Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [2]
Connie Nelson is the coauthor of The Film Junkie’s Guide to North Carolina. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Connie offers an insider’s insight in the From Dirty Dancing to Dawson’s Creek trip.
Scott Peacock, chef and Southern food expert, is the executive chef at Watershed in Atlanta. In 2007 he won a James Beard Award, and is coauthor of The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Southern Chefs, with the late Edna Lewis. Scott shares his foodie insights in the Atlanta for Food Lovers trip.
Simona Rabinovitch writes about pop culture, travel and entertainment for Canada’s national newspaper the Globe and Mail and international magazines including Zink, Nylon and SPIN.com. Simona’s interview with Terrance Simien appears in the Cajun Country Road Trip.
Jack Thomson runs a Civil War walking tour of Charleston and has published a photography book entitled Charleston at War. To take one of his tours, go to www.civilwarwalk.com. We joined Jack for a walk in A Charleston Walk Back in Time.
Return to beginning of chapter
THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA & THE SOUTH ICONIC TRIPS
* * *
A Taste of the South
Antebellum South
Tracing Martin Luther King, Jr
Music City to Dixieland: A Musical Roots Run
The Big Muddy: Down the Mississippi
NASCAR’s Best Pit Stops
Southern Gothic Literary Tour
Southeastern Beach Getaways
The Great Smokies
Appalachian Trail
Historic Battles of the Civil War
* * *
While each region of each state in the South has a distinct character (and often, a unique cuisine, and landscape, and accent), some things are just plain ol’ Southern – antebellum mansions, kudzu and the ability to deep-fry just about anything (fish, chicken, sweet potatoes, unripe green tomatoes, an entire turkey, Twinkies…).
In these 11 Iconic trips, we’ll weave you through all nine states, from the top of the Great Smokies in Tennessee to an island inhabited by wild ponies in North Carolina, and from William Faulkner’s Oxford to Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s Talladega. Honor the memory of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr by retracing his footsteps and contemplate the brutality of the Civil War with a reenactor-turned-preservationist.
And, of course, eat. Beignets, po’ boys and fried alligator in New Orleans and Lowcountry, black-eyed peas, okra and shrimp in Charleston, and barbecue, well, just about everywhere. To work off all that soul and Southern food, take a stroll on the Appalachian Trail, or shake your tail feathers to practically any style of American music – most of it was invented here.
* * *
BEST ICONIC TRIPS
TRIP
9 The Great Smokies
11 Historic Battles of the Civil War
* * *
* * *
Many of our Iconic Trips bring you to the root of the Southern experience, so we’re bringing you back to where it all began musically, as well. While you’re driving the open road, here is a selection of songs to keep you going.
• “Cross Road Blues,“ Robert Johnson
• “Boom Boom,“ John Lee Hooker
• “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),“ Hank Williams
• “Coal Miner’s Daughter,“ Loretta Lynn
• “Heartbreak Hotel,“ Elvis Presley
• “The Man in Black,“ Johnny Cash
• “The Thrill is Gone,“ BB King
• “Crazy,“ Patsy Cline
• “When the Saints Go Marching In,“ Louis Armstrong
• “9 to 5,“ Dolly Parton
* * *
* * *
THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA & THE SOUTH ICONIC TRIPS
1 A Taste of the South
2 Antebellum South
3 Tracing Martin Luther King, Jr
4 Music City to Dixieland: A Musical Roots Run
5 The Big Muddy: Down the Mississippi
6 NASCAR’s Best Pit Stops
7 Southern Gothic Literary Tour
8 Southeastern Beach Getaways
9 The Great Smokies
10 Appalachian Trail
11 Historic Battles of the Civil War
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP 1
A Taste of the South
* * *
WHY GO For Southerners, food means family, friends and a good time, whether eating gumbo in Louisiana or ribs in Tennessee.