Travel

Lexington and Concord, Boston and Philadelphia, the Delaware River and Valley Forge. When we reflect on the birth of the nation, these are the places that naturally come to mind. But as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America’s beginning, we want to give the South its due. Travelers will find America’s Revolutionary history preserved in four cities that played crucial roles in the early development of our nation: Williamsburg, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Salem, North Carolina; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Vast longleaf pine forests dominate the landscape of Hattiesburg, which sits in the heart of South Mississippi’s Pine Belt region. In the late 1800s, as rail and logging industries began developing the area’s resources, the city emerged as an economic hub. Named for Harriet “Hattie” Hardy, the founder’s wife, it went on to become home to the University of Southern Mississippi and eventually a bustling city of 50,000 people.

Situated inside Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, the Carousel Bar has lured thirsty passersby to its 25-seat rotating bar since 1929. Marvin Allen joined the party in 2002, quickly learning how to hop over the bar top to start his evening shift (there’s no door or entryway) while patrons clapped and cheered.

In a landlocked state like Arkansas, lakes become the magnetic north of warm-weather fun. During high school, my friends and I often made the drive from Little Rock to Lake Greers Ferry, where we jumped from the bluffs into the lake. We were children on the cusp of adulthood, old enough to have cars and the freedom to make the hour-plus trip, but still young enough that we had curfews and needed permission to go.

While Chattanooga's 100-plus parks and dozens of miles of hiking trails are certainly enticing draws, its culinary offerings, growing arts district, and family-friendly attractions make the city a compelling getaway for all kinds of visitors.

Restored estates, a cutting-edge surf retreat, and a Dolly Parton–inspired hotel take center stage in this collection of noteworthy Southern stays.

Trés Taylor shares his passion for art in his adopted hometown of Selma, Alabama. He started the “Revolution of Joy” collective mural project—the aim of which is to connect history and inspire change—and welcomes guests to Byrdland, a historic Victorian house that serves as his home, studio, gallery, and an artist retreat. Here are his recommendations for exploring Selma like a local.

While there’s plenty to recommend a visit to the heart of North Carolina any time of the year, springtime in this part of the world is something special. A road trip over the rolling hills of the state’s Piedmont region promises farm-fresh fare, an explosion of native wildflowers, and a bumper crop of newborn animals.

I crest the Waccamaw River Bridge on an August evening when a storm is looming in the distance. I haven’t been back to Pawleys Island in nearly a decade, but the smell of the Georgetown paper mills and the rhythmic thunk of the bridge’s seams under my tires call up the years I spent visiting this tiny spit of South Carolina Lowcountry. My father, the poet James Dickey, loved what he called the “unbroken openness” of the island’s salt marshes and the spooky beauty of its live oaks. He bought a second home here long before I was born. When he died in 1997, we buried him at Pawleys in an 18th-century graveyard under a tree cloaked in Spanish moss.

On an unseasonably cool day, my teenage son and I make the short drive from our home in Lexington to nearby Versailles. Our mission: explore scenic vistas via pedal-powered railbikes at Rail Explorers Bluegrass Kentucky Division, an outing I’d had on my radar since its opening in 2023.