Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How To Season a Cast-Iron Skillet

      How To Season a Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with one of these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Travel
  3. Shoulder Season Destinations That Are Better In the South

Shoulder Season Destinations That Are Better In the South

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors July 27, 2022
Skip gallery slides
FB
Hatteras
Credit: Dennis Govoni/Getty Images

There are always reasons to travel during a destination's busy season. Peak season is peak, after all. However, during the weeks leading up to and immediately following a travel destination's busy season, you can usually find good weather, great deals, and fewer crowds. That's the appeal of a shoulder season trip. You may have to keep an eye on the weather, but if you time it right, shoulder season might just become your new favorite time to travel. Traveling in the shoulder and off seasons also give you the opportunity to experience new things. Visit in a slower season and you might get to trade leaf-peeping for snow days or a sweltering day on the beach for a breezy one. Give a shoulder season a chance, and you might just score some travel deals in the process.

Start Slideshow

1 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Asheville, North Carolina

Downtown Asheville, NC View
Credit: Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Winter and Spring

In Asheville, every season is a good season. Some are busier than others, however. The busiest times to visit are in the fall months, especially October, because of the travelers who visit to see the leaves turning. Winter and spring are also great times to visit. In the colder months, you'll find some opportunities for skiing and frolicking in the snow, while spring brings blooming landscapes.

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Blue Ridge Mountains

Linn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

Shoulder Season: Early Spring

October is the busiest time along the Blue Ridge Parkway because of the influx of visitors coming to see the changing leaves. Summer is also bustling. Late winter and early spring—from January through March—are less busy times to visit, but they're no less beautiful. Cheaper costs and the beginnings of the spring blooms mean that the trip is well worth an off-season visit.

2 of 9

3 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Florida Keys

Sombrero Beach with palm trees on the Florida Keys, Marathon, Florida, USA. Tropical and paradise destination for vacation.
Credit: Simon Dannhauer / Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Late Spring, Early Fall

Winter and early spring are the high season in the Florida Keys, but its shoulder seasons, which arrive in the late spring and early fall months, are also great times to visit. The heat may warn you off of a true summer visit, but if you can catch the pre- and post-summer breezes, your Keys trip will be well worth it. (Keep an eye on the weather if you decide to visit during hurricane season, June through November!)

3 of 9

Advertisement

4 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Miami, Florida

miami, florida
Credit: Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Late Spring, Early Fall

If you're in the mood for a city break, Miami's a great place to be. Its busy season falls in winter and early spring, usually January through April, but visiting between May and September can help you secure some deals if you're willing to handle the heat. If you can catch the late-spring weather before the mercury starts to rise, it will remind you why shoulder seasons are some of the best times to travel.

4 of 9

5 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Outer Banks

Hatteras
Credit: Dennis Govoni/Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Spring and Fall

The North Carolina coast's peak season falls in the summer months—June, July, and August—but the weeks leading up to and immediately following summer can be good shoulder-season times for travelers to visit.

5 of 9

6 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Ozark Mountains

Talimena Scenic Drive Arkansas
Credit: zrfphoto / Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Late Spring, Early Fall

In the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri, shoulder season falls in late spring and early fall. Summer is its busiest season, but the rest of the year still offers prime times—and cooler temps—in which to visit the trails, lakes, and summits of the Ozarks.

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Rio Grande

Southern Campgrounds Big Bend National Park, TX
Credit: Education Images/Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Late Fall, Winter

According to the National Park Service, "Spring break is the busiest two-week period" during the year on this South Texas riverway. While the summer months can be punishing, climate-wise, the NPS says, "September through January is usually a great time to be on the river. Temperatures are cooler making for many very beautiful days on the river. The river stabilizes but only somewhat; the river can always rise (and drop) and the weather can turn cold any time during these months."

7 of 9

8 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Shenandoah Valley

Lewis Spring Falls Shenandoah National Park
Credit: David Muench/Getty Images

Shoulder Season: Late Fall, Early Spring

In Virginia's lush Shenandoah Valley, November through March is considered the off season, while leaf-peeping fall and blooming spring are the busiest times to visit the park.

8 of 9

9 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

Upper Gulf Coast

Seaside Beach
Credit: Rush Jagoe

Shoulder Season: Spring and Fall

Summertime brings the crowds to the Alabama and Florida Panhandle Gulf coasts, but trips during spring and fall—March through May and September through November—offer wide sandy beaches without the sunbaked swelter of summer.

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Southern Living Editors

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 9 Asheville, North Carolina
    2 of 9 Blue Ridge Mountains
    3 of 9 Florida Keys
    4 of 9 Miami, Florida
    5 of 9 Outer Banks
    6 of 9 Ozark Mountains
    7 of 9 Rio Grande
    8 of 9 Shenandoah Valley
    9 of 9 Upper Gulf Coast

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Shoulder Season Destinations That Are Better In the South
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.