If you were born and raised in the south, you know you wouldn't want to have it any other way.

The loving smell of lunch after church, the weekends spent watching your favorite SEC and ACC teams, and going to concerts in Nashville all brews together a storm of why being from the south is simply better than being from anywhere else.

Originally from Tennessee, I have made my home in South Carolina which will forever be my original stopping grounds. What I have grown up around is only proof that everything is better when you're raised under the Mason-Dixon line.

1. Southern Food

You can't get more southern than the food you cook in your kitchen. Coming home for the weekends from my small town college means the promise of Mama cooking a good meal. I can always smell the smoked ribs as I pull into the neighborhood or the pot roast simmering in the crockpot after church, a luxury that no one should take for granted. When you want to truly embrace the meaning of southern cooking outside of your home kitchen, the drive to Nashville, Tennessee to indulge in the dining of Loveless Cafe is always worth the drive. Their signature biscuits and jams will have you thankful that you're from the south, and if you're not from the south then it will have you asking why you weren't.

http://thisbeautifuldayblog.com/loveless-cafe-nash...

2. SEC and ACC Football

Everything is louder in our neck of the woods, including the prideful fans of football. From the die-hard fans of Alabama to my personal favorite, singing Rocky Top at Neyland Stadium during a Tennessee game, the SEC and ACC divisions of football will always be better than the rest. You truly don't know the power of a college game until you tailgate hours before kick off and make as much noise in the stands as possible by shaking empty laundry detergent containers full of rocks. Yes, you read that correctly. Welcome to the south.

3. Bonnaroo Music Festival

Manchester, Tennessee is the home to the grittiest, dirtiest, coolest music festival in all of the United States. Bonnaroo is known for it's rough weekend conditions as it's location is on a farm in the dirty south, and the south is proud to give you an exact commemoration of 1969's Woodstock. Most music lovers who travel across the world to attend this iconic gathering come for the fact that once you get on the farm, you can't really leave. If you are one of the lucky one's, maybe you brought a camper with you to sleep in, but if you are one of the ones that are coming for the full experience, you'll be just as content with sleeping in a tent while the party goes all night. Go ahead. Buy your ticket and vibe.

4. Fashion

Slip on those Frye boots and spray in a little bit more hairspray. This is the south, ladies, and everything is bigger in the south, including the height of our heels. Dressing in our town is all about the essentials: pearls, boots, and every variety of Rocks and Ruffles bracelet that you own without shame. The way us girls dress in the south is what gets us those good southern boys. *wink wink*

http://www.thefryecompany.com

5. Date Night

The south is filled with costless date ideas that will help you and your other grow closer. Does the babe have a truck? Grab some blankets and crawl in the bed of his pickup to go stargazing. You can even go park and slow dance in the bed of his truck like this couple did in my residence hall parking lot. Precious, I know. Apple picking is always an enchanting, southern date during the Autumn season that can only be truly experienced in the south. If you've never dated anyone from the south, go watch every Nicholas Sparks movie and you will know just how sweet we really are.

Be honest with yourself, there is just something about the south that is different. Those who call their home underneath the Mason-Dixon give thanks daily for being raised where they were and are ready to invited anyone into their sweet, southern world. So do yourself a favor and have a weekend getaway where I call home because everything in the south is simply better. Bless your heart if you think anything different.