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More than any other part of the country , the South has an identity all its own – a musical way of speaking, a complicated political history and a pride in a shared culture that cuts across state lines. As a result, visiting the South feels more ‘different’ than visiting other parts of the country (and not just because you can’t understand the accents!). While pow-erhouse cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte are in perpetual states of reinvention, some of the more historic cities – places like New Orleans and Savannah – are virtual shrines to their 19th-century former selves.

Nurtured by deep roots yet shaped by hardship, Southerners are often creative types – from William Faulkner all the way to Uncle Jimmy who likes to tell big-fish stories outside the Texaco station. The history of American music is the history of Southern music: jazz, the blues, bluegrass, country and rock and roll were all born in the South. Cooking is a creative art here as well: smoky barbecue, plump Gulf oysters, fluffy buttermilk biscuits, fried green tomatoes. Get ready to eat, eat, eat. Then loosen your belt and eat some more.

The South is truly a wonderful place to travel. It’s the kind of place where you’re likely to discover new things, merely because the people are so friendly. It’s no wonder that Coca-Cola, bourbon and sweet tea – all things you can offer a guest while ‘visiting’ (chatting) on the porch – were invented in the South. People ‘round here like an excuse to talk. Stay long enough and you’ll no doubt be invited for dinner.

The South

HIGHLIGHTS

Donning a mask and joining the chaos of Mardi Gras in New Orleans ( p481 )

Grasping the soul, rhythm, history and perseverance of the Delta blues ( p466 ) in the museums and juke joints of Clarksdale, MS

Exploring the caverns, mountains, rivers and forests of Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains ( p497 ), where folk music reigns

Stompin’ your boots at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge ( p431 ) on Nashville’s honky-tonk-lined Lower Broadway

Hiking, camping and jaw-dropping in the magnificent Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( p402 )

Driving windswept Hwy 12 down the length of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ( p391 ) and taking the ferry to funky little Ocracoke Island

Touring the grand antebellum homes and cotton plantations of Charleston ( p404 )

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