there, and after nearly 2 hours of looking at all the cars on the main section of the floor, I had to hurry through the microcars and bikes to get back on the road.

In reply to 4eyes:

Yeah it is rumored that the Ryman and the back allies around Tootsies and such at certain times you can here people singing and talking that aren't there. Even a shape or two.

With my experiences on 2nd and Broadway, I hear and see things that aren't there quite frequently.

I ain't got the man in black's last name for nothin'!

ShadowSix wrote: In reply to Kramer: I'm going to second the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. It is THE museum of the USAF so if you are any kind of aviation fan you are going to want to see it. If they bought an airframe in quantity, there will be one there, including a B-2 Stealth Bomber and an F-117 Stealth Fighter. Edit: it's also free

+1.

It's been a while since I've been there, but it's well worth it.

BTW, consider some side roads- they are not too bad. The only ones that I would be concerned about are the country roads along farms in Ohio- for whatever reason, the engineers who designed them thought it was a good idea to have 3-4 foot ditches on either side of the road.

Other than that, taking the long route back can be pretty nice.

Snooks Museum in Bowling Green, has a very varied and interesting selection of classics and motorsports cars. The owner is a Classic racer.

What time are you expecting to get to BG?

Here is a Military tour:
South of Louisville, near Elizabethtown, KY is Fort Knox. Aside from seeing the building where the gold is kept (but you can not go inside) the is also The General Paton Museum on site. The big attraction here is tanks, tons of them.
That would set you up for an evening stay in Louisville, which is a nice town/area. If the day is still young, hit some of the fun KY side roads and head to the Distillery of Maker's Mark, Loretto, KY.
Nashville to Ft Knox = about 2.5hrs
Ft. Knox to Loretto = about 1hr (mostly out of your way) Spend night.

Loretto to Wright Paterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) = 4 hrs. Spend rest of day in Museum, spend night.

WPAFB to Detroit = 4 hrs.
Stop at Snooks as recommended but this will only take 1 hr and mostly serves as a great place to walk and stretch your legs a bit. It falls about perfectly half way between WPAFB and Detroit.

This version is the slow route that has you not getting to Detroit until Sunday.

another vote for the USAF Museum and the Tank stuff at Ft. Knox. and yes Ale 8 One is good stuff.

BTW, if you didn't make a lot of stops, you could do the whole trip in ~ 12 hours. And that's not going especially fast.

My suggestion...stay the berkeley out of Detroit!