North Carolina

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.

Although she now calls New York City home, actress Bellamy Young says she’ll always be a Southern girl at heart.

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).

Forget Yelp reviews, travel guides, or tracking down that random colleague’s Instagram post. We have your notes right here—on where to go and what to order when traveling—from some of the South’s most acclaimed chefs, unlocking the secrets of their hometowns.

The landmark exhibit includes an intact triceratops and the world’s only 100-percent-complete skeleton of a T. rex in one piece of rock.

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.

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.

Chapel Hill, home to the University of North Carolina (UNC), has that elusive blend of qualities that makes for an ideal weekend destination: instantly comfortable yet demanding to be explored.

I would start by kayaking on the French Broad River downtown with a six-pack of Asheville Brewing Company’s Perfect Day IPA. Then I’d go to South Slope, our unofficial brewery district with eleven breweries.

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.