7 Scenic Drives From Birmingham Worth a Luxury Sprinter Van
Birmingham is one of the best basecamps in the Southeast for a weekend road trip. Within a half-tank of diesel, you can be on a lake, on a mountain, in wine country, or on a Gulf beach. Here are the seven drives that are genuinely better in a luxury Sprinter than in a sedan.
1. Talladega Scenic Drive & Mt. Cheaha (1 hour east)
Alabama's only national scenic byway. Twenty-six miles of ridgeline along the Talladega National Forest, ending at the highest point in the state. The Sprinter handles the switchbacks comfortably; the cabin stays climate-controlled at the summit overlooks; and the onboard bathroom matters when there's nothing for 20 miles.
Stops: Bald Rock boardwalk, Pulpit Rock overlook, lunch at the Cheaha Restaurant.
2. Lake Martin (1.5 hours southeast)
The classic Birmingham weekend. Russell Lands, Kowaliga, Chimney Rock. Take the van down to a rented dock, sleep two in the cabin if you want to skip the Airbnb, and run the kids back and forth from the lake to dinner at SpringHouse without anyone having to drive in a wet swimsuit.
3. Mentone & Little River Canyon (2 hours northeast)
DeSoto Falls, Little River Canyon Rim Parkway, lunch at the Wildflower Café. The drive up Lookout Mountain is the kind of road where a tall, comfortable vehicle pays for itself — your knees are not in your chest, the kids are watching a movie, and you can pull over at every overlook without everyone groaning.
4. Helen, GA & North Georgia wine country (3.5 hours east)
Helen's Bavarian downtown is a kitsch worth doing once. The reason to make the drive is the wineries around Dahlonega, Cleveland, and Sautee Nacoochee — Yonah Mountain, Wolf Mountain, Frogtown. A Sprinter with a hired driver is the only sane way to do a winery day with 6 friends.
5. The Natchez Trace Parkway (start ~3 hours northwest)
444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, MS — no commercial traffic, no billboards, 50 mph speed limit. Pick up the Trace at Tupelo and drive south for two days. Sleep two in the van, eat at the inns along the route, and treat the drive itself as the trip.
6. The Gulf — 30A and Gulf Shores (5 hours south)
The classic beach run. The advantage of the Sprinter on a 5-hour drive is obvious the first time you have to stop for gas: the kids stay in the AC, the dog is fine, the bathroom is right there, and you're not unpacking and repacking a sedan at every stop.
7. Chattanooga & the Cumberland Plateau (2.5 hours north)
Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, Foster Falls. Drive up Friday afternoon, basecamp at a Lookout Mountain Airbnb, and use the van as a day-trip vehicle for hiking, paddling, and dinner in the North Shore.
What to pack for any of these
- Bluetooth speaker (the van has one — use yours if you're a snob)
- A real cooler (the kitchenette fridge is small)
- A travel chess set (sounds silly, works)
- Cash for the wineries and the small-town diners
- A driver if there will be wine
Why a Sprinter and not your SUV
Two reasons that surprise everyone the first time: the bathroom, and the fact that nobody is fighting over the third row. Once you've driven 5 hours in captain seats with a full bathroom 6 feet behind you, the regular family SUV feels small forever.
