FROM THE EDITOR

I have always loved the American South, my affection enhanced by both heritage and experience.

While spending my childhood, teenage and young adult years in Kentucky, Tennessee, both Virginias and both Carolinas I increasingly savoured the South's scenic beauty, cultural diversity and amazing range of recreational opportunities.

There were soft, sandy beaches to relax on, bays to sail across, islands to explore, pristine lakes to dive into and beautiful mountain forests to hike through. Each season had its own magic. In autumn, the forest foliage transformed itself into vivid shades of red, yellow and orange; in winter, the cities and small towns were enlivened by sparkling Christmas lights; in the spring the gardens erupted with lush, sweetly-scented blooms; and, in the summer evening, there were those long family discussions about our beloved South's troubled past, progressive present and promising future as we lay in hammocks or relaxed in rocking chairs along the porch of our ancestral farmhouse in Virginia's lovely Shenandoah Valley.

After moving to London where I became the launching and ongoing editor of Essentially America magazine there were the return visits to both the six previously mentioned and six additional Southern states where I became more engrossed in the region's exhilarating music scene, visited the sites of some of my favourite novels and films, attended fabulous festivals and over-indulged in its delicious food and drink.

So, it was a great honour and pleasure to be asked by Travel South USA to write and edit this guide to the 12 Southern states.

Mary Moore Mason