Southern United States

Travel Guide North America USA Southern United States

Introduction

New Orleans Riverboat

The Southern United States encompasses a huge breadth of land, from the Atlantic coast south to the Gulf of Mexico and west to the "Deep South". The South, as it is colloquially known, is not merely a geographic region: It also has historical and cultural significance, particularly relating to the polarizing American Civil War.

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Geography

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Regions and states

Regions:

South Atlantic States: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia
East South Central States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee
West South Central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

States:

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Cities

Tampa, FL - USA

Tampa, Florida
Miami, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Houston, Texas
Dallas, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
Richmond, Virginia

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Sights and Activities

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, also known as the Appalachian Trail or the A.T., is a 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometres) long hiking trail that has one of its terminus points in Georgia and the other in Maine. This trail attracts countless thru hikers, people that do the hike in one trip, and section hikers, people that hike different parts of the trail at different times in order to do the whole trail, every year. This trail goes into some of the best preserved wilderness in all of the East Coast.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Over eight million people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year, making it the most visited park in the United States. There are 78 historic buildings in the Park, which is open year round. Spanning the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee, the Park is a popular destination for hikers. The Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alamo

The Alamo by night, San Antonio, Texas

This building in San Antonio is famous for tha battle that took place here. The battle is the most well known battle that took place during the Texan Revolution. On the first day of the battle (February 23, 1836) 2,400 mexicans attacked the Alamo, where between 180 and 250 Texan soldiers where housed. After a couple of attacks on the building the Texans ran out of possibilities to fend off the attacks. On March 6, 1836 the Mexicans launched the final assault, resulting in killing all the Texans. After the battle the Alamo gradually became known as a battle site rather than a former mission. The Texas Legislature purchased the land and buildings in the early part of the 20th century and designated the Alamo chapel as an official Texas State Shrine.

The Alamo is open every day of the year except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hours of operation are 9:00am to 5:30pm Monday through Saturday and 10:00am to 5:30pm on Sunday. The Alamo remains open on Fridays and Saturdays until 7:00pm during the months of June, July and August. Admission to the Alamo is free.

Big Bend National Park

Great sunset in Big Bend NP, Texas

Big Bend National Park is one of the natural beauties of Texas. The park covers about 1,250 square miles and is located in the western part of the Lone Star State, bordering Mexico where the Rio Grande bends, hence its name. Most of the people visit the Chisos Mountains and Basin, where you will also find the only accommodation within the park proper. There are also campgrounds in other places of interest like the Santa Elena and Boquillas Canyon and Rio Grande Village.

Other Sights and Activities

Beaches can be found along the coastline of the south even outside of Florida. Places like the Outer Banks in North Carolina and the Mississippi coast can be a great place to spend a few days.

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Events and Festivals

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras basically is the celebration prior to the fasting season of Lent. Although it refers to the events of the Carnival celebrations, Mardi Gras itself typically culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Popular festival events are wearing masks and costumes, dancing and parades. Mardi Gras is celebrated mainly in South and North America, and probably the best known is the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Other famous ones include those in Rio de Janeiro, Barranquilla, Port of Spain, Quebec City and Mazatlán.

The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in North America and is held in Kentucky every year. No matter what your plan is open your hand and prepare your liver for a Mint Julep and some intense betting.
South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW) showcases hundreds of acts from around the world in Austin, Texas and is considered one of the best music festival in the USA.

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Weather

Such a huge areas has different climates. While it rarely gets cold in southern Florida, winter temperatures can drop significantly below zero more to the north, for example in Kentucky. Generally though, winters, lasting from December to March are not as cold as in the northern parts of the United States. During this time, temperatures decrease from south to north. Miami has winter temperatures just below 25 degrees Celsius, New Orleans and Houston just under 20 degrees, while more to the north Washington DC is below 10 degrees most of the time and below zero at night. Some nights in the north can drop to around -30 degrees although this is quite rare.

Summers last from late May to September with almost everywhere warm to hot conditions. Temperatures can rise up to 40 degrees, even in the northern parts and Texas is probably one of the hottest states in the southern region during this time, with occasionally 45 degrees. Nights are fairly warm everywhere. Florida experiences smaller differences as temperatures are mainly around 30 degrees with not that much variation throughout the months. The southern coastline can feel hot and sticky, from southern Florida all the way to Texas.

In general, April and May and September and October are good months almost anywhere, though bear in mind that the southern parts have a chance of hurricanes mainly hitting the coastal areas during the latter months.

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Getting There

By Plane

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is one of the gateways to the south of the US and is located about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from downtown Atlanta. Since more than a decade it has been the busiest airport in the world regarding the number of flights and number of passengers, with currently around 88 million passengers a year! Regarding international passengers, it's way lower though.
Austin's airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (IATA code AUS), located 5 miles (8 kilometres) southeast of the city. It only serves US cities, though there are seasonal flights (December to April) to/from Cancun.
Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) - Located 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Baltimore and 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of Washington, D.C., this airport's main carriers are Southwest Airlines and US Airways.
Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is one of the busiest airports in the USA and in the top 25 worldwide. It has numerous domestic connections and quite a few international flights as well.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (IATA: DFW, ICAO: KDFW, FAA LID: DFW) is about fifteen miles (24 kilometres) northwest of the centre of Dallas and about the same distance northeast of downtown Fort Worth. This is the largest airport in the region and the one most international visitors will arrive at when visiting Texas. It is the largest, and main, hub for American Airlines and its affiliate, American Eagle.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) has a number of international connections as well as a fair number of domestic flights. It is located about 5 kilometres from the CBD of Fort Lauderdale and about 33 kilometres from Miami.
The Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is Houston's primary airport and the 9th largest in the US in terms of total passengers. It is the headquarters of Continental Airlines and its largest hub. It's located about 20 miles (32 kilometres) from downtown Houston.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is a large international airport serving an average around 10 million passengers a year. It is also the second lowest airport in the world only sitting at 4.5 feet (1.5 metres) above sea level. It is possible to get direct flights to most major USA cities, especially the ones in the south. There are a few international flights, mainly to Central America and Mexico.
Miami International Airport (MIA/KMIA) is the city's main airport and is one of the United States' largest airports. It is located around 13 kilometres from downtown Miami. There are non-stop routes from and to well over 100 destinations worldwide, including cities throughout North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Miami International Airport is also the largest international gateway for American Airlines, which has nearly 100 destinations served alone!
Memphis International Airport (MEM) is located about 3 miles (5 kilometres) south from the CBD of Memphis and has connections to most domestic locations and a limited number of international connections, although there is even a direct daily connection to/from Amsterdam.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is located near Nashville and mainly serves as a large domestic airport, with a few international connections.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the major airport for the city and many airlines serve destinations within the USA and to Europe and South America. The airport is located about 11 kilometres from the CBD of Orlando. It's the second busiest airport in Florida and even in the top 30 worldwide.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (IATA: RDU, ICAO:KRDU) is one of the major airports in the state operating more then 400 flights a day. This airport has pretty good domestic service and limited international service. One nice feature is that the budget airline Southwest operates in and out this airport making for cheaper flights to neighboring areas or across the country.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is an airport near San Antonio, Texas. It mainly serves other US cities, though there are flights to Mexico City, Monterrey and Cancun as well.
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), also known as Fort Myers International Airport, is the main gateway for Fort Myers and the surrounding area, including Cape Coral and Naples. It mainly has connections to other cities in the USA, but there are quite a few flights to Toronto and less so to Montreal and even Düsseldorf.
Tampa International Airport (IATA: TPA, ICAO: KTPA, FAA LID: TPA) is located around 11 kilometres from Tampa's CBD. A few dozen of airlines serve the airport, mainly on domestic routes, but there are a few interesting alternatives on international routes, like the one to London Gatwick Airport.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) - This airport is located three miles (5 kilometres) south of Washington, D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia. US Airways is the carrier with the most flights across the country.
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) - This airport is located 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Washington, D.C., in Dulles, Virginia. United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines are the main airlines in this airport.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Discovery Cruise Line operates a daily (except Wednesdays) cruise ferry between Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale in Florida and Freeport on Grand Bahama. It leaves at 9:30am from Fort Lauderdale, arriving in Freeport around 1:30pm, and returns from Freeport at 5:15pm, arriving in Fort Lauderdale around 10:30pm. So a one-way trip takes around 4 hours to the Bahamas, and about 5 hours back, which barely leaves you 4 hours at Grand Bahama Island. There are options to spend the night though and take a ferry the next day back to Florida. Services on board include three buffet meals and a Las Vegas style casino! A return ticket costs around US$140.

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Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Bus

By Boat

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:

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