Alex Leviton - The Carolinas, Georgia & the South trips: 65 themed itineraries, 1192 local places to see

After getting a masters degree in journalism from UC Berkeley in 2002, Alex bought a tobacco warehouse loft in downtown Durham and has split her time between North Carolina and San Francisco ever since. She loves both places, but has a special fondness in her heart for the porches, fireflies and pace of life in North Carolina.

Emily was raised in the Tar Heel State and can still sometimes be found around Chapel Hill. She coauthored Lonely Planets USA guide, and writes on food and travel for magazines and newspapers. Her favorite trip was Pulled Pork & Butt Rubs: Eating in Memphis. She can be seen here at Sun Studio in Memphis, where Elvis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison were discovered.

Kevin grew up in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia in Athens. He has previously worked on Lonely Planet guides to Mexico, Brazil and Chile. For this book, Kevin drove through Georgia and Alabama, stopping off here for a picture at Little St Simons Island, the jewel of the Golden Isles.

Adam covers travel, culture and health for Lonely Planet and several magazines. His Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas odyssey was one extended overdose of live music, lush landscapes and insanely good regional food. He has authored and coauthored six Lonely Planet guidebooks. Read more of his work at www.adamskolnick.com.

John T Edge is the author of a number of books, including a four-book series on iconic American eats. He most recently released a revised edition of Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lovers Companion to the South. John contributes to the Hogs & Heifers: A Georgia BBQ Odyssey trip.

Philip Grymes is the director of Outdoor Chattanooga, a city agency dedicated to promoting the outdoor lifestyle. He is a Wilderness First Responder and an avid hiker, kayaker and rock climber. Philip shares some of his favorite spots in the Outdoor Chattanooga trip.

Dixie Hibbs is the former mayor of Bardstown, Kentucky, the Bourbon Capital of the World. She has written several books on local history and culture, including Bardstown: Hospitality, History and Bourbon. She shares her insider knowledge in The Bourbon Trail trip.

Robert Lee Hodge has been engaging in Civil War reenactments for three decades as a self-proclaimed hardcore reenactor, and was the subject of Tony Horwitzs Confederates in the Attic. Robert lends his expertise to the Historic Battles of the Civil War trip.

Jordan Johnson, JD, spokesman for the Clinton Foundation and director of public policy at Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, was born and raised in Arkansas. He spends his downtime with his family hiking, paddling and fly-fishing. Jordan contributed to The Billgrimage trip.

Victoria Logue first hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1988 and has since written several books on hiking the trail. Victoria assisted on the Appalachian Trail trip.

Mike Mills is a world-class paddler and the longest tenured outfitter on the Buffalo. In the 1980s he served as Arkansas Minister of Tourism under then Governor Clinton. In the off-season youll find him flying his Cessna or hot-air balloon. Mike contributed to the Paddling the Buffalo trip.

Connie Nelson is the coauthor of The Film Junkies Guide to North Carolina. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Connie offers an insiders insight in the From Dirty Dancing to Dawsons Creek trip.

Scott Peacock, chef and Southern food expert, is the executive chef at Watershed in Atlanta. In 2007 he won a James Beard Award, and is coauthor of The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Southern Chefs, with the late Edna Lewis. Scott shares his foodie insights in the Atlanta for Food Lovers trip.

Simona Rabinovitch writes about pop culture, travel and entertainment for Canadas national newspaper the Globe and Mail and international magazines including Zink, Nylon and SPIN.com. Simonas interview with Terrance Simien appears in the Cajun Country Road Trip.

Jack Thomson runs a Civil War walking tour of Charleston and has published a photography book entitled Charleston at War. To take one of his tours, go to www.civilwarwalk.com. We joined Jack for a walk in A Charleston Walk Back in Time.

THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA & THE SOUTH ICONIC TRIPS

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While each region of each state in the South has a distinct character (and often, a unique cuisine, and landscape, and accent), some things are just plain ol Southern antebellum mansions, kudzu and the ability to deep-fry just about anything (fish, chicken, sweet potatoes, unripe green tomatoes, an entire turkey, Twinkies).

In these 11 Iconic trips, well weave you through all nine states, from the top of the Great Smokies in Tennessee to an island inhabited by wild ponies in North Carolina, and from William Faulkners Oxford to Dale Earnhardt, Jrs Talladega. Honor the memory of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr by retracing his footsteps and contemplate the brutality of the Civil War with a reenactor-turned-preservationist.

And, of course, eat. Beignets, po boys and fried alligator in New Orleans and Lowcountry, black-eyed peas, okra and shrimp in Charleston, and barbecue, well, just about everywhere. To work off all that soul and Southern food, take a stroll on the Appalachian Trail, or shake your tail feathers to practically any style of American music most of it was invented here.