When people consider the South for a possible vacation, thoughts typically turn to a warm climate filled with Southern charm, sweet tea, and fried food. But if those aren’t reasons enough, imagine beautiful sun-soaked countrysides filled with endless colorful meadows, rolling hills, gorgeous beaches, and majestic trees and you’ll be making those travel arrangements in no time! Here are stunning photos that capture some of the most charming aspects of America’s Southern countryside, including:
Majestic trees
Dizzy Girl/Flickr Towering trees that provide welcome shade and respite from warm temperatures are prevalent in the South. This beautiful entrance to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, is sheer magic.
Evangelio Gonzalez/Flickr Spanish Moss adds an ethereal feel to settings. This photo is at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.
Richard May/Flickr Swamps surround Cypress trees at Lake Chicot State Park in Louisiana.
Rolling hills and mountainsides
Neil Williamson/Flickr This spectacular view in South Carolina looks across to Table Rock State Park from the Caesars Head viewpoint.
Larry Smith/Flickr Elk Mountain is lit up with a gentle sunset following a storm in Oklahoma.
Flower-infused meadows
Jerry and Pat Donaho/Flickr Nothing can outdo spring landscapes filled with bluebonnets, Texas’ state flower, sprinkled in with the orange Indian Paintbrush. Fields of these vibrant flowers make their annual appearance across Texas beginning in late March.
Ken Slade/Flickr Areas also boast of glorious fields of sunflowers all summer long.
Ken Lane/Flickr These flame azaleas grow wild at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Roan Mountain is the high point of the Roan-Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The area includes the world’s largest natural rhododendron garden.
Spectacular water settings
William Beem/Flickr Florida’s sunset views over the Gulf of Mexico are nothing less than perfection. This photo was taken in the town of Captiva.
Kerry Sanders/Flickr The magnificent DeSoto Falls in Alabama are worthy of a visit.
Kentucky Photo File/Flickr Pennyrile Forest in Kentucky is truly a magical place to visit in the fall, but the beautiful lake areas in Kentucky warrant visits year-round.
Dennis Church/Flickr Sandstone Falls in West Virginia is filled with falls, mountains, and sweeping landscapes you won’t want to leave.
Open countryside
Anthony/Flickr Kentucky is legendary for its horse farms, and a drive through the seemingly-endless countryside and stunning pastures here won’t disappoint!
Lexington, Kentucky, United States horse farm
Larry Smith/Flickr An impressive sky frames the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma. The foreground showcases sweeping plains.
Endless opportunities for going off the grid.
Loco Steve/Flickr Views like the one shown here at Pearl River, Mississippi, are a great reason why you want to rise before dawn and just explore.
Nicolas Raymond/Flickr The aptly-named Misty Autumn Forest in West Virginia features numerous meandering country roads where you can lose yourself and soothe your soul. These gorgeous country roads provide road trip adventures that often lead to small towns, unique shops, and local eateries.
Which state or area of the Southern U.S. is your favorite to visit, and why? Any particular place you like best for soothing your soul or finding a next great adventure? We’d love to hear your suggestions on what you find of interest along the area’s vast countryside.
Dizzy Girl/Flickr
Towering trees that provide welcome shade and respite from warm temperatures are prevalent in the South. This beautiful entrance to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah, Georgia, is sheer magic.
Evangelio Gonzalez/Flickr
Spanish Moss adds an ethereal feel to settings. This photo is at the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.
Richard May/Flickr
Swamps surround Cypress trees at Lake Chicot State Park in Louisiana.
Neil Williamson/Flickr
This spectacular view in South Carolina looks across to Table Rock State Park from the Caesars Head viewpoint.
Larry Smith/Flickr
Elk Mountain is lit up with a gentle sunset following a storm in Oklahoma.
Jerry and Pat Donaho/Flickr
Nothing can outdo spring landscapes filled with bluebonnets, Texas’ state flower, sprinkled in with the orange Indian Paintbrush. Fields of these vibrant flowers make their annual appearance across Texas beginning in late March.
Ken Slade/Flickr
Areas also boast of glorious fields of sunflowers all summer long.
Ken Lane/Flickr
These flame azaleas grow wild at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Roan Mountain is the high point of the Roan-Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The area includes the world’s largest natural rhododendron garden.
William Beem/Flickr
Florida’s sunset views over the Gulf of Mexico are nothing less than perfection. This photo was taken in the town of Captiva.
Kerry Sanders/Flickr
The magnificent DeSoto Falls in Alabama are worthy of a visit.
Kentucky Photo File/Flickr
Pennyrile Forest in Kentucky is truly a magical place to visit in the fall, but the beautiful lake areas in Kentucky warrant visits year-round.
Dennis Church/Flickr
Sandstone Falls in West Virginia is filled with falls, mountains, and sweeping landscapes you won’t want to leave.
Anthony/Flickr
Kentucky is legendary for its horse farms, and a drive through the seemingly-endless countryside and stunning pastures here won’t disappoint!
Lexington, Kentucky, United States horse farm
An impressive sky frames the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma. The foreground showcases sweeping plains.
Loco Steve/Flickr
Views like the one shown here at Pearl River, Mississippi, are a great reason why you want to rise before dawn and just explore.
Nicolas Raymond/Flickr
The aptly-named Misty Autumn Forest in West Virginia features numerous meandering country roads where you can lose yourself and soothe your soul. These gorgeous country roads provide road trip adventures that often lead to small towns, unique shops, and local eateries.
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