I am seriously considering retracing the routes of the boy in "Promised Land."

Not exactly.

But I want to go to (possibly) Norfolk, then on to Raleigh, Charlotte, and Rock Hill. In the song, he only stops in Charlotte...and then Birmingham when the bus breaks down. Now from Birmingham, he goes through Mississippi to New Orleans. I would go to Tupelo (the Natchez Trace Parkway visitor center, which would lead me back to Nashville if I follow Natchez Trace all the way back up).

Anyone else think it's crazy/fun? lol

Doesn't sound crazy at all. Sounds like a great way to see the South. During the first half of the 90s I spent a lot of time in the New Orleans area. Mobile, Pensacola, the whole Gulf Coast. Aside from being a blast, those experiences were kind of enlightening. I don't think you can understand this country without having some grasp on the South. In some ways it seems like another planet but it's had -- and continues to have -- a profound effect on the USA.