Ford’s beloved pony car, the Mustang, turns 50 years old in April of 2014. To honor the event, Mustangs Across America is planning a seven-day trip that will take participants from Los Angeles, California to Charlotte, North Carolina, arriving in time for the Mustang Club of America’s 50th anniversary bash at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Stops along the route include Phoenix, Arizona; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Midland, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi and Atlanta, Georgia. Optional detours will visit such sites as the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, home to Jim Hall’s Chaparral race cars, and the Vicksburg Military Park in Mississippi.

The drive is open to all year Mustangs, and daily segments average just 350 miles. Attendees are briefed on the day’s events in a daily driver’s meeting, and each daily route includes rest stops and lunch stops. The tour departs Los Angeles on April 10, 2014, arriving in Charlotte on April 16.

Mustangs Across America is held every five years, in conjunction with significant Mustang anniversaries. The event has grown in size from its debut in 1994, and the last tour, in 2009, included some 600 participants.

In the words of event coordinator Sam Haymart, “This event is the big one for the 50th and our plans will reflect the moment in history as we pull out all the stops.”

Registration for the 2014 tour opens today, and full details on the event can be found on the Mustangs Across America website.