Growing up in Baton Rouge, we considered anything north of the latitude of Alexandria, LA to be "Yankee Country". My personal definition would be any state that abuts the Gulf of Mexico (including Florida) + Georgia. Anything north of that is not the "Deep" South. And how Florida is excluded from the definition escapes me.

One area that epitomizes the Deep South to me and has escaped mention is coastal Alabama. Beyond the Redneck Riviera of Gulf Shores, there is the grand old city of Mobile and an array of small boutique communities surrounding Mobile Bay. The Grand Hotel in Point Clear (now part of Marriott) dates back to 1847.

Thank you folks once again. Wife is more inclined to do the coastal trip outlined above.

Which “coastal trip” - the one mentioned in post 6 or 7 or 16?

Post 6 and 7.

If your wife likes to cook, consider a trip to the Viking Cooking School in Mississippi. wakesetter93 did a good review of it recently in Trip Reports

For New Orleans, there is a whole FT thread of restaurant suggestions here. But I would do the traditional things like beignets at Cafe Du Monde, lunch at Commander's Palace, fried chicken at Dooky Chase or Willa Mae's. Brunch at Court of Two Sisters.

In the Destin/Ft Walton area, great seafood at Harbor Docks https://www.harbordocks.com/, great views and food at Back Porch, theBackPorch

If you go to Atlanta, I am a fan of the Wrecking Bar Brew Pub, https://www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com/ . Ponce City Market, in an old Sears and Robuck building. Top floor has great views and their is a walking path, a la the NYC highline you can stroll.

Charleston has a ton of great restaurants. We had a great brunch at Prohibition last year and dinner at Poogan's Porch. While it is a chain, Another Broken Egg has amazing breakfasts. Pearlz Oyster bar has some great seafood. And there are famous restaurants, albeit pricey, like Husk (right next to Poogan's Porch). And there is a Husk in Nashville and Savannah.

so here I am asking: what are the best dinning spots in Alabama? 😊

My road trips that included small-town BBQ in central Alabama are, sadly, farther in the past than I started saving this sort of info on my Google calendar. But I can recommend Biscuit King in Fairhope, on a rural road about 15 miles south of I-10 and just east of Mobile. If you're doing that coastal road trip and will be traveling between Pensacola and Mobile, definitely hit it!

Kool Korner Grocery for cuban sandwiches in Vestavia Hills.

Fish River Grill in Foley.

Cahaba House in Montgomery.

Tally Ho in Selma.

Woodside at Gulf State Park

A non-food place to check out for a few hours in Charles Phillips in Tillman's Corner: https://www.charlesphillipsantiques.com/

If you need recommendations for dining/lodging from Panama City to New Orleans, let me know.

Keep in mind that the Florida panhandle is integral part of the Deep South. Florida is the one state where the further north you drive, the deeper in the south you are.

I don’t think I could combine my favorites into a single road trip. I have lived in the south for most of my adult life; Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama & the Florida Panhandle. I prefer towns and smaller cities.

In my mind, the prettiest town in Alabama is Eufaula. There are antebellum homes there that are well preserved and open occasionally to the public. I think Guntersville is a pretty neat place too. But I don’t like much else and neither of those towns is anywhere near the other. Huntsville has a lot to offer a visitor, but it feels less southern to me than the rest of the state.

In the panhandle, Appalachicola is a treat. I’m partial to Pensacola. A little rough around the edges but a genuine after hours scene downtown and some great dining options. Start there and drive to New Orleans. Stop off in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

In North Carolina, my favorites are Asheville and Wilmington. They are a long way from each other.

In South Carolina, the upstate has come a long way from when I lived there in the 80’s. But I wouldn’t bother. Charleston is the only part of the state I would visit on a tour of the Deep South.

Nashville, yeah. Franklin, maybe. Knoxville, definitely. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge? Don’t make me laugh.

And time of year? If you can’t do it in the Spring, then try a couple weeks before Christmas. Dogwoods, redbuds, azaleas, tulips - all over the place in March and April. It rivals Fall in New England where I grew up. The South does Christmas big. They like to combine it with history and family. It’s still a real feel-good time of year. Avoid summer unless you’re beaching it. You’ve never experienced a combination of heat and humidity like Columbia in July. It’s like driving through a bowl of hot soup.

Have fun. Most of my driving these days is point to point to visit family. It can be such a pleasure to just ramble. You might discover that perfect barbecue joint before everyone else. If you you can get past the dogs sleeping on the front steps.

in 2019 myself and my wife done a Road Trio that started and finished in Miami

Out route was Miami - Daytona Beach - Savannah - Myrtle Beach - Gatlinburg - Nashville - New Orleans - Orlando - Miami

Was a fair bit of driving involved but we love that and got to see plenty

You have lots of good ideas, info, and potential itineraries in this thread. Having spent many years in the South/Southeast, and having done tons of roadtrips (it sounds like you have as well), the one thing I'll add is that I'd limit it to 3 places (maybe 4) over the course of 10 days. Not a lot of time, and if you try to see more than that then you will end up spending most of your time in the car and not actually experiencing the destinations. Some sites, especially battlefields, can be done very quickly, but I would certainly recommend at least two days in any city and town listed above. Especially true in the coastal cities, which have so much history, such as Charleston, Savanah, etc.

Nashville/New Orleans loop
 

Might I join this thread for some advice please?

We are looking at a trip next April, perhaps flying into either Nashville and driving south to New Orleans via Memphis and back another route; or stating in New Orleans and doing the same thing starting in the south.

We are interested in hearing some live music, and perhaps seeing some historic buildings and sights that would educate us a bit about the South and the civil war (we are from the UK). Big tourist crowds, halls of fame etc are of less interest. A loop trip is probably needed because we like to rent electric vehicles and these currently can’t be done one-way.

A very helpful contributor in another FT forum suggested this route via Memphis going South and the Mississippi Delta on the way back, which we think looks interesting: https://goo.gl/maps/WiUqu8dY9FUFJP9S6

Any thoughts from those of you who know the area? In particular, how long should we allocate for such a trip? We were thinking about 10 days, which would give us 2-3 days in each of New Orleans and Nashville and a couple of days each way for the journey/stops in between (driving about 4-5 hours a day). Does that sound do-able?

Any thoughts welcome - thanks