Travel South USA

Outdoors, from the Atlantic Ocean to Forested Peaks

Seek rejuvenation in the South’s great outdoors. Climb in a raft for an exhilarating whitewater experience in the lush Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Go to Arkansas to dig for gems at Crater of Diamonds State Park and soak in hot springs. Kayak through the salt marshes of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and hike on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. In North Carolina, explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park (also accessible from Tennessee) and experience the wild beauty of the Outer Banks’ beaches. Go underground at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, and drive the Natchez Trace Parkway, stopping at scenic sites in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.

Fascinating History and Rich Cultures

Whether you seek to soak up local culture, study the past or learn about cutting-edge technology, you’ll find it in the South’s historic sites, museums and monuments. Visit Civil War battlefields, monuments and commemorative museums from Harpers Valley, West Virginia, to Charleston, South Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia. Learn about the key figures and moments in the U.S. civil rights movement in places such as Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas. See a historic Vanderbilt manor at the stunning Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Discover the latest technology at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and tour movie locations in Georgia, known as the “Hollywood of the South.”

Lively Performances and Music Legends

The USA’s music has its roots in the South, chiefly in the forms of jazz, blues and bluegrass. Follow West Virginia’s Mountain Music Trail to learn about Appalachian music. Hear banjo-fueled bluegrass tunes in Kentucky and soulful Delta blues in Mississippi. Brush up on history at the National Blues Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. Grab a dance partner at a zydeco bar in Lafayette, Louisiana, or wander down the street in New Orleans and happen upon a brass band. Tour Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, and see his birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi. Visit the boyhood home of music legend Johnny Cash in Dyess, Arkansas, and stand where superstars recorded tunes at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and Fame Recording Studios in Alabama. You’ll find live music 24 hours a day in the honky-tonks and clubs of Nashville. Fans of country legend Dolly Parton will want to stop at her theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Delicious Dishes Throughout the Region 

With influences from a wide variety of cultures – Native American, African, Spanish and French, to name a few – the South’s cuisine is bursting with personality. Look for West Virginia’s wild leek, the ramp, or the native Golden Delicious apple as star ingredients on restaurant menus. Put peaches on your must-taste list in Georgia. Try Cajun and Creole dishes in Louisiana, and sample spirits along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Try a plate of spice-rubbed burnt ends, made from smoky beef brisket, in Kansas City, Missouri, or sample roasted pork with a tangy vinegar and pepper sauce in Lexington, North Carolina. Bite into shrimp and grits in South Carolina, or savor a farm-to-table meal at an independent restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. Enjoy creative takes on the freshest seafood at a beachfront restaurant along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean or Chesapeake Bay.