PHOTO: COURTESY OF NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN
|
A tropical view at the Naples Botanical Garden.
|
|
|
Growing up, G&G contributor Lia Picard felt like a real-life, Southern Eloise as she tagged along with her mom on business trips to the Ritz-Carlton, Naples. Recently, she returned to the resort and the Gulf Coast town with her own young daughter. Read more about their favorite Naples stops at the link below, and keep scrolling to explore other Southern destinations that will chase away the winter doldrums.
|
|
|
Exploring the Hidden Florida Keys |
Island Dreaming:
Twenty Southern Escapes |
John Grisham’s Ode to Amelia Island |
Hooked on Belize:
Bonefishing and Beyond |
On Dominica, the Ultimate
Caribbean Castaway Experience |
|
|
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE SOUTH |
|
|
Seven Southern Hikes
to Seek Out in Winter |
|
|
Chincoteague, Virginia. As a pony-obsessed kid, I read Marguerite Henry’s classic tale Misty of Chincoteague dozens of times, but never visited the island homeland of the little pinto mare. On a recent family trip to the Eastern Shore, we decided to explore the tiny community for a weekend. Our first stop was the visitor’s center, where we snagged a few T-shirts adorned with the slogan “Virginia is for (Pony) Lovers.” Besides meeting Misty herself (in spirit, at least) at the Museum of Chincoteague Island, here were a few other highlights:
|
-
Cozy digs: We booked a night at the family-owned Refuge Inn, which has an easy access point to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. In the evening, we watched the sunset over the saltmarsh, with the red-and-white lighthouse peeking above the trees. As we mingled with the inn’s own herd of Chincoteague ponies, we listened to the peaceful hooting of two great horned owls (confirmed by our Merlin app).
-
Pony paradise: Visitors often trek to Chincoteague during spring and summer, hoping to catch glimpses of the iconic island-dwellers during the channel swim or see the new foals. But in our case, winter proved rewarding: Minutes after crossing the bridge onto the refuge, we pulled over to watch a small herd graze along the roadside. Led by Riptide, son of the famous Surfer Dude, the colorful band had wandered beyond their normal fenced-off area after a recent nor’easter, and were casually exploring the rest of the island. The ponies outnumbered the human visitors—not often the case in peak season—so we could enjoy their company from a respectful distance.
-
Abundant wildlife: Chincoteague hosts an astounding variety of birds, especially in the winter as many species (such as tundra swans) make their trek south. My photographer husband was in heaven, snapping shots of bald eagles, loons, blue herons, egrets, mallards, terns, hooded mergansers, and one especially feisty kingfisher.
|
|
|
POPULAR TRAVEL STORIES FROM G&G
|
|
|
Did a friend forward this email to you? You can sign up here to receive it every week.
|
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE! |
|
|
701 East Bay Street, #115, Charleston, SC, 29403
843-795-1195
|
| |
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
701 East Bay Street, #115 | Charleston, SC 29403 US
|
| |
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
|
|
|
