Brits Who Have Travelled To Appalachia In The US - What Did You Do And/Or Try That You Enjoyed?
Posted by PurrMeowHiss@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 49 comments
Hello Redditors of The UK. I'm an American with a friend coming to visit later this year (most likely the entire month of September). She has been to the US before, but only New York City and Hawaii.
I live in Appalachia where Virginia (VA), Tennessee (TN), Kentucky (KY), and North Carolina (NC) meet. Assume anywhere in that general region accessible by day trip.
Essentially... I live in Dolly Parton's area of the country.
The most obvious thing that we plan on doing for my friend is bringing her to The Great Smokey Mountains National Park for a weekend.
A few others things we definitely have planned are:
- One of the numerous underground cavern tours in the area
- A drive-in movie theater
- Live Appalachian music (possibly a festival depending on final dates)
- Food... Lots and lots of food
My question to you is... for those that have been here:
- What did you do that you really liked? (Especially if its something that might not be obvious for me to think of to share.)
- What foods did you really enjoy?
- What did you find that you wanted to (and could) take home with you?
- Is there anything we have in our home that is important to the typical Brit that you aren't able to bring with you? (We already have an electric kettle.)
For those that haven't been, but want to come:
- What makes you want to visit?
- What do you want to do here?
- What food do you want to try?
Thank you so much in advance.
WhiskyMatelot@reddit
I’ve done a road trip round that part of the world, visiting from Scotland. I loved Dollywood, a hike on the AT, a hole-in-the-wall BBQ place, a good bar with live music somewhere outside Asheville, a farmers market we stumbled across. And just the scenery. And the iced tea and biscuits n gravy 😁
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
Biscuits and Gravy is honestly the food we are the most excited to share with her. And it's probably one of the cheapest foods to make. It is just so quintessentially Appalachian though.
WhiskyMatelot@reddit
Most Brits sneer at biscuits and gravy (it translates to us as cookies and brown gravy 🤮) but a friend of mine from N Georgia made it for me. Perfect hangover food!
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
From what I understand y'all also usually are confused/concerned by "peanut butter and jelly" sandwiches because y'all use "jelly" to refer to what we call Jell-O (even if its isn't Jell-O brand). And what we call "jelly" y'all call jam without bits?
WhiskyMatelot@reddit
Yup! Although the Bonne Maman brand sells some 'gelee' just to confuse us all 😉
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
Okay... I have to know what "gelee" is
Desperate-Cookie3373@reddit
When I lived in Texas, work took me to Southern Appalachia, so around Asheville and the Smoky Mountains. We stayed in a cabin in the mountains. I absolutely loved it- such a beautiful part of the world with such a rich culture in which I can see so many connections between some of the older traditions of rural England and Scotland.
I’m also into folk music so really loved Bluegrass and the Old Timey songs, and still do, but it was particularly great to hear it in the wild! At that point in time I still ate meat so I really enjoyed the Carolina barbecue, and it is the only time I’ve ever actually liked eating Okra! Plus I tried my first hush puppies!
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
One of my favorite little factoids about Appalachia is, the reason so many us have Scots-Irish ancestry is when our ancestors came over the mountains reminded them of home, so they settled here. The reason the mountains reminded them of home is, they are literally the same mountain range from the supercontinent Pangea.
I understand your okra situation. If you don't cook it correctly, its just slimy and unappetizing.
Desperate-Cookie3373@reddit
I think quite a few English and Welsh settled too. Both countries have the same mountains as Scotland and Ireland, and I can hear in the music too-quite a few of the Appalachian songs I’ve heard and dances I’ve seen have origins in the English tradition as well as the Irish and Scots. Clog dancing, for instance. comes from Northern England.. Sadly, it was the rural working classes who were dispossessed from their lands by the aristocracy and upper classes across all four countries, and a lot of them left for the Americas.
OMITN@reddit
I’ve driven the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway from its northern starting point in Virginia to Asheville in North Carolina (before we then cut down to Savannah in Georgia).
I appreciate that’s a very specific slice of Appalachia more famous for its incredible drive and natural experience (we day hiked on some of the Appalachian trail on one day). It’s isn’t the Smokey Mountains, old mining communities and the “hollers” but it is incredible.
We stayed off the beaten track in a few places, including the cool little town (barely a village in size really) of Floyd in Virginia, where we spent the evening at its famous country store eating apple pie and listening to live mountain music.
It’s a fascinating part of the world and I’d love to go back and head west to West Virginia and East Kentucky.
For your friend’s visit, just spend time showing them what life is like where you live. If you can get further afield to see some of the famous sights, they will live it. Don’t underestimate the experience of visiting somewhere and just spending time learning about how life is there.
As for food, well it’s the US and you’re well away from the coasts so there’s nothing sophisticated about it..! But real local cooking will taste amazing - BBQ all the way..!
You sound like a generous host - your friend will have an awesome trip no matter what you do..!
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
I wish I could give you more than 1 upvote for knowing "holler".
And yes... Floyd, VA is a teeny tiny little community. More cows than people.
OMITN@reddit
That’s kind of you. Like to learn about the places I go.
And I watched an excellent YouTube video before we went by Peter Santanello (before he seemed to fall down the conspiracy theory hole) that gave loads of background on the mining towns - what they were like and what they’re like now.
We didn’t make it into mining country - though we did listen to John Denver singing Country Roads as we drove down the Parkway.
You know Floyd! Definitely more cows than people 😂. Beautiful place and the people were lovely. Stayed in a stunning cabin off the beaten track out of town.
Snoo-84389@reddit
Is there a "Deliverance" style canoe tour that one can do to meet and interact with the locals?
Fanny_Flapps@reddit
Does this "interaction" involve penetrations of any kind?
steveakacrush@reddit
With a commemorative tee shirt that says "I squealed like a pig"??
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
I do have a few friends with Cricut machines. :)
Tom_FooIery@reddit
That’s just the premium package.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
LOL - We ain't going all the way down to Georgia.
Honestly, I'm not sure? I'm not a big water person myself. There are a few lakes and rivers though, so this is a possibility. I know you can buy a kayak at a sporting good store and take them out.
PatKnightAgain@reddit
Ex NC resident so most recommendations for there.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
You don't have to apologize for finding Pigeon Forge a bit "meh".
I feel that way too sometimes. I liked it a lot as a kid, but as an adult, I find actual Pigeon Forge to just be a bit much.
Dollywood is still awesome though.
Yeah... you can always tell who the out-of-towners are at Cade's Cove. They're the ones getting out of the car 20 ft from a bear.
Federal_Fun9587@reddit
I didn't enjoy squaling like a pig. To this day the sound of a banjo triggers me.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
banjo music intensifies
wizard710@reddit
We see relatives in Knoxville TN quite frequently so have been up into the smokies.
I'd second Dollywood, some excellent roller-coasters.
I guess you don't need to get accommodation but I remember hiring a cabin somewhere and just sitting in the hot tub late at night and listening to all the wildlife in the woods. I'd recommend a bear hunt or something like that, we don't get bears.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
You're almost guaranteed to see bears at Cade's Cove in the Park.
I didn't know bears weren't common for y'all.
doorstopnoodles@reddit
There are no bears in the UK outside zoos. I'd never seen one in the wild until I visited Alaska. I'd be tickled to see raccoons and skunks because they don't exist in the UK either. A wild turkey would also be amazing to see.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
I love learning about all these differences. I see raccoons and skunks pretty regularly. Wild turkeys less so, but still see them.
We actually had to take care of an orphaned baby raccoon that was under our house a couple years ago for 2 weeks until a rehab had room to take it.
Luckily September is still good season to see wildlife here.
OneCheesecake1516@reddit
Visited Memphis, Nashville, Pigeon Forge and drove along the Blue Ridge Highway.
NoNameNoNumba@reddit
I'm guessing it's all old wife's tales but I do enjoy watching things about ferel people in the woods in that region and skinwalkers, missing people etc 'if you hear your name, no you didnt' and all that good stuff!
Complex-Honeydew-111@reddit
Dollywood would be a must for me
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
That would definitely be doable the same weekend we went to the Smokey Mountains National Park, especially if extended it a day.
Tom_FooIery@reddit
If I visited there and didn’t end up in Dollywood, I’d be livid.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
Damn... Three Dollywood suggestions. That is going to the "must column".
cuppoteaplease@reddit
Please yes Dollywood! We love Dolly in the UK. If I went near there and didn’t go I’d cry! Besides that, your friend is very lucky, being shown around a place by a local is brilliant. I’ve only ever been to NY but what I’d look forward to is the mountains and countryside , the food and I’d love as much live music as you could cram in!
You sound like a great mate so have a wonderful time showing off your homeland 🥰
Tom_FooIery@reddit
And YOU sound like the perfect person to visit Dollywood and Appalachia with! We could organise a trip but I worry that if I saw Dolly herself, I would just die.
cuppoteaplease@reddit
I know me too 🥰 at least we’d die happy!
h4baine@reddit
Take them to the Smokeys and let them experience tht amazing park. My husband is a Brit and he was in awe. And we even got to see a bear and it didn't break into our car so that was awesome. He loved the wilderness because it's so different to what he was used to.
Nkhotak@reddit
Haven’t been since I was a kid, but we’d go to Peaks of Otter and climb Sharp Top. Just the views along the Blue Ridge Parkway are amazing if you’re not the walking types. My clearest memories are of seeing bears along the roadside and being overtaken by a group of Amish women on the mountain. Both were fascinating to a British kid.
And it’s probably a bit too far, but if you get to the coast then the Virginia/North Carolina barrier islands are very different to any of our coast. Chincoteague or Okracoke/Cape Hatteras. If I ever visit the US again, they’re top of my list.
As for foods, I was a kid, so it was the stacks of pancakes for breakfast that made the biggest impression! These days I’d want to try fried catfish, collard greens and grits.
Exemplar1968@reddit
Having driven through there I’d suggest just driving & showing off the spectacular beauty of the area.
Spencersmam1@reddit
Oh can I come? This is literally the only bit of the US I would be interested in seeing. All the things you’ve listed sound amazing, and make sure you have tea bags and milk (good tea bags mind, none of that Liptons nonsense).
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
The tea, I think we may be set on. My partner and I are big tea fans. We have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to teas and local honeys. The teas are loose tea mixes we get at local tea shoppes, festivals, etc.
The milk we will have to figure out. My partner and our friend and lactose intolerant. Haha.
yingdong@reddit
Don't make the tea in the microwave ffs. Your friend will hate that.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
LOL. I honestly thought about doing this in front of her as a small prank.
But we do have a kettle.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
If you're ever able to come, I really hope you enjoy it. There is a lot here in this area of the country I'm frankly ashamed of. But at the same time, there is a lot I'm proud of and hold dear.
skibbin@reddit
I drove down the Blue Ridge parkway for a while, it was amazing. I wish I'd had a convertible or something
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
These are the types of answers I love.
Because yeah, you're correct. It is absolutely gorgeous. But it is something I take for granted, and would have probably not thought about suggesting as an activity.
Safe-Professional556@reddit
Two things I would love to try: white water rafting and also a section (an easy one) of the AT. Certainly would have enjoyed both when I was younger.
PurrMeowHiss@reddit (OP)
I wouldn't have even thought about those, so thanks a lot!
The AT is a great suggestion and runs right by here (well, "right by here" by American standards of distance). White water rafting will depend on what the rapids are like when she gets here, but I can run it by her. That would be something my partner and her may enjoy. I'm a big scaredy cat who can't swim.
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