"Escape to the Southeast" Special Travel Section

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EscapeToTheSoutheast.com
Grab a Map
U
nfolding a map of the
Southeast– or, more likely
these days, studying a map
online– is like opening a treasure
chest of travel choices. Just think
what’s in the 12-state region’s footprint.
This attraction- and action-packed
quadrant of our nation stretches from
the mountains of West Virginia to the
coastline of Virginia, down the Atlantic
seaboard to the slightly wacky world
of Key West, around the Gulf of Mexico
to the “Cajun Outback” of Southwest
Louisiana and up to the natural
beauty of Arkansas. The whole place
is a treasure.
The best aspect is that you can start
anywhere– and asking any two people
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&
Hit The Road
what’s the best destination in the
Southeast is likely to spark a lively
discussion.
You’ll find beach people who brag on
the Outer Banks of North Carolina,
Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach in
South Carolina, Daytona and Perdido
Key in Florida and Gulf Shores and
Orange Beach in Alabama– to the
exclusion of all others.
Mountain vacationers swear by the
Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee
and North Carolina, the Alleghenies
in West Virginia, the Blue Ridge
Mountains in Virginia, North
Carolina and North Georgia– and
don’t neglect the Ozarks of Arkansas.
You’ll find golfers who can’t get enough
of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, the
year-round courses in central Florida,
the challenging courses of Tennessee’s
Cumberland Plateau or the variety of
the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in
Alabama.
People who thrive on big-city
restaurants and cultural diversions
line up to brag about Charleston,
Atlanta, Charlotte and Louisville.
Birmingham even gets culinary
praise these days for places other
than its glorious barbeque joints.
All you have to do is hit the road to
find a great Southeastern destination.
You don’t need a GPS.
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more
FESTIVALS
SHAKE
THAN YOU CAN
a stick at
V
isit the website of any Southeast
destination– tiny burg or major
metropolis– and you’ll find a
festival, maybe even dozens of
festivals spread through the year.
elvis
lives
Visit graceland
in memphis
800-238-2000
elvis.com
©EPE Reg. US Pat. & Tm. Off.
spring_Travel_MoreLiving.indd 2
Tiny Tallapoosa, Georgia, celebrates
each New Year’s Eve with its Possum
Drop. (Don’t worry. The possum,
whose name is Spencer,
had a date with
a taxidermist
long ago.)
Salley, South
Carolina, pays
tribute to a certain
part of pig with
its Chitlin Strut
in November.
Up in Richwood,
West Virginia, there’s
a big fuss every April
over ramps, a wild leek
with a strong garlic-like
aroma and a pronounced
onion flavor. It’s the Feast
of the Ramson, and it’s a
good thing everybody present eats
the stinky vegetables. A breath mint
should be the festival’s official sponsor.
You get the idea by now. Southerners
don’t need much of an excuse to throw
a party and invite people to drop in.
Macon, Georgia, stages “the Pinkest
Party on Earth” (aka the International
Cherry Blossom Festival) in March
just because residents planted 300,000
cherry trees, while the Biltmore
Festival of Flowers in Asheville,
North Carolina, stretches from
late March until the middle of May.
Music is the root of many festivals.
Tennessee is awash in music festivals
in early June. Chattanooga draws
thousands for the Riverbend Festival,
throngs fill otherwise empty farm
fields near Manchester for the
internationally
famous Bonaroo
and Nashville
really is Music
City during the
nationally televised
Country Music
Association
Festival.
Look hard
enough, and
you probably
can find a
barbeque
event every
month of the
year. Most
are pig-based
events, but
the folks in Owensboro, Kentucky,
toss some mutton into the mix– just
for fun, no doubt.
With choices all over the map,
look for some guidance. If a festival
you’re considering is a Southeast
Tourism Society “Top 20 Event in
the Southeast,” that’s a pretty good
seal of approval. Check them out each
month at EscapeToTheSoutheast.com.
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1/30/13 10:04 PM
Reconnect with life’s natural moments in Central Florida. Rejuvenate your mind and spirit at Bok Tower
Gardens and explore acres upon acres of pristine gardens in the shadow of The Singing Tower. Hike or
bike through 37 unspoiled parks. Discover 34 golf courses grounded in beauty, variety and challenge,
such as the stunningly unique Streamsong Resort – Florida’s newest golf experience.
Log on and plan
your escape today.
800-828-7655
i
spring_Travel_MoreLiving.indd 3
facebook.com/VisitCentralFlorida
twitter.com/VisitCentralFL
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Top Escape to the
Southeast events
A
®
APRIL 2013
pril is an ideal time for a family getaway or church
group trip in the Southeastern United States, with
numerous events across the region featuring live
entertainment in a variety of musical styles; flowers,
herbs and gardens; pageants; athletic events; cook offs
and regional food; street fairs; horticultural and
Southern folk life artisans; carnival rides; model trains;
kids’ activities; films; hot air balloons; fireworks; prize
giveaways and more, along with beautiful Southern
spring weather in which to enjoy the activities. Visit
www.EscapeToTheSoutheast.com to learn more about
special events each month across the Southeast and
to request your FREE Escape to the Southeast ®
Travel Guide.
Apr. 1-7
Apr. 5-6
Apr. 5-7
Apr. 6
Apr. 10-14
Apr. 11-13
Apr. 11-20
Apr. 12-14
Apr. 12-14
Apr. 12-14
Apr. 12-14
Apr. 12-14
Apr. 13
Apr. 13-14
Apr. 13-14; 20-21
Apr. 13-June 2
Apr. 15-May 2
Apr. 18-21
Apr. 18-21; 25-28
Apr. 19-21
Apr. 20-21
Apr. 24-27
Apr. 25-27
Apr. 26-28
Apr. 27
Apr. 27-28
Apr. 30-May 12
Pensacola JazzFest– Pensacola, FL
Springtime Tallahassee– Tallahassee, FL
41st Annual Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown
Festival– Summerville, SC
Plantapalooza!– Athens, GA
North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc.–
Wilmington, NC
Louisiana Railroad Festival– DeQuincy, LA
Come-See-Me Festival– Rock Hill, SC
Alabama Chicken & Egg Festival– Moulton, AL
Westlake Family Fun and Food Festival– Westlake, LA
Blessing of the Fleet Festival– Darien, GA
Crossroads Film Festival– Jackson and Madison, MS
Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival– Ponchatoula, LA
Lewisburg Chocolate Festival– Lewisburg, WV
25th Annual Dogwood Festival– Perry, GA
KidFest! Ridgeland– Ridgeland, MS
28th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival– Fairburn, GA
Kentucky Derby Festival– Louisville, KY
36th Annual Vidalia Onion Festival– Vidalia, GA
Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival– Biloxi, MS
Lockport Food Festival Presents: “Le Fete du Monde”
– Lockport, LA
29th Annual Bloomin’ Festival Arts & Crafts Fair
– Cullman, AL
29th Annual American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show
& Contest– Paducah, KY
Rose Show and Festival– Thomasville, GA
Sacred Heart Garden Festival– Augusta, GA
Herbs Galore & More at Maymont– Richmond, VA
Melbourne Art Festival– Melbourne, FL
Contraband Days Pirate Festival– Lake Charles, LA
Sandy Springs
Georgia
1-866-511-7742
www.visitSandySprings.org
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Have faith that you’ll have fun
You can have faith that your church groups will have fun here in
Pigeon Forge. Whether it’s the shopping, attractions, shows or
Dollywood ®, you’ll find wholesome entertainment at every turn.
And the majestic beauty of the Smoky Mountains is always an
inspiring sight. Pigeon Forge is filled with variety and dedicated to
creating a family friendly atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.
PigeonForgeMeeting.com
1-800-285-7557
12
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TWELVE
1/22/13
Alabama – You’ve heard about whooping cranes
UNUSUAL
Destinations
in the
Southeast
You’ve bought a t-shirt
at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, wiped
confectioner’s sugar off your shirt from a
Café du Monde beignet in New Orleans,
wished you had worn a shirt at Myrtle
Beach and maybe lost your shirt whitewater
rafting on the Nantahala River.
In other words, you’ve had many of the
big experiences the Southeast offers.
Shift gears and consider this collection
of destinations that aren’t so famous.
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and efforts to save the species, but have you ever
seen one? You can at Wheeler National Wildlife
Refuge in north Alabama, where a few whoopers
spend the winter and 284 more species pass
through each year. fws.gov/wheeler
Arkansas – Heifer International has worked to
end global hunger one cow at a time since 1944.
Its home base is in Little Rock, right next to the
Clinton Presidential Library, and it offers great
lessons in helping others. Heifer Ranch, 45 miles
away in Perryville, offers another unusual
vacation experience. Heifer.org
Florida – As the year-long Viva Florida
celebration marks the 500th anniversary of
Ponce de Leon’s arrival, many people need
reminding that Florida’s first settlement was
in modern-day Pensacola, not St. Augustine.
Yes, the Pensacola settlement got whacked by
a hurricane and didn’t survive, but what’s
there now is lots of fun. VisitPensacola.com
Georgia – Everyone knows about the
Everglades, but fewer know about another
famous swamp, the Okefenokee. Folkston,
Fargo and Waycross are your entry points to
700 square miles of cypress forests, marsh,
lakes and islands. You might even meet Pogo
Possum. fws.gov/okefenokee
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12
UNUSUAL Destinations in the Southeast
Kentucky – Not too far from the National Corvette
Museum in Bowling Green is a decidedly slower means
of transportation– boats that travel underground.
Lost River Cave lives up to its name because Lost River
really does flow through the cave, and it’s big enough
for a boat ride. LostRiverCave.com and VisitBGKY.com
Louisiana – If you don’t have a Cajun or Creole
bloodline, trying to figure out the culture of South
Louisiana is a challenge– until you visit the
Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife
Park in Lafayette. Ask to meet “the gumbo lady.”
BayouVermilion.org and LafayetteTravel.com
Mississippi – It’s somewhat of a mystery why
tamales and Mississippi go together, but it’s no
mystery finding places to put great tamales on
your plate throughout the Mississippi Delta.
The Southern Foodways Alliance explains this
culinary phenomenon at TamaleTrail.com
North Carolina – Chimney Rock is a towering
315-foot-tall monolith at the edge of the Blue Ridge
Mountains overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake
Lure. To reach the 75-mile view, you can burn some
calories with a 20-minute walk up 491 stairs or zoom
up a 26-story elevator. ChimneyRockPark.com
South Carolina – Theodore Roosevelt said the battle
at Kings Mountain “marked the turning point of the
American Revolution.” It was a strange battle– Patriot
and Loyalist militias and only one British soldier.
It’s quite a history lesson just 40 miles southwest
of Charlotte, N.C. nps.gov/kimo
Tennessee – Board an ocean liner in landlocked
Pigeon Forge. It’s the Titanic Museum Attraction, which
really does look like the famous ship that sailed into
history in 1912. Your boarding pass is a passenger’s
biography and not until the touching Memorial Room
do you learn that person’s fate. TitanicPigeonForge.com
Virginia – Many people explore Virginia’s Civil War
battlefields, but the history of an entire branch of the
Armed Forces is at Quantico. It’s the National Museum
of the Marine Corps, where you can learn why the
Marines display an Academy Award along with a
fighter jet and photos of Iwo Jima. usmcmuseum.com
West Virginia – Elkins was a railroad town until the
railroad left. Years of work have transformed it into a
certified West Virginia Arts Community and a place
named one of the 100 Best Art Towns in America.
Music, dance and crafts abound– as do new railroad
excursions into the mountains. ElkinsWV.com
Special Advertising Section
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Sand Crabs.
Discovered October 12, 2012 by Sasha Stevens
- Gulf Shores, AL
Children learn the most amazing things when they’re having fun. At Gulf
Shores and Orange Beach, they’ll never know they’re still in school. Because
32 miles of uncrowded, sugar white beaches, sparkling water and numerous
interactive educational attractions provide an exciting, entertaining way to
learn. And a whole different state of discovery.
i
Call 1-877-659-9025 or visit GulfShores.com/Lifeway
GSA014 Lifeway April Ad Full.indd 1
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Escape to the
Southeast Info
and Offers
Showcase
free information
To learn more about our Escape to
the Southeast travel advertisers’
products and services, simply visit
LifeWay.com/AdPartners and check
the boxes of the destinations below
from whom you would like to
receive FREE information.
When you request information
about these destinations at LifeWay.
com/AdPartners, you will be
entered automatically to win
one of FIVE LifeWay Christian
Stores gift cards valued at $50
each (enough to purchase some
great reading material to take
on your Southeast vacation).
For more information and regular
updates about these destinations,
visit LifeWay.com/TravelGuide.
Alabama
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
www.GulfShores.com/LifeWay
1-877-659-9025
Florida
Central Florida Visitors &
Convention Bureau
www.visitcentralflorida.org
1-800-828-7655
Georgia
Alpine Helen –
White County Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.helenga.com
1-800-858-8027
Sandy Springs
Hospitality & Tourism
www.visitSandySprings.org
1-866-511-7742
Tennessee
Pigeon Forge
www.PigeonForgeMeeting.com
1-800-285-7557
Sevierville
www.VisitSevierville.com
1-888-738-4378
Visit Graceland
www.elvis.com
1-800-238-2000
Escape to the Southeast
To order your FREE Escape to the Southeast Travel Guide, obtain more
information about top events and the best travel destinations in the
Southeast United States, or to enter travel sweepstakes, visit
EscapeToTheSoutheast.com.
Make the
most of your
Escape
travels
to the
Southeast.
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