Plus: U-pick flower farms; Round Top’s spring show; Hattiesburg

Presenting the inaugural edition of the G&G Bucket List, a compilation of fifty places, events, and adventures that represent the best and buzziest of the South in 2025. Grab a seat for the Grand Ole Opry’s hundredth birthday, for instance, or hop on an electric mountain bike in the Arkansas Ozarks. Eat Michelin-starred barbecue in Texas, stroll through Kentucky’s loveliest gardens, or book a stay at a cocktail lover’s dream hotel in Savannah. Better yet, do all of that and much more.

A sunset cruise in Murrells Inlet.

A BUCKET-LIST-WORTHY VACATION: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been a beloved coastal escape for generations. Tourists first came to town in 1901, and by the 1920s, hotels were popping up like wild-growing wax myrtles along its sunny shores. Decades later, a never-ending list of diversions—from incredible seafood and iconic fairways to retro boardwalks and boot-stomping music festivals—is part of the appeal. Need a road map? G&G’s Myrtle Beach Bucket List presents a bookmark-worthy list of can’t-miss attractions along the Grand Strand. See the Myrtle Beach top ten.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Shivering through the chilliest Virginia winter in ages, I craved a warm-weather getaway. So when the opportunity popped up to visit Hattiesburg, I took it. With temperatures reaching the high seventies, I got a head start on spring, plus a megadose of Mississippi whimsy.

Into the woods: At Longleaf Piney Resort, I found a handful of darling tiny houses scattered in the forest. Mine, called Fais Do-Do, had a small kitchen, a queen-size bed and a garage door opening to the deck on which I sipped an evening drink. Even better: I could sleep with the windows open. The next morning, I checked out Longleaf Trace, a forty-four-mile ribbon of paved rail-trail passing right by the homes. The resort rents e-bikes that make it easy-breezy to cruise under the towering trees.
Alley-oop: Hattiesburg’s quirkiest stop has to be the Pocket Museum, which turns a downtown alley into a fantasyland. Step behind the restored Saenger Theater and you’ll find pint-sized figures hiding on electrical boxes and drainpipes, and a repurposed newspaper box serving as a mini gallery. It’s across from a temporary exhibit celebrating Frida Kahlo, complete with Mexican music and a short Frida-themed animation playing in the “museum theater,” which is viewed through a stereoscope in the alley wall.
Dinner dilemma: The only trouble I had at Big Trouble was deciding what to order. The Asian fusion eatery offers an elevated take on what it calls “Food Court Classics” along with dishes like dirty fried rice with Gulf shrimp and pork rinds, and raw tuna nachos over house-fried wonton chips. And let’s not forget cocktails. The Darling Nikki with hibiscus-infused rum, allspice, cinnamon, grapefruit, and lime offered a tangy taste of the tropics, and for a moment at least, winter felt far, far away.

PHOTOS: JACK KING PHOTOGRAPHY; THE PRIME RIB; CHAROLAIS STEAKHOUSE

We’re on to Round 2 in G&G’s March Madness–style bracket to determine the South’s Best Steak House. Sixteen beloved steak houses remain—your vote determines who will win. Second round voting ends on March 27 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, so check back often to vote.