Southern Living Southern Living Best of the South 2020

Buffalo National River Its sparkling waters and Ozark Mountain views still amaze NO WONDER so many songs have been written about rivers. There’s something awe-inspiring about the waters that help form and transform our landscape as they travel through it. Numerous American rivers have been harnessed by dams, so the free-flowing ones that are preserved by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System are rare and special. Congress created this program in 1968, and the first American waterway to be named a national river is right here in the South—Arkansas’ Buffalo National River. The Buffalo is 150 miles long, 135 miles of which are managed by the National Park Service. Another 16 miles or so, including the Buffalo’s headwaters, fall within Ozark National Forest and are designated as a national wild and scenic river—even…

At first, beachgoers landed on Scenic Highway 30A the same way sand settles on the seashore: slowly and without much fanfare. But then a wave began to build and—bam!—all of a sudden, this unassuming stretch of roadway, just 24 miles long, was one of the most popular destinations in the South. Perched on the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida, the beaches along 30A can be accessed with an easy trip over a bay bridge. These picture-perfect towns are welcome sights for weary travelers, some of whom have been driving for hours amid crumpled potato chip bags, empty sippy cups, and restless children in car seats. A greeting of powdery-white sand, clear cerulean water, and a decidedly sunny disposition kicks off your stay. From there, the salt-whipped streets teeming with flip-flopped bike…

“Wild, Wonderful.” That’s what you’ll see on the West Virginia license plates zooming southeast down U.S. 60 from Charleston. The farther into the state you go, the thicker the Appalachian forest grows. Train cars filled with chunks of ebony coal chug on weathered tracks that run along the highway. Winding country roads tightly hug steep canyon walls. The landscape ahead begins to clear. Turn right onto U.S. 19 and a green sign introduces the “Western Hemisphere’s Longest Arch Bridge.” The wooded walls drop suddenly to reveal a deep, wide canyon beneath, an ancient river running down below. Grip the steering wheel, with your head on a swivel, and marvel at a landscape that was millions of years in the making. The New River is one of the oldest on the continent.…

For about 20 years, my mother-in-law, Linda, lived in Charleston, South Carolina, on Queen Street just a couple of blocks from Colonial Lake. We walked everywhere when I visited. Oleander and palm trees shaded us on the brick path through the Unitarian Church cemetery, part of a shortcut we took to the shops along King Street. At the Marion Square farmers’ market, we bought shrimp from men and women who’d netted them that morning. From there, we’d scurry to the corner of Broad and Meeting Streets, where I’d buy a sweetgrass basket from one of the ladies on the sidewalk outside St. Michael’s Church. Sometimes I’d linger and watch their nimble brown fingers weave the blades into what would become magnificent vessels. Then about eight years ago, Linda, a Northerner who was…

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Retirement is easy once you find a great place to do it Population: 61,128 College: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL Median home price: $674,400 AMONG THE FIRST things my wife and I noticed after moving to Chapel Hill last year were all the attractive older people. I say this with humility as a guy on the far side of 50 who’s earnestly taking notes. Sure, plenty of these 60- and 70-year-olds were fit and well dressed, but what struck us most as we explored our new town’s coffee shops, restaurants, and farmers’ market was how happy—and engaged—they seemed. Now that we’ve settled into our community, I can understand the connection between a great Southern college town and the ability to age gracefully. These days, many retirees are looking for…

When Wilma Dykeman was growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, her father told her that the moisture from the creeks she loved could be sucked into clouds and returned to the earth in the form of rain. Dykeman—author of The French Broad (1955), a regional classic—recalled the revelation her father’s words sparked: “I could stand in one small corner of the world and be part of its vast design,” she marveled. “I know that my place and river is not an isolated corner of the world. It is an artery at its heart.” The French Broad is believed to be the third-oldest river in the world. It’s the longest free-flowing river in North Carolina, and it inches into Tennessee. A mountain river is the path of least resistance revealed…