Road Trip: Literary Places of the Deep South

You can design your own spectacular literary road trip. Use this guide as a starting point to your adventure or, if you like, you may follow it completely.

Your personal interests, time and money will affect your choices. The route I have selected features 10 Southern writers and covers over 1,700 miles through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The focus is on select famous literary places to visit in the Deep South, but I encourage you to explore all aspects of the region that interest you whether it is history, arts, culture or nature. The South has it all.

Our journey begins in Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of Flannery O'Connor....

Savannah, Georgia
Visit the restored Flannery O'Connor's childhood home where she lived from birth until the age of 8. The home is open 1-4pm daily except Thursdays, major holidays and the first 2 weeks of January and September. Click here for more information on the Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home Foundation. For more about Savannah, Georgia, click here.

Juliette, Georgia (187 miles from Savannah)
Try to arrive here around lunch or at least snack time so you can get a bite to eat in the film location of Fannie Flagg's Whistle Stop Café from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Click here for more information on the Whistle Stop Café. For ideas what else to do in and around Juliette, click here

Milledgeville, Georgia (43 miles from Juliette)
Alice Walker was born in nearby Eatonton and Flannery O'Connor spent her final years on the nearby Andalusia Farm. Andalusia farm is 4 miles outside of town and offers self-guided tours. Admission is free but they appreciate donations. Open by appointment, 7 days a week or Monday, Tuesday and Saturday 10am to 4pm. Click here for the Andalusia Farm website. When O'Connor attended what is now Georgia State College and University (GSCU), it was a girls only school. The GSCU Museum now offers a permanent exhibit showcasing her life and work. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. For the museum website, click here. You can also visit O'Connor's church, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and visit her grave in the Memory Hill Cemetery. For more about Milledgeville, click here.

Atlanta, Georgia (103 miles from Milledgeville)
The apartment where Margaret Mitchell wrote her epic novel, Gone With the Wind has been transformed into the Margaret Mitchell House. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5:30pm and Sunday from noon to 5:30pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Admission for adults is $12, for seniors and students (+ 13 yrs) $9, for children (4-12) $5 and no charge for members and children under 4 yrs. The admission fee includes parking and guided tour. For more about the Margaret Mitchell house, click here. For more about the great city of Atlanta, click here.

Monroeville, Alabama (267 miles from Atlanta)
Monroeville was home to Harper Lee and Truman Capote who played together as children and developed a lasting friendship. Later on as adults, they were to investigate together the killings that led to Capote's book, In Cold Blood. The courtroom from Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is now a museum and can be visited. It is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Admission is free. Every year, actors perform a two act play based on the novel in the courtroom. Usually, it takes place in May, but this year, the open day is April 23, 2010. From the courthouse museum, you can also take a walking tour of the town. For more information on the Old Courthouse Museum, click here. For more about visiting Monroeville, click here.

Birmingham, Alabama (196 miles from Monroeville)
Fannie Flagg was born in Birmingham. As an actress as well as an author, the Alabama Theater was a special place for her. It is a building not to be missed. Click here for the Theater website. The real inspiration for the Whistle Stop Café is the Irondale Café. Stop by and try their fried Green Tomatoes. You can visit their website by clicking here . For more about Birmingham, click here.

Tuscumbia, Alabama (131 miles from Birmingham)
You can tour Helen Keller's birthplace and see the famous water pump where she had her first "aha" about language. Keller's home, "Ivy Green" is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 4pm. The last tour starts at 3:45pm. It is closed for Easter, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the Day after Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, AAA members, active and retired military personnel, and $2 for children (5-18 yrs). Visit the website by clicking here. For more on Tuscumbia, click here.

Columbus, Mississippi (114 miles from Tuscumbia)
The Columbus Welcome Center is also the birthplace of Tennessee Williams. Wander the town to see where Tennessee Williams spent his first 7 years. You can find out more about Columbus by clicking here.

Oxford, Mississippi (116 miles from Tuscumbia)
Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner is managed by the University of Mississippi Museums and can be visited. It is open Tuesday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. It is closed on Mondays, July 4^th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. You can learn more about the home by clicking here and here. Faulkner is buried near the town center at St. Peter's Cemetery. For more about Oxford, click here.

Clarksdale, Mississippi (64 miles from Oxford)
Take a tour of the historic district of Tennessee William's childhood town. Maps are available from the Coahoma County Tourism Commission. Cutrer Mansion (now a school) is said to be the inspiration for the Belle Reve, the family home of Blanche and Stella in A Street Car Named Desire. To find out more about Clarksdale, click here.

Jackson, Mississippi (187 miles from Clarksdale)
Explore the town where Richard Wright spent his teenage years living with Grandma in Jackson. Much of that experience can be found in his memoirs, Black Boy.You can find out more about Jackson here.

Natchez, Mississippi (103 miles from Jackson)
Richard Wright's birthplace was just a few miles outside of town, Rucker Plantation. His childhood home in town has a historical marker. To learn more about Natchez, click here.

New Orleans, Louisiana (176 miles from Natchez)
Explore Rue Royal in the French Quarters (Vieux Carre) to see the inspiration for the setting of A Street Car Named Desire. Also in the French Quarters, tour Tennessee Williams' residence with its original furnishings. Tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday at 10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm. Cost is $5 per person. For more about touring the Williams' residence, click here. Visit Faulkner House Books, a bookstore in the site of Faulkner's former apartment. Click here to learn more. Wander the garden district of New Orleans, home to Anne Rice. Her book turned movie, Interview With A Vampire was mainly set in New Orleans. Visit the film sites of Cemetery 1, Oak Alley Plantation and Destrehan Plantation. Oak Alley Plantation offers tours of the mansion every half hour Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm and Saturday/Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $15 for adults, $7.50 for students (13-18) and $4.50 for children (6-12). Click here for the Oak Valley Plantation website. You can also tour the Destrehan Plantation daily from 9am to 4pm except on major holidays. The cost is $15 for adults and $5 for children (6-16). Click here for the Destrehan Plantation website.

... and ends in the ever inspirational New Orleans, Louisiana.

I hope you have found some of your own inspiration. There are so many excellent authors and sites to visit. If you can't fit it all into one trip, you might consider breaking into pieces...doing a little each year. You can always fly into a major destination, rent a car and follow that country road to ....where will you start?

Sources:

Southern Literary Trail (Alabama, Georgia & Mississippi).
http://www.southernliterarytrail.org/trail_towns.html> Accessed on October 14, 2009.
Louisiana Literary Tour. < http://www.travelsouthusa.com/trip-ideas/detail.aspx?state=LA&ID=39> Accessed on October 14, 2009
Literary Tourists Flock To Flannery O'Connor's Georgia Farm. <
http://www.milledgevillecvb.com/articles/index.cfm?action=view&articleID=21§ionID=1&filter=1&menuID=70> Accessed on October 14, 2009