I'm a Midwesterner who visited 2 Southern states for the first time. Here are 5 surprising differences I noticed between the regions.

Cheese curds are popular in the Midwest, while Southerners serve cheesy grits.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider ; Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

• I grew up in the Midwest and visited Tennessee and Georgia for the first time.
• I was surprised by the language and cultural differences between the two regions.

After growing up in the Midwest and moving to the East Coast 10 years ago, I recently visited two Southern states for the first time.

Last summer, I flew to Knoxville, Tennessee, to check out Dolly Parton's theme park and hotel empire. In November, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to visit friends and stop at Jimmy Carter's presidential library.

I hadn't spent time in the South before and made some surprising discoveries about the region during my visits.

Here are five differences I picked up on between the Midwest and the South.