As vaccines roll out and the world slowly reopens to a new normal, the travel bug may be nudging you, biting you, in fact, pestering you to pieces! If you are not quite ready to take off to the friendly skies, it’s a grand of a time to explore the grand ol USA!
In the first part of my summer series, let’s go ROAD TRIPPIN’ down the Eastern Seaboard. You’ll be as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof with this list off the beaten path places to explore in the South.
BEST PLACE TO GET A PRESS ON TEE OR SWEATSHIRT
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Take a stroll along the boardwalk in this ocean front Delaware town. Treat yourself to a taste of saltwater taffy, or introduce your kiddies to the instant press on t-shirt. Available at one of the many shops along the boardwalk, they’ll be soooo 1980 mall rat chic!
VISIT A THREE CENTURY OLD FISHING VILLAGE
Smith Island, Maryland
Crab cakes and football may be what Maryland does, but here’s your chance to see how they do it. Smith Island is only accessible by boat and gives you the chance to see a fishing village that has survived for more than three centuries. The island’s fresh seafood, signature crabcakes and bike tours will make you feel like you’ve taken a trip through time!
BEST EUROPEAN LANDMARK IMITATION
Centreville, Virginia
Your passport may not get you to the UK these days, but driving through Virginia, you can see Stonehenge, or make that Foamhenge. That’s right, thanks to sculptor Mark Cline, you can marvel at this full-fledged foam replica of the pre-historic monument in Wilshire, English. It’s all made of foam, but probably best not to let the kids climb!
NORTH CAROLINA
Crabtree Falls
On a scenic drive off Blue Ridge Parkway, there are many breathtaking waterfalls, but one of the best may be Crabtree Falls. The highest vertical drop, cascading waterfall, east of the Mississippi, you can find Crabtree falls six miles off Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 27. This sparking beauty drops a total of 1,200 feet through the North Carolina woods.
BEST BISCUIT
Charleston, South Carolina
If you find yourself over yonder in Charleston, South Carolina around breakfast time, don’t miss your chance to try Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. From a sausage, egg, and pimento cheese sandwich, to a country ham or blackberry biscuit, get there early and you’ll be eating high on the hog!
GEORGIA
The Dare Stone, Gainesville
Experience a first hand history lesson on colonial America. On display in the school library at Brenau University is a very unusual rock. In 1937, a man first discovered what is now known as the Dare Stone in a North Carolina river. The rock has inscriptions by Eleanor White Dare, the mother of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in “The New World.” The stone told of the deaths of Dare’s husband and other daughter Elizabeth. Some believe it holds clues to what happened to the lost colony in Roanoke.
SWIM WITH A MANATEE
Crystal River, Florida
Head to Crystal River where you can legally swim with manatees in their crystal clear, natural environment. Explore the lakes and natural springs, swim with manatees and dive for scallops in this magical region of Florida, still an easy day trip from the beaches or Mickey.
The South is full of fabulous restaurants, breathtaking scenery and rich in America’s history. Road trips allow us the freedom to stop where we want and literally enjoy the ride. Next, we’ll continue Road trippin’ through the great USA and head West as we explore The Heart of Dixie!
