Texas
Carrying the Big Stick
Rice University professor and historian Douglas Brinkley is clearly not afraid to joust with the big boys. His new tome, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (HarperCollins), hits bookstores on June 30. It’s not just Brinkley’s clarity of eye that helps bring into focus one of our more raffish, gamesmanly presidents; it’s that TR, as a subject for biographers, has been done several times, yet this book is different. TR’s early (nineteenth-century) life and his role in the Spanish American War—including the famous charge up San Juan Hill—were the kickoff to the American century. For an understanding of how America was still forming itself when faced with the challenges of that century, TR’s life is the perfect prism, and Brinkley delivers him in all his many colors.

Virginia
Southern Fare
In an untraditional makeover, Lemaire restaurant in Richmond’s historic Jefferson Hotel has scaled back on lavishness, swapping its marble floors, signature white-glove service, and French cuisine for something a tad more nonchalant—and more Dixie. Just after New Year’s, the five-star establishment began renovations for a more laid-back dining experience, per loyal customers’ requests. When it reopens this June, again under the expertise of Richmond native Chef Walter Bundy, the restaurant will feature a once-noticeably-absent bar and a revamped menu emphasizing Southern delicacies with only the freshest local ingredients. Guests can mingle while they sample the best of Virginia’s bounty, from Jim Kite’s Country Ham with Cellared Shenandoah Apples (a childhood favorite of Chef Bundy’s) to Rappahannock River oysters. jeffersonhotel.com

Washington, D.C.
Food Fight
You can’t beat Southern barbecue. Or can you? Aptly fought near the Mason-Dixon Line, the National Capital Barbecue Battle (June 27–28) features the nation’s two biggest competition barbecue organizations—the Kansas City Barbecue Society, representing the North, and the Memphis in May world barbecue contest, representing the South—in a smoky showdown to settle this thing once and for all. Only one team will officially emerge victorious, but with plenty of samples to go around, everybody’s a winner. bbqdc.com

West Virginia
Course Work
Tired of beating your buddies on the links? You’ll find lots of lively competition at the world-class Greenbrier resort this July when it welcomes thirty-plus teams to its annual Sam Snead Festival Pro-Am Tournament (July 12–15). Named for the late, great Slammin’ Sammy, who began his career as the resort’s resident pro in 1936, the 54-hole tournament includes a round on each of the Greenbrier’s three championship courses. Teams consist of four amateurs plus a PGA or LPGA club or touring professional. There’s plenty of socializing in between rounds with receptions and dinners each day, so you can pick up a few pointers from the opposition. Then crush them. greenbrier.com

Barbados
Work Hard, Party Harder 
We love a good happy hour, but our version of after-work revelry pales in comparison with how they do it down in Barbados. Starting at sunrise, and lasting well past sunset, they eat and drink, sing and dance, and adorn themselves with feathers, masks, paint, and mud for five whole weeks (July 4–August 3) during the Crop Over festival. The tradition’s origins date to the eighteenth century, when plantation workers celebrated the end of the sugarcane harvest with a dance and feast. It’s become decidedly more extravagant since then, but the spirit remains the same. barbados.org/cropover.htm