Road trip ME to FL

Sounds fantastic to me. Dinner at Tired Hands will be great on the first day. Their food is just as incredible as their beer.

 

If you're going down a way that takes you inland (seeing as you're passing through Asheville), I STRONGLY recommend stopping at Creature Comforts in Athens, GA. Some of the best beer on the East Coast right now, as well as really friendly folks in a cool brewery/tap room located in a great southern college town. Go on Tuesday for some kickass special releases. Terrapin Brewing is also 10 minutes across the city, and their stuff isn't bad either.

Coming from Asheville, you'd essentially head straight down through the upstate of SC on I85 and then from Athens, you'd have a pretty straight shot through Atlanta (Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta is also a really good one) and straight through to Birmingham.

 

As you cruise across Carolina stop at Bestway in Greensboro- not far off of I-40/I-85- to pick up some real goodies. Have fun.

 

AT's a good rate. If you end up in Jax, lemme know. Go to McGuire's.

 

Also, as you leave Richmond, you might consider heading south on US-360. Go 360 to US-58 at South Boston, head west to Danville and catch US-29 to Greensboro to connect to I-40 westward. I live in Greensboro and went to The University of Richmond and always took this route. It's a beautiful drive through the heart of Virginia, very little traffic, and very memorable. It really doesn't add much drive time. Cheers.

 

This sounds awesome! Have a blast! Hardywood!

 

If you're looking for a scenic drive through the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in SC, I would suggest taking SC 11 from about Gaffney down to its terminus near the Georgia border (puts you right back on 85). It takes you past some gorgeous lakes and mountains, particularly the imposing Table Rock Mountain cliff faces.

 

Since you're going to be at Good People, I'd certainly recommend Hop City (which is a bottle shop that also has 60+ beers on tap). It's only a few minutes away from Good People and is one of the best bottle shops in the South.

 

Hit up Grey Sail in Westerly RI and get yourself some Captain's Daughter! (and some of their other fine brews)

 

Totally agree with this. If I remember correctly they have some Jester King offerings as well

 

Get some jai alai while you are in florida.

 

Definitely hit up Hardywood on the way south in Virginia, a great brewery that's pretty accessible. Sadly a lot of the good Virginia breweries tend a bit of a detour from the main drag southbound.

On a more selfish note: If you want to bring some Heady Topper down to the DC area I can meet you for a trade or $$ along the 95 corridor

 

In Georgia, you're generally better off going to beer bars if you want to try local breweries. Brick Store or the Porter in Atlanta. The laws are weird. You can't just walk into a brewery and have a beer or two. They can sell you "tours" that come with tickets for beer tastings (36 oz max) and up to 72 oz to go. Tastings are generally around $12 (for 36 oz) and "tours" that come with "free" to-go beer will cost more. So yeah . . . weird laws. Brewpubs have a different license and operate like a typical bar/restaurant, but you can't buy beer to-go. Wrecking Bar is my favorite of these, and it's just down the street from the Porter. Breweries also tend to have shorter hours, so definitely check their websites for when they're open before you plan your visit. So, if you're just passing through Atlanta, I would hit either Brick Store, the Porter, or Wrecking Bar. If you're spending the night in the area, then you could also check out Orpheus, Three Taverns, or Wild Heaven, or even venture out north of the city to Burnt Hickory or Cherry Street.

For bottles, there's also a couple Hop City's here (the one at Krog Street Market has an adjacent bar with a great tap list, and the one on the Westside is next door to a good brewpub called 5 Seasons). Green's will have better prices, though.

And I second Creature Comforts in Athens. I think they're the best brewery in the state.

 

if you don't go down Rt 13 for the eastern shore to check out DFH then DC Brau is not far from I-95.

 

@gaweso is correct on crazy Georgia laws. If you visit the brewery, you'll get 6 5.2 oz samples of whatever beers they're pouring that day (you can ask for doubles if you decide you want a full pint of something) and you can also buy what amounts to bottles, crowlers, or six-packs which are considered a souvenir as you are given a quick verbal "tour" of the brewery and brewing process. Cheers!

 

If you stay on I-95 know that Westbrook is in Mt. Pleasant, SC on the other side of the river east of Charleston, approximately 2 +/- hours east of I-95; a worthy side trip, just off the travel path. If you continue south on I-95 to Jacksonville in order to get on I-10 west to Pensacola, then 3 small breweries are each a few blocks off of the Interstate: Aardwolf in The San Marco neighborhood just south of the city, and Bold City and Intuition in the Riverside neighborhood just west of downtown. These 2 breweries are just a few blocks apart. All 3 have great taprooms. Have a safe trip!