I’m from Nashville, Tennessee, but the rich culture and immense beauty of the South is not lost on me. There is so much to see, from vibrant cities to natural landscapes – anyone can feel at home in the South. So, when my friends from camp, who are from England, Scotland, and New York, told me they wanted to see the South after camp, I was all in. They had 10 days, and like all my other trips, I was going to make it worthwhile. We concocted a plan to see: St. Louis, MO Nashville, TN Knoxville, TN Asheville, NC Atlanta, GA Panama City Beach, FL New Orleans, LA Hattiesburg, MS Mobile, AL 1st Stop: ST. LOUIS, MO This started in a small town in Wisconsin where our summer camp was. After that, we barely fit our giant bags into the trunk and one of the back seats of the car, and we set off for St. Louis. Although this was just a short stop on the way to Nashville, we made sure to get out and see the Gateway Arch, as well as walk around the Capitol building and downtown. 2nd Stop: NASHVILLE, TN We arrived into Nashville just in time for the great Solar Eclipse. We went into my backyard, put on some glasses, grabbed a beer, and watched the amazing natural phenomenon. Later that night, we went out downtown to see the honky tonks and experience the lively Broadway, with live music and bright lights galore. The next day, we did some classic sightseeing. We went to the Pfunky Griddle, where you can make your own pancakes on a griddle right in the middle of the table. We then went to see the Grand Ole Opry, the Pedestrian Bridge, and the Parthenon. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to walk around downtown to see the more laid-back spots like Mike’s Ice Cream and the Country Music Walk of Fame. We also made sure to see the different murals that Nashville has spread out everywhere, especially 12 South. It was pretty fun to show off my hometown. 3rd Stop: KNOXVILLE, TN Knoxville is near and dear to my heart (Go Vols!). They call it the scruffy city for a reason. It has so many spots popping up everywhere that are worth seeing. From Nashville, we went directly to Dollywood, where we explored the whole park and then did the classic moonshine tasting in Pigeon Forge. While we had a short time in the actual city of Knoxville that night, we went to see the University of Tennessee campus (the most colorful steps are right next to it!), Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt (which has since gone out of business, which breaks my heart), and Schulz Brau Brewing Company, which is an outdoor German beer garden that has games and delicious beer. 4th Stop: MAX PATCH & ASHEVILLE, NC The most beautiful place worth visiting in the Smoky Mountains is a mountain range named Max Patch. It is right on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, and it is incredible at all times of the day, but we headed there for sunrise bright and early the next day. We watched the sun rise over the mountains (not hard to do because you can see mountain ranges in all directions). Only a short drive from Max Patch is Asheville, NC, the home hipsters, breweries, and music. We immediately went to Waffle House, because why not? We enjoyed a delicious All Star Breakfast, and went to explore the city. We walked around downtown and drove near the Blue Ridge Parkway. By early afternoon, we were on our way to our next destination. 5th Stop: ATLANTA, GA Now, my sister lives in Atlanta, and this was really just a stop on our way to the beach, but why not see a few things while we were there? We went straight to the pool when we got to Atlanta that late afternoon. Then we went out to Tin Lizzy’s Cantina, which has some darn good fried pickles, surprisingly. The next morning, we went to Panera to plan our next destination, which I will explain in a second. To end our time there, we ended up at Piedmont Park to walk around the pond and see the Atlanta skyline before saying goodbye to my sister and heading to PCB. 6th Stop: PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL So there was a hurricane at this time. We planned to end our road trip by relaxing on the beach, but the insane weather approaching changed our plans. That morning in Atlanta, we quickly decided we did not want to pass up the beach and we would go to Panama City next. Thank goodness for free cancellation on Expedia. We somehow quickly booked a cheap, beachfront room right in the heart of Panama City Beach. We spent our 2 days relaxing on the beach, playing in the ocean, and exploring Pier Park. It ended up being the perfect mid-trip vacation. 7th Stop: NEW ORLEANS, LA After the beach, we headed along the coast to briefly visit New Orleans. I say briefly, because the hurricane was quickly approaching the coast, so there was rain everywhere. As we soaked up our last sunny morning, we drove through Pensacola, Florida and even played a game of mini golf and got an Icee on our way to New Orleans. We ended up spending around 4 hours in New Orleans, before the rain was just too bad to stay. We saw the St. Louis Cathedral, ate beignets at Cafe du Monde, and walked on Bourbon Street. We got delicious rainbow drinks, shopped at the Mardi Gras themed stores, and ate lunch in an Irish pub. It was too short of a trip, but I’m glad I got to at least experience the vibrant city for a short time. 8th Stop: HATTIESBURG, MS We ended up driving a couple hours north to visit some of our other friends from camp who were going to school in Hattiesburg. It is a small town, but it has a southern vibe. We were seeing part of the Tornado Alley, and we got a delicious dinner at Mugshots while catching up with some good friends and reminiscing on good memories. 9th Stop: MOBILE, AL That night we headed back to our hotel that was in the heart of downtown Mobile. This stop was the most surprising for me. It is a city with rich history, and it is actually the first city to celebrate Mardi Gras in a big way. During our day in this beautiful city, we explored downtown by going in the shops, taking in the plentiful street art, and touring the USS Alabama WWII battleship. That tour was extremely insightful and intriguing. I am not a history buff, but exploring all the different quarters of the ship on a self-guided tour was so fun. We saw the small living quarters, the “cafeteria,” and the medical rooms, to name a few. The ship was massive, and it made it all the more real being on the bay in the rain. 10th Stop: HOME After this fast-paced road trip around the South, we were exhausted. It was so amazing to go through so many cultures and ways of life within 10 days, even being in the same region of the United States. I would highly recommend partaking in a road trip of the South if you ever get a chance. There are so many great stops that we could have added if we had had more time, but this was enough to get a small taste of what the South has to offer. For more road trip ideas: