(Photo courtesy of the Weinstein Company)

Shreveport? Really? Kevin Costner loves Shreveport? Jack Black craves the poboys at Cush's Grocery? Denzel chose here to film a project near and dear to his moviemaking heart. Head's up, Shreveport is making real waves. This former oil man's hub is winning over Hollywood bigtime. One newpaper writer gives us the scoop.

(Photo by Bill McKinney)

I always wondered how Mississippi--and in particular, Greenville--grew such a large crop of brilliant writers, such as Shelby Foote, Walker Percy, Ellen Douglas, etc. etc.  After a recent visit to that Delta city, I found the answer in a terrific independent bookstore.  McCormick Book Inn, overseen by curmudgeonly Hugh McCormick, is only too happy to enlighten the curious.

Last week I sat with Dawn Welch among the sooty remains of the 1939 Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma. 

(Photos by Bill McKinney)

Driving through the Mississippi Delta on Hwy. 82, we stopped at a BBQ spot in Indianola. I had heard there was a BB King Museum in the works, and the purveyor of pork at Big Daddy's BBQ told us just where it was--101 South Sunflower Avenue.

*This post contributed by Travel Editor Carolanne Roberts

If you know Rosemary Beach, you’re saying aaaaaaah right now and nodding your head as those-in-the-know often do. If you don’t—and it’s still something of a secret, even in Southern reaches of Florida—then you’ll want to this place the rest of us rank high on our Beaches to Sigh For list.

(Photo courtesy of Joe in DC via Flickr)

I’m mighty partial to this 6-mile stretch of bronze-tinged sand between the thrills of Daytona and the quiet beauty of St. Augustine. I lived here not too long ago. I got sand in my shoes everyday—something I’ve yet to shake. These days, when I want to go somewhere out of the way yet near all sorts of interesting side trips, I pick this place.

(Photo courtesy of Fleur Design via Flickr)

I’ve been going to Gulf Shores, Alabama, since the early 70s, and I still love it as much as I did when I was a kid wearing floaties. Now I’ve got kids of my own, and the reasons for that affection are the same. While other beaches offer better shopping, more sophisticated dining, and more houses that belong on a magazine cover, Gulf Shores maintains a simplicity that’s hard to replicate. It’s very much a family place, with wide beaches and blue-green water. The vibe of the whole place is laid-back and very Southern. (Any place that proudly calls itself the Redneck Riviera is obviously without pretension.) In Gulf Shores, you’re left to enjoy the things that matter most at the beach: sun, sand, water, food, and family. That’s the equation for a perfect vacation.

(Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife)

Matagorda Island - rugged and untamed, sea-oat-pure, populated by whooping cranes, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deer - lays 5 miles across the Espiritu Santo Bay from mainland Texas. If cowboys were sailors too, this is where they'd roam.

(Photo by Meg McKinney)

Ah.  A week of beaches.  Each day we'll highlight our favorite places to dig our toes in the sand. 

We kick off our Beach Week with one of the alltime family beach destinations:  Myrtle Beach.

(Photo by Scott Wiseman for Southern Living)

The beach is where many Southerners go to disappear, to unwind, to play, to be a family. In many houses, “the beach” means more than just any sandy stretch of coast. It means one particular beachtown, that one special locale, whether grandfather’s seaside condo or the old palmetto house rented the same June week year after year.

As I stood beneath the lukewarm spray this morning, six pairs of curtain hooks--like miniature prosthetic pirate hands--hung ominously overhead.

(Photos by Tanner Latham)

Paris Hatters, North Broadway in San Antonio

Eighty years plus in the hat business is long enough to fill Paris Hatters with a week's worth of anecdotes. For delightful confirmation, go meet the founder's son, Abe Cortez, pictured here.

1. The Golden Driller, Tulsa, OK (map)

Height: 76 feet
Constructed: 1953
Claim to Fame: Largest freestanding statue in the world

In case you missed them, here are the most popular posts for May:

1. Louisiana's Blue Dog Artist
George Rodrigue's Blue Dog paintings and silkcreen prints have nosed their way into our American visual iconography. Rodrigue walks Assistant Travel Editor Taylor Bruce through his latest exhibit with photos and exclusive audio interviews.

2. Blue Spring State Park Marine Life Part I
Is this a face only a mother could love? Apparently not, as sailfin suckermouth catfish (Pterygoplicthys disjunctivus), like the one pictured, are breeding in such numbers they threaten the health of the rivers in which they live.  Livings Editor Richard Banks gets up close and personal with this "armored catfish."

3. Wakeboarding - Orlando, Florida
Wakeboarding combines the gravity defying, aerial marvels of gymnastics with the ramps, speed, and whacky jargon of skateboarding. While working on a story on an Orlando-based wakeboarder, Livings Editor Richard Banks visited the Air Nautique Wake Games at the Orlando Watersports Complex and saw first-hand just how incredible the sport is.

4. Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama
When I first stumbled upon the Ave Maria Grotto, a vast collection of miniature religious sculptures in Cullman, Alabama, I almost dismissed it as mere Southern kitsch. The "Jerusalem in Miniature," however, deserves a closer look.

5. TPC Sawgrass: Dad Conquered #17
"Good luck on #17."
The valet guys at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL whisper it when you toss them your keys. Our breakfast waitress winked when she said it while dropping off the check. No surprise, really. This is arguably one of the most famous holes in golf, and if you play the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass—-home to THE PLAYERS Championship—-it’s the hole that’s stuck in your head from your first swing on the practice range until your final putt on 18.

6. Hotel Monaco Concierge Saves the Day
Associate Travel Editor Jennifer V. Cole prides herself on being a good packer. She should be--she packs and unpacks a suitcase about twice a week. So when she forgot a certain "unmentionable" item on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., it took a hotel concierge willing to go the extra mile to save Cole from days of discomfort.

7. A Tree Growing Straight Through a Truck
A tree grew straight through the passenger side window of this rusted-out 1957 Chevy truck in Providence Canyon State Park in Lumpkin, Georgia. Ironically, at this point removing the truck would do more harm than good to the surrounding park.

8. Sunset Over the Mighty Mississippi
Associate Travel Editor Tanner Latham stood in Natchez--Under The Hill, to be exact--when the sky went pastel as the sun set behind the far banks of the Mississippi River. Cross that bridge, and you'll find yourself in Louisiana. Vidalia.

9. Skippers, Virginia: The Perfect Southern Accent
Associate Travel Editor Tanner Latham grew up in a small town in Alabama. So he has a Southern accent that digs deep or floats shallow, depending on the situation. He thought he knew Southern accents, until he met Lindsey Vincent at the Good Earth Peanut Company while researching a story out last month on the best stops off I-95.

10. Modern Architecture in Nashville
When you think of cutting-edge architecture, Nashville may not be the first city that comes to mind. Designers like Ryan Thewes, however, are making a name for themselves and giving Nashville a splash of unique homes.