Deep South
The ultimate drive through the
Three great cities perfectly encapsulate the vibrant culture of the American South – and you can see them all in one incredible road trip. By Jacqui Agate
Whether you’re a food lover, a history buff, a music fan or all of the above, the American South offers endless potential for the cultural traveller and is best enjoyed when you explore it by car, giving you the freedom to explore at your own pace and see places not easily reached by other means. One road trip route in particular takes you to three of the American South’s finest cities – striking out from Atlanta, Georgia, shooting north to sweet-sounding Nashville, Tennessee, then swooping south to soulful New Orleans. You’ll eat at down-home roadside joints plating up classic Southern dishes and swish new restaurants offering twists on tradition. You’ll trace roads lined with oaks draped in Spanish moss and hike the Appalachian mountains. You’ll visit museums that explore America’s most pivotal historic moments and sway to the sounds of jazz in the city where jazz was born. By anchoring your journey in three of the South’s largest cities, you’re setting yourself up for a smooth trip. It’s made even better by the fact that British Airways offers multiple weekly flights from London Heathrow to Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans.
Experience Nashville's famous hot chicken at Hattie B’s (top), while Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga (right) is a must-visit for keen hikers and impressive views of the local scenery
What’s more, with British Airways Holidays you can book your flights, hotel and car hire all in one Atol-protected package. The exclusive car-hire partnership with Avis means you have a choice of vehicle types, as well as multiple pick-up and drop-off locations, with all mandatory charges included. And with roadside assistance and 24-hour customer support, you can explore with complete peace of mind.
From colourful festivals to music venues, and from cool neighbourhoods to historic attractions, we reveal the best ways to enjoy this Southern road trip and make the most of what these three iconic cities have to offer.
Start exploring
Click on the signs to jump to a city
ATLANTA
NASHVILLE
NEW ORLEANS
Atlanta
Prime yourself for your Southern adventure in Atlanta, whose rich history and creative clout make it one of the region’s most exciting city breaks. You should set aside at least three days to explore, taking in poignant Civil Rights sites and colourful family attractions, and wandering neighbourhoods that burst with live music venues, artisanal coffee shops and contemporary Southern restaurants.
Make your base in Midtown, where luxurious boltholes include Atlanta Marriott Suites and Loews Atlanta, or where the boutique Stonehurst Place Bed and Breakfast offers a dose of Southern charm.
9 hours
Approx. flight time from LHR to Atlanta
An abundance of attractions
First, beeline for Centennial Olympic Park, a beloved public space born of the 1996 Summer Olympics. It’s a hub for some of Atlanta’s premier attractions, including the World of Coca Cola, a cheerful shrine to the fizzy drink. Interactive exhibits take a deep dive into the history of the famous beverage, while there’s a chance to sip Cola samples from around the globe.
The Park also contains the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, an important site whose emotive exhibits chronicle the US Civil Rights movement and explore modern fights for justice and equality. Displays and artefacts also champion the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the legendary pastor and Civil Rights leader who was born in the city. King’s birth home – a modest Queen Anne-style house in the city’s Sweet Auburn neighbourhood – is protected by the National Park Service and typically open for guided tours (it’s temporarily closed for renovations).
Atlanta’s tangle of distinct neighbourhoods ensures a city break here is full of surprises. Linger in Sweet Auburn and feast on soul food at the historic Municipal Market; wander leafy Buckhead, where the Atlanta History Center is knitted into a district of elegant mansions; or seek out Midtown’s cutting-edge art and design museums. The High Museum of Art is one of the finest in the South, with a collection including everything from early West African ceramics to avant-garde contemporary sculptures.
And though there are urban delights aplenty, the great outdoors calls too. Stop by the Atlanta Bicycle Barn to rent two wheels, then set out on the 22-mile Atlanta Beltline, which links up the city’s neighbourhoods, crisscrossing through public parks and tree-lined trails.
As evening falls, the city comes to life. Check the concert schedule at Tabernacle, a church turned music venue hosting everything from pop, rock and hip-hop to stand-up, or catch a rock gig or acoustic set at Aisle 5, in the bohemian Little 5 Points neighbourhood (hip-hop lovers should be sure to stop by the Trap Music Museum, whose colourful displays explore the genre’s culture and legacy.)
Dr Martin Luther King Jr was born in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighbourhood where his modest birth home still stands
The fight for equality is chronicled at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights with fascinating displays and artifacts open to the public
Centennial Olympic Park – which hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics – is a popular attraction
Movie magic
in Atlanta
Atlanta is fast making a name for itself as the “Hollywood of the South”, with a plethora of cult TV shows and blockbuster hits having been filmed in the city.
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Enter the world of The Hunger Games at the Atlanta History Center’s Swan House. The 1928 abode was used as President Snow’s mansion in multiple movies during the dystopian franchise.
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Follow in the footsteps of a superhero at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis – its enormous atrium was used for scenes in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
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Atlanta is a must-visit for fans of Netflix’s 1980s sci-fi hit Stranger Things. Filming locations include the Bradley’s Big Buy Grocery Store (in nearby Palmetto) and a Brutalist Emory University building that served as Hawkins National Laboratory.
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Plenty of movies have had scenes shot at Atlanta’s sprawling aquarium, including Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and rom-com What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
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Atlanta’s Jackson Bridge is a favourite photo stop – not least because it featured early on in popular horror series The Walking Dead.
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Delve into the history of one of the world's most famous beverages at the World of Coca Cola (left) before heading over to Midtown Atlanta to visit The High Museum of Art. Afterwards, head to Chattanooga (below), just a couple of hours drive from Atlanta
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Chattanooga
Break up the 250-mile (four hour) drive from Atlanta to Nashville with an overnight stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’ll take you just a few hours to reach the small city, which is stitched into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, just across the Georgia/Tennessee border. It’s a springboard for adventures in the peaks – soaring Lookout Mountain is a favoured place for waterfall-studded hikes and sweeping Downtown views – while a guided tour of the Chattanooga Whiskey distillery will warm the cockles back in town. The Hunter Museum of American Art also houses an impressive collection and grants photo-worthy vistas over the Tennessee River.
250 miles
From Atlanta to Nashville
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Nashville is known as "Music City" for good reason. The city’s contributions to country music are unmatched, with famed country radio show The Grand Ole Opry celebrating its centennial this year, and snug live venues like The Bluebird Café launching the careers of megastars such as Taylor Swift. Sites such as the Country Music Hall of Fame (filled with manuscripts and stagewear belonging to country music’s finest) and the Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Ole Opry) offer the chance to listen in to this heritage.
NASHVILLE
But the city’s musical influence goes way beyond country. You could lose hours in the National Museum of African American Music, tracing the roots of everything from the blues to hip-hop to gospel. The city’s Fisk Jubilee Singers – a historic African-American vocal ensemble dedicated to preserving the African spiritual – perform around the city, while indie acts sell out gig venues like the Basement East in hip East Nashville. In the mural-covered Gulch neighbourhood, the unassuming Station Inn is the go-to spot for bluegrass jams, while songwriters play their original material to captive audiences at intimate venues like The Listening Room Café.
Stop for a photo op at indie music venue Basement East (left) and immerse yourself in the history of blues, hip-hop and gospel at the National Museum of African American Music
Southern comforts
Beyond the music, Nashville’s inherent creativity feeds into every area of the city, including its food scene. The not-to-miss dish is Nashville’s cayenne-loaded hot chicken, which is served up at Prince’s (the credited inventor) multiple locations, or equally popular Hattie B’s. For a twist on the staple, head to plant-based bistro Graze, which includes fiery vegan chicken and biscuits on its brunch menu. But there’s plenty more besides Music City’s red-hot signature dish. Head to Moto for fail-safe Italian food or graze inventive New American small plates at Rolf and Daughters.
Fried chicken at Hattie B's
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Hattie B's in Midtown Nashville
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Prince's Hot Chicken
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Nashville brunch at Graze
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The city is filled with art, too. The world-class Frist Art Museum anchors Nashville’s Broadway, known for its buzzy honky tonks and winking neon, while smaller, edgy galleries fill Wedgewood Houston, a formerly industrial neighbourhood that’s become a cool hangout. In Germantown – a district known for its elegant Victorian buildings and cobbled streets – you’ll find the 100 Taylor Arts Market, brimming with local artisans selling everything from jewellery to prints.
Frist Art Museum's ever-changing collection ensures there is always something new to delight locals and visitors alike
Soundtrack
to Music City
There are plenty of places to soak up the soundtrack of Music City.
Nashville Skyline | Credit: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
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Immerse yourself in rock music history at the Rock Hall at the Ryman exhibit. The display at the famous venue features memorabilia from stars including Elvis Presley and James Brown.
Rock Hall at the Ryman
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Perhaps no other music venue in Nashville is as famous as The Bluebird Café – the tiny listening room whose acoustic open-mic sets have been known to propel musicians to stardom.
Bluebird Cafe | Credit: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
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The Grand Ole Opry show is now broadcast from Grand Ole Opry House. Go backstage with a guided tour or see country music’s biggest names perform at the venue.
Grand Ole Opry House
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The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates musical genres from pop to rock, with a collection that includes one of Jimi Hendrix’s guitars.
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum | Credit: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
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Learn more about the Man in Black at the Johnny Cash Museum, a treasure trove just off Broadway that pays tribute to the country singer.
Johnny Cash Museum | Credit: Johnny Cash Museum
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The city’s diverse neighbourhoods and burgeoning hotel portfolio means you’re spoilt for choice when deciding where to stay. The landmark Hermitage Hotel, opened in 1910, is an enduring classic, with its opulent interiors and upscale restaurant. Or for something more offbeat, The Russell is a quirky boutique housed in an old church, located in trending East Nashville.
Legendary venue Bluebird Café helped launch the careers of countless country music stars
The Hermitage Hotel's luxurous interiors ensure its enduring popularity
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Birmingham, Alabama
Strike south from Nashville en route to New Orleans and set your sights on Birmingham, Alabama, whose rock-solid culinary scene has earned it the nickname, the "Dinner Table of the South". It’s just under 200 miles and three hours from Music City and, upon arrival, you can fuel up at stellar restaurants such as Bottega, known for its imaginative fusion of Italian and Southern cuisine. Be sure to explore the Civil Rights Institute, a sprawling museum dedicated to the movement in Birmingham and beyond – and visit Vulcan Park, with its gargantuan cast-iron statue of the Roman god of fire and city panoramas from the observation tower.
Break up the journey from Nashville to New Orleans with a pit stop in Birmingham, Alabama
532 miles
From Nashville to New Orleans
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Few cities offer such a heady cultural cocktail as New Orleans. Over the centuries, French, Spanish, Indigenous and African influences have blended to create one of the USA’s most diverse and distinctive cultures, revealed in everything from its soulful food scene to the pulsating music for which the city is famous.
NEW ORLEANS
Any New Orleans itinerary should begin in the architecturally rich French Quarter, whose brightly coloured Creole cottages and iron-balconied townhouses are reflective of the city’s layered cultural influences. It’s easily walkable, with its rainbow-bright buildings now filled by boutiques, Creole restaurants, occult shops, cafés and cocktail bars. Walking tours themed around everything from cocktails to the supernatural explore this central district – try Unique Nola Tours for a deep dive into the city’s history and to learn the differences between its Creole and Cajun cultures. Tours also journey through the city’s famous above-ground cemeteries – another haunting window into city history – and the leafy Garden District, with its twisting oak trees and columned mansions.
No trip to New Orleans is complete without sampling its culturally-rich French Quarter (left) and sugar-dusted beignets (right)
Music and mixers
Music is never far away in the Big Easy. This is the birthplace of jazz and, more than a century after its birth, the music flourishes at traditional venues such as Preservation Hall, a legendary French Quarter joint that’s been running since the 1960s. Venues also abound along Frenchmen Street, on the edge of the French Quarter and the Marigny district. Stop in at the Spotted Cat Music Club to hear live jazz, funk, Cajun and zydeco bands, or try The Maison for more jazz and excellent cocktails. Take time to stop in the New Orleans Jazz Museum to learn more too. Another vital aspect of the city’s culture is explored at Sazerac House. New Orleans is hailed as the birthplace of the cocktail and this site explores the history and heritage of the Big Easy’s signature spirits and offers the chance to sample rye whiskies, bitters and classic cocktails.
The city's distinctive architeture reflects its diverse and fascinating history
Embrace New Orleans’ spooky side with the Krewe of Boo, the city’s signature Halloween event with parades, haunted history tours and a zombie run (25 October 2025).
New Orleans Krewe of Boo | Credit: Shutterstock
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Springtime rings in the annual French Quarter Festival – a weekend jamboree including live concerts (this year’s headliners include country trio Chapel Hart Band) and gourmet attractions in the historic district (10-13 April Apr 2025).
Jazz and Heritage Festival | Credit: Joshua Brasted
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Springtime rings in the annual French Quarter Festival – a weekend jamboree including live concerts (this year’s headliners include country trio Chapel Hart Band) and gourmet attractions in the historic district (10-13 April Apr 2025).
French Quarter Fest | Credit: Zack Smith Photography/NewOrleans.com
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Tennessee Williams’s lauded play A Streetcar Named Desire was set in Nola and the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival celebrates the writer’s legacy in the city with talks, a themed ball and a “Stella” shouting contest (26–30 March 2025).
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival Drummer & Smoke Music Event | Credit: Sabrina Harper
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New Orleans’s legendary Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) celebrations feature glittering parade floats topped with masked revellers, decadent king cakes and marching bands (4 March 2025).
Mardi Gras | Credit: Jeff Anding/NewOrleans.com
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Getting festive in Nola
New Orleans’s vibrant festivals offer year-round reasons to visit the Big Easy:
Second Line | Credit: Stephen Young/NewOrleans.com
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Roadside assistance
When you hire a car with BA
You could spend weeks in New Orleans and not have time to sample all its gourmet offerings. Sugar-dusted beignets from down-home Café du Monde; bananas foster whipped up at French Quarter stalwart Brennan’s; turtle soup at sumptuous Commander’s Palace; simmering gumbo at long-running Dooky Chase – the city’s list of signature dishes is as long as the Mississippi River. An itinerary planned around each meal is never a bad thing in the Big Easy.
The Sazerac House
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Preservation Hall
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Brennan's Restaurant
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Beignets at Café du Monde
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Garden District architecture
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Traditional seafood gumbo
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When it comes to where to stay, you’re spoiled for choice, no matter your preference. For something quintessentially New Orleans, The Eliza Jane is a stylish stay with heaps of character. Or how about the historic Nopsi, with its rooftop pool and buzzing bar area. If you want to be in the heart of the Downtown area, Le Meridien fuses Nola charm with European sophistication. And once all your senses have been fully satisfied by the sensational city of New Orleans, you can board a direct flight with British Airways from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and rest easy all the way back home to London Heathrow.
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10 hours
Flight time from New Orleans to LHR
Southern comforts with British Airways Holidays
Getting here is easy: British Airways operates multiple weekly flights to Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans from London Heathrow, which makes getting to the Deep South simple. What’s more, when you book your flights and car hire together through British Airways Holidays and their exclusive car hire partner Avis, you’re able to experience that authentic Southern charm the best way possible, on a fly-drive holiday. And for a place to rest your head after a day of exploring, British Airways Holidays offer a range of hotel options to suit all budgets, so your trip is well covered.
Booking your flights, hotel and car hire together come with additional benefits, including full Atol protection, competitive rates, roadside assistance and access to a 24-hour holiday helpline for any support you might need while you’re away. You will also receive a generous baggage allowance for any goodies you pick up along the way. For added convenience, you can secure your Deep South road trip holiday with a low deposit and pay in as many instalments as you like, to help spread the cost. Alternatively, settle the balance closer to departure should you wish to pay later.*
*Based on two sharing. Full balance due seven weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
To book, visit ba.com/usa
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Produced by Telegraph Media Group Project manager: Fanni Szentivanyi | Commissioning editor: Jasmin Nahar | Sub-editor: Neil Queen-Jones | Picture editor: Shin Miura | Designer: Kate Degel | Web editor: Natalie Wain | Illustrator: Barry Falls
Pictures: Hattie B’s, Shutterstock, Gene Phillips/James Duckworth/Kevin C. Rose: Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com, ACVB Marketing/Melissa McAlpine, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, Richard Nowitz/Paul Broussard/Jeff Anding/Todd Coleman/Zak Smith Photograpy/Spephen Young: NewOrleans.com, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Graze, Stephen Young/NewOrleans.com
Nashville is renowed for country music, but it's also home to a diverse culinary and arts scene
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Deep South
Hermitage Hotel | Credit: Hermitage Hotel
Preservation Hall has been the go-to venue for jazz enthusiasts in New Orleans since the 1960s
Nashville Skyline | Credit: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
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