AnckSuNamun said:

Savannah for all its beauty and fun isn't safe for unsuspecting tourists...and honestly, the city doesn't do anything to encourage/promote tourist safety...many places downtown - in the historic district - are not safe for locals let alone a newbie to the city...

I'm not trying to discourage you....it's a great place to visit but always stay in a group...always!

I've lived in southern, coastal Georgia all my life....and if I were gonna recommend a place to visit, I'd suggest the islands...Jekyll Island...St. Simons Island and Cumberland Island....Jeykll & St. Simons are within a few minutes of each other and Cumberland is a bit further south...Cumberland can only be accessed by boat and is one of the most naturally beautiful places I've ever seen...there's not many places where you can still see wild horses running free in the US....at Cumberland, you can...

and honestly, if you want a true southern experience, stay away from the major cities...they tend to be touristy and offer fake charm...with a lil' online reearch, you'll find that the south offers a lot of history and cultural siginificance...there are areas that are far removed from any sort of urban area that will still offer plenty...small towns and communities down here are unexpectedly diverse and welcoming...

one thing to keep in mind, if you travel south, there will be things that aren't so pleasant; as some old stigmas still ring true...you don't have to look far to see the undertones of racism and biggotry....but, and I say this in all sincerity, I wouldn't trade where I live for any other place in the world...the good people I encounter or know make it easy to overlook the ignorant...

New Orleans. The French Quarter is a smelly tourist trap, but the rest of it has a nice vibe. Watch your back, though.

Disclaimer: I was there in 1989.

This is too easy.


Anyways, I'd go to Georgia. I think it's so pretty. Or the Carolinas.

TotalANXiousNESS said:

thejason said:

I didn't know you were southern.

TotalANXiousNESS said:

south Georgia...born, raised, aint leaving....
girl, I'm so country, I gotta go to town to hunt....

thejason said:

So is the pres of us song like your anthem? Like to they play it all the time??
Does it get annoying?? Are peaches in season all yr long there? Can you send me some. We get good peaches like 1 wk outta the yr here, and peach pie is my fave pie to make. It blows. We don't have good fruit. I'm actually really sick of it. I'm about to go on and on. Did you ever meet Paula Deen? Can you get her stuff at like flea markets there? Do you eat a lot of seafood? Do you live by a bayou? Have you ever been to a bayou? Do you have a porch swing and does your woman bring you fresh iced tea and lemonaide and do yous sit on it and watch the sun go down?

TotalANXiousNESS said:

First time I've laughed all day. You are so crazy!

TotalANXiousNESS said:

I miss Vidalia onions.

Being a SC boy, I would recommend my state. Charleston is indeed a lovely place, especially in the spring. There's tons to do there. If you've never been, I would recommend staying in downtown Charleston your first time if you can afford it. There would be more to do in walking distance of your hotel than you could do in a week. Make sure you go to the old slave market. Locals peddle their wares there, and there are tons of other shops adjacent to it.

If more laid back and non-touristy is your preference, I would recommend staying over on the Isle of Palms, which is about 20 minutes from downtown Charleston. Not much to do at IOP unless you want to just walk on the beach or go to a local pub. It's very family-friendly. Make sure you eat seafood at a restaurant on Shem Creek. It's about 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Charleston, and about the same from Isle of Palms.

Now if you want tacky and full-on touristy, go to Myrtle Beach. It was voted several years ago as the tackiest city on the east coast. But there are TONS of things to do there, and TONS of places to eat. Most places are very family-friendly there as well.

Poiple said:

Charleston is my favorite old south city...I love it...much more than Savannah...

thejason said:

As you can probably tell, I love it too. I lived there for 4 years (went to college there), and hope to one day make it back there on a permanent basis.

I hate the South.
Other than New Orleans.

MrsMdiver said:

want some when they come in???

thejason said:

Hmmm... I do not think customs would let them in.
Thanks for the offer though.
They get all freaky deaky about plants, fruits and veggies going from country to country.

MrsMdiver said:

this for the same country that exported the sex pistols???

ButterscotchPimp said:

Why do you hate the South?

thejason said:

They don't mind things going out, just not coming in. They pride themselves on not having cockroaches or something.

Poiple said:

I'm black, and it makes my neck itch.

ButterscotchPimp said:

N.O. and Austin are really atypical Southern towns. The latter's an indie/hippy/liberal enclave in the midst of a very conservative region and the former has a culture that's all its own.
[Edited 3/31/10 8:06am]

thejason said:

I fucking love her too. She's like up in my top 3 people I'd wanna meet. Dude, seriously could ya get me some peaches?? That'd be the SHIT!

ButterscotchPimp said:

Ouch. So you hate the south because you're black--why? Do you think southerners hate people who are black?

Ace said:

I know you're speaking from your experience, Ace...but there are lots of southern places that are 'atypical' from what people like to generalize...

I think it's interesting that there is considered to be a 'typical' southern town...

thejason said:

This reminds me of something a coworker said when I lived there;

I am southern born and southern bread, and when I die I'll be southern dead.

I am a bit of a romantic so New Orleans, Savannah and Charlotte are my cup of tea. Atlanta has nice museums. Hope to make a southern trip myself this summer.

thejason said:

I'll take your word for it. As usual, I'm probably talkin' outta my ass.

meow85 said:

Meow do you want to fly in a see one particular city? Or, do you wanna fly to a city and the see the region, via car, bus tour, and in some instances train?. For example: Memphis to New Orleans. You could start in Memphis ( highway 61) which can take you all the way to New Orleans. Stopping (depending on what you want to see, time constraints etc...) in Clarksdale, Mississippi (home of the blues), to Natchez Miss (Old plantations & mansions), Jackson Miss, then on to New Orleans. You could do the same from Charlotte to Savannah trip or go New Orleans use it as your base and strike out to surrounding region....taking side trips to Jackson/Natchez.


If you can kinda figure how you want to work it, let me know and I can offer you some suggestions.

=====
[Edited 3/31/10 9:14am]

ButterscotchPimp said:

you do know that there places you can go in the South and never see a white face, right?

Poiple said:

Let's put it this way. Even today in 2010, there are areas down there that let's just say a black man shouldn't get a blown tire or he's in for some shit.

I don't like the Southern accent.

And i'll be honest. I'm a city boy. Most of the Southern cities are just too damned slow paced for me. Atlanta bores the crap out of me. As does Houston and Dallas.

I say fuck it, go to Mexico!