Travel South : Best of South

Inhabited by the creole aristocracy descended from Spanish and French settlers, New Orleans embraces a bend in the Mississippi River. At the center of it all is the French Quarter, decadent but still alive, with narrow bustling streets and hidden courtyards. Stop for a few days to soak up the atmosphere, taste the beignets & café au lait at Café du Monde, discover Bourbon Street at night, excessive, raucous, infamous, with music pouring out of every window; board the St Charles streetcar to reach the seductive Garden District and stroll among elegant homes and majestic trees. Exploring the surrounding area, with an airboat tour in a nearby swamp or a visit to a historic plantation, completes the vision of a nostalgic and fascinating South.

Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River. It still exudes a genuine Antebellum feeling, with quaint plantations and antique houses. The view of the Mississippi is unmatched.

Memphis in three words: Blues, Barbecue, Elvis. Perhaps even more than Nashville, Memphis is the capital of popular music, with essential pilgrimage sites. Even for those who are not fans of the king of rock, Graceland is worth a visit: the house, the car museum, the private plane, the huge collection of gold and platinum records, the stage costumes, and of course the Meditation Garden, where Elvis is buried. However, the visit to the city must start from the legendary Sun Studio, where in the early 1950s Elvis Presley marked the birth of rock 'n' roll, exciting even for non-experts. Other stops for enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts include the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Gibson's Guitar Factory, and the nearby Rock 'n' Soul Museum.

Nashville – aka Music City, USA, draws millions of music enthusiasts every year to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium and the Johnny Cash Museum – the shrines of country and pop music. Nashville and its surroundings are also brimming with typical honky-tonks. The city overlooks the Cumberland river, making for very pleasant riverbank walks.

We suggest a stop at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and a visit at the Mountain Farm Museum – a collection of historic log buildings gathered from throughout the area, once serving several different purposes. Then you drive over the Newfound Gap, a scenic mountain pass interspersed with quaint views.

Almost completely destroyed by general William Sherman during the Civil War – an iconic moment as depicted in “Gone with the Wind” –, today's Atlanta is a beautiful, young, lively city, one of the most important in America. It is home to the headquarters of CNN, Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines, as well as the house where Martin Luther King was born, and his tomb. Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics in 1996.

Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, is the city where the famous bus boycott by Rosa Parks took place. The Rosa Parks Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice are must-see attractions. In 1965, the historic civil rights march led by Martin Luther King started from here, heading towards Selma, 80 km away. Among the other iconic places in the town, it is worth visiting the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge and the numerous art installations along the route to Montgomery.