Plus: An Atlanta hotel’s makeover; Memphis for Elvis lovers; Cape Cod

Tennessee’s Hen Wallow Falls, midpoint of a 4.4-mile out-and-back hike.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the busiest in the country, but “even during the high season, certain scenic corners of the park remain quiet, low-traffic escapes—if you only know where to look,” writes G&G contributing editor Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin. These seven trails are highly recommended by park insiders and include options for experienced adventurers as well as novices and families. You won’t see many people, but keep an eye out for bears and, if you’re lucky, the famous Smoky Mountain salamanders.

Fried green tomatoes from Dead Dog Saloon in Myrtle Beach.

BETTER BEACH EATS: After a long day under the sun, you might crave a meal that sticks to your bones. Fortunately, Myrtle Beach is a hub of fortifying Southern fare—hush puppies from the waterfront spot Sea Captain’s House; steam pots overflowing with fresh shellfish from Bimini’s Oyster Bar; fried green tomatoes topped with Cajun-spiced shrimp at Dead Dog Saloon; and chicken bog, a classic rice and sausage dish available at Shorty’s Grill and Socastee Station. Discover Myrtle Beach’s best Southern dishes.

Cape Cod & Nantucket. Over the past couple of years, I’ve devoured a streak of Nantucket-launched whaling and seafaring narratives, fiction and nonfiction—among them, naturally, Moby-Dick; the real incident Herman Melville based his novel on, chronicled in Nathaniel Philbrick’s superb In the Heart of the Sea; and Edgar Allan Poe’s eerie The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. So I had to tack on a jaunt to the small island off the south of Cape Cod after visiting friends in Boston.

Summer lovin’. Misty Nantucket felt refreshing after sweating through July in Charleston, and my head swiveled so much admiring the electric violets and blues and magentas of the bountiful hydrangeas that I finally asked my husband, “Are you tired of me yelling, ‘Look how pretty!!!’ yet?” (He wisely said no.) The days were still warm enough, though, to appreciate a cold Whale’s Tale pale ale at locally beloved Cisco Brewers, a free shuttle ride away from the cobblestoned downtown.
Seafood smorgasbord. While we eat plenty of wonderful seafood in the Lowcountry, we happily reveled in rich clam chowder and lobster prepared every which way—tucked in toasted brioche, stuffed into spring rolls, poached in miso butter alongside fresh corn and fingerling potatoes—at the likes of 1840s pub Brotherhood of Thieves and seaside hotspot Galley Beach. Afterward we got in line with the rest of Nantucket for scoops of toffee crunch and “S’Morton Sea Monster” (vanilla with green s’mores cookie dough and red M&Ms) at the Juice Bar.
Whale of a time. Back to my obsession: We packed in trips to the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum (added bonus to the scrimshaw and sperm whale bones: a rooftop deck with panoramic views) and a humpback-filled boat ride out beyond Cape Cod with Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises—one even breached right in front of us. I split our nights on Nantucket between the charming boutique Life House hotel and the Jared Coffin House, both former residences built in the mid-1800s by whaling bigwigs.

In Atlanta or heading there soon? Stop by the Garden & Gun Club before September 16 and try the stupendous sandwich that appears on the cover of the latest issue of G&G. Created by New Orleans chef Mason Hereford, the sandwich features chicken-fried steak, pineapple-habanero white barbecue sauce, “shrettuce,” onions, pickles, and fresh dill on butter-toasted white bread. Drop in or make reservations here .