Depart on a Friday Afternoon, leaving around 5:00 p.m.
Arrive in Paducah at 9:00 p.m. (3h40m driving plus 20m break)
The Super 8 Motel in Metropolis is just off exit 37. A room should cost about $60.

Morning to visit Fort Massac State Park.
Check out the Super Museum in Metropolis
Check out the National Quilt Museum in Paducah
Depart Paducah at about 10:30 a.m.
Arrive at Ruby Falls show cave at around 4:30 p.m. (4h 5m driving, plus 50m for a stop for lunch, plus 1h because you cross from Central time zone into Eastern time zone).
After taking the tour of Ruby Falls, and getting a bite to eat, visit the Enchanted Garden of Lights at Rock City.
Leave Rock City around 8:30 p.m.
Arrive at Days Inn Dalton around 9:15 p.m. (should cost about $50)

Days Inn Dalton 1518 West Walnut Avenue, Dalton, GA 30720,

Depart Dalton by 8:20 a.m.
Arrive at the Georiga Aquarium Parking at around 10:30 a.m. (1h 55m drive plus 15m for a break)
Morning to visit the Georgia Aquarium (allow about three hours)
Depart Atlanta at 2:00 p.m.
Arrive at Ocmulgee National Monument and Museum around 3:45 p.m. (1h 30m driving plus 15m for a break)
Depart Macon, GA around 5:30 p.m.
Arrive at Super 8 Gainesville, Florida at 9:30 p.m. (should cost about $50)
(3h 35m driving plus 25m break)
Super 8 Motel 4202 SW 40th Blvd,  Gainesville,  FL ,  32608-2306

Drive from Gainesville, Florida down to the Disney Parks. Since you want full days at the Disney Parks, don’t visit one today. Instead, go to the Orlando Science Center or to Gatorland, or play a round of miniature golf.

A standard roomat a Disney Resort hotel (the least expensive, like the All-Star Movies Resort) will cost about $176 (about $200 after taxes) per night.

Two 3-day Park Hopper tickets for persons aged 10+ will cost $692.26 (without any discount). That is $346.13 per person, or about $115.37 per person per day.
So, without account for food, three days in the parks with three nights in a Disney property is going to cost about $1,300.

First day at Disney Parks with a Park Hopper Ticket

Second day at Disney Parks with a Park Hopper Ticket

Third night at the All-Star Movies Resort

Third day at Disney Parks with a Park Hopper Ticket

First night at another Orlando Hotel (Super 8 Orlando International Drive)

Christmas Day. You can go to Universal Orlando or else Islands of Adventure. It will be very crowded, so in addition to your tickets, you should also purchase an Express Pass. Your admission with the express pass will be about $440 per person for the two days.

Second night at another Orlando Hotel (Super 8 Orlando International Drive)

Second day at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studio Orlando

Third night at another Orlando Hotel (Super 8 Orlando International Drive)

Morning go to Saint Andrews State Park (in Panama City Beach) to enjoy nature.
Depart Panama City Beach around 12:10 p.m., after lunch.

Drive to National Naval Aviation Museum. Arrive at 3:10 p.m.
(2h 20m driving, plus 40m for breaks along the way)

See the National Naval Aviation Museum from 3:15 until it closes at 5:00.

Depart Pensacola and drive to Bellingrath Gardens, Alabama.
1h 35m drive plus 35m break

Arrive atto Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore, Alabama around 7:15 p.m. Enjoy the light display and take a tour of the house at 7:30 or 8:00 or 8:30. Depart Bellingrath around 9:00 p.m.

Arrive at Wingate By Wyndham- Mobile at 9:30 p.m.
516 Springhill Plaza Court, Mobile, AL 36608

5:00 p.m. depart Mobile, Alabama , at Fort Pickens. Arrive there and set up tent around 6:30 p.m.

Morning visit the Mobile Carnival Museum. Depart Mobile at 11:00 a.m.
Then, go and drive to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou Area in the Mississippi District near Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Arrive there around 1:00 p.m. (55 m drive, but 1 hour for a lunch break along the way). See the Visitor Center and go for a hike. Depart the Davis Bayou area at around 3:00 p.m. and drive to New Orleans, arriving at about 4:30 p.m. (90 m drive without break).

Stay at the Super 8 New Orleans,
6322 Chef Menteur Highway, New Orleans, LA 70126

The Super 8 is not in an attractive part of New Orleans, so after checking in, drive 10 minutes (5.4 miles) to Standard Parking in Marigny neighborhood near the French Quarter, and walk around the French Quarter, having dinner in a restaurant there, returning to your hotel around 9:00 p.m.
Standard Parking, 2150 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116

New Years Day in New Orleans
Depart New Orleans around 11:00 a.m.
Drive 2h 50m, and take a 1h break for lunch, and arrive in Natchez at 2:50 p.m.

Look at historic homes in Natchez. You might want to see Longwood (last tour at 4:30) and perhaps one more, maybe also Stanton Hall (last tour at 4:00), or just explore the Natchez National Historic Park until it gets dark.
Have dinner in downtown Natchez.
Depart Natchez around 6:30 p.m.
Drive to Vicksburg 1h 25m.
Arrive at Ramada Vicksburg at about 8:00 p.m.

Ramada Vicksburg
20 Orme Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39180-5582

Morning to visit the Vicksburg Battlefield Museum (Old Depot Museum)
And visit the Vicksburg National Military Park as well.
Walk around downtown Vicksburg.
Drive toward Memphis, departing Vicksburg around 1:30 p.m.
Arrive at Memphis around 7:00 p.m. (drive is 4 hrs, add 30 minutes for a break and 1 hour for a walk on the Holt Colier Boardwalk to the observation platform on Lizard Lake in the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge.

Stay at the Days Inn Memphis at Graceland
3839 Elvis Presley Blvd, I-55 & Elvis Presley, Memphis, TN 38116 

A day in Memphis

Take a morning take a tour of Graceland at 9:00 a.m. You will probably just want to make the Mansion Tour. Remember to listen to some Elvis Presley songs and perhaps watch a couple of his movies before getting here.
Memphis has the National Civil Rights Museum, which is worth a visit.
After Graceland, have lunch, and then go and see the zoo.
Arrive at the Memphis Zoo by 1:00 p.m.

Depart Memphis at 4:00 p.m. (the zoo closes at 4:00).
Drive 150 miles (2h 15m plus 20m for a break)

Stop in Sikeston for dinner at Lambert's Cafeteria around 6:35 p.m.
Continue on from Sikeston to Saint Louis, departing Sikeston at 8:10 p.m.

It’s a 3h 25m drive from Lambert’s Cafeteria to home in Springfield, so driving with just a 15 minute stop for gas means you could get home at 11:50 p.m., just before midnight.
However, if you want to spend more time in Saint Louis, just drive to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and stay at the Microtel Inn & Suites
21958 Highway 32, Ste Genevieve, MO 63670 US

Departing Lambert’s Cafeteria at 6:35, you would arrive in Ste Genevieve at 7:55 p.m.

You would probably want to take a home tour.

Drive up to Saint Louis. The St. Louis Science Center and Zoo are open on Mondays.

Total lodging cost.
Rates for an adult and chid or three adults and one teen-age child, and parking costs and taxes are included.
One night Super 8 Motel in Metropolis near Paducah $60
One night Days Inn Dalton, Georgia $50
One night Super 8 Gainesville, Florida $50
Three nights at least expensive Disney Hotel in Orlando, $600
Three nights at Super 8 Orlando International Drive, $395
One night Wakulla Spring Lodge near Tallahassee, FL $132
One night in Days Inn Panama City Beach, FL $66
One night in Wingate By Wyndham- Mobile $86
Two nights in Super 8 New Orleans, LA $250
One night in the Ramada Vicksburg, MS $51
One night at the Days Inn Graceland in Memphis, TN $69
One night Microtel, Ste Genevieve, MO $74

This trip plans for almost all stays at Wyndham Hotels (assumes the traveller joins the Wyndham Rewards Program) hotel rates were checked with State employee discount, AAA discount, and advance booking pre-paying with internet. In almost all cases, the state employee discount and the AAA discount were approximately the same, and the pre-pay internet reservation discount was $4 to $7 per night less expensive than either the state employee or AAA rate. I used the lowest rate I could find in estimating hotel costs.
If the traveller used a Wyndham Rewards Program number and gathered credits on this trip, they would accumulate sufficient points to get some free nights in Wyndham motels.