Day by Day: the Old South
In August 2018, a friend and I went on a massive road trip in the Old South of the Unites Stated of America: from Nashville to New Orleans, and thus, only for 11 days. We drove through endlessly changing landscapes and experienced so many different cultures while meeting a ton of interesting people.
In this article, you can follow along our journey, read little summaries of each days and click on linkks redirecting you towards more in depth ones.
don’t hesitate to drop a comment if you have any questions :)
Day 1: From Copenhagen to Nashville
On the 13th of August, my friend Simon and I took a 9hours flight to Nashville with a connection in London.
We landed under a big southern sunshine and 33 degrees Celsius and walked to the car rental company in order to pick up our Chevrolet for the next 10 days.
Tired but excited, we drove towards our first accommodation of this trip: A Tiny House!
After a quick stop in order to freshen up and change, we hopped back in the car and drove downtown to celebrate our first night of holiday. After wondering on Broadway Avenue and checking out some country clothing stores, we found the perfect hidden gem for that: a blue bar called Bourbon Blues Café that has live music every day and delicious drinks and snacks.
After some spicy chicken wings and an amazing performance, we went back to our little house for a good night sleep.
Day 2: the Great Smoky Mountains
We woke up at 7.30. The jetlag was definitely still hitting us!
This tiny house was so worth it: beautifully decorated and super close to the city center, I appreciated the calmness that went with it.
Once back in the car, and after a quick stop at a gaz station for some snacks, we headed towards our next adventure: Pigeon forge. Well, to be honest, we weren’t going to stay in this town, as I had booked an amazing accommodation in the nature, but we still had to cross it. We were slightly disappointed with how touristic it was. Everything was an attraction or a fast food!
First, we stopped at Sugarland’s Visitor Center to pick up a map of the National Park and ask for recommendation.
At 2pm, we started the little 2.6 miles hike towards Laurel Falls. Despite the amount of tourists, the view and the landscape didn’t disappoint.
After that, we drove towards Clingman’s dome to appreciate what should have been, a gorgeous sunset. On our way up there, we spotted two baby brown bears and their mother crossing the road! After arriving at the 6000 feet up dome, we realized that the sunset would remain invisible. Indeed, the view was completely obstructed by pollution clouds. What a shame.
We still manage to enjoy the view and the walk around the area before heading back to the car. And what a surprise to spot the end of an bright orange sunset once we descended under the clouds!
We parked in Gatlinburg and chose The Melting Pot, a restaurant serving ONLY fondue. We sat in our private booth and ordered the 3 courses: Cheese fondue to start with, meet and vegetables fondu as a main course and chocolat foundue for dessert. Let me emphasize on how FULL our bellies were!
To end our day, we checked into our gorgeous accommodation: a Safari tent, in the middle of the Smoky Mountain’s forest. What a dream to make a little fire and sleep surrounded by the sounds of Nature.
Day 3: Driving to Memphis
In the morning, we enjoyed our tea on the porch, facing the trees and listening to the birds before saying goodbye to this dreamy place and hoping in our car to drive towards Cades Cove Loop.
What a scenic road! It was so green, peaceful and quiet. Only us, the road and the mountains all around us.
After leaving the Great Smoky Mountains behind, we drove towards Chattanooga to arrive there for lunch. To be honest, we didn’t really feel like the city was worth our drive, and thinking back on it now, we should have probably prioritise our rest and not make this detour. It is always a learning curve and our experience at Sticky Fingers was delicious!
After that, we had 6 more hours to go, and it was tough. After a few breaks, we arrived in Memphis at 22:30 exhausted, checked in our AirBnb and decided to stay in that night.
Day 4: A day in Memphis
We started our day with a delicious brunch at the Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis. The reason why we picked this place it is because, at 11AM, a very surprising show starts in the gorgeous lobby. Indeed, when you hear the bell from the elevator ring, you’ll be delighted to see a dozen of well behaved ducks walking towards the central fountain for their daily bath. Super cute.
We then went on the rooftop of the 13th floor to appreciate the city skyline before making our way to the very famouns Beale Street.
We visited Shwabs and tried on a bunch of hats a funny things, walked by Elvis’ fans’ stores and some outdoor markets, all the way to Sun Studio. Our guide was incredible, full of knowledge and really funny. We were mesmerized by all the different rooms and so happy to be here where it all started.
After that, we visited the Photography Museum and were quite moved by all that History.
After some groceries for the evening, we drove towards Clarksdale and checked into the ShackUp Inn. This place is so particular and charming. Every “room” is an old farmer’s shack, and they all have a different vibe to them. We got the Chicken Coop, it was awesome!
We Ate our take out diner on our porch, watching the sunset, before heading to the main room where a talented bluesman was playing his guitar. After a couple of beers, we emt Preston, coming from Texas and had a lovely evening talking with him. We also met a woman from Scotland who was traveling without her husband and selling harmonicas, as well as Bryan and his lobster socks and flamingo shirts, his pianist boyfriend and hus drunk dad. What a table that was ! And what a team! The atmosphere was so special and fun and it was such a safe space full of interesting discussions and whisky.
A storm started to be heard as we walked by to our Shack, and it was time for bed.
Day 5: Driving to Natchez
We left the Coop around 9AM towards Natchez.
On the way, we stopped to see the Mississippi Petrified Forest, as the only tourists. We walked in between mummified trees, black and yellow spiders, bogs and wooden paths.
Then, we drove to the Military Cemetery of Vicksburg, a huge park where you are able to drive in between the different memorials and to read a lot about the History.
At 5PM we arrived in Natchez to check in the Starling Inn and to meet with Paul Wayde, the owner. He warmly welcomed us and showed us all the different rooms before letting us in our for the night called Oak Room: a blue little room facing the main Oak tree of the property.
After having dropped our bags, we met back with Paul in the kitchen to discover his wall of fire (a personal collection of chili bottles) and learn about Moon Shine. We drank a sip with him as a welcome and it was STRONG!
Spending this time with him was priceless. I will always remember eating peanuts at his diner table while he tells us about the town’s History and hears about our journey. He walked with us towards the cliff and the most beautiful viewpoint of Natchez. There, 200 feet above sea level, where the road caved in, we stood and admired the incoming storm over the sunset.
We followed his advice and went for diner at the Camp. The waitress was awesome and the food delicious and typically southern: chicken wings, tortillas, burger and cocktails. At one point, our table neighbour, slightly tipsy, came to talk to us and asked about our trip. He was so happy of us to visit and “make his town live” that paid for our bill! We were quite shocked by the gesture but so touched by the very famous Southern Hospitality. Clayton and his wife left and we followed, not long after that.
We walked, under the rain and in between the lightnings, with our flashlight, just like in a movie scene.
Once back at the house, we met with Paul again, and he invited us in the living room to watch a black and white silent movie with him. What a night!
Day 6: A day in Natchitoches
After saying goodbye to Paul, we kept driving South down the Mississippi river, towards Natchitoches (pronounced Na-Ki-Tesh) we were supposed to meet with Barbara and Doyle for them to show us around the town and the plantations.
Halfway through the drive, the engine light started to blink and the oil needed to be changed. We stopped by a gaz station as 15 Harley Davidson bikers turned off their engine and looked at us. One of them walked to me as I was looking at the oil level and offered to help, THANK GOD. I must admit I had no idea what I was doing, but NOW I DO :)
We parked our car at Barbara’s house, where she gave us a big and warm welcome hug. Doyle and his dog Lucy did the same!
They gave us a tour of their home full of History delightfully told by Barb.
Then, we hoped in their car towards the Oakland Plantation, driving by the river and the beautiful houses as well as the endless cotton fields. Once out the car, we got hit by the heat! Impressive and humid.
We walked around the property, listening to the History, imagining how life was back then, walking in the former slaves’ houses, the stables, the pigeon house. Barb knows also a lot about the flora, so the tour was really full of information.
We then drove to Melrose Plantation, a very luxurious property that has been reconstructed to facilitate the visits. There we stood under the shadow of the oldest oak tree and Barb told us about the strange love story from which originated this property, as well as the writers and artists inspired to be staying there.
We visited the house of Clementine, the first black school, the first Creole church, and the fields of cotton and soy.
After that, they drove us back to their home to enjoy a nice glass of homemade iced tea before we checked in our hotel.
For diner, we went to Mama’s Oysters. a joyful place with live music and fried specialties. We walked by the charming riverside, under the shimmering lights, before heading back to bed.
Day 7: Baton Rouge
After a late breakfast, time to hit the road again and cross another state boarder: welcome to Louisiana!
We checked in the AirBnb and enjoyed the pool for a couple of hours before going to our activity of the day, a swamp tour!
After some difficulties to find Al and his boat (as the GPS brought us to a dead end), we finally parked next to his big SUV and embarked with him for 2hours of exploration.
He had so much knowledge of this area and made the tour very fun and insightful. We picked up some crawfish, saw a lot of turtles and jumping fishes, frogs, spides and alligators, of course!
He recommended a restaurant for our diner, where we drove to, called Parrains, where we enjoyed delicious seafood. We tried fried oysters for the first time, fried fish and pasta with seafood and calamari.
Day 8 and 9: New Orleans
After a little drive, it’s time to check in at the Old Town Inn. The surprise is huge: this is the same place I stayed at 6 years ago!
Once ready, it’s time to explore NOLA and we start by the French Quarter. This town is mesmerising and has this old soul that I love. All the details and the colours are very special and make it seem like an awaken dream.
We simply strolled around, visiting some shops, and enjoying the atmosphere, before having our diner at Coop’s Place, in front of the French Market. We tried Gumbo and a chicken Po’ Boy as well as some bloody Mary’s.
Time to be a Nola tourist 1.1 and to hit Bourbon Street. I must say, this was not out plan, we were supposed to go to listen to some live music somewhere else, but changed our minds and found ourselves standing on a balcony with some cocktails and loud music. From there, we went bar hoping and just enjoyed where the ride was taking us, having a blast at each random place.
The next day it was time to be spooked!
Indeed, we started our day by visiting Miss Bloody Mary’s museum and ended up touring through a dark and haunted apartment.
After that we met with Haunted History Tour and explored New Orleans by following a guide telling us ghost and vampire stories. It was quite intriguing and fun to walk at night through the city, and brought a completely new perspective to it! The guides were fun, skilled and very entertaining.
