If you're as lost as last year's Easter egg on where to go for your next break, then this might help!

The American South

From Louisiana in the west to the Carolinas in the east, with their view of the Atlantic, the American South is rich in cultural heritage and celebrated for its awesome food.

It’s the land where the American Civil War had its roots and where ‘State Pride’ arguably comes before ‘National Pride’. A land where the idea of independence and local traditions are still important.

But it’s also a place of easy charm, a feast of cultural riches, of distinct musical and gastronomic traditions and evidence of a complex, turbulent history.

From the Civil War battlefields to Louisiana’s bayous, or from Georgia’s pristine Golden Isles to Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, this vast area of the US offers so much to every traveller of every age.

You can discover the American South’s pre-Civil War heritage at plantations, whose stately façades hide a brutal past, or on a lazy cruise down the wide, slow waters of the Mississippi. Or explore the area’s natural beauty, such as its fine-sand beaches, steamy bayous and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Almost everywhere you go in the American South, history calls. You hear it in the jazz, blues and soul music that drifts from bars — genres that began in the fields of the sugar plantations. You smell and taste it in the Creole food, which blends the many cultures that settled here. And you see it in the architecture, from pre-Civil War mansions to New Orleans’s French Quarter.

The Music

Nashville: Often referred to as ‘music city’ Nashville is synonymous with country music. Streets are lined with honky-tonk bars where artists thrash out country classics. Museums tell you about the city’s musical roots and the success stories of its biggest stars, from Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson. And, you can visit heritage bars, clubs, and performance halls that continue to launch rising local talent.

Despite its size, Nashville is easy to navigate using the excellent free bus system that circulates downtown.

Memphis: Memphis is home to Elvis’s sprawling Graceland complex, but the city’s musical legacy goes far beyond the King of Rock and Roll — blues and soul have a storied past here, too. The town isn’t quite as sleek as Nashville or as beautiful as New Orleans, but I like its laid-back feel, and the museums are some of the best in the region. A free shuttle bus also runs between Sun Studio, Beale Street, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, and Graceland.

Clarksdale: A small, unassuming town in the heart of Mississippi, Clarksdale doesn’t have the reputation of its surrounding music cities, but it’s considered the birthplace of blues, and live music still pours out of its bars every day of the week. 

New Orleans: Music is just a part of life in New Orleans. You walk to the sound of saxophonists busking on street corners. Live jazz streams from the open doors of bars lining Frenchmen Street. And, in the French Quarter, you might find yourself clapping along to a second line, a traditional brass-band parade that celebrates weddings, funerals, and everything in between.

The Plantations

It’s easy to plan a plantation visit (or several) as part of a wider self-drive trip, if you drive north to south you can visit Memphis’s National Civil Rights Museum first, which helps to set the scene.

Most plantations are clustered along a stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. You could stop at one or two of them en route to New Orleans or visit on a day trip from the city. Another option is to stay overnight at one, allowing you to explore Plantation Country in more depth.

Whitney Plantation: Established in 1752, this is probably the best plantation in the region for confronting its history of slavery. Its museum focuses solely on the lives of the 350 enslaved people who were forced to live and work on its land for more than a century.

You can visit the property’s two self-guided exhibits, one of which changes regularly while the other focuses on slavery across Louisiana. I also recommend joining an hour-and-a-half tour led by one of the plantation’s guides, who has in-depth knowledge of its history.

As well as showing you the main house (which is traditionally known as the ‘Big House’), built in 1790, your guide will lead you to the original enslaved peoples' cabins and historic outbuildings, including a freedmen’s church where you can learn about enslaved peoples’ spirituality. You’ll also find out more about the slave revolt that occurred in the region in 1811, marked by a memorial featuring sculpted heads impaled on pikes.

Laura Plantation: Originally owned by a French-Creole family, the Duparcs, Laura Plantation was established in 1804 and is still set among sugar cane fields today. Its Big House has a distinctive Creole style, painted in shades of red, green, ochre and grey, with a balcony running along its entire width.

While there’s a detailed exhibit about slavery on the plantation, complete with photographs, personal biographies and documents related to those enslaved here, the tour mainly focuses on the Duparc family.

The diary of Laura Duparc-Locoul, who was born in 1861 and raised on the plantation, was discovered some years after her death. It paints a vivid picture of plantation life, and it’s around this that the tour is based. Her memoirs detail everything from everyday occurrences to family feuds and affairs with enslaved people.

Taking the 80-minute tour is almost like seeing the plantation through Laura’s eyes. You’ll explore the restored rooms of the Big House, walk through three of its gardens and see some of the historic outhouses within the grounds. Your guide will also show you inside one of the slave cabins, built in the 1840s, where the contrast between rich and poor is most striking.

Oak Alley Plantation: Used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows this is the most familiar of the South’s plantations. Its grand mansion is framed by an avenue of oak trees, which curve inwards to form a tunnel leading to the house’s dazzling white columns and shuttered windows.

While admittedly the tour here isn’t the best, with guides sometimes downplaying the role of slavery, it does allow you to look around one of the area’s most attractive mansions for an insight into the lives of the wealthy.

You can stroll through its 1920s formal garden and find a peaceful spot to yourself among its wide green pastures dotted with oaks.

Make the most of the grounds by staying overnight in one of the plantation’s cottages. Some have stood for more than a century, others are more modern, but all provide a comfortable and unusual base for the night. And, you’ll have access to the property’s grounds after other visitors have left.

While Oak Alley’s restaurant is open for breakfast, come evening there’ll be no staff, though you can arrange for a light dinner to be left in your cottage ready for your arrival (or stop by one of the restaurants en route to the plantation).

Cities and States To Visit

Georgia: Energetic and lively cities, a relaxing coastline and breathtaking mountain scenery offer rich and unique experiences that can only be found in Georgia. Within the beautiful skyline of Atlanta, you’ll have access to the world’s largest aquarium, the chance to follow in the footsteps of one of the country’s most notable civil rights leaders and even see the world’s largest collection of Coke memorabilia at the World of Coca-Cola.

Atlanta: This is the capital of the U.S. state of Georgia, in the 1860s, it played an important part in the American Civil War and in the 1960’s it played an important part in the Civil Rights Movement.

Perhaps pay a visit to the Atlanta History Centre, which chronicles the city's past, and also to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, which is dedicated to the African-American leader’s life. Downtown, you will find the city’s Centennial Olympic Park, which was built for the 1996 Olympics, and which encompasses the massive Georgia Aquarium.

Mississippi: Dip your toes in the Gulf of Mexico at the “Riviera of the South,” then tap them to the beat of authentic roots blues music. Follow the paths of revered Civil Rights movement leaders and stand next to a statue of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Mississippi is known for its preservation of historical places, creative arts heritage and natural wonders. The mighty Mississippi River forms the state’s western boundary, and visitors are as apt to find freshly caught shrimp on a menu as they are barbecued ribs and fried catfish.

Jackson: Jackson has a reputation for being warm, and welcoming locals. It has been at the forefront of history-making events since the Civil War. The city played a critical role in the Civil Rights movement, which has been documented in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and has featured on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Jackson is also home to more historical markers celebrating blues heritage than anywhere else in the state of Mississippi and has been dubbed "The Birthplace of American Music." Discover them on the Mississippi Blues Trail, then plan a night out to hear live blues and soul music along with some traditional southern fare.

Tupelo: Located in north-eastern Mississippi, Tupelo is best known as being the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and here you can see numerous statues throughout the city that commemorate his life. You can visit his childhood home, which displays its 1930s furniture and nearby, you will find the Elvis Presley Museum, which traces his early life and music.

Other places to visit include Buffalo Park and Zoo, which is home to bison, zebras, and giraffes; plus there is also the Tupelo National Battlefield which was the site of a battle in the Civil War.

Louisiana: The mist-shrouded swamps, the prairies of Acadiana and the grey Spanish moss cascading from the old trees all add up to the special feeling that is Louisiana.

The streets here are filled with an eclectic mix of people whose ideas, tastes and roots translate into the cuisines, music and art that characterize the Pelican State. Louisiana features a multicultural, multilingual history influenced by the people who make up the state. The people of Louisiana came from France, Spain, Haiti, French Canada, the Caribbean, Africa and Vietnam. While there is no official state language, the state constitution acknowledges “the right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their respective historic, linguistic, and cultural origins.”

Alabama: The famed "Sweet Home Alabama" you may have heard is more than a song. This is a land of history, culture, music and adventure from beaches to mountains. Music legends Nat King Cole, W.C. Handy and Hank Williams were born in Alabama, and artists including Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones came to Alabama to cement their careers. Here, Gospel is sung in churches and folks dance, while Blues, Country and Jazz set the mood in local bars. Locally owned restaurants dish up meals of mouth-watering barbecue and fresh seafood from Alabama’s fishing villages, and museums cover everything from Civil Rights and music history to fast cars and faster spacecraft.

Montgomery: Montgomery is the State Capital of Alabama, where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, a hub for the Montgomery bus boycott. You will also be able to see the black granite Civil Rights Memorial and the adjacent exhibition centre commemorating the Civil Rights Movement.

Other places of interest include the domed 1850s Alabama State Capitol and east of the downtown area, you can find the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, which displays fine porcelain, as well as American and African art.

Mobile: Mobile is a port city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast and has been described as a melting pot of people, flavours, cultures, and traditions. Once called the Paris of the South, it has a vibrant 300-year history where traditions are celebrated regularly.

You can see floats, costumes and photos at the Mobile Carnival Museum, which illuminate the city’s centuries-old Mardi Gras tradition, there’s the 1850 Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception which features intricate German stained glass, and you can see International fine and decorative art at the Mobile Museum of Art.

Tennessee: Whether it’s hiking the Appalachian Trail, conquering the coasters at Dollywood, savouring some Jack Daniels and barbecue, making the pilgrimage to Graceland or paying your respects at the National Civil Rights Museum, it’s hard to beat the variety of things to do in Tennessee. This Southern destination mixes historic and modern in places like Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Look for Civil War sites, civil rights monuments and some of music’s most legendary landmarks right alongside world-class cultural venues, trendy food spots and craft distilleries and breweries.

Chattanooga: Tucked between the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and along the beautiful Tennessee River, Chattanooga boasts itself as one of America's most breath-taking cities. It is probably best known for its Incline Railway that climbs the steep Lookout Mountain before reaching Ruby Falls waterfall and Rock City; along the way, you’ll experience sweeping views, sandstone formations and gardens.

If you have time take a stroll along part of the revitalized riverfront, a 13-mile paved Riverwalk scattered with attractions, parks, restaurants and riverboats.

If you're keen to break away from sitting on a beach getting sunburnt on your next holiday, give me a call or drop me a line:

Tel: 01234 581066

E-mail: marco.williams@myTC.com