Road Trip USA - The Deep South

At Easter this year my husband and I took a trip across the lower part of the USA, starting in the bustle of Atlanta and quickly heading north to the Smoky mountains and the mini Vegas style Pigeon Forge. The road was dark and winding with bears and raccoons raiding rubbish bins at each passing picnic site but when we finally arrived it was a mix of Southern hospitality and the big, bright, brashness of US tourism, a kitsch but surprisingly friendly big, little town in the heart of mountain country. Our room came complete with a heart shaped jacuzzi next to the bed and grits for breakfast in the morning. Our visit to Dollywood proved to be the best theme park experience I've ever had, with the feeling of a friendly small town rather than a corporate attraction with really helpful staff, beautiful landscaping and a wide variety of attractions from white knuckle rides to a conservation project for eagles and local traditional craftsmen areas.

Back on the road in our fabulous Dodge to Nashville, and straight in to the farmers market to meet our pick up for the Nash Trash tours which proved to be one of the funniest guided tours I've ever been on and they even serve hors d'oeuvres! Nashville was a little more like deadville but I think that was due to the Easter holidays as it looked like a fun place to be on a average day. We ate lunch at Noshville - a buzzing 50's style diner/deli with any kind of sandwich you could think of and pie to die for.

On to Memphis for my pilgrimage to see the King of Rock and Roll Mr Elvis Presley (well his house anyway). Staying at the Heartbreak Hotel with 24 hour Elvis pumped into each room, the lobby and bar via the numerous TVs and sound systems you really feel like you're in the place where it all happened and from the car park you can see the famous gates and the airplanes peeking over the fence. The house was well worth the visit for any fan or anyone interested in 70's style and even my Elvis ambivalent husband had a changed opinion of the great man after leaving. An afternoon tour of Sun Studios was an excellent education and the perky rock'n'roll cheerleader tour guide with her infectious enthusiasm really made it exciting and fascinating. This place was just buzzing with atmosphere and history and it made me feel privileged to have been there and glad they managed to save it from the wrecking ball!

A quick visit to Tupelo en-route proved also to be worth the visit, the house where one of the most famous people in history grew up for a short time was shockingly small, but large scale wall tributes from friends and local people around at the time, memorial chapel, museum, the local peaceful neighbourhood and the replica church helped make this a great addition to the Presley legacy.

We hit New Orleans during the French Quarter Music Festival which I'm sure heightened the party atmosphere but the sights, sounds, colours and smells were amazing, Creole cooking, French influenced confectionery, the horse and carts lined up in the square, the buskers, the markets, the barbecue, the booze and the stuffed alligators all marinating in the steamy warmth of the Mississippi shores. We were content to spend time wandering the streets and following our noses to find something great to eat then sitting back people watching until the sun came up! A visit to the local famous cemeteries to learn about the unique tombs brought into play when the area flooded and filled the streets with coffins which had floated up from the traditional graves! A heartbreaking trip around ground zero from hurricane Katrina where most of the people have not returned to their houses since the devastation hit, seeing the sprayed on markings from the clean up depicting the tragedy found within some houses and the rays of light now appearing with the rebuild beginning.

On the way out we took a boat trip around the swamps to go alligator spotting and visited the spot where scenes from "Interview with the Vampire" were filmed. We found a big, grumpy, 8 foot gator after not too long in the boat who seemed to have a pension for confectionery, snapping up every marshmallow we threw him and coming quite close to the boat. Our guide, who'd lived there all his life, was great, telling us hurricane stories and about the local wildlife we saw on the banks nearby.

After a long drive back to Atlanta, with numerous stops to sample the unparalleled convenience food and a brief stop over in Montgomery we found an amazing Mexican restaurant near Franklin which had one of the longest menus I've ever read and the kitsch-est decor I've seen in an eatery but without doubt the best food we ate all trip, which was no mean feat considering my love of Americana! I'd go back just to eat there again.

All in all a fantastic trip which really centred around my want to visit Gracelands but turned out to be so much more than that and I'd recommend it to anyone.

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