No. 01

Take a Floating Holiday

Key Largo, Florida

Picture a Four Seasons take on Robinson Crusoe. Anchored to the seafloor just a short pontoon-shuttle ride off Key Largo, each of the three self-contained Ombi floating bungalows is a sort of miniature eco-resort, boiled down to the essentials: king-size bed, 180-degree ocean panorama through floor-to-ceiling windows, a few water toys (kayak, paddleboard, snorkels), walk-in shower, fridge and coffee maker, a TV (if you must), and a plunge into the cooling shallows right outside your door. Now and then the neighbors might drop by unannounced: dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, schools of tarpon. Hungry? Choose between BYO or prearranged breakfast, dinner, or both, ferried to your deck. And that’s it. “There’s a stillness to it that is pretty enveloping,” says Tim Jensen, one of Ombi’s founders. After a paddle and a swim, seize the day and get lost in a novel—or maybe start writing one.

No. 02

Meander Along a Lowcountry Waterway

Charleston, South Carolina

“In the summer,” says Chris Crolley, who founded the Lowcountry ecotour company Coastal Expeditions, “our portion of Earth becomes one of the most super-biodiversified on the planet. It surpasses the rainforest.” On a half-day or full-day paddle, follow a naturalist through an estuary, where dolphins play and shrimp have been known to literally jump out of the water and into the kayak. Another option: Charleston Outdoor Adventures (COA) and Charleston Oyster Farm’s tour teaches hungry boat passengers about the oyster farming process. “And we get to sample the product—that’s always the best part for me,” says COA founder Joe Lotts. This even applies in summertime, since strict refrigeration protocols mean that responsibly farmed oysters are safe to slurp. And for a laid-back and luxurious choice, book a ride on the Schooner Pride, an eighty-four-foot-tall, three-masted sailboat. Passengers get an up-close view of Fort Sumter, the USS Yorktown, and the city’s steeple-dotted skyline.

No. 03

Explore the Wild 

Jasper, Arkansas

Arkansas’s Newton County is a place preserved: no stoplights, and scarce cell service. The county seat of Jasper’s population (547) remains roughly what it was 125 years ago. In recent years, however, the long-delayed specters of change have sniffed out Northern Arkansas’s once-isolated rural pockets, often in the form of travelers drawn to the area’s miles of mountain bike trails—and their need for a good bite and a welcoming spot to rest. But even as the area finds itself at a confluence, modernity twining around rural heritage, the physical hollers and spiritual anchors that have kept generations rooted here endure: Untouched wild spaces. Dark skies. Free-flowing waters. A place, despite everything, still very much the same.

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No. 04

Beachcomb for Treasures

Eons ago, the South Carolina coastline lay beneath an inland sea—evidence of which still turns up along the Hammock Coast in the form of sharks’ teeth some seventy-five million years old. To find reef, lemon, mako, great white, and even megalodon teeth, scan shell beds and strandlines at Cherry Grove Beach in North Myrtle Beach, and Huntington Beach State Park in Georgetown County; or sign up for expert assistance with Angela Rice of Fossils Forever in Myrtle Beach.

Holly Beach stretches along the Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana, harboring treasures like the counterclockwise spiral of lightning whelks and their smaller, right-handed cousins, pear whelks. No luck? Head twenty-five miles east to the locals’ favorite shelling spot, Rutherford Beach.

On the sugar sands of Florida’s Sanibel Island, seek the smooth, brown-spotted spindle of the junonia shell. These erstwhile homes of a large sea snail named after the Roman goddess Juno don’t often wash up, but the largest recorded, at six inches, came from these Gulf waters. That’s reason enough—along with other striking shells like those of the Florida spiny jewel box and fighting conch—to lean into the searcher’s pose aptly known as the Sanibel Stoop.

No. 05

Dip Into the South’s Chicest New Pool

Savannah, Georgia

Staying cool on a sultry afternoon in Savannah might mean ogling regional art inside the Telfair Museums or grabbing a cone of tutti-frutti from Leopold’s Ice Cream. Or, for members and guests at Hotel Bardo, escaping the heat—and the ordinary—with a dip in its Mediterranean-inspired pool, situated among cabanas and pink-and-white umbrellas in the courtyard of the revamped 1888 mansion on Forsyth Park. The adjacent Bar Bibi serves crudo, salades Niçoises, and granitas aplenty, and this summer will also host retro movie nights and cocktail-fueled viewing parties of the Monaco Grand Prix and Wimbledon.

No. 06

Hide Out in the Hill Country

Fredericksburg, Texas

Outside charming Fredericksburg’s downtown, with its nineteenth-century limestone buildings, Wildseed Farms is the largest working wildflower farm in America. Place a seed order for bluebonnets or stroll the flowering fields toward the onsite vineyard. Later, wade into the newly opened Albert Hotel’s circular swimming pool. The Albert is the first full-service luxury boutique in town, and its 105 rooms and suites feel decidedly contemporary yet complement the region’s earth-toned minimalism. “We wanted everything to be very peaceful and serene,” says Matthew Pipkin, who developed the project alongside architect Clayton Korte and Austin’s New Waterloo hospitality group. Sage green tiles and smooth marble vanities underscore that sense of tranquility. “For me, it feels like running water,” Pipkin says. “Like standing in a Hill Country creek.”

No. 07

Work Up a Thirst (Then Slake It)

Gulf Shores, Alabama

The new Gulf Coast Eco Center, which opened this spring in Gulf Shores, invites adventurers to follow a route through wetlands and a longleaf pine savanna by kayak and bike. But the don’t-miss, premier experience is watching the sunset from atop the tree canopy of the Lookout Adventure ropes course. “After traversing it, a Bushwacker might be needed to help calm your nerves and celebrate,” says the center’s executive director, Travis Langen. Good thing the region’s signature boozy milkshake is marking its fiftieth anniversary this year with the new Bushwacker Trail through the waterfront bars and restaurants that blend it to frosty perfection.

No. 08

Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina

Although portions of the cherished route remain closed after Hurricane Helene, many stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway are ready for road-trippers, such as the Linn Cove Viaduct near Boone, the scenic routes around Asheville, and most of the southern leg that leads to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A silver lining: When bypassing temporarily closed sections, travelers can explore stops they would never see when sticking to the standard route. Case in point: the Todd Mercantile, in tiny Todd, just north of Boone. Tell the freshly baked cranberry orange scones we say hello.

No. 09

Dig Into the Shenandoah Valley’s Hidden Gem

Staunton, Virginia

Noting the number of spires that rise above historic downtown Staunton, visitors might think they’ve passed through a portal and landed in Europe instead of one of the Shenandoah Valley’s most beguiling mountain towns. The stylistically diverse roof toppers, from a Romanesque columned belfry on the Masonic building to a brick clock tower that dutifully gongs on the hour, are a legacy of the nineteenth-century railroad boom, and today bracket a walkable district chock-full of culinary, shopping, and entertainment picks.

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No. 10

Hightail It to the Mountains

Dahlonega, Georgia

For those who crave a wilderness fix but don’t care to rough it like a through-hiker, the town of Dahlonega in the Blue Ridge foothills provides a compromise. Day hikes abound, including the Appalachian Approach Trail, which starts under a stone arch marking the A.T.’s nearby southern terminus and winds alongside postcard-perfect Amicalola Falls, its cool mist a respite from the heat. Dahlonega’s nine local wineries dole out liquid rewards posthike, and you can refuel over fried chicken at the Smith House before resting easy at the Inn on Main. Come morning, the old-school Dahlonega General Store brews coffee for a nickel.

No. 11

Mark a Century Atop Mount LeConte

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Situated above the clouds on Mount LeConte, inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, LeConte Lodge remains just as low-tech as it was the day it opened in 1925. The bucket-list camp still operates without electricity, internet, and running water, and hiking remains the only way to reach its log cabins and kerosene-lit dining hall. As it’s the shortest and arguably most scenic route, Alum Cave Trail is the most frequented by guests, but it’s also the steepest. For a gradual approach, manager John Northrup suggests Trillium Gap Trail. Just watch out for the hardworking llamas that supply the lodge via this path.

No. 12

Party Like Gatsby

Louisville, Kentucky

F. Scott Fitzgerald spent only a short time as an army recruit in Louisville, but the gracious city left an impression on the young writer, enough so that he made it the home of Daisy, the title character’s love interest in his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, published one hundred years ago. The centerpiece of Louisville’s centennial celebration is the venerable Seelbach Hotel, where Fitzgerald whiled away his off-duty time flirting with local belles in the Bavarian-style Rathskeller (and possibly meeting a real-life bootlegger who may have inspired the character of Jay Gatsby himself). The concierge, Larry Johnson, will point out notable spots, while also ruefully admitting that in just six short weeks Fitzgerald managed to get himself ejected from the hotel “several times” for disorderly behavior. True devotees can stay in the new Gatsby Suite, an art deco showpiece of velvet armchairs, antique telephones, and a crystal chandelier.

No. 13

Gorge Out On Adventure

Fayetteville, West Virginia

The rugged beauty of the newest national park, New River Gorge, provides an excuse to bunk in one of West Virginia’s most inviting small towns, Fayetteville. After hiking the Long Point Trail, with its impressive views of the arch bridge that spans the width of the gorge, regroup over a Flying Squirrel Pale Ale at Freefolk Brewery, and a wood-fired pie from the adjacent Ample Pizza. Overnight in a cabin or glamping tent at Adventures on the Gorge, where you can cool off in Canyon Falls Pool after a saunter through rhododendrons. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, a white-water rafting trip through the gorge should do the trick.

No. 14

Loop Back to the Mountains

Black Mountain, North Carolina

Hurricane Helene dealt a devastating blow to a string of mountain towns last September, sweeping away roads, businesses, and entire communities and, tragically, claiming 107 lives in North Carolina alone. The storm hit the idyllic Appalachian refuge of Black Mountain, just outside Asheville, right when it usually would get an influx of travelers: “We lost our leaf season, and boy, did that hurt,” says Danielle Topping, the longtime general manager turned owner of the Black Mountain mainstay restaurant Que Sera.

But the resilient residents of Western North Carolina have spent the months since then banding together to rebuild. This summer, Black Mountain and the area’s other communities need your enthusiasm and investment—showing up with a few dollars to spend will help take care of a town that will surely take care of you right back. “To everyone who cherishes our mountains, trails, and waterfalls,” Topping says, “please come back and rediscover the beauty and excitement of WNC. We’re here, and we’re ready.”

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No. 15

Fish For Bull Reds

Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

For fishermen, summer in the Louisiana marshland means one thing: Redfish are on the prowl. Anglers can chase this iconic beast just thirty minutes from New Orleans, along Bayou Barataria, pirate Jean Lafitte’s former stomping grounds. At Bourgeois Fishing Charters, Theophile Bourgeois IV has transformed a century-old waterside schoolhouse into an all-inclusive retreat. Days begin at first light, with a biscuit breakfast and hours of rambling through the bays and marsh canals. Then, after an evening relaxing over home cooking along private bayou frontage, “we do it all over again,” Bourgeois says. “It’s an immersion in the Cajun culture, echoing the hospitality that our families give to one another in this community.”

No. 16

Support Mountain Movers and Makers

Asheville, North Carolina

The hopeful news resounds: You are welcome in Asheville. Last September’s Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction, and visitors’ support is vital (including in hard-hit nearby towns such as Black Mountain). Let the renovated Radical Hotel serve as your hub in the resilient River Arts District. Stop in to see Daniel McClendon at Lift Studios and feast your eyes on his oil paintings, which neighbors saved after his space flooded. The dinner spot the Bull and Beggar rolls out the warmest hospitality for locals and visiting friends alike. Downtown, the bakery and wine bar Mother, which after the storm offered free sandwiches to locals and first responders, is an ideal brunch spot before popping next door to Sauna House for a restorative steam.

No. 17

Stay Sustainably at an Eco-Resort

On a 182-acre spread ten miles outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee, safari-style tents sprout from the wooded landscape. Under Canvas’s luxurious take on glamping—complete with king-size beds and wood-burning stoves—sits just twenty minutes from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Solar panels help power the lights, pull-chain showers conserve water, and compliance with Dark Sky guidelines guarantees dazzling stars on clear nights.

This past spring, the Hemlocks opened at North Carolina’s Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City. Set among oaks and hickories, a cluster of bungalows—built on the mountainside using wood pilings and helical pier foundations to minimize land disturbance—put visitors a short walk away from rafting the Nantahala River or hiking a stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach has received two Green Globe certifications, placing it in a portfolio of the most sustainable hotels in the world. The family-owned resort, outfitted with a spa and a popular farm-to-table restaurant, boasts an in-room energy management system to control lighting and air-conditioning, and shuns single-use plastics. Anytime you fill a small bucket with litter on a beach walk, you’ll get rewarded with a free scoop of gelato.

No. 18

Eat, Pray, Love (the Apple Dumplings)

Frederick, Maryland

Visitation Academy, a former Catholic school and convent, has been reborn as the sixty-five-room Visitation Hotel Frederick and the accompanying Wye Oak Tavern, run by town natives, brothers, and Top Chef contestants Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. The dramatic restaurant occupies the former chapel, retaining the stained glass, altar, and organ. The upscale tavern menu includes forty-five-day dry-aged steaks, beef-fat fries, and coddies, an updated take on a traditional Baltimore salt-fish-and-potatoes snack. Dessert means apple dumplings—a sweet nod to the treat the school’s nuns traditionally baked for town residents every fall.

No. 19

Shoot At a Renovated Clays Course

Adairsville, Georgia

The Beretta Shooting Grounds at Barnsley Resort covers more than eighteen hundred rolling acres and offers shooting enthusiasts the chance to hone their skills (or simply have a blast). Options for this summer include two new fifteen-station sporting clays courses, a freshly built covered five-stand sporting clays station, and a helice field—the sport originated in Europe and requires shooters to hit small clay targets affixed with plastic propellers that send them zigging and zagging across the sky. That should sound familiar to hunters who’ve ever been bested by native quail’s wild flights.

No. 20

Beat the Southern Heat Entirely

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Perched atop Cheyenne Mountain, Cloud Camp at the Broadmoor—the sister resort to Sea Island in Georgia—invites “campers” to one of the prettiest slices of the West. The rustic lodge and cabins nestle into aspens, with archery and lawn games set against sweeping views, and campfires and stargazing at night. Executive chef Justin Miller plates gorgeous Colorado ingredients, including produce from Broadmoor Farms and Eagles Nest Ranch Wagyu beef to write home about.

By Larry Bleiberg, Caroline Sanders Clements, Mike Grudowski, Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Emily Hilliard, Sallie Lewis, Lindsey Liles, T. Edward Nickens, Gwen Pratesi, Trudy Haywood Saunders, Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Boyce Upholt, and Rich Warren