Plus: A wine and food weekend and dog-friendly getaways

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE PERRY LANE HOTEL

Peregrin at the Perry Lane Hotel in Savannah.

Whether you’re sipping a botanical beverage above Savannah’s church spires, kicking back in a Dolly Parton–themed pink palace in Nashville, or sticking multiple straws into an oversized cocktail at a tropical Lexington time warp, the views and vibes at these sky-high spots go well beyond the expected. Find out where to raise a glass this patio season.

Florence, South Carolina. Sure, Charleston has its celebrated food festival, but a bit north in the Pee Dee region, Florence has been quietly ramping up its own wine and food weekend. Matt Lee and Ted Lee (aka the Lee Brothers) help put the festival together, and I headed up for my first visit to the event and to explore the city a bit.

The Fest. Held at the end of March, this year’s Florence Wine & Food Festival featured a whole-hog demo and show from the one and only Rodney Scott, who started out shoveling coals in nearby Hemingway before ascending to barbecue royalty. Add in a wine stroll with stops at various businesses downtown (yes, the rumors are true, one station is inside a lingerie shop), a grand tasting tent with chefs from around the region and beyond, and a finale dinner, and you have a fun, friendly, and very walkable weekend. Bonus: If you’re coming from Charleston, the Amtrak train gets you there in about ninety minutes.
A Side of History. The free Florence County Museum offers a number of great exhibits, including a rundown of the Mars Bluff incident—when a B-47 accidentally dropped a 7,600-pound (unarmed) nuclear bomb on a nearby farm in 1958. And through August 10, you can catch Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice. On loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the landmark exhibit includes twenty-five of the Florence native’s paintings depicting champions of freedom throughout history, from Harriet Tubman to Mahatma Gandhi.
Go Hog Wild. And speaking of barbecue, renowned pitmaster Elliott Moss (formerly of Buxton Hall in Asheville) returned to his hometown of Florence to open Elliott’s, his much-anticipated new spot inside Seminar Brewing. The space includes a bar, outdoor beer garden, and game room. The menu will likely expand as he settles in (no hash or chicken bog yet when I was there just after the opening), but the whole hog is the real deal.

With Earth Day fast approaching and Made in the South Award entries filing in, G&G’s Sustainability Award is top of mind. Our past Sustainability Award winners—a Virginia peanut company, a pair of Florida tea farmers, and a textile business from North Carolina—prove that often, taking the slower, more deliberate route results in products that look, feel, and taste well worth the effort it takes to make them. Read our roundup highlighting eight honorees with products making a positive impact not just on the South, but on the planet, and enter this year’s awards here.