This Is My South: A Review of the Essential Travel Guide to the Southern USA

 

I was provided a copy of This Is My South in exchange for this book review. As always, all opinions and recommendations are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

When you travel somewhere new, you seek guidance, right? Or maybe you are traveling somewhere familiar but are seeking to uncover new finds. If you are traveling to the southern United States and fit into either of these scenarios, This Is My South is the guidebook to check out!

I’ve never done a travel book review largely due to the fact that I don’t feel I have enough in-depth knowledge of most locations to truly weigh in. However, since I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in the South, I felt this circumstance was a different story hence this review.

This Is My South

Photo courtesy of Caroline Eubanks

A sense of place. When choosing a travel guidebook, this is what the reader wants to feel the author conveys. After all, isn’t this why you are using a guidebook? You are counting on the author to know the place or places to which they are offering guidance.

This is exactly what Caroline Eubanks does in her new book, This Is My South: The Essential Travel Guide to the Southern States. She conveys a sense of place, Southern style. For ten Southern United States, she provides in-depth knowledge for first-timers and natives alike.

Looking for all the national parks in the South? Check. Classic restaurants across the South? Yep. What if you’re looking for unique events and things to do off-the-beaten-path? Got ’em (thought I’d go ahead and start introducing you non-Southerners to Southern terminology 😉). What about landmarks you should see or unique places to stay? She’s got you covered. Caroline even includes the best scenic drives and can’t-miss day trips as well as Southern playlists, reading lists and watch lists!

About the Author

Caroline Eubanks is a travel blogger and freelance writer from Atlanta, Georgia. Having also lived in Charleston, South Carolina, she is a true GRITS member. For those of you who don’t know, GRITS isn’t just a classic, Southern breakfast food. It also stands for Girls Raised In The South.

Caroline has a true passion and love for all things Southern. She has put all her knowledge into one powerful travel guide to give you her same experiences which hopefully lead you to love all things Southern too! Among Caroline’s favorite Southern loves: glass bottle Coca-Colas, chicken and waffles, local craft beer and gathering with family and friends.

You can read more from Caroline on her blogs This Is My South and Caroline In The City.

Navigation

The book is well-organized into a Welcome to the South introductory section followed by the ten Southern states listed in alphabetical order.

In Welcome to the South, Caroline gives an overview of things like best small towns, classic restaurants, scenic drives, most unique events, and national parks across the South. This is also where she gives you comprehensive lists of all things to read, watch and play for a true Southern experience!

This is followed by each of the ten Southern States (defined for the purposes of the book as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) in alphabetical order. Each state is then divided into regions and each region includes the following sections of information: Can’t-Miss Landmarks, Off The Beaten Path, Tours for Every Interest, and Five Unique Sleeps.

My Favorites

From a first-time visitor’s point of view: I thoroughly appreciated details such as which airports you’ll likely be flying into and their major airlines, the fact that the South encompasses two time zones, the best times to visit as well a warning about the Southern humidity (spoiler: it isn’t for the faint of heart).

From a native’s point of view: I personally enjoyed the Tours For Every Interest and Five Unique Sleeps sections. Discovering cool tours I might not have known about otherwise was extremely interesting and my bucket list grew because of them.  And, who doesn’t love to stay in unique accommodations? Those always make for the most memorable of experiences. For my home state of Alabama, I have to throw in the Off The Beaten Path section. I found things I didn’t think would possibly make the list as well as things I, myself, didn’t know existed!

Also, if you are foodie, Caroline didn’t leave you out. She covers classic restaurants across the South, many food tours as well as a list of 15 Things to Taste for each state!

My Tips

1 | Don’t read straight through the book as you would a story or memoir. Instead, use it as your personal trip planner applying its useful tips and specific insights.

2 | Perfect for any trip to the South whether that be to one city or all ten States, it’s especially fantastic for road trips to and through the South. Why not see how many places in the book you can hit during your trip?

3 | Relax! The planning is taken care of. All you have to do is set the playlist, load the watch and read lists and work or eat your way through the site lists!

Getting Your Copy

This Is My South is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle forms. The book can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million as well as independent bookstores.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Eubanks

PIN IT!

After reading This Is My South, I now have several new items on my bucket list including the exploration of many places in my own home state I wasn’t aware of!

Who’s ready to “get their South on”? Y’all get your copy of This Is My South and c’mon on down!

‘Til next time…

Trimm Travels,

Heather