The American Deep South is a place with its own culture, tradition, and rules and as a tourist, here are very thoughtful hints to help you stay without any itch in the south according to culturetrip.
Forget to say please and thank you
People in the South pride themselves on their manners, so remember to say “please” and “thank you” when traveling here. Throw in a ma’am or a sir for good measure, and if you hold the door open for everyone, people just might mistake you for a local.
Wear your “God is Dead” T-shirt
The South is very religious, and if you’re doing something other than going to church on Sunday morning, it would be better not to advertise it. If you aren’t Christian, Southerners are still very welcoming, so long as you don’t go around critiquing them for their religion.
Be overly formal
The Southerners’ emphasis on politeness doesn’t mean you should be overly formal. In fact, the opposite is true: the more you can affect ease and nonchalance (while maintaining impeccable manners), the more of a native you’ll be mistaken for. To wit: It’s “y’all.”
Clam up when strangers strike up a conversation
Southerners are naturally friendly and inquisitive people, and it is highly customary to strike up conversations with strangers, asking them about their families and where they are from.
Family and hometown are just about the most important things in a Southerner’s life, so if a stranger inquires after yours, try to oblige.
But, if you’re uncomfortable sharing much about yourself, turn the tables back on them—a Southerner will only be too happy to tell you about their families and where they’re from and will be grateful to you for asking.
Leave the table hungry
Southerners pride themselves on their ability to cook incredible meals, and no Southern cook would be anything less than offended to think someone walked away from their table hungry. So to the extent that you can, clean your plate at the Southern table. And with Southern delicacies such as pimento cheese dip and buttermilk fried chicken, this shouldn’t be very difficult.
