If someone ever decides to research the types of tourist attractions most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d have to believe the classic cave tour would be near the top of the list. By their very nature, they’re crowded and cramped. But I’ve loved them since I was a kid. Punky? Not so much. But she good naturedly agreed to one as part of our last family summer road trip. The stopover was in Chattanooga, Tenn. The tour was Ruby Falls. The falls – inside the cave – were worth the trip.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, my travels have, with good reason, been much more limited. The only exceptions I made in 2020 were to places near and familiar, and even then trips were made with an acute awareness of local health protocols. In a roundabout way, this provides a reason for why Punky and I found ourselves in Tupelo, Miss., one night last November. We were returning home from New Orleans, and I had insisted on driving back the “old way” my grandmother used to take (she was never fond of the four-lane highway). Tupelo seems like a logical place to stay for a night to break up the trip.
While in Tupelo, I had every intention of finding a fun local barbecue or soul food restaurant for dinner. But the one I had in mind was surprisingly closed by the time we got there. Fortunately, Punky has become an expert at advance scouting travel destinations in her own right and suggested the Neon Pig Cafe. It turned out to be a great call in every way.
The never-ending quest for the best barbeque a commoner can find in the United States took an unexpected but highly rewarding turn during our trip last year to Jekyll Island, Ga. It was Independence Day, appropriately enough, and the family and I were craving some ‘que (and me specifically some Brunswick stew). So, we ventured off the island, through Brunswick, Ga., then onto the F.J. Torras Causeway to see what the Golden Isle of St. Simons had to offer.
Our search was rewarded when, at a roundabout on Demere Road, we spotted a cluttered wooden shack, a crowd of people both standing and seated at picnic tables in front of the entrance, the billowing smoke from a nearby smoker, and a food truck in the parking lot. We had arrived at Southern Soul Barbeque.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to halt travel as of this writing, and with a long winter homebound seeming more and more likely, if we can’t plan ahead for future travel we might as well look back at some of favorite travel memories.
For me, my favorite destination in 2019, and the highlight of our family vacation during that summer, had to be Jekyll Island, Ga. What drew us there? Beaches. Ocean. Salty air. Warm breezes. Summer skies. All in a relatively low-key semi-secluded setting.
Jekyll Island is one of the four barrier islands off the Atlantic coast of Georgia that comprise the Golden Isles. Jekyll is the southernmost and perhaps the most famous of the four because of its combination of beautiful beaches, historical significance and old-money charm. That said, a trip to Jekyll Island is surprisingly affordable, and the island itself is quite accessible.
While it might be possible to fly directly into one of the small airports serving Jekyll Island or nearby Brunswick on the Georgia coast, the vast majority (like us) will drive to Brunswick via Interstate 95. Then, it’s a short drive on U.S. Highway 17 from either direction until you reach the intersection for Georgie Highway 520, also known as the Jekyll Island Causeway.
Picture yourself cruising through the rolling hills and farmland of southern North Dakota early on a late summer morning. The sun is stil...
