If you're not from the South, you probably look at the south as the hicks and the hillbillys. If you're not from the South you just can't seem to understand why those people love the south so much.
But if you're a born and raised product of the South, it all makes sense.
One thing about the south that is so awesome, and it's from everywhere in the south, from Texas to Georgia and everywhere in between, is that the people just can't seem to get enough of it. Show up to a Brad Paisley concert or a southern small-town-rivalry high school football game and you'll get your fill of it. Our group of amazing people in our Odyssey group (affectionately dubbed Southern Charm) came together and picked ten wonderful things about growing up and living in the South, and here they are:
1. Friday Night Lights
Whether there are 54,000+ watching at Cowboys Stadium or 500 at a 1A rivalry game in rural Tennessee, high school football is king in the South. Kenny Chesney is his song "The Boys Of Fall" said it best,
"In little towns like mine, that's all they've got
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops
The old men will always think they know it all
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall"
2. The Best Music (and all of George Straits' exes)
Whether you're jamming to Eric Church, vibing to George Strait or dancin' along to the Boot Scootin' Boogie, you know that if you're in the South you aren't alone. One of the South's primary exports is top-notch music, and you don't have to look any further than Nashville Tennessee to get your fix.
3. Whataburger or DQ if you're from Texas, Cookout if you're anywhere else
One great thing about road tripping through the South is you have the best fast food places to stop and eat at! DQ is the "Texas Stop Sign", Whataburger is the best orange-and-white building you'll drive up to all day and Cookout is king everywhere other than Texas. Whether it's burgers, fries or ice cream that you're looking for, if you're in the south then you're in the right place.
4. Mums
If you're not Southern you'll look at that picture and say, "Holy crap what are those?" You're probably thinking that a big freakin' corsiage. In the South we call those mums. A southern homecoming staple and a unspoken competition throughout high schools all over, girls look to show out and best their peers in size, color and beauty every year.
5. Buc-ees
Have you ever been to Walmart? Have you ever been to a gas station? Okay good, mash those two together and you get Buc-ee's. The largest convenience stores in the world, Buc-ee's is a southern staple, and a can't miss stop on your trip down I-35.
6. SEC Football
If you're a fan of over-hyped offenses, teams that choke late or teams that love not winning championships, you're better suited watching the BIG 10 or the PAC-12. If you want the best college football in the country and eight of the last ten national championship teams then the SEC is where you should be. The SEC doesn't have time to mess around, they are too busy bringing home titles.
7. Sweet Tea
If you ask for this up north or out on the west coast chances are you'll get unsweet Tea brought to you with some Sweet-N-Low or Splenda packets. You don't have to worry about all that mess down here. Sweet Tea is about as common as water down South, and having great Sweet Tea can make all the difference in a good meal or a disappointing one.
8. The word Y'all
Because who has time to say you all? In the South we've got hunting trips, mudding and noodling to get to. We don't have time to waste enunciating.
9. The Sunsets
10. Southern Hospitality
The best thing about the South by far, though, is the people. You can't seem to go anywhere without being greeted or having the door held open for you. There are nice people everywhere for sure. But in the South it's a way of life.
Southern born and Southern bred, raised by "John Cougar, John Deer and John 3:16" as Keith Urban sang, Southern charm is a charm like no other. You can take the person out of the South, but you can't ever take the South out of the person.
