If you enjoy reading our pages, chances are you’ll love watching them come to life at G&G’s many events in 2026. Things start popping on February 11 with a Bourbon & Bounty dinner at our new office in Charleston, South Carolina, hosted by a trio of acclaimed chefs: Thomas Bille of Belly of the Beast in Spring, Texas; Eric Cook of Gris-Gris and Saint John in New Orleans; and Orlando Pagán of Wild Common in Charleston. The dinner, inspired by land, sea, and sky, will culminate in true G&G fashion—with a tasting of Blade and Bow’s rare 22-year bourbon.
Just days later, during Charleston’s annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, my good friend and G&G regular T. Edward Nickens and I will host a pair of talks. I get the pleasure of joining Grammy-winning musician and fly-fishing guide Woody Platt in a conversation about trout, turkey hunting, Western North Carolina, and, of course, fishing tunes. Nickens will have Benny Blanco, one of Florida’s finest fishing guides and a staunch conservationist, in the spotlight as the pair discuss the fight for the Everglades and the art of landing a tarpon on the fly.
Before the month comes to a close, we’ll be throwing a shindig to kick off the Houston Rodeo at TRUTH BBQ. Chef Leonard Botello IV and his crew will dish out the finest smoked meats around (it’s worth going for the jalapeño smoked sausage alone, but don’t sleep on the mind-blowing Tater Tot casserole) while a handful of great Texas artisans showcase their talents and goods at the makers’ market.
And that’s just February. You’ll find G&G events across the South throughout 2026, whether we’re at our annual clays shoot at Georgia’s Barnsley Resort or our Keeneland brunch in Lexington, Kentucky, where you’ll enjoy bourbon cocktails before watching the Thoroughbreds run. Whatever your flavor, it’s a good bet we’ll have a gathering that will wow you (visit gardenandgun.com/events to learn more). Hope to see you there.
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Plus: A Gripping New Novel From a G&G Mainstay
Every issue, Jonathan Miles reviews a new book (or two) in the pages of G&G. This February, his latest novel hits the shelves. Eradication: A Fable is his best yet (and he’s penned some winners). What happens when a retired jazz musician turned schoolteacher finds himself on an uninhabited island with one job: helping balance an ecosystem that has been ravaged by invasive…goats? Well, only Miles could unspool this tale—one of love, grief, solitude, and a burning moral question.
David DiBenedetto is the senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun. He is the author of On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast and the cohost of The Wild South podcast. A native of Savannah, DiBenedetto now resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Jenny, their two children, and their Labrador retriever, Story. Follow @davedibenedetto on Instagram.
Garden & Gun has an affiliate partnership with Bookshop.org and may receive a portion of sales when a reader clicks to buy a book. All books are independently selected by the G&G editorial team.
