From the editor: March 2024

Features People

March 1, 2024

Cover of SouthPark Magazine from March 2024 showing pop art from The Radical hotel in Asheville.

Our 2-year-old rescue pup Ella is more than a little spoiled. So much so, she sometimes gets to tag along when we go out of town. 

We’ve always had dogs, but we hadn’t really traveled with them since our camping and backpacking days many years ago. Packing for a trip with your dog is a little like packing up with a toddler: Don’t forget her favorite blanket! And the treats and collapsible water bowl …

Her first trip was to Folly Beach outside of Charleston when she was just a year old. We rented a pet-friendly Airbnb with a fenced yard a few blocks from the local dog park. We took her to breakfast (twice) at Lost Dog Café and to Chico Feo for beers and tacos (just water, of course, for Ella). We could do this!

A few months later, we decided to plan a last-minute weekend trip to Asheville. That’s when we stumbled on Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins. I’d read about the Scandi-inspired A-frames online and discovered that some of their cabins are pet-friendly — so we booked it. 

We went for walks on the greenway across the street, hiked the trails around the North Carolina Arboretum and discovered a downtown restaurant, Twisted Laurel, that has its own “Doggie Menu.” While we ate pizza and sandwiches, Ella noshed on burger patties and sweet potatoes at our feet. 

The busier, urban environment was a little more stressful than the beach, but by the end of the weekend she was feeling right at home. 

Asheville sometimes gets a bad rap for being crowded and a little, well, overexposed. Conversations about the city sometimes elicit a been there, done that reaction. But the thing about Asheville is, there’s always something new to try. There’s a vibrant culinary scene, art galleries galore, Biltmore Estate — which, no matter how many times you’ve been, always impresses — and of course, the French Broad River and Pisgah and Nantahala national forests for exploring. And the best part: It’s only two hours away.

March is when the weather warms up and many of us start getting the travel bug. In this issue, Vanessa takes a look at Georgia’s Jekyll Island and the newly renovated Jekyll Island Club Resort. We visit a reimagined retro motor lodge in Boone. Krisha describes a family adventure to an unexpected destination. And if a getting out of town isn’t possible right away, Asha shares the scoop on three uptown hotels ideal for a staycation. 

Whether your style is a luxury resort, an urban campground or something in between, we hope you’ll find some inspiration for your next getaway in these pages.  SP

CATHY MARTIN
Editor
editor@southparkmagazine.com

IN THIS ISSUE: 

1 . The renovated grand dining room at Jekyll Island Club Resort
2. A Koolbird birdhouse by Dilworth resident Mark Ellis
3 . A contemporary new build by House of Nomad
4. I was obsessed with the knobs on the bedside table at Zelda Dearest in Asheville. After a Google search, I learned they are from Charlotte’s own Modern Matter Hardware!

Dining room at Jekyll Island Club Resort
Koolbird House birdhouse
House of Nomad interior design in Oakhurst home
Modern Matter hardware

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