It’s the time of year when soaring temperatures and slower schedules chase many Southerners to friendlier (or just fun) climates, and Team G&G is no exception. From mountain peaks to music pilgrimages, here’s where we’re headed.
Ticket to Ride
At the top of our itinerary for London and Liverpool this summer is to visit as many music landmarks as possible, including the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. And though we’ll undoubtedly spend a few hours at Tate Modern or a lazy afternoon in Hyde Park, we really look forward to the in-between moments spent walking from one famous attraction to another. We’re also enjoying the clips of Europeans visiting the U.S. for the World Cup and being delighted (shocked? confused??) by American cuisine. Maybe we’ll flip the script and review our experience at Dishoom, Nando’s, or the local fish and chips shop around the corner from our South Bank Airbnb! —Eric Capossela, creative director
Charleston Staycation
For the next few months, I’ll be cocooning at home in Charleston, South Carolina, as my husband and I prepare to welcome our first baby this summer. If we’re not too sleep-deprived, I’m excited to enjoy Lowcountry staycation delights, perhaps even at off-peak hours while the kiddo carrier-naps. This might be wishful thinking, but my maternity-leave bucket list includes doing at least one of these: sunrise trips to Folly Beach followed by breakfast burritos at Bert’s Market; or midday (air-conditioned!) walks at the Gibbes Museum of Art and the International African American Museum. —CJ Lotz Diego, deputy editor
Tennessee Mountain Home Away from Home
A youth sports tournament is calling my family back to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood, and none of us are mad about it. Our first trip to the theme park was a lesson in the universal appeal of Dolly: On the drive up, softened by the prospect of roller coasters and sugar, my tweens agreed to take a break from their favorite Canadian YouTube rap star and listen to a sampling of her music on shuffle. (They made a game of guessing the decade of each song.) And when we set off on the journey home to Atlanta—after hearing those same songs wafting through the park the day before, catching the park’s From the Heart musical revue (of Dolly tunes, naturally), and walking through an on-site replica of the two-room cabin where the future star and her eleven siblings grew up—they shocked me by requesting still more Dolly. The rides and cinnamon bread were as great as advertised, but cruising through the Smokies with “Light of the Clear Blue Morning” on full volume was the high point. —Elizabeth Florio, senior digital editor
Capering Around Colombia
I’m escaping the mid-July heat of Charleston for a nine-day trip to Colombia, South America. I’m lucky enough to balance relaxation and play all in one adventure, splitting my time between exploring my dad’s hometown of Medellín, relaxing with my tios and tias at their countryside haven in Amagá, and then bouncing north to the lively Bogotá for my college friends’ wedding. Recently I discovered that Colombia is a fruit lover’s dream—because of its many microclimates, it has one of the highest diversities of tropical fruits in the world—and I can’t wait to taste juicy maracuyás, uchuvas, and pitahayas between visiting markets, collecting handmade art and textiles, and checking out the Fernando Botero museum. I’m bringing an extra duffle to tote home all my cool finds (fruit not included, sadly). —Gabriela Gomez-Misserian, digital producer
Tidewater Tour
After exploring Jamestown Settlement and Chincoteague Island on previous vacations, our family is continuing our coastal Virginia tour this summer. Between ogling the flora at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, meeting native critters at Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, and petting the Clydesdales at Busch Gardens, we’ll have plenty to keep us busy. Hopefully we can carve out time to wander the barrier island of False Cape, the southernmost state park in Virginia and one of its wildest and most remote. The one thing I learned from past outdoor adventures this time of year? Bring plenty of bug spray! —Emily Daily, newsletter director
Westward Expansion
What better way to celebrate America’s 250th than by visiting one of her many (and majestic) national parks? I’m joining my family for one leg of their American West road trip over Fourth of July weekend in Yellowstone. Are we inadvertently cosplaying American pioneers through horseback riding, hiking, and an early morning safari adventure, all while sleeping (glamping) in tents? Perhaps. Thankfully, unlike on the Oregon Trail, our odds of losing a wagon wheel or dying from cholera seem low. —Kate Hurni, photo editor
Putting Around St. Augustine
Since I was a young child, my extended family has vacationed in St. Augustine, Florida; so many of my childhood memories revolve around lazy beach days, hot afternoons exploring Castillo de San Marcos, and exotic adventures at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. It’s been a few years since I’ve been, so this summer I hope to make it back there for piña coladas at the buzzy (pun intended) Boat Drinks, a plate of fried shrimp at the venerable, cash-only O’Steen’s, and as much putt-putt as I can reasonably fit into a long weekend. —Caroline Sanders Clements, senior editor
The High Life
Every summer, my family escapes the Southern heat and heads to Colorado. We have lots of towns in the rotation—Beaver Creek, Creede, Durango—but this year, we’re hitting Telluride. My plan-ahead sister has already made a detailed itinerary: waterfall hike, bike rental, pizza at Brown Dog (twice), snacks on the terrace of the Peaks, shopping Main Street fueled by pastries from the Butcher and the Baker, dumping her almost-two-year-old on our parents so we can go for cocktails at Van Atta, and riding the free(!) gondola between Telluride and Mountain Village any chance we get. —Lindsey Liles, digital reporter