Due South: Seaside Inns for Tranquil Getaways

Plus: The sandwich capital of the South; Memphis; old-school diners

PHOTO: MATT SILK PHOTOGRAPHY

The Cuthbert House in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Large beach resorts can be wonderful, but sometimes a more intimate coastal getaway feels like the true luxury. Thankfully, the South is home to numerous seaside inns that have offered such quiet respite for decades—historic destinations where the scenery is lush, the amenities are top-tier, and the answer to “What’s streaming?” almost always refers to the tides. Here are a handful of our favorites including a Chesapeake Bay hideaway, a beach-chic classic with Old Florida appeal, and a B&B on a beloved South Carolina barrier island. —Kinsey Gidick, G&G contributor

A spread from Bike Mike’s Soul Food in Myrtle Beach.

TREAT YOURSELF: What if you could have shrimp and grits for breakfast, hush puppies for lunch, and she-crab soup for dinner? If your vacation itinerary calls for classic Southern cuisine, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more accommodating destination than Myrtle Beach, where dishes like fried green tomatoes, chicken bog, and heaping seafood steam pots are the plats du jour at the area’s top-rated restaurants. Better yet, you’ll find the perfect marriage of down-home and ocean-fresh fare at eateries like Big Mike’s Soul Food, where you can pair a shrimp boil or oyster basket with fried okra and mac and cheese. Discover Myrtle Beach’s best Southern dishes.

Memphis. This city, Tennessee’s second largest, does plenty to honor its ancient Egyptian namesake. Like that river settlement, Memphis has its own American Nile (the Mississippi River), a giant pyramid (now a massive Bass Pro Shops “retail experience”), and an oft-visited grave of a revered King (Graceland). The Bluff City has, of course, built its own reputation as a hub for barbecue and the Delta Blues. But there’s much more to this berg than Beale Street.

Exhibits abound. Can’t-miss museums include the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and the legendary Sun Studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, and others recorded. But underlying all of those memorials to music is the issue of race. Built around the Lorraine Motel, the National Civil Rights Museum is home to a graphic representation of slavery’s impact, a Greyhound bus used by Freedom Riders, and Room 306, where Dr. King was assassinated.
Walking in Memphis. Sometimes the soulful history of the city overshadows its natural beauty. After all, it sits on a high, rocky promontory overlooking the majestic Mississippi. Big River Crossing is the country’s longest public pedestrian and cyclist bridge across the mighty waterway. This 2.5-mile, there-and-back trail is easy, offering views of the river, the Memphis cityscape, and the floodplains of neighboring Arkansas.
There’s the rub. While debate is fierce about which local barbecue joint is best, I keep coming back to the original, Charlie Vergos Rendezvous. Since 1948, this place has been serving up charcoal-smoked ribs with the restaurant’s signature dry rub. While you’re waiting for your ribs, order the Rendezvous Special, an appetizer platter of ham, salami, sausage, and cheese, again dusted with the house seasoning. And then get a few jars of seasoning to take home.