Alabama

There’s a street in Montgomery that locals say is one of the most historic in America. A large fountain sits at the western end, the site of the city’s once-booming slave market. At the eastern end is the Alabama State Capitol, where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederacy. In between is Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor in the late 1950s.

You don't think inside the box. Why sleep in one? The South is full of unexpected accommodations, from a nineteenth-century castle to a Hobbit hut to the tree house of your dreams. Let us introduce you to sixteen offerings that are anything but ordinary.

Savvy Birmingham shoppers in search of the perfect gift head “over the mountain” to the cozy suburb of Homewood. Their destination? Eighteenth Street South, a wide, old-fashioned boulevard with an abundance of locally owned boutiques and restaurants.

While the city has mandatory tourist stops (the famed Bellingrath Gardens, the battleship USS Alabama, and the new-and-spectacular GulfQuest museum), to understand the city, you must visit its neighborhoods.

Take the plunge at these unique Southern scuba-diving destinations. Come face-to-face with West Indian manatees, explore the 120-foot-deep lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, and marvel at the northernmost coral reef system in the country.

Although an hour from the closest interstate, Florence, Alabama, manages to attract clothing designers, musicians, and creatives of all stripes.

 CABBAGE KEYPineland, FloridaAccessible only by boat, this eighty-acre, palm-lined island is home to an irresistible 1930s open-air tavern. Enjoy peeling fresh shrimp and cracking stone crab claws as gopher tortoises mosey past. Don’t miss...

The Gulf is something of a mecca for anglers, who reel in a bounty of grouper, trout, and tuna, to name a few. There’s pier fishing, inshore charters, and deep-sea expeditions from which to choose, and plenty of pros ready to share a story or tip.

Check in at one of these full-service establishments, among the most storied in the Gulf, from the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi to the legendary Loews Don CeSar (aka: the Pink Palace).

Discover the origins of the Gulf's most iconic frozen cocktail, the Bushwacker, along with other bold takes on this old favorite.