As Mark Twain put it in 1882, "In the South, the [Civil] war is
what AD is elsewhere; they date everything from it." Five
generations later, the legacies of slavery and "The War Between the
States" are still evident throughout the southern heartland states
of NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE,
ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI and ARKANSAS . The war is the focal
point for countless museums and shrines, and the Confederate "Stars
and Bars" flag remains conspicuous in many places.
The area, however, is not entirely stuck in its ways. How far
the "New South" differs from the old is still a matter for debate.
Nonetheless, the last few decades have unquestionably seen the
influx of high-tech industries, the emergence of liberal white
political leaders such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and the
growth of such dynamic urban centers as Atlanta , the
birthplace of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and venue for the 1996
Olympics. It took suffering and bloodshed to effect the changes of
the 1950s and 1960s. Relations between black and white have
improved, in the cities at least, though the countryside reveals
levels of shocking iniquity and poverty where racial tension lies
uneasily close to the surface.
The South has never been one uniform, homogenous unit. Even
during the Civil War there were substantial pockets of pro-Union
support, particularly in the mountains. Today the culture and
makeup of the overwhelmingly black stretches in the cotton belt are
markedly different from the white hill farms in Kentucky and
Tennessee. Likewise, the Sun Belt industries of North Carolina and
northern Alabama are far removed from the rural backwaters of
southern Georgia.
The most exciting aspect of the Southern heritage is undoubtedly
its music . Hundreds of thousands of fans make pilgrimages
each year to the country and blues meccas of Nashville and
Memphis , the homelands of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams,
Robert Johnson, Dolly Parton and Otis Redding. As well, a
substantial number of visitors seek out the backwoods barn dances
in Appalachia or the blues jook-joints of the Mississippi Delta and
South Carolina. The Southern experience is also reflected in a rich
regional literature , its communities and people well
documented by the likes of William Faulkner, Carson McCullers,
Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, Eudora Welty, and the
one-book-wonders Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee.
Other major destinations for travelers include the elegant
coastal cities of Charleston and Savannah , frenzied
beach resorts such as Myrtle Beach , college towns like
Athens and Chapel Hill , and the historic Mississippi
River ports of Natchez and Vicksburg . Away from the
urban areas, much Southern scenery consists of undulating,
sun-scorched hillsides dotted with wooden shacks and rust-red
barns, broken by occasional forests. Highlights include the misty
Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and North
Carolina, the subtropical beaches and tranquil barrier
islands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and the river road
through the tiny settlements of the flat Mississippi Delta.
During July and August, the daily high temperature is
mostly a very humid 90°F. Virtually every motel, bar, restaurant
and museum is air-conditioned, but you might want to schedule your
visit a little to either side of these months. On the coasts, where
the beaches offer a less expensive alternative to neighboring
Florida, the main season is from June to August, and outside these
dates many attractions are closed. The fall colors in the mountains
(just as beautiful and a lot less expensive and congested than New
England) are at their headiest during October.
Public transportation in rural areas is poor. In any
case, it's best to take things at your own pace - you'll find
things to see and do in the most unlikely places - so renting a car
is a good idea. Accommodation in the South is generally good
value. The region's varied cuisine , much of it dished out
at simple roadside shacks, ranges from the ubiquitous grits (maize
porridge) to highly calorific, irresistible soul food -
fried chicken, wood-smoked barbecue and the like, along with turnip
greens, spinach, macaroni and all manner of tasty vegetables. Fish
is also good, from catfish (which has a sort of mild trout flavor),
to the wonderful Low Country Boils , seafood stews served
with rice, traditionally prepared on the sea islands. Look, too,
for the distinctively Southern Krispy Kreme doughnut
outlets, especially in the Carolinas and Georgia. The doughnuts are
great, but it's the decor that steals the show - turquoise Formica,
shiny chrome counter stools and fabulous 1950s signs.