Travel

Our Most Popular Travel Stories of 2025

Twelve articles that captured readers’ wanderlust this year
A collage of six travel photos

How to eat, drink, and enjoy New Orleans; a peek inside a bourbon-themed hotel in Kentucky; guides to mountain towns in North Carolina and Georgia; and our first Bucket List of must-see and must-visit places across the South—these were all among the most-clicked items this year.

An overhead view of a bar
Photo: Kelly Calvillo

Savannah Gets a Stunning New Hotel in Municipal Grand

Sip cocktails and soak up a change of scenery in the historic downtown. Read more.


A view of downtown Asheville from a hill
Photo: Explore Asheville

Visiting Asheville: A Guide to the Mountain Town

Where to find the best local music, food, suds, and more. Read more.


A portrait of a chef at a restaurant bar
Photo: Ruta Smith

Seven Cozy Charleston Restaurants to Try Now

With bold flavors and neighborhood vibes, the Holy City’s smallest restaurants are some of its biggest culinary draws. Read more.


Chairs at a bar inside a bourbon-themed hotel
Photo: Jessie Kriech-Higdon

Bardstown’s Newest Hotel Is a Bourbon Lover’s Dream

With five bars, a Bourbon Butler service, its own private-label whiskey, and even IV drips, the Trail Hotel aims to be a bourbon country headquarters. Read more.


A view of a creek and downtown Greenville
Photo: Visit Greenville SC/Vanzeppelin Aerial

The G&G Bucket List

Fifty epic ways to experience the South—and beyond. Read more.


A view of downtown Dahlonega
Photo: Geoff Johnson/Explore Georgia

Seven Small Georgia Mountain Towns to Love

Heading to the peaks of the Peach State? Put these communities on your list. Read more.


Various dishes of food on a table
Photo: ish holmes

The Hot List: 30 New Restaurants to Try Now

A seafood temple in Birmingham, an inventive New Orleans meat-and-three, a modern Asheville fish camp, and other newcomers worth checking out. Read more.


A woman at the front of a brass band
Photo: CEDRIC ANGELES

A Local’s Guide to New Orleans

Secret courtyards and brassy jazz bars. Elegant cocktails and go cups. Spontaneous parades and super bowl–size hospitality. Here’s your guide to tapping into NOLA’s energy. Read more.


A view of downtown Boone
Photo: Explore Boone

Where to Eat, Stay, and Play in Boone, North Carolina

The Appalachian town offers year-round outdoor fun and seasonally driven bites. Read more.


Goods on display inside a salvage store
Photo: Jennifer Griffin – Visit VBR

Treasure Hunting: Architectural Salvage Yards in the South

Plan a road trip for leaded glass, beams, flooring, and oddities of Southern history. Read more.


Goods on display inside a general store
Photo: David Wise

This Reopened General Store in South Carolina Is Worth a Stop

The Wood Brothers store welcomes road-trippers with hot coffee, Southern treasures, rare decoys, and the swankiest bathrooms for miles. Read more.


A grove of chestnut trees
Photo: Cassie Stark/The American Chestnut Foundation

For the First Time in Decades, Hikers Can Walk in Forests of American Chestnuts

The return of the once-abundant trees is now on display in the Virginia mountains. Read more.


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