Destinations > The Americas > Southern US
Southern US
The Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana & Tennessee
Southern hospitality is more than mint juleps on the veranda. There is colonial charm, natural adventure, decadent cuisine, warm beaches and a wealth of foot tapping music for all. Come on down, the water is fine!
Best time to visit: Winter months are great to take advantage of the warmer weather, especially if you are going for Mardi Gras, which usually falls from mid-January to mid-February. Lots of summer fun as well on the miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches throughout the South East’s Atlantic coast as well as Florida’s two coasts.
Go for this: A VIP weekend in Miami to pick up some new canvases at Art Basel Miami Beach ending with brunch with an ecologist who’ll teach you the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, which you will see, in the Everglades.
Enter Charleston’s private estates dating back to the 18th century, meet a cadet at the Citadel Military Academy, and visit the site of a major Civil War battle.
But try this: Visit the Lakefront market in Orlando with your favorite Disney character. Then, drive south to Florida’s Space Coast to meet an astronaut and experience weightlessness and molecular space dining!
With a musicologist as your guide, visit the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans, meet a famous jazz musician and spend the evening on Frenchman Street…..with a Frenchman, of course!
Favorite guest experience: Sail on a beautiful private vessel to a secluded beach on Barrier Island for a private Low-Country boil (seafood stew loaded with local crab included).
Indulge in a chauffeured Louisville Bourbon Trail craft tour leading straight to the Kentucky Derby!
Favorite hotel: Belmond Charleston Place (Charleston, SC): Located at the very heart of downtown Charleston, in the historic district and within walking distance of all the major attractions, Belmond Charleston Place is the perfect base for a city adventure. In-house classic Southern cooking with a contemporary twist and an amazing spa, this property is our go-to place in this charming town.
Grey Stone Inn (Lake Toxaway, Asheville, NC): The Greystone Inn is a personal home with a heart of gold. Guestrooms and suites ramble among various levels of the original Mansion, plus two separate lakeside cottages. Many have crackling fireplaces and all with crisp linens cozy blankets and piles of thick towels making it the most comfortable retreat.
Favorite restaurant: Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (Miami Beach, FL): Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink helped put Miami’s Design District on the map in 2007. Since then, diners have come to celebrate the combination of a laid-back atmosphere and topnotch food, served up by James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Michael Schwartz, whose cooking is described as “ homemade, unpretentious, delectable, with an emphasis on great local ingredients.”
Copmere Lapin (New Orleans, LA): Compère Lapin is French for “brother rabbit” but is also a traditional Caribbean and Creole folktale featuring a mischievous rabbit named Compère Lapin. James Beard Award winning Chef Nina Compton’s whimsical restaurant is in the heart of the Warehouse Arts District in New Orleans, where she serves sumptuous meals that at once remind us of home and transport us to somewhere new.
Favorite foods & beverages: Po’ boy, beignets, Bourbon, anything Cajun, grits, boiled peanuts, sweet tea, fried green tomatoes, collards, and an array of BBQ and fried chicken.
Best time to visit: Winter months are great to take advantage of the warmer weather, especially if you are going for Mardi Gras, which usually falls from mid-January to mid-February. Lots of summer fun as well on the miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches throughout the South East’s Atlantic coast as well as Florida’s two coasts.
Go for this: A VIP weekend in Miami to pick up some new canvases at Art Basel Miami Beach ending with brunch with an ecologist who’ll teach you the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, which you will see, in the Everglades.
Enter Charleston’s private estates dating back to the 18th century, meet a cadet at the Citadel Military Academy, and visit the site of a major Civil War battle.
But try this: Visit the Lakefront market in Orlando with your favorite Disney character. Then, drive south to Florida’s Space Coast to meet an astronaut and experience weightlessness and molecular space dining!
With a musicologist as your guide, visit the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans, meet a famous jazz musician and spend the evening on Frenchman Street…..with a Frenchman, of course!
Favorite guest experience: Sail on a beautiful private vessel to a secluded beach on Barrier Island for a private Low-Country boil (seafood stew loaded with local crab included).
Indulge in a chauffeured Louisville Bourbon Trail craft tour leading straight to the Kentucky Derby!
Favorite hotel: Belmond Charleston Place (Charleston, SC): Located at the very heart of downtown Charleston, in the historic district and within walking distance of all the major attractions, Belmond Charleston Place is the perfect base for a city adventure. In-house classic Southern cooking with a contemporary twist and an amazing spa, this property is our go-to place in this charming town.
Grey Stone Inn (Lake Toxaway, Asheville, NC): The Greystone Inn is a personal home with a heart of gold. Guestrooms and suites ramble among various levels of the original Mansion, plus two separate lakeside cottages. Many have crackling fireplaces and all with crisp linens cozy blankets and piles of thick towels making it the most comfortable retreat.
Favorite restaurant: Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (Miami Beach, FL): Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink helped put Miami’s Design District on the map in 2007. Since then, diners have come to celebrate the combination of a laid-back atmosphere and topnotch food, served up by James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Michael Schwartz, whose cooking is described as “ homemade, unpretentious, delectable, with an emphasis on great local ingredients.”
Copmere Lapin (New Orleans, LA): Compère Lapin is French for “brother rabbit” but is also a traditional Caribbean and Creole folktale featuring a mischievous rabbit named Compère Lapin. James Beard Award winning Chef Nina Compton’s whimsical restaurant is in the heart of the Warehouse Arts District in New Orleans, where she serves sumptuous meals that at once remind us of home and transport us to somewhere new.
Favorite foods & beverages: Po’ boy, beignets, Bourbon, anything Cajun, grits, boiled peanuts, sweet tea, fried green tomatoes, collards, and an array of BBQ and fried chicken.
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