2020

PETER FRANK EDWARDS

AP

RI

L 2

02

0 /

SO

UT

HE

RN

LI

VI

NG

.C

OM

��

L

IKE

MA

NY

oth

ers w

ho

pa

ss thro

ug

h W

illiam

s-

bu

rg, V

irgin

ia, B

rittan

y

Ro

lston

ha

s fon

d m

em

orie

s of th

e

histo

ric to

wn

that c

an b

e su

mm

ed

up

BE

ST

SM

AL

L T

OW

N

Th

e N

ew

Willia

msb

urg

Th

e c

olo

nia

l ch

arm

er is h

avin

g a

mo

de

rn m

om

en

t

BY

MA

RIS

A S

PY

KE

Rin

a sin

gle

fad

ed

sna

psh

ot: “I w

as 4

ye

ars o

ld sittin

g o

n a

ca

nn

on

in fro

nt

of th

e G

ov

ern

or’s P

ala

ce

. I kn

ew

this

tow

n fo

r Co

lon

ial W

illiam

sbu

rg a

nd

Bu

sch G

arde

ns, an

d th

at was ab

ou

t it.”

Th

ree

de

cad

es late

r, she

see

s this

sou

the

aste

rn V

irgin

ia sp

ot m

uc

h

di� e

ren

tly. A

t 35

, the

Willia

msb

urg

loc

al o

wn

s a b

ou

tiqu

e, T

he

Sh

oe

Attic

, in th

e h

ea

rt of to

wn

an

d c

an

wa

lk th

ere

from

he

r ho

me

. Sh

e h

as

a h

ard

time

tellin

g y

ou

wh

ere

he

r

favo

rite p

lac

es to

ea

t an

d d

rink

are

be

ca

use

the

re a

re w

ay to

o m

an

y

to c

ho

ose

from

. Afte

r livin

g o

utsid

e

Wa

shin

gto

n, D

.C., fo

r ye

ars, R

olsto

n

says sh

e’s fo

un

d so

me

thin

g sp

ec

ial

in W

illiam

sbu

rg: c

om

mu

nity

. “On

e

of th

e b

igg

est d

raws is th

e p

eo

ple

,”

she

says. “E

ve

ryo

ne

is so n

ice

an

d

Vin

ey

ard

s a

t Th

e

Willia

ms

bu

rg W

ine

ry

Th

e W

illiam

sb

urg

Inn

Th

e C

he

es

e S

ho

p

is a

loc

al fa

vorite

in d

ow

nto

wn

Willia

ms

bu

rg.

2020

PETER FRANK EDWARDS

welcom

ing, an

d I th

ink

that’s w

hat

ultim

ately makes visitors fall in

love w

ith it an

d w

ant to stay.”

Wh

en yo

u ch

at with

the lo

cals in

town

, you

’ll often h

ear the p

hrase

“fall in love.” M

eand

ering th

rou

gh its

18th

-centu

ry ep

icenter, it’s easy

to see w

hy. Here, h

orse-draw

n carriages

clip-clop

dow

n cobbled

streets lined

w

ith m

ature o

aks; verd

ant fi eld

s are laid

out like red

carpets lead

ing

toward

stately brick bu

ildin

gs; and

w

hite p

icket fences gu

ard fl u

rries of d

a� odils an

d fl ock

s of sheep

. B

ut th

e small-tow

n ch

arm exten

ds

far beyond

its many colon

ial treasures.

Today, th

e appeal lies in

its ability to p

erform a delicate d

ance betw

een

old an

d n

ew, betw

een h

onorin

g its p

ast and

embracin

g a more m

odern

futu

re. “William

sburg h

as grown

so m

uch

in th

e past few

years,” says

Rolston

. “Peop

le aren’t com

ing h

ere ju

st for the h

istory or them

e park

s anym

ore. Th

ey’re comin

g to enjoy

the tow

n.”

Th

at sea chan

ge is eviden

t in th

e bu

stling M

erchan

ts Squ

are, wh

ere n

early 100

-year-old gen

eral stores

share sid

ewalk

s with

contem

porary

boutiques and tren

dy taprooms. Those

wh

o kn

ow W

illiamsbu

rg well fi n

d

comfort in

familiar m

ainstays like

Th

e C

he

ese

Sh

op

, a local institution

fam

ous for its stu

� ed san

dwich

es slathered in

an addictive secret-recipe

hou

se dressin

g. Oth

ers are discover-

ing th

e city’s magic for th

e fi rst time,

with

spots like th

e Pre

ca

riou

s B

ee

r

Pro

jec

t, a 10,0

00

-square-foot brewery

and m

usic venue, lurin

g city dwellers

from R

ichm

ond an

d D.C

. for a weeken

d

(or even a lifetim

e). Th

en th

ere are those, like residen

t C

hris S

mith

, wh

o are rediscoverin

g—an

d investin

g in—

William

sburg

in th

e mid

st of its renaissan

ce. A

long w

ith bu

siness p

artner

Robby W

illey, Sm

ith atten

ded

college here at W

illiam &

Mary

before setting o� to p

ursu

e big-city career opp

ortun

ities. B

ut th

ey both soon

felt the

familiar pu

ll of small-tow

n

living an

d, p

uttin

g their

degrees in

busin

ess and

econ

omics to u

se, decided

to follow their dream

of opening their

own

brewery. W

illiamsburg w

as the obviou

s choice. “It felt like a very

auth

entic story—

we m

et each oth

er

Cra

ft bre

we

ries

are

he

lpin

g a

ttrac

t a

yo

un

ge

r cro

wd

to

this

his

toric

tow

n.

A b

arte

nd

er m

ixes

up

on

e o

f the

ho

us

e s

pe

cia

lties

at A

mb

er O

x.

AP

RI

L 2

02

0 /

SO

UT

HE

RN

LI

VI

NG

.C

OM

���

2020

PETER FRANK EDWARDS

SO

UT

HE

RN

LI

VI

NG

.C

OM

/ A

PR

IL

20

20

���

here, an

d w

e ultim

ately came back

to a com

mu

nity th

at we w

anted

to su

pport,” says S

mith

. A

fter fou

r years of researchin

g an

d p

lann

ing, T

he

Virg

inia

Be

er C

o.

open

ed an

d is n

ow am

ong th

e slew

of bu

rgeonin

g bu

sinesses alon

g the

William

sbu

rg Tasting Trail, w

hich

in

clud

es craft breweries, d

istilleries, w

ineries, an

d even

a m

eadery

(a marriage,

once again

, of past an

d

presen

t). Ho

used

in an

old

auto

bo

dy sh

op—

a cu

e taken from

brew

scenes in

large cities—it’s n

ow a go

-to sp

ot on

sun

ny S

aturd

ay aftern

oons, w

hen

locals gath

er aroun

d com

mu

-n

al picn

ic tables to clink

frothy p

ints w

ith n

ames

like Liq

uid

Escap

e. T

he sam

e goes for

Precariou

s Beer P

roject an

d its S

outh

ern-style

din

ing co

un

terpart,

Am

be

r Ox

Pu

blic

Ho

us

e, w

hich

has its

own

Beer L

ab. A

mb

er O

x is also h

elmed

by a

pair of yo

un

g investors, C

hris C

ook

and

An

drew

Vo

ss. Bu

t un

like many

other lo

cal en

trepren

eurs w

ho

are inev

itably lu

red b

ack to

William

sbu

rg, Vo

ss (a M

ichigan

native) h

ad n

o p

revio

us

conn

ection to

the tow

n b

efore he

decid

ed to invest in

it. Wooed

by an

initial v

isit, he u

pro

oted h

is family

desp

ite havin

g a fresh m

ortgage and

says, “W

e haven

’t second

-guessed

it for a m

inu

te.” “W

hat w

e’ve grown

to

app

reciate abo

ut

this p

lace is that it feels

very mu

ch like a sm

all com

mu

nity, b

ut it h

as th

is really co

ol dow

n-

town

vib

e,” Vo

ss says. “W

hen

peop

le wh

o don

’t k

now

William

sbu

rg com

e to v

isit, they

are often

blown

away

by ju

st how

mu

ch th

ere is to

see and

do

here.”

That’s th

e magic of

William

sburg. Whether

you com

e here for the u

nm

atched

historic

character or craft brew

s, th

e friend

ly neigh

bors or bu

colic beauty, it’s a

place that reels you

in

and

keeps callin

g you

back for m

ore.

TH

E T

OP

20

1. Willia

msb

urg

, VA

2. B

ea

ufo

rt, SC

3. Fa

irho

pe

, AL

4. Fra

nk

lin, T

N

5. Fre

de

rick

sbu

rg, V

A

6. Fre

de

rick

sbu

rg, T

X

7. Be

au

fort, N

C

8. T

ho

ma

sville

, GA

9. B

lu�

ton

, SC

10. A

ike

n, S

C

11. Mo

un

t Do

ra, F

L

12. P

ad

uc

ah

, KY

13. E

ure

ka

Sp

ring

s, AR

14. N

atc

hito

ch

es, L

A

15. Isle

of H

op

e, G

A

16. O

pe

lika

, AL

17. Flo

ren

ce

, AL

18. M

an

teo

, NC

19. S

t. Ma

rys, G

A

20

. De

La

nd

, FL

EN

JO

Y W

IL

LIA

MS

BU

RG

LIK

E A

LO

CA

L

Ë EA

T: S

erv

ing

ele

vate

d ri�

s

on

cla

ssic

ba

r fare

(like

the

ir

de

licio

us

oa

k-s

mo

ke

d frie

d

ch

ick

en

win

gs), A

mb

er O

x

ha

s a

rustic

vib

e a

nd

a ro

ster

of re

gu

lars

(so b

e s

ure

to m

ak

e

a re

serva

tion

). An

oth

er n

ew

bie

to th

e fo

od

sce

ne

, Ca

sa

Pe

arl

Oy

ste

rs &

Ta

co

s—

he

lme

d b

y

a yo

un

g c

he

f an

d ve

tera

n o

f

Ch

arle

ston

, So

uth

Ca

rolin

a’s

Th

e O

rdin

ary

—d

elive

rs th

e

Ch

esa

pe

ake

Ba

y’s �

ne

st bo

un

ty

in a

ca

su

al g

as sta

tion

turn

ed

oy

ster-a

nd

-tac

o b

ar.

Ë DR

INK

: Th

e b

urg

eo

nin

g

Willia

ms

bu

rg T

astin

g T

rail

is tra

nsfo

rmin

g th

e h

istoric

tow

n in

to a

bo

oz

y g

eta

wa

y.

A fe

w sta

nd

ou

ts: B

illsb

urg

Bre

we

ry se

rves u

p fro

sty p

ints

in a

pe

ac

efu

l ma

rina

-fron

t

settin

g. S

ilver H

an

d M

ea

de

ry,

me

an

wh

ile, re

ima

gin

es

the

an

cie

nt sip

pe

r with

rare

an

d

loc

ally

sou

rce

d va

rieta

l ho

ne

y.

Ë DO

: Be

su

re to

tak

e a

dva

n-

tag

e o

f the

ne

two

rk o

f ram

blin

g

sce

nic

trails. A

mb

itiou

s run

ne

rs

an

d b

ike

rs ca

n h

it the

win

din

g,

pa

ved

52

-mile

Virg

inia

Ca

pita

l

Tra

il, wh

ich

trave

ls th

rou

gh

po

stca

rd-w

orth

y p

astu

res

all

the

wa

y fro

m Ja

me

stow

n to

Ric

hm

on

d. F

ree

do

m P

ark

o�

ers

sho

rter tra

ils fo

r hik

ing

an

d b

ikin

g w

ith a

side

of h

istory

:

It wa

s on

ce

ho

me

to o

ne

of th

e

ea

rliest fre

e b

lac

k se

ttlem

en

ts

in A

me

rica

.

Ë SH

OP

: Re

taile

rs in M

erc

ha

nts

Sq

ua

re ra

ng

e fro

m th

e c

ute

to th

e fa

bu

lou

sly

fun

ky. Fo

r a

wh

ims

ica

l mix

of fa

sh

ion

ab

le

mu

st-ha

ves

an

d sta

tem

en

t-

ma

kin

g w

ild c

ard

s, bro

wse

Th

e

Sh

oe

Attic

. Qu

irks

is a fa

vorite

am

on

g lo

cals fo

r lots o

f cre

ative

gift id

ea

s, an

d F

ren

ch

Tw

ist

Bo

utiq

ue

o�

ers

bre

ezy

clo

set

stap

les

(like

the

pe

rfec

t line

n

dre

ss) at re

aso

na

ble

pric

es.

Th

e W

illiam

sb

urg

Win

ery

1. Willia

msb

urg

, VA

EN

JO

Y W

IL

LIA

MS

BU

RG

E

NJ

OY

WIL

LIA

MS

BU

RG

LIK

E A

LO

CA

LL

IK

E A

LO

CA

L

ËE

AT

: Se

rvin

g e

leva

ted

ri�s

on

cla

ssic

ba

r fare

(like

the

ir o

n c

lass

ic b

ar fa

re (lik

e th

eir

de

licio

us

oa

k-s

mo

ke

d frie

d

de

licio

us

oa

k-s

mo

ke

d frie

d

ch

ick

en

win

gs), A

mb

er O

x

ch

ick

en

win

gs), A

mb

er O

x

ha

s a

rustic

vib

e a

nd

a ro

ster

ha

s a

rustic

vib

e a

nd

a ro

ster

of re

gu

lars (so

be

sure

to m

ak

e

of re

gu

lars (so

be

sure

to m

ak

e

a re

serva

tion

). An

oth

er n

ew

bie

a

rese

rvatio

n). A

no

the

r ne

wb

ie

to th

e fo

od

sce

ne

, Ca

sa

Pe

arl

to th

e fo

od

sce

ne

, Ca

sa

Pe

arl

Oy

ste

rs &

Ta

co

s—

he

lme

d b

y

Oy

ste

rs &

Ta

co

s—

he

lme

d b

y

a yo

un

g c

he

f an

d ve

tera

n o

f a

you

ng

ch

ef a

nd

vete

ran

of

Ch

arle

ston

, So

uth

Ca

rolin

a’s

Ch

arle

ston

, So

uth

Ca

rolin

a’s

Th

e O

rdin

ary

—d

elive

rs th

e

Th

e O

rdin

ary

—d

elive

rs th

e

Ch

esa

pe

ake

Ba

y’s �

ne

st bo

un

ty

Ch

esa

pe

ake

Ba

y’s �

ne

st bo

un

ty

in a

ca

su

al g

as sta

tion

turn

ed

in

a c

as

ua

l ga

s statio

n tu

rne

d

oy

ster-a

nd

-tac

o b

ar.

oy

ster-a

nd

-tac

o b

ar.

ËD

RIN

K: T

he

bu

rge

on

ing

Willia

ms

bu

rg T

astin

g T

rail

Willia

ms

bu

rg T

astin

g T

rail

is tra

nsfo

rmin

g th

e h

istoric

is

tran

sform

ing

the

histo

ric

tow

n in

to a

bo

oz

y g

eta

wa

y. to

wn

into

a b

oo

zy

ge

taw

ay.

A fe

w sta

nd

ou

ts: B

illsb

urg

A

few

stan

do

uts

: Bills

bu

rg

Bre

we

ry se

rves u

p fro

sty p

ints

Bre

we

ry se

rves u

p fro

sty p

ints

in a

pe

ac

efu

l ma

rina

-fron

t in

a p

ea

ce

ful m

arin

a-fro

nt

settin

g. S

ilver H

an

d M

ea

de

ry, se

tting

. Silve

r Ha

nd

Me

ad

ery,

me

an

wh

ile, re

ima

gin

es

the

m

ea

nw

hile

, reim

ag

ine

s th

e

an

cie

nt sip

pe

r with

rare

an

d

an

cie

nt sip

pe

r with

rare

an

d

loc

ally

sou

rce

d va

rieta

l ho

ne

y. lo

ca

lly so

urc

ed

varie

tal h

on

ey.

ËD

O: B

e s

ure

to ta

ke

ad

van

-

tag

e o

f the

ne

two

rk o

f ram

blin

g

tag

e o

f the

ne

two

rk o

f ram

blin

g

sce

nic

trails. A

mb

itiou

s run

ne

rs sc

en

ic tra

ils. Am

bitio

us ru

nn

ers

an

d b

ike

rs ca

n h

it the

win

din

g,

an

d b

ike

rs ca

n h

it the

win

din

g,

pa

ved

52

-mile

Virg

inia

Ca

pita

l p

ave

d 5

2-m

ile V

irgin

ia C

ap

ital

Tra

il, wh

ich

trave

ls th

rou

gh

Tra

il, wh

ich

trave

ls th

rou

gh

po

stca

rd-w

orth

y p

astu

res

all

po

stca

rd-w

orth

y p

astu

res

all

the

wa

y fro

m Ja

me

stow

n to

th

e w

ay

from

Jam

esto

wn

to

Ric

hm

on

d. F

ree

do

m P

ark

R

ich

mo

nd

. Fre

ed

om

Pa

rk

o�

ers

sho

rter tra

ils for h

ikin

g

o�

ers

sho

rter tra

ils for h

ikin

g

an

d b

ikin

g w

ith a

side

of h

istory

: a

nd

bik

ing

with

a sid

e o

f histo

ry:

It wa

s on

ce

ho

me

to o

ne

of th

e

It wa

s on

ce

ho

me

to o

ne

of th

e

ea

rliest fre

e b

lac

k se

ttlem

en

ts

ea

rliest fre

e b

lac

k se

ttlem

en

ts

in A

me

rica

. in

Am

eric

a.

ËS

HO

P: R

eta

ilers in

Me

rch

an

ts

Sq

ua

re ra

ng

e fro

m th

e c

ute

S

qu

are

ran

ge

from

the

cu

te

to th

e fa

bu

lou

sly

fun

ky. Fo

r a

to th

e fa

bu

lou

sly

fun

ky. Fo

r a

wh

ims

ica

l mix

of fa

sh

ion

ab

le

wh

ims

ica

l mix

of fa

sh

ion

ab

le

mu

st-ha

ves

an

d sta

tem

en

t-m

ust-h

ave

s a

nd

state

me

nt-

ma

kin

g w

ild c

ard

s, bro

wse

Th

e

ma

kin

g w

ild c

ard

s, bro

wse

Th

e

Sh

oe

Attic

. Qu

irks

is a fa

vorite

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ho

e A

ttic. Q

uirk

s is a

favo

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am

on

g lo

cals fo

r lots o

f cre

ative

a

mo

ng

loca

ls for lo

ts of c

rea

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gift id

ea

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gift id

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stap

les

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n

stap

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the

pe

rfec

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n

dre

ss) at re

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es.

dre

ss) at re

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es.

2020

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A P R I L 2 0 2 0 / S O U T H E R N L I V I N G . C O M

���

Sugarlands

Distilling Co.

Smoky

Mountain

Brewery

Dollywood’s

DreamMore

Resort

Cades Cove in

the Smokies

Loco Burro

THE OCTOBER 1966 cover of Southern Living featured a breathtaking shot of U.S. 441 with a camper-shelled pickup leading a caravan of cars through fall foliage in what is now the most visited national park. Our readers have loved the Smokies forever. And their favorite spot? Gatlinburg.

Given the millions of people who visit this area every year, the actual size of Gatlinburg—less than 5,000 residents—escapes many travelers, but it’s the homey Appalachian charm that helps draw all of them here in the first place.

The village has continued to evolve, with a variety of

new attractions joining the perennially popular pancake houses, candy shops, and craft galleries. Two-tiered Anakeesta has a shopping village downtown where you catch a “chondola” lift to the mountaintop Firefly Village, with canopy walks, zip lines, and other outdoor-recreation options. Now Parrot Heads also have a mountain perch with the opening of Margaritaville

Resort Gatlinburg. Take the SkyLift to the new 680-foot SkyBridge, billed as North America’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge.

Blake Shelton has opened an outpost of his Ole Red restaurant here. There’s also locally owned Gatlinburg

Brewing Co. with its down- town taproom, or you can sample flights of hooch at moonshine tasting rooms.

For lodging, rent a cabin in the Smokies (or a room at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in neighboring Pigeon Forge), and make the drive to Gatlinburg for entertainment. Or reverse that, booking a room in the thick of things and taking a day trip into the mountains for hiking and horseback riding.

But that’s all icing on the cake. In the end, people will always head to the Smokies for the exact same reason Southern Living did in 1966: This place is gorgeous.

T H E T O P 1 0

1. Gatlinburg, TN

2. Blowing Rock, NC

3. Boone, NC

4. Blue Ridge, GA

5. Highlands, NC

6. Dahlonega, GA

7. Hot Springs, AR

8. Staunton, VA

9. Hendersonville, NC

10. Black Mountain, NC

BEST MOUNTAIN TOWN

Gatlinburg’s Next ChapterThis tiny, wildly popular village in the

Smokies just keeps getting better

1. Gatlinburg, TN

2020

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I

T’S

A R

AN

DO

M Tu

esday

nigh

t, and

a line is already

formin

g on the cu

rb outside th

e Ge

org

ia T

he

atre

. Two back

pack-laden

studen

ts walk

past, talkin

g about

their m

idterms. A

n older cou

ple duck

s in

to La

st R

eso

rt Grill n

earby, in search

of p

raline ch

icken. A

man

zooms p

ast on

a unicycle. W

elcome to A

thens.

It’s the home of the D

awgs, the

old stompin

g ground of beloved rock

ban

ds, and keeper of a bar-per-capita

stat that could induce the spin

s (over 70

bars in a square m

ile). Athen

s is a place of m

any attitudes, and w

hich version

you get depends on

w

hen—

and w

here—you

m

eet this very cool town

.Th

ere’s nostalgia in

th

e dim

light an

d stick

y fl oors of h

istoric mu

sic h

aun

ts like the 4

0 W

att

Clu

b an

d th

e Georgia

Theatre. E

choes of old

frien

ds still p

ermeate

the th

ick, beer-sh

rouded

air in

these ven

ues th

at on

ce hosted

Mich

ael S

tipe’s d

istinctive son

gs, T

he B

-52s’ sign

ature

fun

k, an

d even

Pylon

’s jangly u

nder-

groun

d rock

. Th

ere’s soul w

afting from

every k

itchen

as you breathe in

the telltale arom

as of the fam

ous fried

chicken

at W

ea

ver D

’s; th

e han

gover-curin

g biscu

its at Ma

ma

’s B

oy

; and

the

Frogmore stew

at 5 &

10, H

ugh

A

cheson

’s fl agship

. T

here’s p

ride in

the p

rodigiou

s sh

adow

of San

ford S

tadiu

m, w

here

the hedges aren’t just smart lan

dscap-in

g and

the m

ascot isn’t ju

st a dog. The

stadium is hom

e, and U

ga is a rock star.

An

d th

ere’s optim

ism in

locals’ eagern

ess to turn

tired sp

aces into

shiny, h

appy n

ew faces. A

n old

tire com

pany is n

ow a favorite brew

ery an

d farmers’ m

arket. A k

udzu-covered

former cotton

warehouse return

s as an

arts district.

Wh

at doesn’t ch

ange? Th

e Wa

� e

Ho

use on

West C

layton Street. T

he

Tree

Th

at O

wn

s Its

elf, a qu

irk resp

ected

even by the local govern

men

t. (Go read

the plaque.) The old-fashion

ed root beer fl oats at A

DD

Dru

g, a

land

mark

since 19

61.

Ath

ens is a blen

d of

everythin

g that m

akes th

e Sou

th d

iverse and

w

eird and

un

predictable;

laid-back

and

loud

; rooted

and

rebellious.

UP

AL

L N

IGH

T

With

well over 10

0 bars,

restaurants, an

d shops huggin

g the small an

d

walk

able city-style block

s, Athen

s’ historic

down

town

is more alive on

an average

Mon

day th

an m

any town

s are on a

Saturday night. D

aylight hours see UG

A

college stud

ents fi lin

g in an

d ou

t of various cafes, such

as the co� ee shop/bar hybrid W

alk

er’s

Co

� ee

& P

ub

, as locals pop in

to shops like Arc

he

r Pa

pe

r

Go

od

s (a stationery lover’s heaven

). O

nce th

e sun

goes down

, inn

ocent

errands turn

into late-n

ight shenan

i-gan

s. Sp

ontan

eous sou

ls could

end

u

p dancin

g at the pop-u

p silent disco

wearin

g big glowin

g headphones n

ext to d

ozens of stran

gers; watch

ing an

in

die fi lm at C

iné

, a non

profi t art house op

ened

in an

old tire-recap

build

ing;

or sipp

ing at th

e bar of Ma

nh

atta

n

Ca

fe n

ext to a dude reading a C

ormac

McC

arthy novel w

hile oth

ers sway

in th

e back corn

er next to an

ancien

t jukebox w

ith h

andw

ritten track

cards.A

straight shot down

Prin

ce Aven

ue from

down

town

Ath

ens, N

ormaltow

n

BE

ST

CO

LL

EG

E T

OW

N

Th

e C

oo

l Kid

Ath

en

s, Ge

org

ia, is a

mo

sh p

it of ic

on

ic b

an

ds,

co

llard

gre

en

s, an

d B

ulld

og

prid

e

BY

KA

ITL

YN

YA

RB

OR

OU

GH

TH

E T

OP

10

1. Ath

en

s, G

A

2. C

ha

rlotte

sville

, VA

3. C

ha

pe

l Hill, N

C

4. O

xfo

rd, M

S

5. S

ava

nn

ah

, GA

6. A

ub

urn

, AL

7. Tusc

alo

osa

, AL

8. C

lem

son

, SC

9. Ta

llah

asse

e, F

L

10. K

no

xv

ille, T

N

Mille

dg

e A

ven

ue

, kn

ow

n

as

UG

A’s

so

rority

row

Ta

ke

a s

elfie

with

on

e o

f

Ath

en

s’ B

ulld

og

sta

tue

s

AP

RI

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0 /

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Ta

ke

a s

elfie

with

on

e o

f

Ath

en

s’ B

ulld

og

sta

tue

s

1. Ath

en

s, G

A

“Ech

oe

s of o

ld

frien

ds still

pe

rme

ate

the

thick

, b

ee

r-shro

ud

ed

air in

th

ese

ve

nu

es th

at

on

ce

ho

sted

Mich

ae

l S

tipe’s d

istinc

tive

so

ng

s.”

“Ech

oe

s of o

ld

frien

ds still

frien

ds still

pe

rme

ate

the

thick

, p

erm

ea

te th

e th

ick,

be

er-sh

rou

de

d a

ir in

be

er-sh

rou

de

d a

ir in

the

se v

en

ue

s tha

t th

ese

ve

nu

es th

at

on

ce

ho

sted

Mich

ae

l o

nc

e h

oste

d M

icha

el

Stip

e’s distin

ctiv

e

Stip

e’s distin

ctiv

e

son

gs.”

son

gs.”

2020

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���

is wh

ere you’ll fin

d the tow

nies. Th

e old-sch

ool strip of storefronts is n

ow

frequented by the impossibly cool. B

ars here—

Th

e O

ld P

al, H

i-Lo

Lo

un

ge

, and

No

rma

l Ba

r—are the grow

n-up, hipper version of those dow

ntown. A

uto

ma

tic

Piz

za serves up slices in a retro former

gas station, an

d Wh

ite T

ige

r Go

urm

et

haw

ks m

elt-in-your-m

outh barbecue

in a 10

0-plu

s-year-old location th

at on

ce housed a grocery store.You m

ight hear wh

ispers of a beer so good th

at they don’t dare let it ou

t of G

eorgia. Über-popu

lar Cre

atu

re

Co

mfo

rts B

rew

ing

Co

. in the old Snow

Tire C

ompany buildin

g is the fount.

The beer in question is Tropicália, a citrusy little num

ber with hoppy n

otes an

d apparently a certain

cachet. Due

to production con

straints, it garn

ered a cu

lt followin

g—borderlin

e man

ia—w

hen it w

as first released in 20

14. A

few years later, the fren

zy reached all the w

ay to Atlan

ta and the production

crew

of box o�ce m

onster A

ve

ng

ers:

En

dg

am

e—then

to Thor him

self.

“It was all k

ind of m

ind-bogglin

g,” says cofounder and brew

master A

dam

Beauch

amp. “O

ne of th

e directors basically started sending his production

assistan

ts to chase dow

n the truck

s w

hen it was really di�

cult to find. They w

ere buying fridge-full am

ounts of it

for everybody on set, in

cluding these

big stars like Ch

ris Hem

sworth

.” Staples like th

e fruity sprin

gtime

Athena Paradiso and the easy-drink

ing C

lassic City Lager stock

all the bars, restau

rants, an

d frat houses through

-out tow

n.

The late-night din

ing scene here is

also legendary, from

street hot dogs at one of tw

o dueling carts—old rivals that

sit on either side of the sam

e block—to

the signature feta fries at T

he

Grill

.

Before you

kn

ow it, 3 a.m

. rolls around. Last call. N

ot at the bars—those

closed an hour ago—

but at Little

Italy,

a pizza dive serving up hot slices bigger than your head. The fun stops at 3. That is w

hen

the guy beh

ind th

e coun

ter starts hollering for everyone to get out.

Ab

ov

e: T

he

Old

Pa

l

in N

orm

alto

wn

Le

ft: Wh

ite T

ige

r’s

BB

Q P

ork

Sa

nd

wic

h

Ord

er a

Trop

icá

lia a

t

Cre

atu

re C

om

forts

Bre

win

g C

o.

Au

tom

atic

Piz

za

2020

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PR

IL

20

20

���

AU

TO

MA

TIC

FO

R T

HE

PE

OP

LE

Step

insid

e Wu

xtry

Re

co

rds, an

d

nostalgia h

its you like an old Tom

Petty son

g. Suddenly, it’s 19

76, the year th

is place open

ed, right before the Athen

s m

usic scen

e wen

t wild

. Th

e oldest still-operatin

g record

store in G

eorgia, Wu

xtry has been

in

business for over 40

years, refusing to

give up on vinyl, even

when

CD

s took

over the market. W

hen records cam

e back

in vogue, the sm

all store on E

ast C

layton S

treet dow

ntow

n w

as still p

acked w

ith crates an

d crates of it.

Th

is is wh

ere the fu

ture m

embers

of R.E

.M. h

un

g out. Lead gu

itarist Peter B

uck

even w

orked th

ere for a short

time. “H

e was m

y Neil You

ng coach

,” says B

ertis Dow

ns, lon

gtime advisor

and

friend

of the ban

d (or “th

e guys,” as h

e calls them

). He also k

new

Bill

Berry, R

.E.M

.’s drumm

er, from the tim

e th

ey spen

t together on

UG

A’s con

cert com

mittee. “A

nd

then

all of a sudden,

boom, th

ey’re in th

is really pop

ular

band

.” That’s an

un

derstatemen

t. It w

as Dow

ns w

ho ap

proach

ed

Dexter W

eaver, own

er of local restau-ran

t Weaver D

’s, to ask if R

.E.M

. could

use h

is catchp

hrase as on

e of their

most fam

ous albu

m titles: A

uto

ma

tic

for th

e Peo

ple. Soun

d familiar?

For Weaver, th

e tagline

is about bein

g quick

to please h

is custom

ers. H

is slogan traveled

all th

e way from

the

lime green

cemen

t w

alls of a soul food

joint to th

e top of th

e charts. “A

nd

then

, a year later, when

the guys were

nom

inated

for a Gram

my, w

e got D

exter and h

is sister to come to the

Gram

my A

wards as R

.E.M

.’s special gu

ests!” Dow

ns h

oots. You

won

’t meet a ch

urch

lady or frat boy from

the p

ast three decades

wh

o hasn

’t had

a meal at W

eaver D’s.

“Wh

ite or dark

meat, baby?” ask

s W

eaver from beh

ind

the cou

nter. H

e op

ened

the restau

rant in

198

6, an

d

it’s all about th

e chicken

, followed

by hom

emade m

acaroni an

d cheese, collard

s or green bean

s (someth

ing

healthy, for good

ness’ sake), an

d th

e essen

tial corn m

u�

n. You

can easily

see how

this place w

ould

inspire an

albu

m n

ame. It’s th

at special.

“All of the great thin

gs in m

y life started w

hen I m

oved to Athen

s,” says Patterson

Hood of the ban

d Drive-B

y Truckers, w

hich

got started h

ere in th

e 19

90

s and still con

siders Athen

s home.

Wh

at called H

ood to A

then

s in th

e first place? “R

.E.M

!” he crack

s. “That’s w

hat

it all boils down

to, right? Th

e mu

sic.”

Vis

it the

Alic

e H

. Ric

ha

rds

Ch

ildre

n’s

Ga

rde

n a

t the

Sta

te

Bo

tan

ica

l Ga

rde

n o

f Ge

org

ia.

De

xte

r We

ave

r,

ow

ne

r of W

ea

ver D

’s

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���

Clockwise from far left:

Fisher’s at Orange Beach

Marina; the Original Oyster

House; The Gulf; bivalves at

the Original Oyster House

JUST ASK THE Gulf Shores/Orange Beach crowd what they like best about this 32-mile stretch of sugary sand, and they’ll immediately start naming restaurants. That’s because they consider the sand and surf a given.

Outdoor riches here are remarkable: Gulf shoreline, bayous, rivers, and lakes,

not to mention the Bon

Secour National Wildlife

Refuge. The new Coastal

Alabama Back Bay Blueway o�ers four di�erent trails for paddling.

Within Gulf State Park are 28 miles of paved trails to explore. A new 25-acre Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, significantly larger than the old site, will create better space for the animals while providing more educational opportunities for guests.

It’s hard to imagine now, but back in its bell-bottom days, Alabama’s Gulf Coast o�ered little beyond camp- grounds and the occasional mom-and-pop motel. The dining scene was practically nonexistent. Then, after

Hurricane Frederic struck in 1979 and the coast began to rebuild, development accelerated, and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since.

Now there’s every kind of lodging you can fathom as well as a wide array of activities that are perfect for families. Meanwhile, the Hangout Music Festival and other events, along with attractions like The Wharf, are drawing a new genera-tion to this coast.

The Lodge at Gulf State

Park, a Hilton property, opened to wide acclaim in 2018 and is noteworthy for its level of style and comfort and also for its commitment to both conservation and

sustainability. Among the on-site restaurants at the lodge are the Gulf-front Perch and Foodcraft.

Venture out of the park and follow repeat visitors to breakfast at places like Ruby Slipper Cafe, Brick

& Spoon, and Duck’s Diner.

The same crowd will likely recommend lunching at decades-old Sea-N-Suds right on the beach, Doc’s

Seafood Shack & Oyster

Bar, Tacky Jacks, Mikee’s

Seafood, Original Oyster

House, The Gulf (pair any dish with a mojito), or Lucy

Bu�ett’s Lulu’s (order The “Pa-Menna” Cheeseburger).

For dinner? Don’t miss Cobalt, The Restaurant or Fisher’s at Orange Beach

Marina for stunning views of the water. Fill any gaps in your itinerary with “y’all won’t believe this” selfies while you sip on a beachy beverage at the Flora-Bama.

T H E T O P 1 0

1. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL

2. Hilton Head Island, SC

3. Tybee Island, GA

4. Destin, FL

5. Myrtle Beach, SC

6. Key West, FL

7. Panama City Beach, FL

8. Wrightsville Beach, NC

9. Isle of Palms, SC

10. St. Augustine, FL

BEST BEACH TOWN

Gulf ViewWith its white sand, decadent seafood, and pristine wildlife sanctu-aries, the Alabama coast was once the South’s best-kept secret

1. Gulf Shores/