Last Updated: July 6, 2026
Motorhome life has its unique challenges and rewards. Overall, we prefer wide open spaces and avoid crowds whenever possible, so our social distancing was already well established long before the term became universal. Having medical backgrounds, we practice infection precautions daily regardless of any particular pathogen. Nevertheless, short of wearing a hazmat suit, it is difficult to avoid exposure during a pandemic — supplies always need replenishment and storage space in a motorhome is finite. Trips to the grocery store and motorhome service appointments are unavoidable facts of full-time RV life. This post covers the transitional leg of our 2020 spring journey: north from Orange Beach, Alabama through Nashville and the Natchez Trace Parkway, heading toward the Newmar factory in Indiana for a service appointment we had booked six months earlier.
Hoover, Alabama Motorhome Layover
From Orange Beach we headed north through Alabama, stopping overnight in Hoover — a suburb south of Birmingham with good full-service RV facilities and reliable wifi. The goal was to break the drive into manageable segments rather than push straight through to Tennessee. Hoover’s RV options are solid if unremarkable, and it served its purpose well as a travel day stopover before continuing north to Nashville.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is a city we have long wanted to explore properly — its music history is extraordinary, the restaurant scene has become genuinely world-class, and we had friends in the area we hoped to visit. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation had progressed to the point where gathering with friends felt irresponsible, and many of the venues and restaurants that make Nashville worth visiting were beginning to close or significantly restrict capacity. We made the best of it, concentrating on outdoor activities and a couple of attractions that could be visited safely in the early morning before crowds arrived.
Natchez Trace Parkway, National Park Service
The Natchez Trace Parkway is one of America’s great scenic drives — a 444-mile National Scenic Byway and All-American Road tracing an ancient path from Natchez, Mississippi north to Nashville, Tennessee. The route follows trails used for thousands of years: first by wildlife and the Native Americans who hunted them, then by European traders and settlers moving goods along one of the most important land corridors in early America. One of the bison’s primary migratory routes ran along this high ground between the Mississippi River and the Cumberland Plateau — Native Americans followed the “traces” left by the bison because the high ground offered better visibility and more direct routes. When we were there in late March, the daffodils were just beginning to bloom along the roadsides.
The parkway is a remarkably peaceful drive — no commercial vehicles are permitted, and there are no billboards anywhere along its length. The speed limit is 50 mph throughout, which is actually a pleasure: it forces a slower pace that lets you notice the landscape instead of rushing through it. Spring was still tentative when we visited, with occasional bursts of blossom on the trees and the first green beginning to show on the understory.
Wildlife is abundant along the Natchez Trace. We spotted six Eastern Wild Turkeys working through an open field — at that scale, they are impressively large birds up close. The parkway also passes through significant historical sites: the grave of Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) is located at milepost 385.9, where he died in 1809 under circumstances that remain debated. Numerous pull-offs, interpretive signs, and prehistoric earthwork mounds are distributed along the route. The Natchez Trace is genuinely one of the most underrated drives in America.
Visitor Information — Natchez Trace Parkway: The southern terminus is in Natchez, Mississippi; the northern terminus is just southwest of Nashville, Tennessee at milepost 444. The parkway is managed by the National Park Service and is free to access. No commercial vehicles are permitted on the roadway. Speed limit is 50 mph throughout. Campgrounds are available at several points along the route; none have hookups, but they are free with good facilities. Visitor centers are located at Natchez, MS and at milepost 102 near Tupelo, MS. Park information: nps.gov/natr. Phone: (800) 305-7417. Note: the parkway is not suitable for large motorhomes with tow vehicles at certain sections due to tight turns and low-clearance bridges — check NPS guidance before taking a large rig.
Safe Harbor Motorhome Resort, Nashville, Tennessee
We stayed at Safe Harbor RV Resort, located just east of downtown Nashville near Percy Priest Lake. The park offered full hookups, excellent wifi, and pleasant views of the lake — a genuinely attractive setting for an urban RV park. Winter storms rolled through during our stay and kept us largely indoors, which under normal circumstances would have been frustrating but fit the COVID moment reasonably well. The park is well-positioned for Nashville access when the city is actually open for visitors.
Percy Priest Lake is a reservoir on the Stones River created by a Corps of Engineers dam completed in 1968. The park’s lakeside setting makes it one of the more attractive RV options near Nashville — considerably more scenic than the typical interstate-adjacent RV park that serves most large cities.
Visitor Information — Safe Harbor RV Resort, Nashville: Located at 1780 Bell Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37211, on the eastern shore of Percy Priest Lake. Full hookups with excellent wifi and lake views. Convenient access to I-24 and southeast Nashville. Phone: (615) 361-1818. Website: safeharborrvresort.com. A solid choice for Nashville-area stays; reservations recommended during spring and summer.
Madame Tussauds Nashville
Madame Tussauds Nashville was one of the few indoor attractions we felt comfortable visiting — we went as soon as the doors opened to ensure we’d have the place essentially to ourselves, which is exactly what happened. The Nashville location focuses heavily on country music legends alongside pop and rock icons, with an impressive range of wax figures and themed environments. Arriving first thing in the morning during an emerging pandemic turned out to be the ideal strategy: we had free rein of the entire space and could take photographs without crowds or wait times.
Madame Tussauds encourages interaction — many of the exhibits include props for posing, and the Nashville location leaned into the music theme with instruments, microphones, and stage setups throughout. Sandy found the Reba McEntire exhibit particularly irresistible. The best part of visiting during the very early days of the pandemic was having the entire space to ourselves, which would normally be an impossible luxury at a popular attraction.
The Nashville Madame Tussauds was one of several locations operated by the global chain, which traces its origins to Marie Tussaud herself — born in France in 1761, she learned wax modeling as a child from a physician (a professional connection that appealed to Michael) and eventually established her London gallery in 1835. The wax modeling tradition she created has continued for nearly two centuries across dozens of locations worldwide.
We had a genuinely good time — which felt important to record, because this was St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2020, and within days virtually every nonessential business in the country would be shut down. The peace sign art installation Sandy stood in front of earlier felt, in retrospect, exactly right for the moment.
Practical Tips for This Route
Drive the Natchez Trace at leisure, not as a throughway. The 50 mph speed limit and absence of commercial traffic make this one of the most pleasant long drives in the Southeast, but its full value reveals itself only if you stop at the pull-offs and interpretive sites along the way. The prehistoric Mississippian mounds, the Civil War sites, and the Meriwether Lewis monument at milepost 385.9 are all worth stopping for. Allow extra time beyond the nominal driving time.
Check large-vehicle clearances before taking the Natchez Trace in a big rig. Several bridges along the parkway have low clearance limits and tight approach angles that are incompatible with large Class A motorhomes towing a vehicle. The NPS website and campground hosts can advise on specific restrictions. The northern section near Nashville is generally the most motorhome-friendly part of the route.
Nashville attractions open early for the best experience. Even before COVID changed crowd behavior, arriving at Nashville attractions when they open dramatically improves the experience. The Madame Tussauds visit was exceptional precisely because we had the space to ourselves. Most Nashville tourist venues are packed by mid-morning, especially during spring and summer.
Percy Priest Lake near Nashville is worth exploring on its own. The lake and its surrounding Corps of Engineers lands offer fishing, hiking, and paddling opportunities that are completely separate from the Nashville tourist circuit. If you’re staying at Safe Harbor RV Resort, the lake shoreline is right there — an underrated outdoor resource in the middle of a major metro area.
Factor in Newmar factory service if your motorhome needs attention. The Newmar factory in Nappanee, Indiana offers comprehensive factory service appointments that are well worth the trip if your motorhome needs work. Appointments book months in advance; plan your route accordingly. The factory is in northern Indiana’s Amish country, which makes for interesting local exploration while work is being done.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Natchez Trace Parkway? The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile National Scenic Byway managed by the National Park Service, running from Natchez, Mississippi to just southwest of Nashville, Tennessee. It follows an ancient travel corridor used for thousands of years by Native Americans, wildlife, and early American settlers and traders. No commercial vehicles are permitted, there are no billboards, and the speed limit is 50 mph throughout — making it one of the most peaceful long drives in America. Entry is free, with several free NPS campgrounds along the route.
Can you drive the Natchez Trace in a motorhome? Yes, with some cautions. Many sections are excellent for large vehicles, but several bridges along the parkway have low clearances and tight angles that may not accommodate Class A motorhomes, particularly when towing a vehicle. Check the NPS website and talk to park rangers before attempting the full length in a large rig. Shorter sections near the Nashville terminus are generally the most motorhome-friendly.
What wildlife can you see on the Natchez Trace Parkway? The parkway passes through a mix of forest, farmland, and wetland habitats that support a diverse range of wildlife. Eastern Wild Turkeys are common and frequently seen in fields along the road. White-tailed deer are abundant. The parkway is also good for spring songbird migration and supports populations of various raptors. Alligators are present in the Mississippi section of the parkway near the southern terminus.
What is Madame Tussauds Nashville? Madame Tussauds Nashville was an interactive wax museum located in downtown Nashville, focused primarily on country music legends, pop stars, and rock icons. The Nashville location featured lifelike wax figures of performers including Taylor Swift, Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, Jerry Lee Lewis, Reba McEntire, B.B. King, and many others, with interactive props and themed environments. Note: attraction landscapes change — verify current status before visiting.
What is full-time RV life like during a pandemic? In some ways, full-time motorhome living is well-suited to the social distancing requirements of a pandemic: you carry your home with you, you have significant control over your exposure environment, and many of the spaces RVers frequent — parks, rural campgrounds, national lands — are naturally uncrowded. The practical challenges are supply management (limited storage in a motorhome), essential services like vehicle maintenance, and the closure of the attractions and restaurants that make travel rewarding. We found that leaning into the outdoor and nature-based aspects of our route served us well during those early weeks.
