Table of Contents
Itinerary - Deep South USA Road Trip
A (close to) three week to the Big Easy – Deep South USA. What could be more fun?
We will walk along the sweeping bends of the Mississippi River, visit the bayous of Louisiana and get familiar with the great cities of Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans.
Along the way, you can tap your toes some of the very best music. It is all here in the birthplace of soul, jazz, blues, country and rock and roll. You can listen in your car and through your earphones, of course, but the great thing about visiting the Deep South USA is that you can hear it played live too – as it was meant to be heard – and enjoy listening in the company of others who enjoy it as much as you do.
The food scene is interesting here too. Explore Cajun food – full of heart and soul – and forget about the calorie counting just for a little while.
The rich history of this troubled area adds immensely to the pleasure of the trip.
It may not be a trip at the top of everyone’s wish list, but I would definitely add this to your bucket list if you haven’t explored this exciting part of the world yet.
Best time to visit the Deep South USA
We visited in early April and enjoyed fine weather most of the time. The hot and sticky Summer is best avoided – it comes with the risk of mosquitos too. There are lots of music festivals that take place throughout the year, so it is worth finding out when these are happening and timing your visit either to coincide with them or avoid them, depending on your preference. If you visit the big cities at festival time, be sure to book your accommodation – and restaurants – well ahead to avoid disappointment.
Top Ten "Must-Dos" for a road trip to Deep South USA Road Trip
- Sip a cocktail at the famous revolving Carousel Bar, Monteleone New Orleans
- Cook up delicious cajun food at the New Orleans School of Cooking
- Visit an Antebellum Home
- Learn all about the American Civil War Memorial
- Pay your respects to Elvis – visit Graceland
- Tour Memphis in a classic 50s car
- Watch the march of the ducks at the Peabody Hotel, Memphis
- Listen to jazz as it used to be at Preservation Hall, New Orleans
- Sing your heart out at the Grand ‘Ole Opry
- Listen to the carillon bells chime in Nashville
Where I Stayed
Links to Accommodation Reviews for all the hotels where we stayed on our trip are listed below:
Best Hotel Award
The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville was the easy winner of the best hotel award for this trip. This is a fantastic hotel. If I could sum it up in one word, it would be “PERFECT.” If I get the chance to add a few more words, I would pick: elegant, efficient and peaceful. It is the oldest hotel in Nashville and the first million $ hotel to be built here. “Meet me at the Hermitage” is what the locals say – you can certainly see why!
My Reading List for a trip to the Deep South USA
If you want to read, you best to it before your road trip to the Deep South because you won’t have much time to read while you are there – there is just so much to do! The books I enjoyed on this trip were:
- Deep South – Paul Theroux
- The Help – Kathryn Stockett
- To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
- Coming of Age in Mississippi – Ann Moody
Deep South USA - Movies to watch before you go
Green Book – such a great film. It. conveys perfectly the difficult history of the Deep South in a very human (true) story.
Selma
Cold Mountain
Hidden Figures
My Packing List
- A clutch of dollar bills (the Americans love to tip!)
- Long sleeved, mosquito proof shirts.
- Iphone and earphones – you want to be listening to all your favourite music as you drive along. Pick out your favourite playlists for each genre before you go, because you won’t have time to do it when you are there!
I came back with more than I took:
Nashville is a GREAT place to shop for real American cowboy boots – and I could not resist. Leave plenty of room in your case so you don’t have to cram them in as I did!.
Foodie Firsts
Search for “Foodie Firsts” to discover more about the Deep South USA’s Foodie scene.
- Fried Green Tomatoes with Crawfish Cream Sauce
- Local Catfish – served deep fried with purple hole peas (like black beans) and turnip greens (turnips served with the greens chopped up with them – not thrown away as we would usually do)
- Juke Joint Tamales – Like a minced beef cannelloni
- Gator Tator chips – finger licking’ good!
- Bananas Foster – Bananas flambéed in rum and brown sugar, served with ice cream. This was one of the dishes we made at the New Orleans School of Cooking – a highly recommended experience.
- Barbecued Ribs- American style
- Ooey Gooey
Deep South USA - The Cocktail Trail
One of the most memorable things about this trip was the huge variety of cocktails available to sample – you really do need to make this part of your trip, so I hope you aren’t tee total or you will really be missing out. Read the Deep South USA Cocktail Trail – to sell all the must try cocktails and their recipes. Or read it on Trip Adviser, so you can see the map and tie them off as you go!
Tips for Future Travellers
Plan your trip to Memphis really well in advance. There is a lot to do here and booking in advance will help you cram it all in and avoid disappointment. These posts have all the details:
Read my full trip to the Deep South USA:
Heading to the Big Easy – Deep South USA Road Trip
On Friday, we head to New Orleans for the start of our trip to the Big Easy – Deep South USA Road Trip. We will walk along the sweeping bends of the Mississippi River, visit the bayous of Louisiana and get familiar with the great cities of Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans. I am looking forward to sampling Cajun food and hearing some great live music in the birthplace of soul, jazz, blues, country and rock and roll.
New Orleans – A Ton of Fun!
New Orleans has been throbbing 24/7 since 1718. It is the birthplace of jazz and has always had music at its heart. The French Quarter Jazz Festival was in full swing when we arrived – what a great week-end to visit! New Orleans i’s way more than honky tonk pianos and saxophones though. The food is great here, the welcome is warm, the people are full of life and colour and the vibe is great.
New Orleans Jazz Festival “Morning Sunshines”
We woke to the smell of beignets wafting in from the street curiously mixed with the scent of lemon from the disinfectant they use to wash the sheets here. Breakfast was served by a cheerful waitress who greeted us with “Morning Sunshines!”
From Rooter to Tooter – The food here has SOUL!
The New Orleans School of Cooking was a great place to spend a morning here. The cooking in the Deep South is way different from the rest of the USA. It is Creole – a veritable melting pot of all the nationalities that coalesced in this part of the world (Portugeuse, Spanish, French, Italian) and made it what it is today. Nothing goes to waste – it is “rooter to tooter” as the expression goes – i.e. – everything on the hog is used except it’s squeak.
Accommodation Review – Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans
Where to Stay in New Orleans – Hotel Monteleone Accommodation Review A lovely hotel – authentic and full of charm. The Carousel Bar is amazing…
Mississippi River – Laisser les Bons Temps Roulez …
Laissez les bons temps roulez – let the good times continue to roll though… We moved on today to White Castle, driving the river road up the great Mississippi River to White Castle. This is sugar plantation country. It was fun to pass road signs to all the places you hear about in the songs you love
Evergreen Plantation – What was Life as a Slave really Like?
Beautiful as the Nottoway Plantation was, I was left with wanting to know what was life really like on the Deep South Plantation? What were the slave quarters like? Was it really true what you see in films like Roots? We drove back up the River Road towards New Orleans and visited Evergreen Plantation to find out.
The Road Less Travelled – Louisiana State Penitentiary – Just Visiting …
White City to Natchez via the Louisiana State Penitentiary The great joy of travelling is that you never quite know what the day has in…
Accommodation Review: Nottoway Plantation, White Castle
A luxurious place to stay in the heart of Plantation country – although not quite the 5* you might expect.
Longwood – Romance, Tragedy, Trauma, Grace … and Truth?
Longwood was the dream that never came true, but not for want of trying. An entertaining story of romance, tragedy, trauma and grace. The magnificent octagonal house was never finished – the civil war intervened and changed the lives of its occupants – the Nutt family – irretrievably.
A One Way Ticket – Natchez Trace Pathway
The road from Natchez to our next stop in Vicksburg follows the Natchez Trace Pathway, which runs for 444 miles through three states from the southern Appalachian foothills of Tennessee to the bluffs of the lower Mississippi River.
Accommodation Review: Monmouth Historic Inn, Natchez
Monmouth Historic Inn, Natchez is a really lovely hotel – full of charm and character. The rooms are beautifully furnished and there is great attention to detail throughout. Meticulously maintained grounds; a well stocked cocktail bar with a skilled bar tender that knows exactly how to mix whatever is your favourite tipple and a superb breakfast offering.
Walnut Hills Restaurant – Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie and Fillet Gumbo
Crawfish sauce was the nearest I got to crawfish pie – but I did sample the local catfish at Walnut Hills – 1214 Adams St. and it was delicious. This restaurant is full of old world charm at its best and serves good Southern Plantation cuisine.
Time stands still in Vicksburg – but history comes alive
Vicksburg is a proud little town which has witnessed tragedy, tribulation, gaiety and grandeur over the years.
Accommodation Review: Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn, Vicksburg
Anchuca means “happy home” in Chocotaw and this bed and breakfast/hotel certainly makes you feel very welcome. Built in 1830, the house was a hospital after the surrender of Vicksburg in the Civil War and, interestingly, cared for both Confederate and Union soldiers.
Find out where the first Teddy Bear came from
The first teddy bear was given life at the Onward Store at Rolling Fork, on Highway 61 between Vicksburg and Memphis.
The American Civil War – The More you Know the More you Grow …
The American Civil War – “There they lay, the blue and grey intermingled; the same rich, young American blood flowing out in little rivulets of crimson, each thinking he was in the right.”
12 things you might not know about Elvis Presley …
Twelve things you might not know about Elvis Presley – be prepared for few surprises!
Two Days in Memphis Day 1
Two Days in Memphis Day 1 – There is a LOT to do here and you need to be very well organised if you want to do it all! This was how we tackled it.
Two Days in Memphis Day 2 – Graceland and the rest
Two Days in Memphis Day 2 – Start the day at Graceland. Book the VIP tour if you want to avoid the lines.
Accommodation Review: The Peabody Hotel, Memphis
Where to Stay in Memphis – Peabody Hotel It is said that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel and ends…
Nashville Day 1 – or NASH – Vull (as the locals would say it)
It took us most of the day to drive from Memphis to Nashville. We arrived to discover that the NFL professional draft had just started – Nashville is the base this year. Nashville has a very upmarket feel to it. It is a booming city with a rising population that is growing fast.
Nashville Day 2 – Love can build a Bridge over that Old Man River …
Nashville Day 2 – the city changed its name to Draftsville as the NFL draft got into full swing. Broadway was completely packed out with music ringing from every bar and stage as the crowd worked themselves into a frenzy yelling “The Pick is In”.
Accommodation Review: The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville
The Hermitage is a fantastic hotel. If I could sum it up in one word, it would be “PERFECT.” If I get the chance to add a few more words, I would pick: elegant, efficient and peaceful. It is the oldest hotel in Nashville and the first million $ hotel to be built here. “Meet me at the Hermitage” is what the locals say – you can certainly see why!
Deep South USA Cocktail Trail
These days there is a growing appreciation for the traditional cocktails of the Deep South. Here are my absolute favourites, where best to enjoy them and recipes for re-creating them when you get back home*. The Deep South USA Cocktail Trail will take you on a winding course along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River all the way from New Orleans to Nashville, discovering the fascinating history, toe tapping music and all the fun that this vibrant region has to offer along the way. It is for sure one of the USA’s best road trips. Are you ready? “Cheers!”
Deep South USA Road Trip – Final Reflections
Our Deep South USA Road Trip has been such a great experience. Good music, food with soul and one warm welcome after another. never had much time for history at school, but I really enjoyed seeing modern history being brought to life in the Deep South and appreciated how important it is to an understanding of the world we live in today.