Travel South: forests and Atlantic Coast

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.

Gatlinburg, at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is known for its many lively music festivals and various distilleries. Nearby, in Pigeon Forge, is the Dollywood theme park, a complex with attractions and shows based around country music queen Dolly Parton.

Standing on a plateau between the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville grew into a popular destination. Its several craft breweries, fashionable restaurants and vintage shops draw plenty of tourists, and yet the town didn’t give up on its rustic mountain character, nor on its proud hippie commune, still hale and hearty.

Head to the central North Carolina region called “Piedmont”, at the foot of the spectacular Appalachian moutains. The area brims with manufacturing towns, and is renowned for the so-called “Research Triangle”: the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, the celebrated Duke University in Durham, and the North Carolina University in the trendy town of Chapel Hill.

The North Carolina coast stretches for over 480 km and is protected for 320 km by a chain of islands that form a sort of barrier and dotted with picturesque lighthouses. This is still a relatively undeveloped part of the coast, with strips of sand separated from the mainland by narrow channels and connected by bridges and ferries, where even in high season it is still possible to find uncrowded beaches. The main islands in this northern part of the Outer Banks are Bodie, Roanoke, Hatteras, and Ocracoke, where coastal towns with a rich colonial history, old forts, and oceanfront lighthouses can be found. There are also trails for birdwatching enthusiasts and museums related to the area's history, such as the one in Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers took their first flight in 1903. Further south, near Wilmington, we find the Crystal Coast, the historic Cape Fear, and the Brunswick Islands.

Myrtle Beach is part of the Grand Strand – a 100- km-long expanse of shores bordering the Atlantic, a popular vacation place for American families. It’s the perfect spot to go kayaking, fishing, wreck diving, and golfing. You might want to try offshore fishing or a dolphin watch cruise. The boldest may venture out to sea on a jet-ski, a windsurf or see it all from above while parasailing. If you’d rather go for a relaxing shopping tour, you will find your favourite brands on sale at Tanger Outlets. Another option is Market Common, offering several shops and restaurants.

Leave Myrtle Beach and travel 30 minutes south along the coast, towards the southern end of the Grand Strand. You will arrive at the cozy and peaceful Pawley's Island. Famous for its cypress wood cottages and rich in expansive marshlands, rivers, and oceanfront parks, it is a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Continue south along the pristine coastline and cross the Francis Marion National Forest until you reach Charleston. Charleston is one of the most elegant cities in the USA, with nineteenth-century mansions dating back to before the Civil War, warm hospitality, century-old trees, and azalea gardens. In three centuries of history, the city has survived hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and the Civil War, which broke out here on April 12, 1861. Not to be missed is a visit to the typical villas, decorated with wrought iron and painted in different colors, the Battery, the historic waterfront, the City Market, where you can buy baskets made of hemp from the ancient rice fields, a plantation at Middleton Place, and the Fort Sumter National Monument, where the American Civil War began.

Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, despite not being the capital, which is Raleigh, with half the population. Currently, it holds an interesting record: it is the second city in the United States in terms of the number of banks, to the point that the local economy is essentially based on financial activities. Not to be missed for car enthusiasts is the NASCAR Hall of Fame, for sports fans a game of the famous local football, basketball, or baseball teams, and for those who prefer culture, the international Craft + Design collection at the Mint Museum Uptown.