Alabama

Governed by the maxim “we make baseball fun,” the Savannah Bananas have sold out every game since their founding in 2016. Following their own eccentric brand of play, dubbed “Banana Ball,” the team eschews anything that could make the sport feel sluggish.

With brilliant columns of light pouring through two keyhole entrances, it’s no wonder Alabama’s Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve makes an appearance on many a bucket list. After a short but rocky hike to the entrance, visitors may descend into the 143-foot-deep cavern via the walk-down path (which is steep and can be wet and slippery—sturdy shoes, helmets, and headlamps are highly recommended).

As much as we love the South's quintessential clapboard churches and stately mansions, our appreciation of Southern architecture extends beyond the classics. We‘ve combed the region for noteworthy structures, from historical masterpieces like Thomas Jefferson‘s Palladian Monticello to modern marvels like the breezy, zero-energy McDonald‘s Florida flagship (yes, McDonald’s).

Alabama’s Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is one of the richest repositories of life on the planet. A writer tours this vibrant but vulnerable ecosystem with the human who knows it best.

The smell of rib-eye steaks sizzling on an indoor grill brings Rob McDaniel right back to his grandmother’s house in Oneonta, Alabama. His vivid memories of her cooking inspired him to become a chef, and now his downtown Birmingham restaurant, named Helen in her honor, is garnering national accolades for its Southern-inspired cuisine.

Known by many for Repast, his celebrated (and sorely missed) Atlanta restaurant, Joe Truex is now executive chef at Pursell Farms, a 3,200-acre resort in Sylacauga, Alabama, featuring an inn, cottages, an 18-hole golf course, and three restaurants.

Set along a shallow stretch of the Tennessee River in the northwestern corner of Alabama, the communities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia are known collectively as the Shoals.

Since Southbound debuted in 2013, our staff and contributors have logged thousands of miles, consumed millions of calories, and taken countless notes and photos to showcase the very best destinations around the region. Although every place we’ve covered is special, some left a particularly powerful impression. Here, we give you the best of the very best, our favorite spots in the South.

The city has a well-earned reputation as a science wonderland, a place where a Saturn V rocket lords over the skyline like Huntsville’s Eiffel Tower. But if you think this city of 195,000 is simply a place to marvel at spaceships, hold on.

I’d long been curious about the Grand Hotel. My husband visited as a boy and has fond memories of it. One story in particular stands out.