Hey, I’m planning my 2023 US trip and I can’t decide between Tennessee and S.Carolina. It would be a shorter 4 day trip so I wouldn’t have too much time. I’m interested in food, architecture,galleries, bars where people line dance, visiting a farm where people wear cowboy boots (please don’t take this as me caricaturing the south, I’m amazed by it)!
City recommendations out of the two are also welcome!
*quotation marks on “experience” because I can hardly experience something in 4 days
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With just 4 days, Nashville’s probably the most bang for your buck.
Both states are definitely worth revisiting to more fully explore and experience if you get the opportunity in the future without the time crunch.
Go to /r/Nashville. You can do all of those things there, find a place that offers horseback riding nearby. It’s a cosmopolitan city, distinctively southern, more line dancing than you can handle, etc.
There’s a good sized airport only a 15 minute ride from downtown.
If you want to go to the beach, South Carolina. If you want to go to the hills, Tennessee.
South Carolina was the first state to secede after Abraham Lincoln’s election, whereas Tennessee was the tenth and last. So South Carolina is more of a Deep South state.
Linedancing and cowboy boots is definitely gonna be a Tennessee thing far more than South Carolina. Nashville is probably the hub of the country music industry from what I’ve been told and I’m sure there are other cities there that have big scenes as well. Any decent sized city will have galleries and lots of food options, Nashville must have a decent nightlife scene because it seems like a ton of people are visiting it for weekend trips and bachelorette parties and shit anymore
South Carolina, imo. Charleston is an amazing city, the Carolinas have some of the best BBQ around and the culture has that easygoing Southern feel to it. You can go to Middleton Place and Ft. Sumter to get the historical aspect of the Old South.
They’re both equally Southern to me but it’s just that Tennessee will have more iconic barbecue and music cities. Also Eastern Tennessee is one of the most beautiful parts of the country but with only 4 days I’d be loath to do anything more than two days in Nashville and two days in Memphis.
We’d love to see you here in SC, but given what you want to do, I think TN is a better match for you. I will say that, while there are farms, line dancing, and cowboy boots in Tennessee, there’s a difference between a farm and a ranch and cowboys are more of a western thing than a southern thing. But Nashville is known for its country-western music (and Memphis is known for its blues). Tennessee has some great architecture and excellent food— definitely try their Memphis style bbq! But if you get a chance to come back, SC has great food, architecture, galleries, bars,and museums/historic sites as well— it’s just a little different :).
Nashville is the way to go. Great town.
Charleston and Savannah for architechture, food and galleries. Nashville for country music, cowboy boots and line dancing. I prefer SC.
Cowboy boots is more of a Western thing than a Southern thing. You’ll see them occasionally in South Carolina or Tennessee, but not as an everyday wear type of thing.
Nashville will get you “country music” southern, and is a great town with a lot to do. The strip there has a ton of country themed bars, restaurants, and clubs.
The rest of Tennessee, especially east Tennessee, will get you Appalachian southern (what the haters call hillbilly), which is the best kind in my biased opinion, but might be boring if you don’t like outdoorsy stuff. Chattanooga has more of a hipster vibe then the rest of the region, but all that is still there right outside the city limits.
Charleston will get you the genteel Southern experience, what you might see in old movies about the old South. It’s also very fun and has great food, bars, and museums but it’s more of a chill vibe than Nashville. This would also be the best place for seeing unique architecture, although Nashville has some too.
You can find those things anywhere in either state, but that’s kind of what each area “specializes” in.
I’ve never been to a touristy type farm like you described, I think that might be more of a South West ranch thing (usually when we say “the South” we mean the South East).
While it won’t have everything you want, Nashville is probably the closest area to visit to experience most of what you want.
Charleston has much better architecture, a beautiful coastal setting and great food. However, it doesn’t fit your other criteria as well.
Nashville is considered the country music capital of the world. So, by default there is definitely line dancing bars there. As far as food there is the unique regional style of BBQ. Also there is Nashville hot chicken, a style of fried chicken unique to Nashville.
Not sure if you will find any public farms with cowboy boots. Someone with more knowledge of the area would have to confirm. Cowboy boots are more of a western thing. Mainly like southwestern states of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Also northwestern and plains states like Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and the Dakotas. You will definitely see cowboy boots in Nashville itself due to the country music culture.
If the Oilers…sorry, I mean Titans are playing that weekend, it might be worth going if you want to experience a quintessentially American event.
Why not Texas? But I would go to Tennessee if you want more of a southern state feel. A lot of great country bands come from there and the food.
Youre gonna get 2 totally different breeds of Southern. Southern is more of a cultural group than a specific culture
It doesn’t have everything on that list but true southern beauty id say would be New Orleans or any city in Louisiana especially on mardi gras ᐛ
Cowboy boots and line dancing are more western than southern.
You’ll see this stuff in Nashville but mostly as a distorted cultural ohmage to the western heritage of country music.
Anyways, I live in South Carolina
We have lots of charming little towns with some interesting turn of the century architecture. A lot of “main street” towns with brick storefronts. They can be a little sad because a lot of them are in disrepair following a steady decline during and after the great depression.
The farms aren’t going to be like you imagine. They are almost entirely agricultural farms growing one vegetable or another.
Anyways places that I like that are in this general vicinity
Charleston, Savannah (GA), Chattanooga, Hendersonville (NC), Asheville (NC), and Greenville
All of these places are in good shape (although like most American cities they also have rough spots), tourist friendly, and have their own unique charm. Any of them could serve as a reasonable jumping off point for a four-day vacation.
[edit – my understanding of Tennessee ends at Knoxville/Chattanooga. So I can’t really give you much in the way of recommendations for central/western Tennessee]
Lots of people here are saying Nashville, and I would agree with that, especially if you are a tourist who only has 4 days.
Understand that there is a huge difference between visiting a city for 4 days and truly “experiencing what a southern state is like”. Even within the state of Tennessee, you’ll find huge differences among Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Harriman. Sounds like you’re already at least somewhat aware of this.
There is also a lot of variance in “southern states” – SC is generally far different from Mississippi or Arkansas.
Be very clear with yourself about your personal goals here. Do you want to hang out on a beach in a nice coastal city? Go to Charleston. Do you want to see a mid-sized American city that isn’t touristy and is a really nice place to live? Go to Greenville (SC).
Good luck with your trip, and don’t forget to get Original Glazed (Hot and Ready) doughnuts from Krispy Kreme while you’re there!
TN for mountains/food/country music/bars, SC for beaches/southern architecture
I’d say TN, however if you want real farms, cowboy boots, etc then Texas is way better
Neither, go to Alabama, but not NASA.
The title vs. description are different. I have lived in both cities. For the description I agree with everyone else, Nashville Tennessee. For the title to “experience” a southern state Charleston SC, . Nashville doesn’t “feel” as southern, especially the architecture.
TN
Tennessee’s a great place to visit (I’m totally not biased)
Tennessee for music & food. South Carolina for se emery & architecture.
But these are Northern Southern states. Very different from Mississippi or even Texas.
The only bars I’ve ever been to where people line dance have been gay bars, often up north. But I suspect those are dying. At least the two gay leather bars in Boston have closed.
So can others tell me, is line dancing really common these days in straight country-western bars?
What do you think of when you think of a Southern experience? I think that might narrow down the recommendations.
I’d say South Carolina is more quintessentially Deep South, but Tennessee is cooler overall imo
Culturally? SC
Cullinarily? TN
I will not explain further.
I recommend SC. The coast is beautiful and plenty of history, architecture, etc. the food “low country food” is different from other southern food. Highly recommend Carolina shrimp and grits. Also there is a place called firefly distillery on James Island. Beautiful grounds and nice touristy things. I don’t know if you drink but if you do you must take home a bottle of their sweet tea vodka!