North Carolina

Gems, apples, and bears would seem unrelated—unless you find yourself in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The three are woven into the town’s history and winked at all along Main Street.

"Come on in! I’ll get y’all some Champagne,” calls a bellman. My husband and I have arrived at Old Edwards Inn and Spa in downtown Highlands, North Carolina, for a quick getaway.

As we descend the narrow, stone-lined path down the hillside leading to the boathouse, raindrops begin to fall. Our group continues on, climbing aboard the polished mahogany Hacker-Craft called Miss Lucy for a sunset cruise.

Thomas Wolfe was born in 1900 and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. When he was twenty-nine, he published Look Homeward, Angel, his debut novel set in a fictional version of his hometown.

Some compare it to Paris for its art deco buildings, others to Portland for its strong sense of community. But if you ask the entrepreneurs responsible for Asheville’s rebirth over the last two decades, they will tell you their city is simply incomparable.

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.

Visitors traveling through the valley along US 601 from Yadkinville to Mount Airy will pass vineyards pocketed alongside fields of corn, soybeans, and the occasional chartreuse span of tobacco. They’ll also discover a number of attractions worth a stop, from a popcorn factory to a century-old general store to the childhood home of actor Andy Griffith.

"On that night, under that starlit sky, the sound of the water lapping against the dock, I felt a prescient sense of peace."

When I consider all the hours I spend in traffic, it’s downright distressing. That’s why, when it comes to vacations, I opt to go somewhere serene and congestion-free—somewhere like Bald Head Island.

Keith Nordan and Chris Hollifield, producers of the award-winning Carriage House Apple Brandy, opened Carolina Distillery in 2008. Here's how to mix their hooch.