Imagine the wind blowing in your hair, the radio blasting out at full volume and nothing but an open road in front of you. You just might be picturing the ultimate road trip in the south of the USA. With warm, friendly families in every town and more to do than can ever be done, there is nothing like travelling the great southern states in search of adventure. From the Grand Canyon to small diners, southern America offers nothing but entertainment and excitement for people of all ages. So, whether you are a regular traveller or just embarking upon your first driving holiday, here are two fantastic ideas for road trips in the south of the USA that are guaranteed to make you want to come back for more!
The Musical Tour
Begin the musical tour in Memphis, Tennessee, by enjoying a sneak-peak of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s mansion, followed by a stroll along world-famous Beale Street. Driving on to Tupelo, you can embark upon a tour of the humble two-room house where Elvis was born, and visit the adjacent Elvis Presley Museum and memorial chapel, before travelling on to Oxford. Here you can tour the Centre for the Study of Southern Culture, a research centre for southern music, literature and folklore, before visiting the University of Mississippi blues archive. This is the only research facility in the country dedicated to the study of the blues, and it includes artefacts, photographs and recordings, as well as the personal collection of blues legend and Mississippi native BB King.
From here continue to the fabled Mississippi Delta, where the blues were born. Stop first at Clarksdale – former home of blues greats WC Handy, Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf – and check out the Delta Blues Museum. Dine at the white-tablecloth restaurant owned by actor Morgan Freeman or visit one of the city’s new blues clubs or authentic juke joints for a live performance of the music that made the delta famous.
Make your final musical stop the resort area of the Gulf Coast, where you can try your luck at the tables or take in a live performance at one of the casinos. From the coast head for the lively jazz clubs of neighbouring New Orleans, Louisiana.
Between San Diego and Georgia
This road trip follows the old US-80 and its contemporary equivalents across the nation’s southern tier, taking you through more varied cultural and physical landscapes than you’ll find along any other cross-country route. Heading east from San Diego, you reach the breath-taking south-west deserts, with their saguaro cacti creating a backdrop straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon. The central segment of this route crosses the thousand-mile plains of New Mexico and Texas. Towards the east spreads another land, starting at the cotton-rich Mississippi Delta and continuing along the foot of the Appalachians to the sea islands that surround the country’s grandest little city, Savannah.
Especially memorable is the diversity of people and customs along the route. Many regional American cuisines – Tex Mex, Cajun, Creole, and BBQ included – were originally developed somewhere along this route, and roadside restaurants continue to serve up local specialities. A wealth of distinctive literature has emerged from these regions, and you can visit many literary scenes, live and in the flesh. But there is also a more serious history, from Bonnie and Clyde’s death site, to the Dallas intersection where JFK was assassinated, to the streets of Selma, where the civil-rights movement emerged. This is the perfect USA holiday for anyone who wishes to get a true flavour of the culture and history of the southern states.