These are the best places to travel this summer

Southern USA

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

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Exterior of 19th century plantation house at Oak Alley Plantation.

Overview

The South falls from the granite, forested fists of Kentucky and Tennessee into craggy hill country and thick woods. This rugged landscape slowly changes as the waters of its rivers – including North America's greatest, the Mississippi – saturate the land into boggy, black-water blankets and sun-seared marsh, all thinning into the salty membrane of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Linn Cove Viaduct along Blue Ridge Parkway.

    Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    Southern USA

    The story of the Smoky Mountains began in primordial times when clashing supersized continents created a chain of mountains that are today among the…

  • City Park, New Orleans

    City Park

    New Orleans

    Live oaks, Spanish moss and lazy bayous frame this masterpiece of urban planning. Three miles long and 1 mile wide, dotted with gardens, waterways and…

  • Close-up detail of lichen encrusted stone flower found on tomb at Bonaventue Cemetery near Savannah, Georgia, USA.

    Bonaventure Cemetery

    Savannah

    Less than a 10-minute drive east of Savannah’s Historic District you’ll find one of the most peaceful, quiet, green escapes tucked away next to the…

  • Lover's Leap Waterfall, Lookout Mountain, Georgia, America

    Lookout Mountain

    Chattanooga

    Just ten minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, rising along the upper rim of the city, Lookout Mountain is rich in both Civil War history and…

  • The Henry Whitehead Cabin, at Cade's Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

    Cades Cove

    Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    In Appalachian parlance, a cove means a valley, but Cades Cove is far more than that. One of the most popular destinations in the Tennessee section of…

  • Photo Taken In Italy, Roma

    Songbirds

    Chattanooga

    Myriad songbirds of the avian variety call Tennessee home, but Chattanooga's newly revamped Songbirds – an innovative interactive learning space devoted…

  • Forsyth Park fountain in Savannah.

    Forsyth Park

    Savannah

    The 33-acre Forsyth Park, Savannah’s largest, was named after Georgia’s 33rd governor John Forsyth and is home to the most famous fountain in the city…

  • The Silence monument watches over 750 confederate graves in the Laurel Grove North Cemetery.

    Laurel Grove Cemetery

    Savannah

    In a city filled with cemeteries, Laurel Grove is among the most picturesque. The Victorian-era gravesites hint at the city’s history and the lovely…

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