Morekis - Moon Carolinas & Georgia

JIM MOREKIS

When people around the world think of the American South, its some archetypal image from the Carolinas and Georgia that comes to mind, whether they know it or not. Spanish moss hanging from a live oak, a tangy pulled-pork barbecue sandwich, hiking the Appalachian Trail, classic lines from Gone with the Wind, the robust smell of a tobacco field, enjoying a cold Coca-Cola while listening to bluegrass music... This is the vivid, iconic backdrop of a real or imagined experience of the South, both for the people whove always yearned to visit as well as for those who call it home.

This is a huge area with a huge history to match. The three states covered in this guide encompass about 150,000 square miles and contain nearly 10 percent of the American population, living in enormous metropolitan areas, tiny crossroads hamlets, and everything in between. Among them, the Carolinas and Georgia have been the birthplace of four U.S. presidents and seminal American figures like Martin Luther King Jr.

In the enormous swath of America between the Blue Ridge and the Atlantic Ocean youll find a marvelously diverse geography, with peat-filled swamps and Appalachian balds, salty ocean waves and bass-rich lakes, sandhills and deep forest, slow-moving blackwater rivers and rushing mountain streams.

Quite simply, theres a lot to see and do here, whether your taste runs to rock climbing, fishing, beachcombing, kayaking, or following Southern Gothic literature. Or even just enjoying good food and drinkmany of the nations best chefs practice their trade in restaurants in Atlanta and Charleston. You could make an entire vacation exploring down-home barbecue joints and comparing the various regional sauces that even today inspire impassioned good-natured debate.

It may seem folly to attempt to try and tie it all together, but one common thread does run through the Carolinas and Georgia: that fabled Southern hospitality and the easy, welcoming laughter that comes with it.

Probably the most culturally unique area in this guide, the Outer Banks of North Carolina still harbor charming pockets of a centuries-old seafaring tradition all along its wave- and wind-battered beach strands. The nearby Coastal Sounds provide a relaxing, sheltered counterpart to the Outer Banks heavy traffic during the high season.

The northernmost outpost of the antebellum rice plantation culture, classy little Wilmington has transformed itself into one of the most active film production centers outside California. The surrounding Cape Fear region features several beautiful, accessible beaches for family enjoyment.

This culturally and politically diverse area isnt only a big golf getaway and center of the stock-car racing universe; it features the regions second-largest city, the financial powerhouse and ethnic melting pot of Charlotte, as well as the highly progressive, university-dominated Triangle of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh.

A left-of-center oasis in conservative Appalachia, Asheville nestles a surprisingly large amount of progressive culture, great food, and live music into the foothills. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a pleasant, peaceful meander amid the mountains, wildflowers, and various state parks and campgrounds along its 250-mile length in North Carolina bordering thousands of acres of national forest.

Americas most traveled National Park, these deep mountains along the Tennessee border combine the culture of old Appalachia with friendly, kitschy tourist attractions. Skiers will enjoy the many slopes available in winter, and the warmer months offer plenty of camping, hiking, and nature-loving activities.

The 60-mile Grand Strand focuses on the resort activity of Myrtle Beach and its adjacent, faster-growing sister North Myrtle Beach. Down the strand are the more peaceful areas of Pawleys Island and