Travel Dreaming in Football Season (Part 1)

Montgomery, Alabama

In our family we love to travel, but travel in the fall is always limited by football – any trips or events have to be scheduled around major SEC games, and particularly the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Like many diehard Bama fans, we even made sure that our wedding was planned on a non-critical game weekend, and so that after the ceremony we could watch the game later in the day.  If you think I’m crazy then just check out this article from Southern Living: “What To Expect If Your Wedding is During Football Season in the South” because it explains it all: https://www.southernliving.com/weddings/football-wedding-planning.

This year, amidst COVID though, there are limits on travel, so I’m thinking more about non-football-centric places we have always meant to visit in the eleven states that make up the SEC conference:

Alabama – One night a few years back, at the Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham we met a fascinating gentleman, fully clad in seersucker and telling wild tales of Zelda Sayre of Montgomery, Alabama – or as she’s better known, Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of American author F. Scott Fitzgerald.  My husband says he still isn’t convinced that it’s worth a weekend in Montgomery to make this literary pilgrimage, but I’m all in.  Before she married Scott, Zelda was part of Montgomery society, and her early life there formed the basis for many of her own literary pursuits.  Today, the last home Scott and Zelda shared together is now the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery. While opening times are limited due to COVID, check out the monthly “Peaches and Biscuits” podcast on the museum’s website, or even through Airbnb to stay in the Scott or Zelda suites at the home. https://www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org/about-the-fitz.

Arkansas – I confess Arkansas is one state I have never visited, and while Little Rock and Hot Springs are locales about which I’ve heard great things, first up for a trip is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.  You probably know Bentonville because it’s the corporate headquarters of Walmart, but this art museum – founded in 2011 by Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton – has in less than a decade created its own buzz and interest, especially in the art world.  With a collection enviable even to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC – everything from Gilbert Stuart to Andy Warhol – you can see it’s worth a trip.  The outdoor art collection, as well as a Frank Lloyd Wright house relocated from its original site in New Jersey, and nature and hiking trails in the area are welcome additions.  https://crystalbridges.org.

Florida – When it comes to Florida, sometimes I think I’ve seen most of it, from Palm Beach to Disney World, to Daytona and Cocoa Beach and the Keys and beyond.  But recently a friend mentioned a trip to Santa Rosa and it reminded me that the Emerald Coast is still unchartered territory for me.  That part of the Florida peninsula boasts a range of towns and atmosphere, everything from the “Redneck Riviera” to U.S. military bases to a planned community called Seaside, made famous by The Truman Show, the 1998 Jim Carrey film that was filmed on location there.  Henderson Beach Resort – a Salamander Spa property – looks pretty amazing and full of turn of the 20th century charm with all the modern amenities. A 2020 winner for Southern Living’s “Best of the South’s Resorts”, I wouldn’t mind giving this place a try sometime this winter, or spring, or summer or fall . . . it looks like a place for every season. https://www.hendersonbeachresort.com.

Georgia – As a student of history and political science, visiting the homes, libraries and museums associated with U.S. presidents has long been a favorite part of travel for me.  A little bit more off the beaten path in that genre, however, is Warm Springs, Georgia.  It was there that Franklin D. Roosevelt visited from 1924 to 1945 to “take the waters” in the mineral springs at his “Little White House,” essentially his vacation home.  Today, you can visit the Little White House State Historic Site, which features the cottage Roosevelt lived in as well.  The Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, founded by Roosevelt in 1927 as a polio rehabilitation facility, is now operated by the State of Georgia with a broader mission to assist individuals with disabilities, including through vocational rehabilitation programs. While the warm springs pools are no longer available to the public, you can touch the waters at the pool museum – when it reopens in 2021 as it is currently under renovation, and restricted due to COVID. https://gastateparks.org/LittleWhiteHouse.

Kentucky – Who hasn’t wanted to see the running of the Kentucky Derby?  In college, some friends and I schemed to make a trip there in a rented RV, planning to drive all night and hoping to find a place where with binoculars and a dose of luck we just might be able to see the horse race.  Our plans floundered when we realized we were too young to rent an RV, and that our chances of getting anywhere near the event without a ticket were pretty slim.  In 2020, the Kentucky Derby took place at Churchill Downs, KY without any spectators, but the hope is to bring it back in all its glory with hats and fancy dress in May 2021.  To make sure I’ve got the proper attire, the organizers have thoughtfully provided a “What to Wear” section on the official website, complete with a links to featured milliners so you make sure to get the correct chapeau : https://www.kentuckyderby.com/visit/what-to-wear  Tim Gunn would be pleased, I’m sure.

Louisiana – Talking about Louisiana without talking about New Orleans simply is not possible.  And, yes, I’ve been to New Orleans and enjoyed it despite the heat and humidity (even in March).  But that doesn’t stop me from going back and if I could I would go at Christmas, both for the cooler weather and for the decorations.  My husband says he would go for the food, the drinks and the music, all of which are enviable – but I’d also put on the list seeing a neighborhood Krewe Christmas parade, visiting the holiday markets, and the holiday home tours.  I haven’t done a home tour in New Orleans since I was a kid, and I’ve even heard of weather so cool you can wear long sleeves in The Big Easy in December.  This year, New Orleans isn’t letting a pandemic slow it down, and so the party goes on, including hopefully the Celebration in the Oaks holiday light festival at New Orleans City Park. https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/christmas/.

-Laura Flippin | Wheels Up