Southern cliches: NASCAR, guns, trailers, inbreeding. Southern reality: Some of that, but also so much more. Southerners and frequent visitors know that the South is home to world-class cuisine, historical sites that may as well be time machines and countless other reasons to visit.

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Things a Tourist Definitely Has to Experience When Visiting the South

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Something about smoked pork calls for its own spot on this list. However, leaving out other Southern culinary staples would be a crime in seven states (including Louisiana). Gumbo in New Orleans. Key Lime Pie in the Florida Keys (we’ll count Florida as the South).

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Disclaimer: Airboat tours are very much hit or miss. You don’t want to end up in a sweltering, wildlife-deprived swamp with a self-unaware “guide” doing his worst Johnny Carson impression to stretch the “tour” to the hour mark.

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The South is not known for its mountains, making North Carolinian locales like Asheville (located on the Appalachian Trail) so special. You don’t know fresh air until you’ve smelled North Carolinian mountain air.

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With history, antebellum architecture, scenery straight out of Gone With the Wind, and modern amenities (and food) that inevitably arrives in the South’s most popular tourist attractions, Charleston must be on your itinerary.

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This is a bit facetious. But it’s a right of passage for southern youngsters (of legal drinking age, of course) to find themselves inhaling hot, artery-clogging waffles and sausage at a Waffle House just around the time bars announce last call (weird coincidence, right?).

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You don’t necessarily have to brave Bourbon Street if you’re not into the party scene, but The French Quarter remains a must-visit attraction for Southern vacationers. The beignets (powdered donuts) and coffee at Cafe Du Monde are world-renowned.

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SAVOTEUR

6 Things a Tourist Definitely Has to Experience When Visiting the South

Southern cliches: NASCAR, guns, trailers, inbreeding. Southern reality: Some of that, but also so much more. Southerners and frequent visitors know that the South is home to world-class cuisine, historical sites that may as well be time machines and countless other reasons to visit.

Things a Tourist Definitely Has to Experience When Visiting the South

Something about smoked pork calls for its own spot on this list. However, leaving out other Southern culinary staples would be a crime in seven states (including Louisiana). Gumbo in New Orleans. Key Lime Pie in the Florida Keys (we’ll count Florida as the South).

Non-Barbecued Southern Cuisine

Disclaimer: Airboat tours are very much hit or miss. You don’t want to end up in a sweltering, wildlife-deprived swamp with a self-unaware “guide” doing his worst Johnny Carson impression to stretch the “tour” to the hour mark.

An Airboat Tour

The South is not known for its mountains, making North Carolinian locales like Asheville (located on the Appalachian Trail) so special. You don’t know fresh air until you’ve smelled North Carolinian mountain air.

Asheville, NC (Or a Comparable Mountainous Destination)

With history, antebellum architecture, scenery straight out of Gone With the Wind, and modern amenities (and food) that inevitably arrives in the South’s most popular tourist attractions, Charleston must be on your itinerary.

Charleston, SC

This is a bit facetious. But it’s a right of passage for southern youngsters (of legal drinking age, of course) to find themselves inhaling hot, artery-clogging waffles and sausage at a Waffle House just around the time bars announce last call (weird coincidence, right?).

A 2am Waffle House Visit

You don’t necessarily have to brave Bourbon Street if you’re not into the party scene, but The French Quarter remains a must-visit attraction for Southern vacationers. The beignets (powdered donuts) and coffee at Cafe Du Monde are world-renowned.

The French Quarter (And Greater New Orleans)

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