Southern Living Best of the South

By Meredith Corporation

One thing is always true about Southerners: we are wildly passionate. Whether it's a favorite college town, restaurant,or beach (and the list goes on!), Southerners love to celebrate the people and places they love. This special collector's issue from the editors of Southern Living is a reminder of the spectacular sights, inspiring people, and cultural institutions that define our region. In Best of the South, we share the best-kept secrets and classic charms of forever favorites like Charleston, Asheville, Savannah, and more. We spotlight our round-ups of the South's best beaches, seafood joints, and scenic drives, to name a few. From cover to cover, this issue is filled with even more reasons to love the South.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meredith Corporation
• Release date: Dec 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781547856091

Book preview

THE WILD SOUTH

If you’re looking for an escape to nature, our region has plenty of options from Arkansas to Alabama, Tennessee to Texas, and more

Scenic vistas mark the Atchafalaya River Basin.

Buffalo National River

Its sparkling waters and Ozark Mountain views still amaze

Compton’s Double Falls in Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area

NO WONDER so many songs have been written about rivers. There’s something awe-inspiring about the waters that help form and transform our landscape as they travel through it.

Numerous American rivers have been harnessed by dams, so the free-flowing ones that are preserved by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System are rare and special. Congress created this program in 1968, and the first American waterway to be named a national river is right here in the South—Arkansas’ Buffalo National River.

The Buffalo is 150 miles long, 135 miles of which are managed by the National Park Service. Another 16 miles or so, including the Buffalo’s headwaters, fall within Ozark National Forest and are designated as a national wild and scenic river—even more protected, with little or no road access.

This area is home to all kinds of wildlife, including a herd of Rocky Mountain elk, introduced here in 1981. Last year, the Buffalo National River became an International Dark Sky Park, making stargazing yet another reason to visit.

HEAD TO THE MOUNTAINS

RED RIVER GORGE GEOLOGICAL AREA

KENTUCKY

Red River Gorge Geological Area

At least 100 natural stone arches are framed by dramatic cliffs and woodlands in Daniel Boone National Forest.

MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST

WEST VIRGINIA

This area includes the Highland Scenic Highway, a 43-mile drive right through the majestic Allegheny Highlands and Plateau.

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST

NORTH CAROLINA

America’s Cradle of Forestry offers more than 500,000 acres of mountains, woodlands, and waterfalls. A large swath of Pisgah National Forest was once part of the Biltmore estate.

APPALACHIAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

What began as one man’s dream in the 1920s was finally completed by private citizens in the 1930s and became the first national scenic trail in 1968. Over the years, the federal and state governments secured lands that the trail crossed over so it would always be protected. The final tract was acquired in 2014. Today, the A.T. offers hikers more than 2,100 miles of footpaths along the Appalachian Mountain ridgeline, providing amazing views.

Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

There’s no other landscape like it, and we almost lost it forever

Bison again roam the tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma.

THIS IS THE HOME where the buffalo roamed. According to the National Park Service, the prairie land of North America once covered 400,000 square miles and was inhabited by tens of millions of bison. Only 4% of the fertile segment that received the most water—the tallgrass prairie—is left. One cause of the 1930s Dust Bowl was the destruction of tallgrass by settlers who were eager to farm the rich soil beneath it. Removal of grazing lands also contributed to the dramatic reduction of our bison population.

There have been efforts, however, to save and rejuvenate remnants of the prairie. Near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, The Nature Conservancy has amassed almost 40,000 acres and set about restoring and protecting native grasses. Here, on the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, American bison have been reintroduced, sharing habitat with white-tailed deer and other wildlife, including more than 300 species of birds.

In the 1990s, The Nature Conservancy made it possible to drive a 15-mile loop through the tallgrass so you can see a piece of living history and appreciate a natural treasure that almost slipped away.

TIME TO GO WEST

PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK

TEXAS

Once part of a vast ranch that was established in the Texas Panhandle by the legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight and his business partner and investor, John Adair, Palo Duro is the second-largest canyon in the United States. Texas acquired it and created the park in the 1930s. Palo Duro was a major source of inspiration for painter Georgia O’Keeffe, known as the Mother of American Modernism.

WICHITA MOUNTAINS WILDLIFE REFUGE

OKLAHOMA

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

One of America’s oldest wildlife refuges, this 59,000-acre preserve near Lawton protects endangered animals and their habitat. Some 40% of the refuge is available for recreational use. Hike, boulder, and explore one of the most impressive and distinctive landscapes in the Southwest, and keep your camera handy for bison, deer, longhorn cattle, and elk.

DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK

TEXAS

This might be where Western movies came from. Davis Mountains State Park is an unforgettable slice of West Texas, loaded with big skies and cowboy character. Horses are welcome on the equestrian trails in the Limpia Canyon Primitive Area, where riders can clip-clop to a 5,700-foot altitude.

HUECO TANKS STATE PARK & HISTORIC SITE

TEXAS

Native people came to these hills to find shelter and water, which would pool in natural rock basins—huecos (WHEY-coes). You can still catch glimpses of their ancient stories in pictographs and petroglyphs at this fascinating state archaeological landmark.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Salt air and sand dunes make us breathe a little more deeply

Santa Rosa Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore

SOMEWHERE, there’s bound to be a more beautiful sight than pristine beaches