Living in the south myself this would be amazing. Cities like New Orleans, Savannah and Charleston would be gorgeous inspiration... and yes the culture can be very unique. There is a lot of lore as well with real life voodoo and haunted areas. Much of the early architecture was built to keep spirits out of the homes as was the superstition such as specific paint colors, rounded corners and intricate iron gating. Being a great host was shown by owning pineapples. Very quirky.
As for horses... some areas use them to ride (more Texas and southwest) but on the eastern side of the south and coastal they use them with carriages still. The music varies from country to jazz (dueling piano bars) blues and bluegrass.
The food list is forever long.