FROM THE EDITOR
I have visited – and written about – every one of the 50 American states but must admit that my heart remains in the American South. Perhaps that's because I was born in, lived in or regularly visited relatives in seven of the Southern states. However, as my travels extended into the five other Travel South states, I became more and more fascinated by the region's rich – if sometimes turbulent – history, its beautiful cities and charming small towns, its delicious food and lifeaffirming drink and the great creativity of its musicians, artists and writers, all of which I hope you, too, will be able to experience when you next visit the USA.
While there, why not spend some family time in a log cabin or on a campground in one of the region's beautiful state parks – as a Virginia teenager I discovered they offer great canoeing, swimming, fishing and star gazing; learn a new water sport along the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico coasts – my college roommate taught me to sail and waterski in North Carolina's Albemarle Sound; hike part of America's most-famous footpath, the Appalachian Trail, as I did with friends in Georgia; relax on an island – one of my favourite seaside sojourns was on South Carolina's Hilton Head; or cruise up the mighty Mississippi on the American Queen, disembarking along the way at charming small towns in Louisiana and Mississippi ... perhaps over-nighting at a plantation.
Enjoy some urban time in exciting cities, making sure to dine at some of their award-winning restaurants or colourful diners and also checking out some of their outstanding museums – I was particularly taken by one of the region's newer ones, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Drive along the Missouri stretch of fabled Route 66, checking out the caves and vineyards along the way; follow part of the thought-provoking American
Civil Rights Trail through Alabama; visit the indigenous Cherokees in their
North Carolina Appalachian Mountain homeland; white-water raft through West Virginia's New River Gorge, America's newest National Park; and explore the country's most-visited National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee. While there, you can check out nearby Dollywood or even sip some of the moonshine produced at Shine Girl Distillery, run by Dolly's niece, Danielle, in Dolly's hometown of Sevierville.
Finally, consider scheduling your visit to coincide with one of the South's unique annual events such as Louisville's Kentucky Derby, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024, or New Orleans' flamboyant Jazz & Heritage Festival, both of them staged each spring.
Or create your own adventures, perhaps via a special road trip with the aid of this guide. So, please, read on and enjoy planning your next trip to the American South.
Mary Moore Mason