

Dollywood turns 40 with a host of fun events this spring and summer
Dolly Parton’s popular theme park celebrates its 40th anniversary season in East Tennessee. May 3 is the official anniversary day.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
1 hour ago2 min read
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Weird Southern Spring Festivals
This time of year, Southerners celebrate all good things in their festivals. And we mean everything!

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Mar 255 min read
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When color returns to the South in spring, you know it's azalea season
Spring comes first to the Deep South with azaleas blooming in brilliant colors. Here are several places to find these brilliant blooms.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Mar 144 min read
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Don't just travel through the South, take time to learn something new!
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, offers visitors a chance at throwing clay and Grapevine, Texas, heats up with glassblowing opportunities.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Mar 63 min read
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Get Out Your Kazoos and Be A Part of a Guinness World Record
Macon, Ga., is home to the kazoo inventor and wants to bring together the largest kazoo gathering in the world.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Mar 12 min read
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Spring's in full bloom now at Garvan Woodland Gardens
It's daffodil season at this sprawling gardens outside Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Feb 251 min read
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It's a massive cake festival at Chattanooga's City Cafe Diner
Go the favorite dishes at Chattanooga's City Diner Cafe but save room for arguably the largest slices of cake you'll ever enjoy.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Feb 42 min read
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Tip Top Cocktails are tip top
Atlanta canned cocktail company offers convenience, taste, and affordability with their line of Tip Top Proper Cocktails.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jan 113 min read
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Spirited North Georgia Mountains
Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. with its moonshine and other spirits now has a second location in Dawsonville about an hour from Atlanta.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Dec 18, 20243 min read
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Tennessee lights up the season with a vibrant holiday glow!
The Volunteer State offers millions of holiday light events, from immersive Christmas villages to driving through miles of lights.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Dec 5, 20244 min read
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Thrifting Southwest Georgia
Columbus, Georgia, has one of the South’s largest thrift stores, plus a dang good Goodwill.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Nov 26, 20243 min read
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Bayou: Feasting Through the Seasons of a Cajun Life
James Beard Award-winning Chef Melissa M. Martin takes readers through South Louisiana traditions and holidays with new cookbook "Bayou."

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Nov 14, 20242 min read
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Chattanooga Center pays homage to Medal of Honor recipients
Buffalo Soldier, Dr. Mary Walker and other veterans honored at Chattanooga's Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Nov 11, 20243 min read
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20 Ways to Enjoy the Holidays Throughout the South
The region abounds with festive events ranging from reindeer to German markets.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Nov 7, 20249 min read
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Georgia and the Power of the Vote
Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado details the history of voting suppression in Georgia and the rise of those fighting to gain voting rights.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 29, 20243 min read
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Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour takes over New Orleans
The Audubon Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium and restaurants will offer Swifties special fun during Oct. 25-27, 2024 in New Orleans.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 24, 20243 min read
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Throw Out Those Pumpkin Lattes! Try Pumpkin Cocktails Instead!
This month, when the veil between living and dead grows thin, try a spirited pumpkin drink. Nothing seems to scream fall like pumpkin,...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 23, 20242 min read
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Shalom Y’all and Pass the Blintz
Get hungry for the annual Savannah Jewish Food Festival Nov. 17.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 16, 20242 min read
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Ghost hunting in New Orleans
The Bourbon Orleans hotel in New Orleans has plenty of spirits who refuse to check out.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 9, 20244 min read
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Treat Yourself to a Travel Facial
After a trip, this FACTORFIVE facial mask will help restore vitality to your skin. As a travel writer, I’m always on the go. Planes,...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 5, 20242 min read
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The Spirits of Jekyll Island Club
Jekyll Island Club hotel will tell its ghostly stories this weekend, plus serve spirits of another kind.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Oct 2, 20242 min read
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All Hail Fall, Y'all!
Now that temperatures are dropping, it's time to get outside and enjoy the South's fall festivals, foliage and food.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 26, 202411 min read
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Our Southern Writer Spotlight: Prolific author Lois Winston
Lois Winston of Franklin, Tenn., has written several mystery series, romances, nonfiction — even a children's chapter book! Her " A...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 17, 20246 min read
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5 comments


5 eco-friendly ways to enjoy the Northshore of New Orleans
Biking, hiking and swamp tours get visitors in the great outdoors that's South Louisiana. Bike Along Tammany Trace Louisiana’s only...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 12, 20243 min read
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A purrfect museum for cat lovers
The American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva, North Carolina, showcases everything you need to know about cats. There are a few live...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 10, 20242 min read
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Meow you’re talking! Cat love at Florida's DeLand Cat Cafe
I'm a total cat purr-son so this building full of feline love made my day. Happy Cat Month! In honor of this feline-themed September,...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 5, 20242 min read
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Our Southern Writer Spotlight: Texas crime writer M.E. Proctor
M.E. Proctor was born in Brussels, Belgium, but lived in Houston for 20 years. She lives in Livingston, Texas, now, and her latest is...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Sep 3, 20246 min read
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Relive the O.K. Corral Shootout at Griffin's Doc Holliday Festival
The Georgia town 40 miles south of Atlanta was the birthplace of the famous gunfighter and friend to Wyatt Earp.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Aug 27, 20243 min read
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Our Southern Writer Spotlight: North Carolina's Sue Anger
Sue Anger grew up in Beaufort, N.C., listening to rum-running stories from the Prohibition era. Her latest novel, “Last Known Port,” is a...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Aug 13, 20242 min read
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Iconic Carousel Bar turns 75
The lounge at New Orleans' Monteleone Hotel has a long and fascinating history and will celebrate its birthday with a host of special events

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Aug 7, 20242 min read
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The Purple Martin Phenomenon
Thousands of purple martins migrate to Lake Murry in South Carolina to form a nightly ritual.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jul 31, 20242 min read
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Oz lives on in Beech Mountain
The beloved Land of Oz theme park in western North Carolina returns for its autumn festival on select weekends in September.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jul 23, 20243 min read
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Paradise lies in northern Georgia
Bicycle mechanic Howard Finster got a divine calling so he created thousands of pieces of artwork, many of which grace rock albums.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jul 17, 20242 min read
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Mississippi's Fridamania
Ninth annual Frida Fest takes over Bay St. Louis on Saturday, July 13, 2024.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jul 12, 20242 min read
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All hail the refreshing Pimm’s Cup
The British cocktail Pimm's Cup has ties in New Orleans through ironically a French-themed restaurant, the Napoleon House.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jun 22, 20243 min read
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Richland Rum: A Spirited Journey of Small-Batch Goodness
Richland Rum produces small-batch craft rums in Richland, Georgia.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jun 14, 20244 min read
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Fields of gold — Louisiana festival honors the bright summer flower
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Sunflower Festival and Trail. There’s a stretch of northwest Louisiana where sunflowers grow...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jun 6, 20242 min read
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Exploring Georgia's film locations
See the many movies filmed in Georgia’s diverse state parks. Ever sit through an entire movie knowing it takes place in Indiana or...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
May 30, 20244 min read
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Northern Lights Go South!
This week's geomagnetic storm sent northern lights all the way to Louisiana!

Cheré Dastugue Coen
May 11, 20242 min read
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Standing in Two Places at Once
Three Southern cities—Bristol, Copperhill and McCaysville—have state boundaries running through them!

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Apr 29, 20242 min read
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It's Earth Day. Love Your Mother!
Think about your footprint when you travel this year. We'll show you how. It’s Earth Day in north Georgia, and I woke to a chilly condo....

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Apr 22, 20244 min read
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See Rock City's Flora Luna
The popular Southern attraction on top of Lookout Mountain debuts a nightly spring experience, one full of wining, dining and song.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Apr 13, 20243 min read
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Little Rock Calls It What It Is: The River's Big Dam Bridge!
It sounds like a joke but Little Rock, Ark., literally built a "big dam bridge."

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Apr 10, 20242 min read
78 views
1 comment


Two Rosy Anniversaries
Shreveport's American Rose Center turns 50 this year and Churchhill Downs marks the 150th Run for the Roses, the Kentucky Derby.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Apr 3, 20243 min read
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Travel smartly, bring first aid kit!
GoKit has you covered with more than 100 essential first aid supplies in a cute container.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Mar 15, 20241 min read
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Alabama is For the Birds
Celebrate Alabama’s ‘Year of Birding’ in several northern 'Bama hotspots. In celebration of the Alabama Tourism Department’s Year of...

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Feb 27, 20244 min read
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Can baby animals be any cuter?
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans welcomes new penguin chick.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Feb 24, 20244 min read
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Spirited Granbury, Texas
John Wilkes Booth and Jesse James refuse to leave this north Texas town.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Feb 3, 20243 min read
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Get squirrely in Bowling Green
The western Kentucky town is home to a unique white squirrel population.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jan 23, 20243 min read
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'Star Trek Continues' in Georgia
The Neutral Zone in Kingsland, Ga., offers a Fan Appreciation Weekend for insider’s view into their recreation of the 'Star Trek' ship.

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jan 16, 20244 min read
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