re: I'm going to travel South this summer.

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If you are interested in cool Civil War sites, you should visit Shiloh.

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And Vicksburg. Be prepared to spend an entire day at both.

Don’t eat Mexican food north of the Red River or east of the Mississippi.

If you eat BBQ outside of Texas just skip the brisket.

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Civil Rights Movement

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Pack an extra suitcase for the additional white-guilt baggage you will bring back. Also wear a bullet-proof vest when visiting anything in Montgomery.

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Wait til winter man. It'll be way to hot down here in the summer time.

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I never have the time in winter. I only get 2 weeks off then.

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I also love old Blues and Country Music.

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Are you coming from Ohio? You can stop at Beale Street on the way down. They also have recording studio tours in Memphis. Nashville is for bachelorette parties now.

If you're in to country music, gotta see the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville TN. That's the Mecca of country music.

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I want to visit places of interest to the Civil Rights Movement and the Civil War. I also love old Blues and Country Music.

Another thing on my bucket trip is to visit Tuscaloosa to check out everything football-related.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

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DM if you're in Birmingham. I work at a historic office on the civil rights trail here. The site of sit ins, etc. Happy to point you in the right direction.

Pretty cool

Chickamauga, Shiloh, and Vicksburg are must see battlefields. They have all been preserved well. Go in to the museums as well as tour the battlefields. Vicksburg takes a full day. Be sure and see the iron clad they raised from the river, and go ahead ahd see the lines outside the park. You can go across the river and see the failed canal that Grant tried to construct to bypass Vicksburg. Schedule another day to go to Grand Gulf and Natchez. In Natchez there is also an Indian Mound park. If you like that part of history, also go to Moundville just south of Tuscaloosa when you are there. It is the second largest mound complex in the country behind Cahokia. Drive from Natchez to Jackson or vice versa on the trace. Or just take it from Nashville to Natchez and think that it used to be taken by foot. There are also a number of mound sites along the route. Chattanooga is a fun town and you can go to the top of the mountain to see the site of the battle fought in the clouds. I would also suggest Franklin, south of Nashville. While much of it is been turned into neighborhoods, strip malls or fast food joints, the cemetery and house that served as a field hospital are still there. Reading ‘Widow of the South’ beforehand will make it more impactful. Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines on either side of Mobile Bay are also good sites. Just up the road is Fort Blakely, the site of the last combined force battle of the civil war, fought the same day Lee surrendered at Appomatox. Nearby is Fort Mime, where a massacre took place during the Creek War. And on the causeway you can tour the USS Alabama and Drum from WWIi. Climbing through the submarine is terrifying if you think about living underwater for that long in such cramped conditions.

For civil rights it is Montgomery and Selma. I would go during the day.

There is no way to do it all in a week. If I had to pick and choose, Montgomery and Selma would be on the bottom of the list. But I just say that because I have seen everything on the list above.

You should visit Little Rock Central high school. Wear blue to fit in.