Reflections on a Queer Southern Road Trip

With so many COVID-19 restrictions on travel, queer vacationers are starting to look close to home—and focus on road trips instead of exotic international destinations. With cold weather making the northern U.S. less hospitable with each passing week, my fiancé and I decided to take a southern road trip to a couple of progressive cities we hadn’t spent time in and discovered a lot to love.

Stop 1: Asheville

The first half of our journey took us to beautiful and scenic Asheville, N.C. We stayed at the historic Reynolds Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn, located just outside of downtown. This was our first time staying at a bed and breakfast, but the lovely owners, Paul & Merlin, immediately made us feel comfortable. The couple is from Cape Town, South Africa, and we easily fell into conversation about their stunning hometown, as well as about the fascinating history of the B&B.

The original Reynolds, the brother of the famed R.J. Reynolds, had to build a home large enough for his 10 children. It was originally the center of a 4,000-acre estate and was even home to the Hope Diamond at one point. The home has been lovingly restored and maintained, and we were comfortable and well cared for during our whole stay. Breakfast each morning was incredible, starting with a fruit course, followed by a hot entrée and finishing with a sweet treat.

Paul, Merlin and staff take COVID-19 precautions seriously, and we felt safe our entire stay. Sunsets from the 2nd-floor porch were glorious.

Hiking options abound in every direction from Asheville, and we had two wonderful outdoor experiences. First was a picnic lunch we ordered from The Rhu in downtown. Run by award-winning chef John Fleer, it’s sort of a coffee shop meets bakery meets pantry. You can order ahead for a variety of picnic lunches, and ours was one of the best meals of the whole trip.

Our basket, the Appalachian Mountainside Basket, included a bit of everything: water, fresh baguettes, prosciutto, pickled vegetables, spreads, cheeses and dessert. After a nice morning hiking the Catawba Falls trail, it was glorious to stop in a quiet spot and enjoy our plethora of goodies.

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The following day, we headed back into the mountains to experience a Foraging Tour with No Taste Like Home, a local company that has been teaching visitors about foraging for a quarter-century. We were lucky to have two guides, Natalie and Alan (the owner). Along with a few other couples, we learned the basics of all sorts of edibles: greens, berries, mushrooms, spices and more. We were fascinated with the ale hoof, black walnuts and sweet birch we found and tried on the tour.

At the conclusion, you have the option to take some of what you’ve collected (your guide double checks everything, bags it and marks the bags) and take it to one of a handful of local restaurants that have an agreement with NTLH. We had dinner reservations at Benne on Eagle, and they made an incredible potato pancake with mushrooms we’d collected that day.

There’s so much great cuisine in Asheville, but our favorite may have been the delightful Rosabees in the River Arts District. The District is a kitschy collection of old industrial buildings not far from downtown—today, they’re full of artisans, painters, jewelry makers, etc.

Rosabees serves modern Hawaiian fare with the flair of a pastry chef. The garlic shrimp was delicious, and the deconstructed poke bowl was tasty and quite filling. And don’t pass up the creative cocktails here; everything we sampled was excellent.

Also not to miss is the dessert menu, which this restaurant is known for. The banana cream and coconut cream pie choice is a dual serve here, with two small whole pies. Banana was great, but the coconut cream was one of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted—anywhere.

Stop 2: Savannah

Our stay in Savannah started off gloriously, with checking in to the JW Marriott Plant Riverside District, a brand-new property located along the west end of the city’s bustling River Street. The hotel, with 419 rooms and suites, is built into the city’s 105-year-old decommissioned power plant and stretches over 650,000 square feet. With a dozen eclectic restaurants and bars—including two super-trendy rooftop lounges—you could spend your whole vacation on property and feel like you still haven’t experienced everything.

Favorites of ours were the funky Baobab Lounge, an African-themed lounge with tapas, and the Myrtle & Rose Rooftop Garden, with incredible views into the city on one side and vistas of the riverfront on the other. There are many comfy couches scattered around the rooftop, and we were able to grab one for ourselves, feeling safe about the easy social distancing.

The property—which has the feel of the coolest science museum you’ve ever visited—includes a 137-foot chrome dipped dinosaur skeleton that seemingly floats overhead in the main atrium. The whole area is its own entertainment district and blends into the existing riverfront flawlessly. What’s more, it has just started to host weddings, and the first ceremony was a same-sex couple! This business is growing fast for the JW, and once springtime hits, I have a feeling the weddings will be coming nonstop.

We took the Old Town Trolley Tours of Savannah to get a better sense of the city’s history, architecture and layout. There are 15 stops you can get on or off at, or you can simply ride the whole circuit to get an overview. We enjoyed hearing about the city’s famous squares, Forsyth Park, the growth of the Savannah College of Art and Design and famous characters from the city’s past, including the real-life The Lady Chablis, a transgender club performer who was featured in the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Another recommendation is the 6th Sense World Historic Ghost & Cemetery Tours, which take you on walking explorations of what is said to be the most haunted city in the U.S. The company also conducts tours of the incredible Bonaventure Cemetery. We took the nighttime city tour and opted to visit the cemetery on our own, and both are well worth your time. Our guide, Blair, was an excellent storyteller and entertaining host.

And because we knew we’d be heading north again soon, we made sure to take a quick day trip to Tybee Island, a short drive east of the city. This delightful coastal town has a stunning expanse of beach, a historic lighthouse that’s open for tours, quaint shops and restaurants and a marine science center. All in all, a perfect place to soak in the sea air and try to forget about the weather that awaits us back home.