Best of the South Travel Awards
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Best New Hotels
See our favorite newcomers, from beach retreats to city stays.
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Best New Restaurants
Our picks for the best new restaurants around the South and their can't-miss dishes.
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Best Speakeasies
The Modern Speakeasy: These low-light and cozy quarters create a Prohibition-era vibe of incognito, while the meticulous bartenders remain entirely conspicuous in their reverence for a well-made drink.
- The Gibson, Washington, D.C.
- The Patterson House, Nashville, TN
- B Bar, Miami Beach, FL
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Best Legal Moonshine
Moonshine, the fiery Southern Spirit, has gone legit. Here are five of our favorites to come out of the woodwork.
- Prichard's Lincoln County Lightning
- Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1
- Platte Valley Corn Whiskey
- Virginia Lightning
- Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon
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Best Late-Night Burger
Holeman and Finch Public HouseFrom the robust patties to the bread-and-butter pickles, Atlanta's Holeman and Finch Public House shares what makes their burgers the best.
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Best Food Trucks
Serving everything from empanadas to fish tacos and frozen pops, these 10 trucks are slinging some of the best chow in the South.
- Big Truck Tacos, Oklahoma City, OK
- El Ultimo Tacos, Houston, TX
- GastroPod Mobile Gourmet, Miami, FL
- Harvest Moon Grille, Charlotte, NC
- King of Pops, Atlanta, GA
- Los Dos Hermanos, Birmingham, AL
- Mas Tacos Por Favor, Nashville, TN
- Mmmpanadas, Austin, TX
- Only Burger, Durham, NC
- Pi on the Spot, St. Louis, MO
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New Kings of Southern Rock
The Avett Brothers
They're the best thing to happen to Southern rock since "Free Bird." This string-happy trio (brothers Scott and Seth Avett, and Bob Crawford), former indie rockers who found their niche in punk-inflected American folk rock (that's right), know their way around a song.
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Best New Music Festivals
Here are a few of the hottest new spots on the circuit.
- The Hangout Beach Music & Arts Festival
- Bayou Country Superfest
- The Blackwater Music Festival
- Next Big Nashville
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Best New Southern Musicians
Be sure to download these Southern standouts to your iPod.
- Deerhunter
- Randy Montana
- Sarah Jarosz
- The Secret Sisters
- Truth & Salvage Co.
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Best New Arts Venue
Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art
This Mississippi art museum became a symbol of renewal during the rebuilding of Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina.
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Best New Author
Belle Boggs
Author of Mattaponi Queen, which won the Bakeless Prize in Fiction, Belle shares her thoughts on the unique sense of discovery inherent in Southern travel.
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Best Bookstores
5 of our favorite booksellers from around the region:
- Alabama Booksmith, Birmingham, AL
- Malaprop's, Asheville, NC
- Lemuria Books, Jackson, MS
- Faulkner House Books, New Orleans, LA
- Sundog Books, Seaside, FL
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Best New Designer
Lucinda Robinson
Discover Southern designer Lucinda Robinson and her lovely line of dresses, Lucinda Eden.
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Best Blue Jeans
Southern-designed and Southern-made jeans are the new denim must-have. Here are our picks for the leaders of the pack.
- Imogene + Willie
- Baldwin Denim
- Raleigh Denim
- Levi's Workwear by Billy Reid
- Sucker
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Phoebe Howard
Max & CompanyShop-owner Phoebe Howard creates a new take on Southern classics in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Best New Shopping Street
Warehouse Row
From home accents to jewelry, Warehouse Row houses some of the most unique boutique stores that Chattanooga has to offer.
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Best Winter Adventure
Cross-Country Ski in Canaan Valley, West Virginia
Cross-country skiing may seem so…Nordic…but the South has its own hub of skinny-ski activity.
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Best Spring Adventure
Hike the Revamped Roan Mountain, North Carolina/Tennessee
Roan Mountain is a collection of rare mile-high bald knobs hugging the North Carolina/Tennessee border with 360-degree views worthy of a Julie Andrews solo.
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Best Summer Adventure
Go Cascading in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Get up-close and personal with some of the most beautiful and secluded waterfalls in Virginia.
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Best Fall Adventure
Explore the New River Gorge, West Virginia
Ziplines, hiking trails, white water, and breathtaking fall color; the New River Gorge in West Virginia is the ideal Southern autumn adventure.