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I won't say that the South holds a grudge, but they do tend to be good at remembering the people, places and events where 'injustices' have been done to them. Just north of Atlanta is Chattanooga, but more importantly to the south are two sites from completely different eras: FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA and Andersonville.

For an 'extra' town with museums and such, let me suggest the Montgomery/Selma AL area with tons of Civil Rights History as well as some antebellum plantations and homes, and the first capital of Alabama which is currently being archaeologically restored.

For a beach location, I'd actually skip Pensacola (unless you have an interest in Naval Air forces) and head for the natural setting of Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Mobile/Biloxi area.

As to the best spots to find food and conversation, I have had great success simply driving into relatively small cities and towns (around 3,000 to 10,000 population) and then wandering the streets and engaging people. As to restaurants, towns of this size tend to be large enough to have several local restaurants (competition) but not large enough to attract the national chains, so that the restaurants depend on repeat business rather than just one-time customers drawn to a familiar logo. The locals will be proud enough of there own favorite to not only recommend it, but will often suggest the local delicacy (sometimes not even on the menu). Your accent and the natural charm of Southerners will do the rest.

AZBuck