The Deep South Holidays & Accommodation
USA, North America
The Deep South offers uniquely home grown cultural contributions to the fabric of American society. Louisiana has contributed Creole and Cajun culture, while the Mississippi Delta is the origin of the blues, a uniquely American form of music and infamous for its heritage of cotton cultivation. Whether you're interested in the cultural contributions of these states, or the wildlife, shopping, or casinos to be found, you can discover a lot of interesting adventures in this region. Flowing through both states you will find the mighty Mississippi, the largest river system in North America.
The Deep South Holidays Planner
Louisiana has over 7500 miles of rivers and streams to canoe and kayak. You can also visit state parks like Grand Isle State Park, a barrier island town with seafood shacks and fishing spots where you can arrange for a fishing charter or rent a canoe to explore the inland canals. If none of these options appeals to you, you might just want to have a seat along the shore and watch the brown pelicans dive for fish.
French speaking Acadians exiled from the Maritimes up north in Canada fled to Louisiana in the eighteenth century and became the Cajun people, forming their own unique culture, traditions, and French dialect. If you want to visit the bayou home of the Cajuns, you may want to charter a swamp tour in Lafayette with its cypress trees draped with Spanish moss, alligators, and herons, it is a unique environment. Take the opportunity while you're in Louisiana to sample some classic Cajun cooking as well, and try a gumbo, dirty rice, or a jambalaya.
In Mississippi, you can visit many natural points of interest, including some beautiful beaches off Highway 90. These beaches are protected by barrier islands that limits their surf, but makes them very family friendly even for small children. You can find them around the Gulfport and Biloxi area. If you want surf, you can take the ferry to West Ship Island, the ride is about an hour, and dolphins frequently escort you on your ride.
Other areas you may want to visit in Mississippi include the Tishomingo State Park in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains where archaeological evidence indicates a civilization here as early as 7000 BC.
In Louisiana you may want to visit a plantation, or a plantation home, like Houmas House in Darrow. This antebellum building in the Greek revival style is part of a sugarcane plantation that was restored in the 1940's with some beautiful landscaping. Maybe instead you will want to visit Fort Jesup which was built in 1822 to monitor Texas as it passed from Spanish and Mexican control until the Mexican American War in 1846.
Even if you are not much of a blues fan, you probably will not want to miss a chance to visit the Mississippi Delta, birthplace of this music. You can visit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarrksdale and try the catfish pate as well as the old stomping grounds of B. B. King in Indianola. In Rowan Oak, you can see William Faulkner's home where he sketched out ideas for one of his novels on the wall. You may want to take the opportunity to visit Oxford, where he set many of his novels.
In Birmingham, Alabama you can visit numerous civil rights sites from the sixties including the sixteenth street Baptist Church and the memorial at Kelly Ingram Park. At Huntsville, you can join in the Big Spring Jam, one of the largest music festivals in the Southeast, held every September. In Georgia, you can explore Atlanta's World of Coca-Cola or CNN's Atlanta headquarters, or you may choose instead to explore the old-world charm of Savannah's historic buildings and boutique shops. Savannah also enjoys reputation for microbreweries and there is also a very picturesque cemetery that you may want to visit.
In De Soto State Park in Alabama you can see beautiful waterfalls and meadows, rent a cabin, or simply hike or mountain bike the area, and in Georgia you can explore the oldest American State Park at Indian Springs near Jackson and sample the spring water there or perhaps go boating.