Tag: Southbound

For more than 30 years, the arrival of spring in Orlando has been heralded with an explosion of flowers, color, and trademark Disney magic. A topiary of Figment, the brightly hued dragon that serves as a park mascot, welcomes visitors to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, taking place March 4 through June 1.

A gathering of hot-ticket tables, a Gulf Coast chef to know, and a Nashville voice bringing his Thai heritage home.

The first time I pass by the desk, I miss it. The four of us are already in the next room when I spot the sign featuring her name: Virginia Woolf. I retrace my steps, followed by my husband, our daughter, and her fiance. Sure enough, there it is: Virginia Woolf’s writing desk, on display in Duke University’s Rubenstein Library.

James Beard–recognized chefs have put Raleigh’s dining scene on the national map, and Michelin’s inaugural American South guide arrived last November, cementing Raleigh as a culinary hotbed. Add world-class museums, transformative outdoor developments, and that unbeatable North Carolina hospitality, and you’ve got a city worthy of a weekend escape.

Today, Palm Beach’s affluence and fame combine with South Florida’s irrepressible subtropical kitsch, making it eternally fascinating for people of all walks of life. So ditch your winter coat (the temps rarely dip below 70) and pack your Chanel tweed: We’ve curated your Palm Beach itinerary so you can experience the best this legendarily wealthy, wild, and wonderful destination has to offer.

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, designer Albert Lukonga arrived in Lexington nearly two decades ago via a United Nations resettlement program. Now, he’s the man behind some of the city’s sharpest suits and sleekest silhouettes, dressing travelers from all corners of the globe on their way to the state’s prominent horse-racing venues. Here’s how the tastemaker would spend his ideal day out and about in the Horse Capital of the World.

The new boutique property sits on Savannah’s East Broughton Street and beckons guests and passersby into its light-filled, high-ceilinged lobby bar. Loungey velvet seating in shades of dusty pink and pistachio green, original terrazzo floors, blue mosaic wall tiling, and retro light fixtures give the gathering space a midcentury modern feel.

A far cry from your garden-variety gift-shop keychains and mugs, these souvenirs are made by hand and epitomize the culture and history of the places they were created. Some represent crafts that have been passed down for generations, like the sweetgrass baskets of South Carolina’s Lowcountry or moonshine from the hills of Kentucky, while others capture a region’s natural bounty, like shell art from Sanibel Island, Florida, and sumptuous peach cakes made with central Georgia’s most famous crop.

My husband and I were bound for New Orleans, the train’s fifth and final stop. Amtrak only resumed the Gulf Coast route in August, some 20 years after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to wide swaths of the track. On I-10, the drive between the two cities would have taken us two hours. Instead, we’d opted for a four-hour train journey with four Mississippi stops along the way. Our decision was born of curiosity, mostly. As lifelong residents of the southeastern United States, where cars are plentiful but train travel is a novelty, taking an Amtrak trip sounded like a check-the-box experience in itself.

It’s not as well-known as Tennessee’s other ‘villes, Nashville and Knoxville, but the state’s fifth-largest city is worth visiting for its reliably pink sunsets and a compact, walkable downtown district chock-full of independent shops, bars, and a central urban park.