Long-Distance Travel

So, I'm already running into my first dilemma. A friend from high school had a baby and I was planning on going down to Nashville to visit and see the baby. Now, obviously, the way to stay non-capitalist about this is to drive down, only stopping at local family-owned establishments and independent gas stations (which I'll have to research ahead of time of course). But Nashville is 13 hours away. The flight would only take 2 hours. This poses a philosophical question. At which point do I start sacrificing amenities for this experiment? Is this unrealistic?

On the one hand I can fork over $220 to US Airways and my travel will be quick and comfortable. On the other I can spend roughly $100 on gas and tolls and put 845 miles on my car to get there in 13 hours (probably 15 because of stops and rest). Maybe I should make a pros and cons list:

Flying to Nashville:

PROS: Fast, comfortable

CONS: Costly ($220), giving money to corporate giant

Driving to Nashville:

PROS: Saving money (only $100), not supporting capitalism, scenery

CONS: Long trip, wear and tear on car

Ok, so basically, flying to Nashville is the easy thing to do. It's fast and hassle free (as much as air travel can be I guess.. there is always the possibility of lost luggage... I need to do more research.

Research to be done: Find out if there are any independent airlines, research independent gas stations along the travel route.

Also problematic, the friends I am going with want to stay at either a Holiday Inn or a Days Inn. Both are chains. An independent motel or inn would be better. As it stands now the Holiday Inn would be $55 per person and the Days Inn would be $35 per person. I wonder if I can find something of equal price, but non-corporate.

Research to be done: Find an affordable independent hotel/motel/inn in the Nashville area.