A necessary stop on any trip south of the Mason-Dixon line,
Charleston is a place of Southern belles, pastel-hued antebellum
architecture, flavourful food and turbulent history. Stop by
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, the oldest public gardens in the
United States, where Monet-style footbridges and mossy trees are
punctuated by bright flowers and white peacocks. Fig restaurant is
a must-try in the city, serving Southern classics with a twist –
dig in to the cast-iron cornbread with cottage cheese with pecans
and peaches. Stay at the charming Elliott House Inn and enjoy your morning coffee on
your balcony overlooking the surrounding palms and cobblestone
paths.

Upon arrival on Hilton Head Island, you can expect to be greeted
by a romantic canopy of Spanish moss draped over southern oaks.
Once you’re settled in – preferably at one of the island’s seaside
cottages – rent a beach cruiser and pedal your way along the wide,
wave-lapped beach. Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge also
has a bike trail, and is a great place to scope out alligators;
biking your way through is especially useful for those who are too
scared to go on foot. Sailors should also rent a catamaran to gain
a different perspective of the island as they loop around the
coast.

Savannah is a staple of the South. It’s a foodie capital, and
ideal for picking up Georgia’s best peaches or some sweet pralines.
Drop by B’s Cracklin’ BBQ for some real-deal brisket and ribs, and
plan a seafood dinner at the chic and airy Atlantic. Spend plenty
of time exploring the city by foot (if only to work up an appetite
for your next meal) – the abundance of old oaks will provide
respite from the beating sun, and you can snag a seat on Forrest
Gump’s bench if you fancy a break. Check out the avant-garde
SCAD Museum of Art, where you’re as likely to stumble
upon sketching workshops as you are sculpture exhibitions.

Set in what is known as the “Research Triangle” between Raleigh,
Durham and Chapel Hill, student-centric Raleigh merges the feeling
of a buzzing city with Southern charm. There’s an abundance of
museums, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, which
has an outdoor sculpture park. Food-wise, you can’t go wrong. Many
local restaurants offer a great take on fusion, such as the
Italian-Japanese Papa Shogun, where soba panzanella and kombu
gnocchi take centre stage. For fresh seafood, don’t miss Locals
Oyster Bar, where shrimp, oysters and fish are brought in fresh
from the coast.

At the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville is
surrounded by vineyards and golf courses and crowned by the
University of Virginia, a breeding ground for southern preppies.
Once home to Thomas Jefferson and Edgar Allan Poe, this charming
city is cut through by the historic Downtown Mall, lined with
vintage shops, organic restaurants and multiple wineries and
breweries. Stroll along the Monticello Artisan Trail, a pathway
connecting galleries, artists’ studios and farmers’ markets.
Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail is also a
world-class hiking area for something that’s a bit more
cardio-heavy.

A group of tiny barrier islands off North Carolina’s coast, the
Outer Banks have some of the most beautiful beaches in the area.
Roanoke Island, which is part of this strip, was the first point of
contact for the English when they tried to settle in America in the
late 16th century (before officially doing so in Jamestown,
Virginia). An ideal place to
rest and recover from a busy year, this is a destination made for
reading for hours on end, biking to lunch and swimming the
afternoon away before dinner by the beach.