[Cynette]

Have you selected a route, or will the places you want to see be the decider?

With what Mapquest thinks is the most direct route, you miss many of the big cities until you hit Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock and Dallas.

A northern extension could include Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville before hitting Nashville. You can also go through Indy, but will miss Nashville that way.