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Boogie your way through the South
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I travel to the beat of a different drum - literally. A trip on a plane, train or automobile isn’t quite the same without some sort of musical accompaniment, and I can be very picky when I select the music that will become my traveling soundtrack. I firmly believe you have to take care to match the music with the trip. Otherwise you will regret that your tour of the Tyrolean Alps is forever linked with Journey’s “Open Arms”. (Just trust me on this one.)
It’s always easy for me to put together a soundtrack for my travels round the South, however. I just let the destination do the work for me. The South is home to many complex and different types of music that have shaped the lives of the people here. Our landscapes and cityscapes drip with musical mystique, so why not explore the settings that inspired the music on your next road trip?
You don’t have to be a fan. Just sit back, relax and take it all in…
Bring your accordion to LaFayette, La., where Cajun music and Zydeco reign supreme. Head to Vermilionville heritage and folk life park to hear a sample of both types of music.
Check out New Orleans’ many jazz clubs, or stop by Louis Armstrong Park, site of the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, where musicians gather to play traditional jazz. If you feel like kicking up your heels, put on your dancing shoes and head out for some Cajun dancing.
Take a tour through Mississippi’s Blues country, with stops in Greenwood (resting place for bluesman Robert Johnson) and Clarksdale (Delta Blues Museum). Don’t forget to stop at the crossroads of highways 61 and 49, where Robert Johnson was said to have sold his soul to become a great performer. Mississippi is also where you’ll find Elvis Presley’s birthplace, museum and chapel in Tupelo.
Just north of the Mississippi line in Memphis, you’ll find many places to whet your whistle for the Blues (Beale Street), early Rock-n-roll (Sun Studio) and of course, The King (Elvis’ Graceland).
Rockabilly fans will enjoy the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tenn. between Memphis and Nashville.
Country music fans can boot-scootin’ boogie to Nashville to soak up the sights and sounds of the Grand Ole Opry, the Wildhorse Saloon and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Or take in some good ol’ Bluegrass music in Kentucky and mountain music in the northeastern parts of Tennessee.
Or put on some light-hearted, good-time music and drive to South Carolina’s coastal towns like Myrtle Beach to see and hear where beach music and Shag dancing became popular.
Have you ever let the music be your travel guide? Would you consider any of these treks for upcoming travels? Do you prefer to check out the museums at these kinds of places or would you rather spend your time experiencing live music in the cities you visit? What are your favorite music clubs in these cities? Do you know of other music hot spots in the South?
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Georgia Music on My Mind
Travel to the state's musical hot spots
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the weekend, many Georgians had the chance to rock out to the sounds of homegrown musical superstars R.E.M. at Lakewood Amphitheatre. If you’re my age - and especially if you grew up around here - you know how influential R.E.M. was in creating a music industry in Athens, Ga. For the past quarter century, that college town northeast of Atlanta has been a destination for many bands and music aficionados alike.
I enjoy just about every kind of music, and I admit that Athens’ music scene was a big draw for me when I enrolled at the University of Georgia. When I was still in high school, I would drive up to the Uptown Lounge in Athens to hear bands like Dreams So Real (it was 1989). I didn’t get into the famous 40 Watt until I was officially a student - and actually old enough to be in the clubs (18).
For music fans, Athens is definitely a must see; but it’s by no means the only place to go in this great state to get a taste of the South’s rich musical heritage. This week, we will look at Georgia’s many musical destinations. Next week, we’ll expand our scope and check out the different places you can go in our region to explore music from bluegrass to rock-n-roll and country to zydeco.
If I was putting together a musical tour of Georgia, these are some of the places in addition to Athens that would make the list…
Head to Albany to check out Ray Charles’ birthplace and enjoy the $2.25 million park and revolving bronze statue showing the singer at his piano built in honor the man who keeps Georgia on our Minds.
Walk the streets where the Godfather of Soul James Brown spent his youth shining shoes and dancing in Augusta. Then head to the Augusta Museum of History to check out its exhibit of Mr. “I Feel Good”. The city is still working on plans to build a museum to honor the entertainer, who died in December 2006.
Stay in town to explore Atlanta’s internationally-famous hip hop scene at one of the dozens of hip hop clubs around town.
Round out your musical tour in Macon at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Years ago, we discovered that my husband’s great uncle is a hall of fame inductee. Since then, we have stopped in to visit the museum many times. The exhibits are well done, and we all enjoy learning more about the broad spectrum of artists that call - or once called - Georgia their home. Southern Rock fans will also find Macon’s Rose Hill Cemetery and 2321 Vineville Avenue interesting stops. The cemetery is where you can find the gravesites of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley of the Allman Brothers Band overlooking, and members of the band lived, played and wrote many of their famous songs in the Big House on Vineville.
Would any of these places make your list of stops on a musical tour of Georgia? What do you like about them? Where else would go to celebrate the diversity of Georgia’s musical heritage?
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Exploring the first southern culture
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, we began to look at historical destinations in the South. Many of you wrote in with excellent ways to explore our area’s culture by touring the battlefields that dot our landscape. As time goes on, we will examine specific spots you mentioned more in depth.
Over the weekend, however, we had a quick peek into a time that predates perhaps our region’s most culturally-defining events. We took the kids on a typical drive through north Georgia. (I must say, our kids absolutely love this. They NEVER sigh, look bored or mutter in the backseats.)
We headed toward Carter’s Lake in Gilmer County, where we pulled off to walk around the lake, the reregulation pond and look at the hydroelectric dam. This may come as a shock…but our kids were not very interested in how electricity is produced.
After an ice cream stop at the Chatsworth Sonic, the Still kids were in a better frame of mind to appreciate our nearby historical destination - the Chief Vann House State Historic Site. The house is an impressive brick mansion that was home to James Vann, a Cherokee Indian chief in the early 19th century. Most Cherokee did not dwell in mansions, own large plantations or have dozens of slaves like the Vann family; but a tour of the home site creates an interesting picture of life in the Cherokee Nation area at the time. Typical Cherokee dwellings (small log cabins) are also on display there.
Our whole family enjoyed exploring every corner of the house, the grounds and the visitors’ center. Even better, the bored looks from earlier in the day were replaced by excitement and questions from our kids on the trip home. We discussed the Cherokee as a nation separate from the United States; the Georgia land lotteries that displaced many Cherokee families; the Trail of Tears; and yes, what life must have been like to live in a house (or tiny cabin) where everyone didn’t have their own bathroom.
While Native American culture may not be synonymous with southern culture, there are plenty of reminders of the tribes that have dwelled here - from the Woodland and Moundbuilders to the Cherokee and the Creek.
Tell us of your experiences with Native American culture in the south - whether it’s a festival, a heritage center, a burial ground or a structure like the Vann House. And also, feel free to add more southern must-sees to the historical culture collection we began last week.
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Girlfriends on the go
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Can “Sex and the City: The Movie” do for girlfriend vacations what it did for cosmopolitans? Manhattan’s favorite fictitious gal pals hit a Mexican resort looking swell in bright, cheerful dresses, windswept hats and earrings like Alexander Calder mobiles.
They get their drink on, they soak up the sun — the only thing that’s missing, for obvious reasons, is the vacation fling with a handsome traveler.
The movie paints a great portrait of female friends on vacation, with little of the bickering, check-splitting folly or other problems that often plague friends living in tight quarters.
The Travel Channel offers Ajc.com readers a new vacation page, Girlfriends Getaways. We want to hear your “girlfriend getaway” stories. Do you vacation with your closest friends? Does it create wonderful memories or homicidal thoughts?
Photo: New Line Cinema.
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Where do you go for a taste of our region’s history?
Tell us your favorite historical places to visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just the other day, my husband and I decided that our next planned trip should include a little culture for the kids. They are now at ages where they will actually remember their travels and retain some of the knowledge they soak up while on a trip.
With relatives living in Vienna and good friends in Paris, a European tour - chockablock with famous museums, baroque opera houses, and rich historical, literary and architectural enticements — naturally came to mind. However, I would prefer a better dollar-to-euro exchange rate before we embark on such an expensive excursion.
That doesn’t mean we have to shelve a horizon-broadening trip altogether. I realize that culture, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. The South’s culture may not be as old as Europe’s or as exotic as Asia’s. But, it has modern international cities and many small-town reminders of a way of life long-ago (and not so long-ago) passed. A good understanding of our region’s history and where we’re heading could strengthen the cultural foundation for us all.
The good thing about starting a cultural tour in your own backyard is that you can break it up into many little trips. The temptation to squeeze every bit of enlightenment out of Europe could be very expensive, very exhausting or very much of both.
Over the next few weeks, I will be asking for your thoughts on some of the South’s best cultural destinations. One week, we will delve into literary haunts of the South. We may also spend a couple of weeks looking at the region’s many different centers for arts and music.
This week, however, let’s begin with our region’s historical culture. Tell us your favorite historical sites and why you like them. They can be anything from civil rights landmarks or Civil War battlefields to working villages that give us a glimpse into our region’s past like Westville (in southwest Ga.), the Agrirama in Tifton or Colonial Williamsburg, Va. Or even a museum honoring the man whose invention forever changed the South and its culture — Dr. John Gorrie, creator of the first air conditioner.
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I think this topic is awesome! Music is a huge part of experiencing the culture of the places we travel to. Listening to fitting music when when visit places can make the experience that much better! travel chat: [Travel Chat(http://www.userplane.com/directory)... read the full comment by VagabondFrank | Comment on Boogie your way through the South Read Boogie your way through the South
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