.jpg)
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- 6 days ago
- 2 min
Thousands haunt Charleston's Old City Jail
Bulldog Tours of Charleston offers a creepy look inside one of the South's most haunted places.
5 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Jan 7
- 3 min
Passports to Fun
We hardly need a reason to visit breweries, wineries and cideries, but it doesn’t hurt to have incentives.
18 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 29, 2021
- 3 min
Take 5: Get Your Read On in Mississippi
There are many indie bookstores in the South but the award goes to Mississippi, known for some of the finest American literary figures.
92 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 21, 2021
- 2 min
Southern Winter Irony
The Winter Solstice - how the darkest night brings us hope.
10 views1 comment
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 11, 2021
- 4 min
Chasing Snowbirds
More than 14,000 Sandhill cranes spend their winters at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, Alabama.
18 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 6, 2021
- 3 min
Holiday Happenings
Southern towns that celebrate the holidays in unique and unusual ways.
65 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 4, 2021
- 2 min
Happy Birthday Bunk Johnson
The Bunk Johnson Jazz, Arts, and Heritage Festival and Shadows-on-the-Teche will celebrate New Iberia’s Bunk Johnson with a surprise party.
9 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Nov 19, 2021
- 3 min
The three graves of Robert Johnson
Legend has it that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the Mississippi Crossroads. Where he's buried is another mystery,
28 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Nov 9, 2021
- 3 min
Operation: Art of Valor
For veterans in St. Petersburg, Florida, art is a healing tool at the Morean Arts Center.
10 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 29, 2021
- 2 min
Fear the Woods in Central Georgia!
There's a creepy side to the family-friendly Yule Forest in Stockbridge, Georgia. It emerges every fall.
14 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 27, 2021
- 2 min
Go Nuts Over the Bushy Tail Art Trail
Squirrels are going nuts about this new arts initiative in Henry County, Georgia. And when you see why, you'll agree.
126 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 25, 2021
- 4 min
What’s haunting Americus, Georgia?
Americus Haunted History Tour with native historian Steve Short offers histories of several sites in town.
48 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 19, 2021
- 3 min
Be Kind to Your Ta-Tas!
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the country today and one of the most fatal. And it's avoidable!
8 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 15, 2021
- 2 min
Skip Back in Time at South Louisiana Cemeteries
Two South Louisiana towns offer cemetery tours this time of year.
8 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 13, 2021
- 6 min
Geauxst Hunting at LSU
An excerpt from “Haunted Baton Rouge” by Bud Steed, published by The History Press.
38 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 10, 2021
- 6 min
The Haunting of Evelyn Cheesman & Her Magic Violin
Piecing together the life of Evelyn Pearl Cheesman and "Her Magic Violin."
4 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 6, 2021
- 3 min
A Ghostly Show Goes on at the Tampa Theater
Tampa’s haunted heritage includes the Tampa Theater and a ghost named Fink.
15 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 5, 2021
- 2 min
Angels in Natchez, Mississippi
The annual Angels on the Bluff is the long-running candlelit tour of the Natchez City Cemetery.
22 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Sep 18, 2021
- 2 min
A Purr-fectly Fun Fountain
Product review of The Magic Feline Fountain and other cat products from My Lovely Feline.
34 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Sep 16, 2021
- 2 min
Return to Mayberry
Well, Barn, do you wish you could return to those slow-moving summer days fishing at the creek with a bottle of pop and a baloney...
9 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Aug 31, 2021
- 1 min
How to help victims of Hurricane Ida
Here we go again, another active hurricane season. I'm heartbroken watching the news of my hometown of New Orleans, not to mention all...
57 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Aug 26, 2021
- 2 min
Thomas Wolfe's Angel
A marble statue becomes immortal in fiction. William Oliver Wolfe was a stonecutter who created tombstones and monuments from his shop in...
46 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Aug 22, 2021
- 4 min
The Legend of Blue Moon Bayou
This short story was originally published in The Times of Acadiana, Lafayette, Louisiana. It became part of my second book of The Viola...
13 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Aug 7, 2021
- 2 min
Make Mine Mead
Celebrate an old worldwide alcoholic tradition! Today marks the 19th annual Mead Day, celebrated yearly on the first Saturday in August....
29 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Aug 2, 2021
- 1 min
Wacky Signs of the South
It's not just our speech that's quirky! Chalk this one up to "Duh." But then folks coming into Louisiana and stopping at the Welcome...
21 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Jun 8, 2021
- 3 min
The Day the Civil War Stopped
Sometimes there's grace even in war. I live in a Georgia town where Union soldiers are buried in a national cemetery and the Confederates...
46 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Jun 5, 2021
- 2 min
Happy Trails with a Hike Through Kennesaw
On this National Trails Day, check out the beauty of a Civil War site that exists in the shadow of tragedy. Kennesaw Mountain National...
95 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- May 29, 2021
- 3 min
Take 5: Places to Visit on Memorial Day
This weekend marks the annual observance of Memorial Day, which honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military....
55 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- May 26, 2021
- 2 min
Doughnuts on the beach? Sweet!
Travel the South Walton Donut Trail for delectable treats on the beach As y’all head to the beach this Memorial Day Weekend, here’s some...
62 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Apr 23, 2021
- 2 min
Is there possum in possum pie?
No, but it's dang good eatin'! Arkansas is known for its pies — lots of ‘em and plenty of variety. Just ask Kat Robinson, author of a...
25 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Apr 20, 2021
- 2 min
Take 5: Weird places to do yoga
Need to get back in shape after putting on those COVID-19 pounds? Here’s a fun way to get exercise outdoors, where we can all still...
29 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Apr 8, 2021
- 4 min
Texas Golden Triangle an unusual collection of fun
The southeastern-most point of Texas butts heads with Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, while providing for water access into the state’s...
54 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Apr 4, 2021
- 2 min
Creating more tolerant s'mores
The following is a guest blog post by Taylor Coen, who struggles trying to find or create beloved food dishes because of food...
40 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Mar 25, 2021
- 2 min
Follow the trail to Clovis Crawfish and Friends
Scavenger hunt celebrates 60th anniversary of cherished book. Children love reading about animals and there’s something so adorable about...
22 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Mar 23, 2021
- 1 min
Spring blooming at Garvan Woodland Gardens
I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Garvan Woodland Gardens at the onset of spring, viewing what seemed like endless rolling hills of...
24 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Mar 6, 2021
- 1 min
Nothing 'civil' about the Civil War
But it's full of wild stories! I recently visited Vicksburg, Miss., home to my great grandparents' families and chock full of history....
17 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Jan 15, 2021
- 3 min
Krewe of Porches keeps Mardi Gras alive in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Carnival parades, balls and other festive but crowded activities have been canceled in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf South due to...
76 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
Bonfires on the Levee
Every Christmas Eve folks along the River Parishes, what we call counties outside Louisiana, build massive wooden bonfires along the...
32 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 22, 2020
- 3 min
Weird and Lovely Wytheville
There’s plenty of the delightfully unusual to love in the historic Virginia town of Wytheville (pronounced With-ville), nestled in the...
1,839 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 20, 2020
- 3 min
The Louisiana town that moved to Arizona
Excerpted from "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History" by Cheré Coen William M. Cady and his Cady Lumber Company established two...
224 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 19, 2020
- 3 min
City of Hey Baby
I’ve found that many Americans hail from cities, but they move away and are happily identified with their new home. For those of us...
78 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Dec 1, 2020
- 2 min
Forget gingerbread houses — The Grand Hotel in Fairhope comes to life in sweet miniature!
Gingerbread houses are all the rage this time of year, and it’s not uncommon to find hotels and resorts offering classes and contests....
114 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Nov 20, 2020
- 2 min
Take 5: Go Wild in Georgia on Black Friday and beyond
Want to avoid the crowds on Black Friday 2020 and not worry about social distancing — unless it’s for a squirrel. Georgia’s State Parks...
14 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Nov 16, 2020
- 1 min
Honoring an Louisiana outlaw legend
Louisiana has installed its first Legends and Lore Marker — and it’s to honor an outlaw. The historical marker unveiled at the Merryville...
47 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 30, 2020
- 4 min
The 'Haints' of Abingdon, Virginia
The Revolution-era town has more than its fair share of ghost stories. We heard the tales of Abingdon, Va’s, “Haint Mistress,” a woman...
121 views0 comments
Joe Paris
- Oct 28, 2020
- 3 min
Once Normal, Now Weird
It's not just Halloween we celebrate in South Louisiana! Once upon a time, Halloween and All Saints Day weren’t just about costumes and...
95 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Oct 9, 2020
- 8 min
The haunts of Cajun Country
In the swamps of Louisiana's Cajun Country, une grosse bétaille may lurk.
116 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Sep 27, 2020
- 2 min
Take 5: Get Outdoors This Week
Enjoy fall weather with these Southern social distancing events Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2020.
24 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Sep 24, 2020
- 3 min
Diamond hunting in Arkansas?
Diamonds are waiting to be found in Arkansas state park.
70 views0 comments
Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Sep 22, 2020
- 3 min
Lily at the St. Francis Inn
Author Kathleen Walls believes that some folks refuse to check out at St. Augustine's oldest inn.
54 views0 comments
