A Welcome Retreat: Checking in to the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans

 Most people, it is safe to assume, do not go to New Orleans to relax. But when days of trolleys and po’ boys are followed by nights of jazz clubs and Sazeracs, relaxation is...

Digging for Precious Stones at Crater of Diamonds State Park

“I’ve played enough Minecraft to know where diamonds are,” my 19-year-old cousin says as we schlep across acres of muddy furrows with our rented bucket, sieves, and shovels. Although I’m highly skeptical of the real-world applications of Minecraft, there’s no sense in arguing when he points out a small rivulet of water trickling through the muck.

Enduring Appeal: Author Tori Whitaker returns to Bern’s Steak House

On that starry evening with a bright full moon, I wore a powder-blue outfit I’d made myself, a peasant-style skirt with a top that fell off my shoulders. John sported a suit and tie. As we pulled into Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, the lights and cars and overhang felt like a Hollywood red carpet scene to me. This was my first time to valet park.

One City, Three Ways: Natchez, Mississippi

  Officially established in 1716, Natchez is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River and teems with history. From the early 1800s to the Civil War, Natchez reigned as one of America’s wealthiest cities....

My South: Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy on Atlanta

 As told to Allison EntrekinI spent six months in Atlanta filming The Resident. I had never really been to Atlanta before. I stayed in Virginia-Highland, a neighborhood I found both intimate and cosmopolitan at...

Up to Bat: Five Southern baseball teams that are in a league of their own

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.

Warren Doyle and the life-changing magic of the Appalachian Trail

I am lost in the wilderness. Not “lost” in the desperate sense. My phone still shows 5G in case I need to drop a pin, and two bars if I want to make a call. (Does this thing have a compass, too?) And I know where I am: somewhere on a wooded ridgeline in the Cherokee National Forest near Shady Valley, Tennessee, not far from the North Carolina and Virginia borders.

My South: Comedian Fortune Feimster on Belmont, North Carolina

Growing up in Belmont, I couldn’t wait to get out. It was small. We were a dry county, so we couldn’t even get a chain restaurant to open there. My friends and I hung out in a church parking lot and jogged up and down the street for fun.

Explore the depths of the earth at this Alabama cave preserve

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).

Hangin’ Around: A closer look at the Pawleys Island rope hammock

The Pawleys Island rope hammock has long been a symbol of Southern relaxation, and its latticed, heavy-cotton design was groundbreaking for its time. Before 1889, hammocks were made from canvas or low-quality hemp—hot, rough materials that did not accommodate muggy climates like that of South Carolina.

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