The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, North Carolina, is just one of the many food and drink festivals taking place this spring in the American South.

TRAVEL

Ten of the South's Most Mouth-Watering Festivals

From Vidalia onions to beer cheese, the American South has culinary celebrations covered

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2024 Spring Travel South Mississippi

Whether you’re chasing waterfalls in the Appalachian foothills, exploring Black history, or tucking in to comforting culinary classics, the Magnolia State is an invitation to all those who love to wander.

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2024 Spring Travel South Kentucky

The Bluegrass State has something for everyone. Sample bourbon, embark on subterranean adventures, or visit equine legends. You can even scuba dive.

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2024 Spring Travel South Alabama

Home to dazzling beaches, Southern culinary classics, and the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, this crossroads of American culture is calling all visitors.

The Mississippi John Hurt Museum stood on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta.

Fire Destroys Museum Honoring Legendary Blues Musician Mississippi John Hurt

The three-room shack in the town of Avalon, Mississippi, was once the singer and guitarist's home

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Beyond the Cobblestones: Unearthing Charleston's Authentic Outdoor Experiences

Beyond its brick-lined town center, the Charleston Area becomes a place where nature and heritage converge in unexpected and delightful ways

Tourists in Great Onyx Cave, now part of Mammoth Cave National Park, in 1925

How the Kentucky Cave Wars Reshaped the State's Tourism Industry

Rival entrepreneurs took drastic steps to draw visitors away from Mammoth Cave in the early 20th century

The exterior of Club Ebony, taken before the renovation

Club Ebony, Historic Stop Along the Chitlin Circuit, Reopens

The legendary Black-owned nightclub hosted the likes of Tina Turner, Ray Charles and more

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Travel South: Arkansas

Float down a national river. Delve into presidential history. Peruse world class art. In The Natural State, you can do it all

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Explore These Eight Modern Charlotte Destinations With Historic Undercurrents

Known for being a dynamic hub of contemporary culture and innovation, Charlotte's rich and storied history is all around.

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Embrace the Magic of the Holidays with a Colonial Williamsburg Experience

Discover why the holiday season is the perfect time to visit the world’s largest American history museum

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5 Reasons to Explore Historic Williamsburg in the Fall

The world’s largest living history museum truly springs to life in the autumn months—and here’s why

Adam Hardin's 2.38-carat brown diamond "Frankenstone" is the size of a pinto bean.

Treasure Hunter Unearths 2.38-Carat 'Frankenstone' Diamond

Adam Hardin discovered the impressive brown gem at an Arkansas state park

The FORMAT festival will be held on 250 acres of open green land just a few miles outside of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Walmart Heirs Launch New Music Festival in Bid to Make Arkansas an Art Destination

FORMAT will bring big-name musicians, contemporary artists to Bentonville

Bon Ami Mine is located in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, about 50 miles northeast of Asheville.

Black Lights Turn This North Carolina Mine Into a Psychedelic Wonderland

The Bon Ami Mine’s deposits of the mineral hyalite glow fluorescent green under ultraviolet light

An aerial view looking southwest from Charleston, with the Stono River wending through the landscape.

What the Haunting 'Inner Passage' Represented to the Enslaved

These photographs explore the waterways of the South that brought suffering to so many and also provided some a way out of bondage

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Dive Into Mobile’s Melting Pot of People, Cultures and Dangerously Delicious Fusion Food

Uncovering the vibrant and complicated history of the formerly French colonial city, once known as “the Paris of the South”

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The Top Three Reasons to Visit Colonial Williamsburg

Connect more deeply with history, relax in 18th-century style, and experience fun for the whole family

Award-winning filmmaker Janay Kelley honed her skills in the video lab in Cloud901. The state-of-the-art teen learning facility is one of the biggest and best of its kind.

How Memphis Created the Nation's Most Innovative Public Library

You can play the ukulele, learn photography or record a song in a top-flight studio. You can also check out a book

Two original slave cabins, as well as the 1790 Big House, 1790 barn and 19th-century kitchen, survived the storm. But Ida destroyed at least several structures on the historic plantation.

Hurricane Ida Damages Whitney Plantation, Only Louisiana Museum to Focus on the Enslaved

The historic site will remain closed indefinitely as staff assess the destruction and make repairs

The interactive map will be updated with the latest predictions in mid-September.

See When Fall Foliage Will Peak With This Interactive Map

County-by-county predictions reveal when to catch the most brilliant autumnal colors

The worn hands and nubby fingernails of Bentonia, Mississippi, bluesman Jimmy "Duck" Holmes reflect his years of experience. Holmes is one of the last bluesmen who play a style known as Bentonia blues.

At an Old Juke Joint in Mississippi, the Blues Are Alive

Jimmy Holmes is the last in a line of music legends as he seeks to keep a singular American art form thriving

Mary Lee Bendolph, Blocks and Strips, 2002

National Gallery of Art Adds 40 Works by Black Southern Artists to Its Collections

The "milestone" acquisition includes works by the Gee's Bend quilters, Thornton Dial, Nellie Mae Rowe and James "Son Ford" Thomas

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Best Spots to Explore Along the Great Calusa Blueway

Photographer, Ben Hicks, takes a journey along the stunning waters of Matlacha Pass and Bunche Beach Preserve

Gardens alongside the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace became archaeological sites where Girl Scouts discovered handmade nails and a shard of pottery.

Girl Scouts Join Archaeological Dig at Birthplace of Organization's Founder

The 200-year-old house, where Juliette Gordon Low was born in 1860, is undergoing renovations to increase its accessibility

A Dixie Highway marker on Georgia State Route 3

Parts of Florida Highway Honoring the Confederacy Will Be Renamed in Honor of Harriet Tubman

Miami-Dade County commissioners unanimously approved plans to rename local stretches of Dixie Highway

Blue Hole Regional Park, just south of Austin, Texas, is sought after for its canopy of bald cypress trees and its two rope swings.

The Sublime Sensation of the Swimming Hole

Kick off your shoes and jump into summer's most refreshing tradition on a lazy afternoon

The Baker Hotel’s lobby was one of the most magnificent in the nation, but after years of decay it has been left in a moldy and derelict state.

These Photographers Venture Into Derelict Buildings in Texas So That We Don't Have To

In a new book, Shane and Jessica Steeves capture some of the state's abandoned churches, schools and hotels

The Cheerwine Festival in Salisbury, North Carolina, is just one of the many food and drink festivals taking place this spring in the American South.

Ten of the South’s Most Mouth-Watering Food Festivals

From Vidalia onions to beer cheese, the American South has culinary celebrations covered

Decommissioned oil rigs attract both sea life and scuba divers.

The Gulf of Mexico’s Hottest Diving Spots Are Decommissioned Oil Rigs

These artificial reefs are proving to be prime habitats for a plethora of sea creatures

A Florida manatee winters in the warm waters of Crystal River.

There's Only One Place in the United States Where It's Legal to Swim With Wild Manatees

In Citrus County, Florida, hundreds of the gentle giants winter in the warm waters of Crystal River

Family photographs decorate the master bedroom in the home of Civil Rights leaders Medgar and Myrlie Evers.

Home of Civil Rights Hero Medgar Evers Is Now a National Monument

Before his assassination in 1963, Evers led civil rights demonstrations and investigated racial violence in Mississippi

The new designs call for the reopening of a long shuttered underground passageway that connects the garden to the museum plaza, as well as plans for a new area for large-scale contemporary works, performance spaces and intimate settings for the museum’s masterpiece collections.

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden to Undergo First Redesign in More Than 40 Years

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s design provides easier access from the National Mall and space for larger installations

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Peek Inside the Workshop Where Mardi Gras Floats Are Made

Mardi Gras World in New Orleans offers tours of its whimsical warehouse, where visitors can see floats being constructed all year round

Houston's Rothko Chapel Casts a New Light

When the meditative space reopens, a new skylight will filter the right amount of light on the 14 canvasses installed in the artist's octagonal masterpiece

Names smoked into the ceiling date back to the 1800s

Enslaved Tour Guide Stephen Bishop Made Mammoth Cave the Must-See Destination It Is Today

In the 1830s and '40s, the pioneering spelunker mapped out many of the underground system's most popular spots

A section of the 18,000-square-foot Cyclorama depicts a pivotal moment: Lt Edward Jones, on horseback, racing to reinforce the Federal line.

Atlanta's Famed Cyclorama Mural Will Tell the Truth About the Civil War Once Again

One of the war's greatest battles was fought again and again on a spectacular canvas nearly 400 feet long. At last, the real history is being restored

New National Monument in Kentucky Honors Black Civil War Troops

Over 10,000 African-American troops mustered at Camp Nelson, which also offered refuge for their enslaved wives and children

A plan for the Virginia women's monument

New Virginia Monument Will Pay Tribute to Hundreds of Historic Women

The monument features 12 bronze statues and a wall etched with 400 additional names of women who played an important role in shaping Virginia's history

The first frozen margarita machine is in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

The Uniquely Texan Origins of the Frozen Margarita

A Dallas restaurant owner blended tequila, ice and automation. America has been hungover ever since

Brush up on Your Scuba Certification—This Florida Museum Is Entirely Underwater

The Underwater Museum of Art will permanently exhibit seven sculptures in the Gulf coastal waters off Walton County, Florida