Southeast States

Wanderlust

experience the Southeast States

Travel in the Southeast States is filled with beauty. The landscape varies from pristine beaches, marshes, and swamps in the lowland coastal areas to the majestic Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains in the western part of the region.

The Southeast claims the newest national park in West Virginia at New River Gorge National Park in addition to nine other national parks, dozens of historical sites, and historical trails. There’s also an abundance of National Seashores and protected preserves dotting the 21,000 miles of coastline in the Southeast Region.

Southern Culture

Terry and I lived in Virginia for six years and loved having the chance to explore the Southeast States. We found the culture to be quite different than our years in the West and my early years in the Midwest. No matter where you come from you’ll likely detect a Southern accent in the speech there. In some cases, it may sound like an unintelligible foreign language. At other times, a sweet slow friendly cadence and timbre that’s only slightly different from your own.

The culture shifts drastically in the Southeast Region; from the Latin American culture, retirees, Spring Break revelers, and vacationers in Florida to the busy Washington DC corridor where the affairs of world politics are negotiated. In between there are remote mountain and mining towns, coastal resorts, southern plantations, and thousands of acres of rich farmland.

History in the Southern States

If you love history, then you’ll find plenty of it in the Southeast States. Indigenous people first began settling in the region at least 14,000 years ago. The Blue Ridge Heritage Area near Great Smoky Mountain National Park has several sites and events where you can learn more about Cherokee Native American history and culture.

The oldest (non-Native) city in America is St. Augustine, Florida, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565. Europeans also came to what is now Virginia to establish the Jamestown Settlement in 1607. In 1619 the first ship carrying enslaved Africans landed near Jamestown in what is now Fort Monroe, Virginia. [It was ironically called Point Comfort at the time.] All of these arrivals changed the trajectory of our nation forever.

You can learn much about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the important fight for civil rights in America during the 1950s and 60s by visiting any of over 100 significant landmarks on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

You can visit America’s capital, Washington DC (aka District of Columbia) to see dozens of monuments, museums, memorials, and archives documenting significant people and events in our history. President Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial, his summer cottage, and Ford’s Theater (where he was assassinated) are all in the nation’s capital.

Best Time to Visit the Southeast U.S.

Every state has variations, but winter and early spring are the perfect times to visit the southernmost coastal Southeast Region. The weather is generally tropical and sunny. That’s why many U.S. and Canada residents go there between November and April, to get away from the cold and snowy northern states and provinces. Peak season in Florida and coastal areas can bring throngs of university students and families celebrating their spring break from school. These breaks can be anytime between late February to early April, depending on the school.

The summer months of June, July, August, and beyond can be hot and very humid in many of the Southeast states, making outdoor exploring very uncomfortable, unless you’re planning a beach vacation. The mountain areas and national parks in the western part of the region can be perfect for spring, summer, or fall travel.

Are you thinking of traveling in summer or fall to the coastal Southeast States? These are the areas usually hit the hardest and most frequently by hurricanes (although other regions can get these storms too). The official Hurricane Season is from June 1st to November 30th, but storms are generally more frequent from August through October.