Alabama is known as the Heart of Dixie because Montgomery was the Confederate capital and its first president, Jefferson Davis, also resided here. The state is the 29th largest in the United States.
According to ask4beauty, Alabama is bordered by Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. In the south there is a tiny stretch of coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The landscape is characterized by mountains, a lake area in the north, caves and forests. Large areas are still used for cotton cultivation today. Numerous historical sites and residential buildings (antebellum homes) are reminiscent of the times before the American Civil War. The recent history of the state is known for racial discrimination and the civil rights movement against it. The largest cities are Birmingham (over 210,000 residents), Montgomery (over 200,000 residents) and Mobile (over 190,000 residents).
Main sights
- US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville
Past, present and future of space travel; Demonstrations, interactive exhibitions, films.
- Bellingrath Gardens & Home, Theodore
26 hectares of flowers, lakes and wild animals, antiques, china.
- Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
Booker T. Washington founded the institute, George Washington Carver carried out famous experiments here.
- USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile
Battleship, submarine bottom USS Drum, aircraft and weapons.
- US Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker
Rare and historic aircraft, one of the largest collections of helicopters on earth.
- Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery
With inscriptions of 40 people who died between 1954 and 1968.
- Riverchase Galleria Mall, Birmingham
Numerous specialty shops under one glass roof.
- Talladega Superspeedway
Car racing, hall of fame.
SOUTHERN STATES – A DRIFTED PAST AND DARING DIVERSITY
In the southern states of the USA, a mixture of stately homes, as we know them from “Gone with the Wind” and plantation misery à la “Uncle Tom’s Hut”, meets paddle steamers and Dixieland music.
When you think of the southern United States, Georgia and Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama may come to mind first. These are the states that certainly serve the traditional stereotypes of the South best. A mixture of manor houses, as we know them from “Gone with the Wind” and plantation misery à la “Uncle Tom’s Hut” meets paddle steamer and Dixieland music.
But the south of the USA is so much more than “just” a copy of the past. An impressive number of 13 states are grouped under this heading – and what kind of states it includes! Proud, self-confident Texas is one of them, as is music-loving Tennessee. A real surprise for one or the other might be the fact that Florida toobelongs to the southern states. Admittedly, the geographical location suggests that, but the cosmopolitan, international atmosphere of this holiday destination is not really “typically southern”. But what the heck, the south of the USA is also a large, highly interesting region that thrives on its contradictions. Here the traveler encounters the most modern space technology and deepest superstitions at the same time. Almost 100 million people live in the vast region. What unites them? Among other things, their story. In all southern states, the keeping of slaves was officially allowed until 1865. In addition to the states already mentioned, these also include Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. In the USA itself, the entire region is simply called “Dixieland”.
Charismatic cities
A trip to the southeastern United States will always be a city trip. No wonder, because who would want to leave New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville on the left? New Orleans is of course a must for all friends of jazz, which has its cradle here. But architecture fans will also get their money’s worth in the “French Quarter”. To this day, there are impressive ensembles of buildings from both the French and Spanish colonization. Anyone who is lucky enough to experience the Carnival with “Mardi Gras”, literally translated as “Fat Tuesday”, will take unforgettable impressions home with them.
Memphis has its roots in other styles of music. This is where the blues and rock’n roll were born and this is where the “King of Rock’n Roll” lived (and died). There should definitely be time to visit Graceland, Elvis Presley’s estate.
Nashville also lives from music. Country music is the trump card here, and careers as important as Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash began here. Even those who don’t like to dance should go out in Nashville at night. The atmosphere in the country clubs, where night is turned into day, is simply incomparable.
Greetings from Walt Disney
In addition to the “usual suspects” when it comes to city trips, there are also a few other candidates in the southeast who definitely deserve a visit. The inner cities of Charleston and Savannah seem like a trip into the – ambivalent – past. Here you can experience pure southern romanticism and impressively understand the wealth and lifestyle of the deep south. If Scarlett O’Hara from “Gone with the Wind” comes around the corner, it is in one of these two cities. Of course, that shouldn’t make you forget that it was slaves who struggled on the cotton plantations for this prosperity.
No listing of cities in the southeastern United States would be complete without mentioning Miami and Orlando, Florida. Miami not only inspires with its sophisticated lifestyle, but also with its endlessly long beaches. But the real tourist capital is Orlando. With around 55 million visitors a year, it is number one not only in the south, but in the whole of the USA. This is mainly due to the large amusement and theme parks that are located here. They attract people of all ages and from all over the world. The biggest draft horses are of course the parks of Walt Disney.
See you later alligator!
Those who need fresh air and pure nature after so much urbanity are also in good hands in the southeastern USA. Let’s stay in Florida, for example. With the Everglades, this state has a unique wetland area, which today is largely a national park and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. However, you shouldn’t go on a discovery tour alone there. The Everglades are populated by bears and pumas, alligators and crocodiles. The safest way to get to the heart of the swamps is to take a guided tour on a propeller boat.
