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&quot;In my new novel, which is set in New York City, two characters embark upon an ill-advised affair after dinner in an unnamed restaurant on Cornelia Street. The place I had in mind is Home, and the scene for romance lies in its tiny back garden. The restaurant's desserts, especially the chocolate pudding, are particularly delicious, and they do a great chicken-and-sausage thing with fabulous onion rings. (I'm an onion ring fan.) Their quirky American food is enough to make anyone fall in love.&quot; --Claire Messud

Messud's new novel, The Emperor's Children, is in bookstores now. Home: 20 Cornelia St., 212/243-9579, chicken $18, pudding $7.

Claire Messud on New York City

A chance to experience real daily life. Two of the last bastions of salt-of-the-earth romanità in the city center, these middle-class communities are quirky, with rustic sights and booming nightlife.
SEE Macro al Mattatoio Piazza O. Giustiniani 4, 011-39/06-6710-70400, <a href="http://www.macro.roma.museum/" target="_blank">macro.roma.museum</a> A rather melodramatic statue of a naked hero slaughtering an ox crowns the entrance to Rome's defunct abattoir. The main quartering pavilions have been converted into a contemporary art gallery, open 4 p.m.--midnight. Plans are underway for a cultural center with a library and theaters.
SEE Monte Testaccio Via Galvani, Via di Monte Testaccio, Via Zabaglia A 150-foot-high mountain made entirely of millions of amphorae (Roman earthenware jugs for oil, wine, and grain) that were broken and dumped in antiquity. You can see the tightly packed potsherds especially well at the corner of Via Galvani and Via Zabaglia; the rest of the hill is covered with grass, trees, and pens with live poultry and goats--in the middle of the city! At night, legions of Roman youths descend on rustic Via di Monte Testaccio, which skirts two sides of the hill and is packed with dance clubs.
EAT Acqua e Farina Piazza O. Giustiniani 2, 011-39/06-574-1382 A popular pizzeria alternative, where the basic ingredients of water and flour are shaped into mini pies and topped with everything from radicchio and goat cheese to walnuts and Gorgonzola. Eat inside the cozy dining room or outside under the trees.
SPLURGE Checchino dal 1887 Via di Monte Testaccio 30, 011-39/06-574-3816, <a href="http://www.checchino-dal-1887.com/" target="_blank">checchino-dal-1887.com</a> What began as a humble wine shop and kitchen, serving the workers from the mattatoio (slaughterhouse) across the square, is now considered one of the finest spots in the city for traditional cucina romana, much of which makes use of the quinto quarto, or organ meats, heads, tails, and feet. Set menus ($50--$88, excluding wine) include such delicious--and initially scary--dishes as rigatoni alla pajata (with lamb intestines) and oxtail stew. The reward for your adventurousness is an all-around wonderful meal, with warm service and a souvenir plate. The dining room is built into the side of Monte Testaccio, and the wine cellar is an excavated grotto--the amphora shards reduce humidity and provide temperature control. Reservations essential. Closed Sun. and Mon. as well as August and Christmas week.
DRINK Ketumbar Via Galvani 24, 011-39/06-5730-5338, <a href="http://www.ketumbar.it/" target="_blank">ketumbar.it</a> The hippest and longest-lived of the hot spots on the Via Galvani strip, this stylish Asian-themed lounge is built into the side of Monte Testaccio, whose ancient potshards are visible through a Plexiglas wall panel. You can eat (sushi and creative Italian), but the real scene is after dinner, especially in the colder months. From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., the candlelit, Buddha-bedecked bar and black banquettes swarm with 20- and 30-somethings.
DRINK L'Oasi della Birra Piazza Testaccio 38--41, 011-39/06-574-6122 Even Romans like to trade vino for beer once in a while. Find all your favorite brews at this inviting cellar, from Belgium's Chimay to Cuba's Mayabe. There's a menu of comforting soups and sausages and other, lighter snacks.
SHOP Mercato di Testaccio Piazza Testaccio Rome's most authentic covered food market is a priceless cultural spectacle, totally in line with your stereotypical notions about Italian community life. In the cacophonous main pavilion, tittering housewives haggle with the fishmonger for fresh prawns and clams. Fresh herbs are sold with the roots still attached. Out on the sidewalks of Piazza Testaccio, away from the food stalls, vendors sell inexpensive shoes, skirts, and trinkets. Sat. is the busiest day. Closed Sun.
PLAY Casa del Jazz Viale di Porta Ardeatina 55, 011-39/06-704-731,<a href="http://www.casajazz.it/" target="_blank">casajazz.it</a> The brand-new "House of Jazz" is a handsome 1930s villa, reclaimed from a Mafia boss and refurbished with a concert hall and recording studio dedicated to the American music genre most loved by Italians. Performances are held almost every night at 9 p.m. inside the 150-seat auditorium or out under the stars and umbrella pines in the garden, which is open daily to the public. Café, bookshop, and restaurant on-site. Ticket prices vary; from free to $25. Cash only.
 
<li>ESCAPE Etruscan Necropolis at Cerveteri Via della Necropoli, Cerveteri, 011-39/06-994-0001 The vast "city of the dead" is a dense and thrillingly ancient- feeling jungle of vines and trees that envelop thousands of mound-shaped tombs cut from reddish tufa rock. The carved burial chambers inside the tumuli (which date from the 7th to the 3rd centuries b.c.) are open to anyone willing and able to walk or climb in. Take a COTRAL bus (see p. 1) from Cornelia metro station to the Cerveteri city center. From there, walk 25 minutes or catch the shuttle bus (011-39/06-9955-1971), which runs four times a day. 8:30 a.m.--sunset. Closed Mon. Bus fare and admission from $13. Cash only.</li>

Rome: Testaccio and Ostiense

TO / FROM THE AIRPORT 
Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci di Fiumicino (FCO) 011-39/06-65-951, <a href="http://www.adr.it/Default.asp?L=3&amp;" target="_blank">adr.it</a> Express rail: The Leonardo Express is a nonstop train that runs between the airport and Termini station, the city's main train station. Departs from the airport to Termini every 30 minutes 6:35 a.m.--11:35 p.m.; to the airport every 30 minutes 6 a.m.-- 11 p.m. Trip time is 30 min., $12 each way. Local rail: FR1 metropolitan trains leave the airport every 15--30 minutes, with service to Roma-Trastevere (24 min.), Roma-Ostiense (29 min.), Roma-Tuscolana (34 min.), and Roma-Tiburtina (44 min.). This train does not stop at Termini station. Trains run from the airport 6 a.m.--11:30 p.m.; to the airport from Tiburtina 5 a.m.--10:30 p.m. $6.25 each way.
Look for ferrovia (rail station) signs for Local and Express trains in the airport terminal, then follow a series of escalators and covered passageways to the three-track platform of the airport train station. Buy tickets from window agents or automatic vending machines (cash or credit), or at the newsstand (cash only) on the platform. Validate your ticket at the orange time-stamping machines before boarding the train. Luggage carts are not allowed on trains.
Aeroporto G.B. Pastine di Ciampino (CIA) 011-39/06-794-941, <a href="http://www.adr.it/Default.asp?L=3&amp;" target="_blank">adr.it</a> Public transportation: From the airport, take a blue COTRAL bus (011-39/06-57-031, <a href="http://www.cotralspa.it/" target="_blank">cotralspa.it</a>) to Roma-Anagnina, then metro line A to the city center. Most are modern coaches, but some are like school buses, with vinyl seats and no A/C. Purchase bus tickets from the ticket machine or pay extra on board. Buy metro tickets from the tabaccherie (tobacco stores) or newsstands. Total trip time to the city is about an hour, $2.50 each way. Private coach: Modern, air-conditioned, and upholstered Schiaffini buses (011-39/06-474-4534, <a href="http://www.schiaffini.com/" target="_blank">schiaffini.com</a>) run between Ciampino and Termini station seven times a day. Buy tickets from the Schiaffini desk or onboard. Trip time is 44 min., $6.25 each way. Cash only.
Traveling Around Italy: Discount train cards &amp; passes
 
<li>TrenItalia Pass Unlimited travel on consecutive or non- consecutive days over a two-month period for foreigners. Purchase tickets online, at select U.S. travel agencies, or at train-ticket windows in major Italian cities. From $176 for three-day minimum. More info: <a href="http://www.trenitalia.com/" target="_blank">trenitalia.com</a>.</li>
 
<li>TrenItalia Pass Youth 17 percent discount on the prices of adult TrenItalia passes for travelers between 12 and 25 years of age. Can only be used for second-class travel. </li>
 
<li>Note: Travelers under 12 ride for half the adult ticket price; kids under four ride free. Passes do not include an additional fee for tickets that require reserved seating. </li>
GETTING AROUND 
City Buses, Trams, and Metro ATAC Agenzia per la Mobilità: 800-431-784 (within Italy), <a href="http://www.atac.roma.it/" target="_blank">atac.roma.it</a> Regular buses and trams run 5:30 a.m--midnight; metro lines 5:30 a.m.--11:30 p.m. (until 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays). Night buses, marked by an "N" after the bus number, operate between midnight and 5:30 a.m. The 29N does a loop that includes stops at the Colosseum, the Vatican, and Villa Borghese. The 78N runs between Termini and Piazzale Clodio by way of the centro storico (historic city center) and the Prati area near the Vatican. Download a map of the bus and tram system from atac.roma.it, or purchase a city map with bus routes at newsstands throughout the city. Buy tickets at tabaccherie (tobacco stores) and some newsstands. The green ticket-vending machines outside major bus stops are usually out of order.
Standard tickets (BIT) for buses, trams, and metro are valid for 75 minutes from time of stamping. The BIT ticket allows unlimited transfers on buses and trams, but only one transfer on the metro (e.g., between lines A and B). Single-ride tickets are $1.25. Daily tickets (BIG) cost $5 and are valid for 24 hours of unlimited travel from time of stamping. Three-day tourist tickets (BTI) cost $14 and are valid until midnight on the third day of use. Weekly tickets (CIS) cost $20 and are valid for unlimited travel until midnight on the seventh day of use.
COTRAL Regional Buses 011-39/06-57-031, <a href="http://www.cotralspa.it/home_page.asp" target="_blank">cotralspa.it</a> Most day-trip destinations are served by this regional bus line. Buses to the Etruscan necropolis at Cerveteri and the beaches north of Rome depart from Cornelia metro station; buses to Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli and Palestrina (a quiet medieval town with an ancient hillside sanctuary) depart from Ponte Mammolo metro station; buses to local beach resorts Sabaudia and San Felice Circeo depart from Laurentina metro station. Depending on season and destination, 5--10 buses a day. Tickets $2--$4.50. Cash only.
Ostia-Lido Trains Good for visiting Ostia Antica and the beaches at Lido di Ostia. Trains depart every 20--30 minutes from Stazione Porta San Paolo (Piramide metro station); use same ticket as for ATAC city buses, trams, and metro. $1.25 each way.
Taxis It can be difficult to hail a taxi on the street in the center of Rome. Instead, go to a taxi stand; there's one at most major sights, including Piazza di Spagna, Piazza San Pietro, near the Pantheon in Piazza delle Cinque Lune, and near the Colosseum at Piazza Venezia by Via dei Fori Imperiali. To have a cab pick you up at a specific address, call one of Rome's radio-taxi cooperatives (Radiotaxi 3570, 011-39/06-3570; Radiotaxi 4994, 011-39/06-4994; or Radiotaxi Tevere 011-39/06-4157). Give them your exact street address (they understand some English, but speak slowly), and an automated system will tell you the medallion number (e.g., Parma 31) and when it will arrive. Taxis usually take up to four passengers, although the smaller cars only seat three comfortably. Fares are expensive ($8.75--$19 for a ride within the city center), and there's a higher rate 10 p.m.--7 a.m. and on Sun.; about $1.25 extra for each large bag.
 
<li>TIP: "Prearranged" fares are a classic Roman cabdriver scam and are usually exorbitant. Always insist that the cabdriver use the meter, or tassametro.</li>
Trains in Italy National call center, 89-20-21 (within Italy), <a href="http://www.trenitalia.com/" target="_blank">trenitalia.com</a> All major trains to and from other Italian and European cities go through Termini station, on the east side of the city center. Purchase tickets online, through travel agents, or at the gray-and-yellow self-service machines inside the train station, which take cash and major credit cards. Eurostar trains offer the quickest--and priciest--train trips between Italy's major cities. For the Leonardo Express train to the Fiumicino airport, note that the train departs from Tracks 28 and 29, which are a 5- to 10-minute walk beyond tracks 1--22. If you enter on Via Giolitti, you'll have a somewhat shorter walk. All train tickets except the Eurostar must be validated at the yellow time-stamping machines in front of each track.
WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND TOWN
Roma C'è For concerts of all kinds, cinemas, clubs, exhibitions, lectures, and walking tours. Weekly at newsstands, English-language section in back pages, <a href="http://www.romace.it/_newsite/default.php" target="_blank">romace.it</a>, $1.50 TrovaRoma For less comprehensive concert listings, cinemas, museums, monuments. To get it, you must buy the Thursday supplement to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. $1.25
Cinemas that often show films in English (Ask for English-language films in "versione originale")
 
<li> Metropolitan Via del Corso 7, 011-39/06-320-0933 </li>
 
<li> Warner Village Cinemas Moderno Piazza della Repubblica 44-45, 011-39/06-4777-9202 </li>
 
<li> Alcazar Via Cardinale Merry del Val 99, 011-39/06-588-0099</li>
TOURS
Bus 110 Open Piazza dei Cinquecento, 8002-81281 (within Italy), <a href="http://www.trambusopen.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">trambusopen.com</a> Double-decker bus with an open-air deck that departs every 20 minutes from Piazza dei Cinquecento (Termini station) and operates a hop-on, hop-off service for most major sights, including the Colosseum, St. Peter's Square, and the Trevi Fountain. Minimal onboard commentary in multiple languages, including English. Tickets are valid all day. $16.
Enjoy Rome Via Marghera 8A, 011-39/06-445-1843, <a href="http://www.enjoyrome.com/" target="_blank">enjoyrome.com</a> Three-hour general orientation tours that are educational and entertaining. For example, a tour might mix smart tips for making sense of ancient ruins and sites such as the Sistine Chapel with colorful anecdotes about gladiators and mischievous popes. Guides are young English-speakers. Walking tours $23--$30. The Catacombs and Roman Countryside bus tour ($44--$50, including Catacombs admission) takes you to a remote park with spectacular ruins of an ancient aqueduct. Note: Lower prices are for people age 25 or under.
Context: Rome 011-39/06-482-0911, from the U.S. 888/467-1986, <a href="http://rome.contexttravel.com/index.php?sess=ct" target="_blank">contextrome.com</a> Not cheap, but you get your money's worth. Learn a ton about Roman history, art, and culture on private and small group walks led by experienced English-speaking docents who live and work in Rome as archaeologists, architects, art historians, or food critics. One hour to full-day excursions, from $32 (for an orientation walk around the Spanish steps or Pantheon) to $296 (for a full-day tour to Pompeii and the archaeological museum in Naples). Admission prices are extra.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
Police 113 Carabinieri (army police) 112 Ambulance 118 Fire department 115  U.S. Embassy and Consulate 011-39/06-46-741 Monument and museum tickets Colosseum/Palatine, 011-39/06-3996-7700, <a href="http://www.pierreci.it/" target="_blank">pierreci.it</a>; Galleria Borghese, 011-39/06-32810, <a href="http://www.ticketeria.it/" target="_blank">ticketeria.it</a> Concert and event tickets Orbis Agency (Piazza dell' Esquilino 37, 011-39/06-474-4776); TicketOne (<a href="http://www.ticketone.it/" target="_blank">ticketone.it</a>)
International access code From US: 011+country code+city code+local number Country code 39 City code 06
 
<li>Note: Always dial the full city code (06), whether calling from abroad or making local calls within Rome.</li>

Rome: Essentials

Day 1: Savannah to Tybee Island
My husband, Michael, and I land in Savannah around lunchtime. Georgia's First City, as Savannah declares itself, is architecturally awesome--and maddening for drivers. Tour buses slowly crawl around historic squares. Tourists cluster in the middle of the street to peer at the impeccably restored 18th- and 19th-century houses. We have to go through town to get to our evening's destination, Tybee Island, so our plan is to park, fortify with some food, and get on our way.
Our first attempt at finding barbecue is unsuccessful. We make do with a black-eyed-pea sandwich at B. Matthews Bakery; it's a delicious approximation of a spicy falafel. I pocket a chocolate-chip cookie for the 18-mile drive to Tybee.
Georgia's most developed island feels kind of like Atlantic City meets Coney Island--a little shabby, but that shabbiness often translates to a retro charm. The Basta family runs the Georgianne Inn, three houses in from the beach, and the adult son Nick is our enthusiastic host. We borrow two cruiser bikes, and Nick gives us 10 minutes of pointers. Tybee's tides are remarkably low, so from mid-afternoon until sunset there's at least 50 feet of packed sand to play on. The southern side of the beach, beyond a long pier, has high winds, which attract kitesurfers, kiteboarders, and old-fashioned kite fliers.
For dinner, we head over to The Crab Shack, a Tybee institution whose motto is "Where the Elite Eat in Their Bare Feet"--but which we'll always remember as the kind of establishment where patrons bring their own beer cozies. Calling it a shack is either false humility or wishful nostalgia--it's more like a Crab Complex, with cutesy signs (DRINKING TO FORGET? PLEASE PAY IN ADVANCE), Jimmy Buffett on rotation, and a Gift Shack. We put our names on the waiting list and visit the man-made Gator Lagoon, where antsy kids are poking at baby alligators with sticks.
We order salty snow crab; a low-country boil of shrimp, potatoes, and sausage; and steamed oysters, which arrive unshucked. The food is good, but I'm otherwise engaged. There's a garbage can embedded in the center of each of the tables, and for some reason this excites me. No sooner has Michael shucked an oyster than I've tossed the shell into the pail. When our waitress comes to clear, I proudly declare that I've taken care of it for her.
Day one 
Lodging
<ul>
<li>Georgianne Inn1312 Butler Ave., Tybee Island, 800/596-5301, <a href="http://www.georgianneinn.com/" target="">georgianneinn.com</a>, from $65</li>
</ul>
Food
<ul>
<li>B Matthews Eatery325 E. Bay St., Savannah, 912/233-1319, black-eyed-pea sandwich $6</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Crab Shack40 Estill Hammock Rd., Tybee Island, 912/786-9857, low-country boil $13</li>
</ul>
Day 2: Tybee Island to St. Simons Island
By 8:30 a.m., there are 20 people waiting for a table at The Breakfast Club, a squat stucco house two blocks from the Georgianne. Joseph Sadowsky, an alum of the Culinary Institute of America, was recruited by John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette to cater their wedding. He's pretty great on less fancy fare, too. I have a spicy homemade sausage patty with poached eggs and buttery grits. The low-ceilinged room, with sticky brown plastic tablecloths, isn't built for lingering--just as well, considering the line outside.
Highway 17, the main scenic road tracing the coast, doesn't offer much to look at until we put some distance between us and Savannah. But by the time we reach Riceboro, we're breezing under a canopy of live oaks. At South Newport, we pull off the two-lane highway to see what's billed as the smallest church in America, the Memory Park Christ Chapel. The 56-year-old nondenominational church--open 24/7 and rentable for weddings--is just 10 feet by 15 feet, with seating for only 12. A sign asks visitors to shut the door tight when leaving, which turns off the lights. I follow the instructions, perhaps too much so--the church is still rattling as we walk back to the car.
Most of the islands connect to the mainland by causeways. Getting to Sapelo Island, however, requires a 30-minute ferry from Meridian across the Intracoastal Waterway. It could just as well be a time machine. When the Civil War came, the heirs of a big plantation owner, Thomas Spalding, abandoned the island, their cotton and sugarcane plantations, and many slaves. The isolation allowed the former slaves, originally from West Africa, to sustain their own self-governing community and their own language, called Geechee. To this day, 57 descendants live on Hog Hammock, a 434-acre spread. Tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds bought the island in 1934 but didn't mess around with Hog Hammock; he breathed new life into an existing mansion and established a wildlife area that's now run by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The island also has a marine institute operated by the University of Georgia.
To get access to Sapelo you have to have a reservation, either for a tour or at one of the island's two inns. (Before you board, you'll be asked who'll be greeting you on the other end; no name, no go.) I'd booked a tour with Yvonne Grovner, who runs trips five days a week for the Georgia D.N.R. Yvonne grew up on the mainland; she met her husband, a Geechee, in high school and moved to Hog Hammock once they got married. During a three-hour drive, Yvonne introduces us to other residents and points out the pastel, one-story shacks, most of which are abandoned. We see ruins of an old sugar mill, miles of deserted dunes on Nannygoat Beach, and the exquisitely faded Reynolds mansion. It looks like a double for the one in the 1998 movie of Great Expectations.
When Yvonne moved to Hog Hammock in 1980, there were more than 100 people; today, there are about half that. Fifteen school-age kids take the ferry each day to go to school; as they get older, there's not much to keep them on the island. One person she takes us to meet is Cornelia Bailey, who runs the bar (The Trough) and the gift shop (The Pig Pen), where she sells shells and Yvonne's handmade sweetgrass baskets. Michael asks Cornelia if she's always lived in Hog Hammock. "Is there anywhere else?" she says, with a wry smile.
The ferry ride back is lulling, the horizon interrupted only by green reeds and salt marshes. We drive south toward Brunswick, and then over a causeway. St. Simons Island is a world away from Sapelo. Kids in fluorescent flip-flops march giddily along the main drag, while dads golf and moms go shopping. We hunt down one of the island's five tree spirits--droopy, somewhat spooky faces that were carved into live oaks to commemorate sailors who died on boats made from St. Simons trees. (The easiest one to find is on Mallery Street, next to Murphy's Tavern.)
At Zuzu's, a '50s-style diner adjacent to the pier, we share a root beer float. It suitably ruins our appetites, so all we need for dinner is a bowl of thick Brunswick stew--shredded chicken, ground pork, corn, and okra--at the nautical-themed Blackwater Grill.
Day two 
Transportation
<ul>
<li>Sapelo Island ferryLanding Road, off Hwy. 99, 912/437-3224, <a href="http://www.cr.nps.gov/goldcres/sites/sapelo.htm" target="">cr.nps.gov/goldcres/sites/sapelo.htm</a>, $2 round trip</li>
</ul>
Lodging
<ul>
<li>Sea Palms5445 Frederica Rd., St. Simons Island, 800/841-6268, seapalms.com, from $129</li>
</ul>
Food
<ul>
<li>The Breakfast Club1500 Butler Ave., Tybee Island, 912/786-5984, two eggs and sausage $5.50</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Troughno address, Sapelo Island, 912/485-2206</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Zuzu's119 Mallery St., St. Simons Island, 912/ 638-8655, root beer float $3.50</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Blackwater Grill260 Redfern Village, St. Simons Island, 912/634-6333, Brunswick stew $5.50</li>
</ul>
Activities
<ul>
<li>Memory Park Christ ChapelHwy. 17, South Newport, no phone</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Georgia Department of Natural Resources912/485-2300, half- or full-day tour $10</li>
</ul>
Shopping
<ul>
<li>The Pig Penno address, Sapelo Island, 912/485-2206</li>
</ul>
Day 3: St. Simons Island to St. Marys
Rice was the most common--and notoriously brutal--crop in coastal Georgia: Slaves who worked the soggy paddies often caught malaria. Following the Civil War, not many rice plantations survived. On a tour of the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation in Brunswick, we learn it was one of the few that did, in part due to a pair of savvy sisters who turned it around by converting it into a dairy farm.
A terrific thunderstorm erupts right as we arrive on Jekyll Island. The Georgia coast has a subtropical climate; humid summer stretches well into October, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. We take shelter on the wide porch of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, formerly the clubhouse commissioned by J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt, William Rockefeller, and Joseph Pulitzer, who were all part of the Jekyll Island Club, which owned the island in the late 1880s. Jekyll Island, including the hotel, was purchased by the state in 1947. I rock in a white wicker chair and admire the sailboats.
For all its former wealth, Jekyll is much more casual than St. Simons. Beyond the historic district, the interior is family-friendly and modest, with mostly small ranch houses. It would be sacrilegious not to play some kind of golf, so during a break in the storm, we squeeze in a round of miniature golf, then head back to Highway 17.
By the time we reach St. Marys, it's past 9 p.m. and the sleepy town is in full R.E.M. We check into the Spencer House Inn, a huge pink Victorian run by Mike and Mary Neff. Our huge top-floor room has a four-poster bed and a claw-foot tub. But the real draw is a DVD player; we borrow Friday Night Lights from Mike and Mary, who say it's one of the few DVDs in their collection that they were able to agree on, and settle in for the night.
Day three 
Lodging
<ul>
<li>Spencer House Inn101 E. Bryant St., St. Marys, 888/840-1872, <a href="http://www.spencerhouseinn.com/" target="">spencerhouseinn.com</a>, from $100</li>
</ul>
Activities
<ul>
<li>Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation5556 Hwy. 17, Brunswick, 912/264-7333, <a href="http://www.gastateparks.org/" target="">gastateparks.org</a>, $5</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Jekyll Island Miniature GolfCourse 2, Beachview Dr., 912/635-2648, $5.30</li>
</ul>
Resources
<ul>
<li>Jekyll Island Visitors Center901 Downing Musgrove Cswy., 877/453-5955, <a href="http://www.jekyllisland.com/" target="">jekyllisland.com</a></li>
</ul>
Day 4: St. Marys to Savannah
St. Marys is where you board a ferry to Cumberland Island, which is run by the National Park Service. Thomas Carnegie owned the island in the late 19th century, and now wild horses and turkeys run free amid the ruins of his mansion. The sole lodging, the posh Greyfield Inn, is a mansion built by his widow; it was the site of the Kennedy-Bessette reception.
Only 300 people are allowed on Cumberland each day, and it's wise to reserve months ahead for the 45-minute ferry. Yesterday's rain messed up the ferry schedule, and there's no way to see the island and make our flight. So we look into renting a kayak from Up the Creek Xpeditions and walk around St. Marys. It's the prettiest town of our trip.
Day four 
Activities
<ul>
<li>Cumberland Island912/882-4335, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuis" target="">nps.gov/cuis</a>, $4, round-trip ferry $15</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Up the Creek Xpeditions111 Osborne St., St. Marys, 912/882-0911, <a href="http://www.upthecreektrips.com/" target="">upthecreektrips.com</a>, kayaks $40-$60 per day</li>
</ul>
Finding your way
Causeways link most of the islands to the mainland, and in all but one case, they're free. The exception: There's a $3 daily car fee to visit state-owned Jekyll Island. The ferries to Cumberland and Sapelo islands depart only a couple of times a day, so plan your schedule in advance, and be sure to make the ferry back to the mainland. (There aren't any places to buy food on Cumberland, so bring your own lunch and water.) And when driving back up to Savannah, Highway 95 may seem like the speedy route, but it can take over three hours when the traffic is bad, which is often.

The Sea Islands of Georgia

Inspiration

We&nbsp;pestered&nbsp;33 experts&nbsp;until they shared every last tip from their recent trips. It's food for the soul, from people whose taste you can trust (and check back next week for more places where foodies love to eat).

MARIO BATALI Owner of seven New York City restaurants; author of the new book Molto Italiano; star of Molto Mario on the Food Network

San Francisco The best tacos in the world are at Taqueria San Jose. 2830 Mission St., 415/282-0203, $2.

Miami Beach The best skirt steak with chimichurri is at Parrillada Las Vacas Gordas. 933 Normandy Dr., 305/867-1717, $16.

New York City The best pork bao is at Momofuku. 163 First Ave., 212/475-7899, $7.

ALICE WATERS Chef/owner of Chez Panisse in Berkely, Calif., and a champion of sustainable farming&nbsp;

San Francisco Cocina Primavera at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market serves great Mexican food on Saturday mornings: a delicious breakfast with handmade tortillas and tamales, and salsas using pure ingredients (ferrybuildingmarketplace.com, breakfast $8). At Pizzetta 211, the pizza with two eggs cracked in the middle is very good, especially with an organic-lettuce green salad and a glass of wine (211 23rd Ave., 415/379-9880, egg pizza $14).

New York City Pearl Oyster Bar still makes the lobster roll by which others are judged. 18 Cornelia St., 212/691-8211, $22.

ARI WEINZWEIG Cofounder of Zingerman's, an artisanal food emporium in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kalamazoo Julie Stanley, chef and owner at the Food Dance Caf&#233;, puts great energy into sourcing quality ingredients, and her efforts show. 161 East Michigan Ave., 269/382-1888, calamari $9.

Chicago Pastoral is a new little cheese shop with a beautiful selection and a nice variety of wines and breads. There are a few tables outside where you can eat one of their cheese sandwiches. 2945 N. Broadway, 773/472-4781, cheese sandwich $6.

Milwaukee Cuban food isn't what comes to mind when you mention Milwaukee, but there are some great dishes on the menu at Cubanitas. It's authentic Cuban cooking in a spot you'd never expect. 728 N. Milwaukee St., 414/225-1760, roasted pork with rice $10.

DAN BARBER&nbsp; Chef and co-owner of Blue Hill in New York City, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y.

Berkshires To shop for the perfect picnic, start at Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic; they use their own organic flours (367 Park St., Rte. 183, 413/274-3412, loaf of sourdough $4). This part of Massachusetts is famous for dairy. High Lawn Farm is the last dairy around that produces and bottles its own milk (535 Summer St., Lee, 413/243-0672, chocolate milk $3). Then head to Rubiner's, an upscale cheese shop, for Rawson Brook ch&#232;vre (264 Main St., Great Barrington, 413/528-0488, $8). On Saturday mornings, go to the Great Barrington Farmers' Market (Castle St., 413/528-0041).

PATRIC KUH Restaurant critic for Los Angeles Magazine

Los Angeles I like to go to Teresita's, a family-run restaurant in East L.A. The owner, Teresa Campos de Hernandez, opened the modest place in 1983. She's still cooking and greeting customers in the front, but her son Antonio runs the restaurant now. Their chilaquiles are great--fried corn tortillas drenched in homemade red or green salsa and strewn with cotija cheese. And on Wednesdays, they have costillas de puerco en chile negro, pork ribs cooked in a black chili sauce and finished with Ibarra chocolate. It's sort of like a braising juice. 3826 E. 1st St., 323/266-6045, chilaquiles $8.

BILL NIMAN Founder and chairman of Niman Ranch, purveyors of hormone-free meats

Philadelphia When I'm in Philadelphia, I love to go to the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant in a row of five 130-year-old houses. You feel right at home the moment you walk in. Their food is prepared from natural ingredients sourced directly from sustainable family farms. The best thing is the barbecued pork sandwich, served in the bar and grill part of the restaurant. 3420 Sansom St., 215/386-9224, pork sandwich $11.

JOAN NATHAN Author of The New American Cooking (out next month), host of PBS's Jewish Cooking in America

Providence Whenever I go to my hometown, I make a trip to nearby Fall River for delicious Portuguese English muffins from Central Bakery. On the package, they call it a &quot;Port.&quot; 711 Pleasant St., Fall River, Mass., 508/675-7620, English muffin $3.

RICK BAYLESS Chef and owner of Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, both based in Chicago

Oklahoma City For Oklahoma-style barbecue, I go to Van's Pig Stand in Shawnee, outside of town. Everything's made from scratch. The barbecue is dry-rubbed. It's mostly pork ribs with hickory smoke. Oh, you've got me all worked up now! 717 E. Highland St., Shawnee, 405/273-8704, ribs $11.

BILL SAMUELS JR. President of the Maker's Mark bourbon company

Kentucky People drive 70 miles to eat breakfast at Lynn's Paradise Caf&#233; in Louisville. It's the most interesting place--not fancy, just weird. They give out an Ugly Lamp of the Year award (984 Barret Ave., 502/583-3447, bacon and eggs $5).The best fried chicken in Kentucky is at the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg. It's been open since 1919, and they age their own hams. Let's just say you would not be surprised to run into Robert E. Lee there (638 Beaumont Inn Dr., 800/352-3992, fried chicken lunch $9).Everyone wants a steak. At Pat's Steak House in Louisville, Pat butchers his own meat. My wife and I had our wedding reception there.... My mother was so mad that we didn't have it in the country club, she didn't come (2437 Brownsboro Rd., 502/893-2062, steak dinner $28).

R. W. APPLE JR. New York Times associate editor and author of Apple's America

Portland Jake's Famous Crawfish is a favorite with locals for its cedar-planked salmon ($20) and selection of Oregon wines (401 SW 12th Ave., 503/226-1419). At Mother's Bistro and Bar, Lisa Schroeder is the mom, and I'll bet she cooks better than your mother. The bill of fare features homey items like chicken and dumplings and pot roast (409 SW 2nd Ave., 503/464-1122, chicken $13).

Seattle The country is full of faux bistros, but Le Pichet is the real thing, and a lot cheaper than a ticket to Paris. Try the charcuterie ($11), followed by one of the wines served in pitchers. 1933 First Ave., 206/256-1499.

CHRIS BIANCO Owner of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, where the pies have inspired many pilgrimages

Phoenix Burros are a southwestern soul food--basically little tacos with meat and chilis. At Rito's, they come with either red or green chili sauce; I always get green ones. It's been around for 28 years. There's no sign, it's family-owned and cash only, and Grandma's in the kitchen. As far as the food goes, it's the real deal. The burros are really killer (907 N. 14th St., 602/262-9842, green chili burro $4). Also in Phoenix, there's a new place called Matt's Big Breakfast. They make traditional American breakfast, and almost everything is locally grown. I usually get either this really great oatmeal with bananas, or the pork chop and eggs. The building itself is brick, and inside it's a funky space--tiny, clean, deco, all white with orange tables and counters (801 N. First St., 602/254-1074, oatmeal $5).

SHIRLEY CORRIHER Author of Cookwise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking 

San Francisco In North Beach, there's Caf&#233; Jacqueline. She only makes souffl&#233;s, soups, and salads. I still remember the endive tossed in olive oil and blue cheese. She said the secret is to find a white, white endive, so it's sweet. If there's any color at all, it'll be bitter. You can stop in and have a chat with her--she'll explain. 1454 Grant Ave., 415/981-5565, souffl&#233; for two $25.

RACHAEL RAY Host of three Food Network shows--30-Minute Meals, $40 a Day, and Inside Dish 

Austin The Salt Lick is my number-one, super-affordable go-to. It's in what looks like a huge barn with an open smoke pit. You can sit at community tables and get huge platters of sausage, brisket, and ribs. The whole barnyard is smoked and piled up on a platter--all things dead off the grill (18001 FM 1826, 512/894-3117, all-you-can-eat dinner $15). Taco Xpress--that place is crazy, too. It's this teeny, tiny shack not far from the San Jose Hotel and the tacos are awesome. It's run by a lady named Maria who put a papier-m&#226;ch&#233; bust of herself on the roof--a huge statue, like an Evita Per&oacute;n sort of thing (2529 South Lamar Blvd., 512/444-0261, taco $1.75).

JIM LEFF Cofounder of the cult favorite website Chowhound and producer of two new books, The Chowhound's Guide to the New York Tristate Area and Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area 

San Francisco A small grocery store in the Mission District, La Palma Mexicatessen is filled with a phalanx of women who are diligently pounding out various grades of masa, which is corn dough. They make the best potato chips anywhere in the continental U.S.--fried up in yummy corn oil. They also have great tamales, chicharrones (fried pork rinds), and taquitos de cabeza (beef head tacos), too. 2884 24th St., 415/647-1500, soft tacos $2.45.

New Orleans Touristy though it is, I can't resist Mother's Restaurant. Debris--the stuff that falls off roast beef while it cooks--on a biscuit is a diabolical flavor bomb, the po'boys kill, and lots of other things are mega-soulful. I often eat there twice per trip, for both breakfast and lunch. 401 Poydras St., 504/523-9656, debris on a biscuit $4.

DAVIA NELSON &amp; NIKKI SILVA Known as the Kitchen Sisters, Nelson and Silva have an NPR show called Hidden Kitchens; their new book of the same name comes out next month

Austin Barton Springs public pool, in South Austin, is a liquid town square where all of Austin goes to swim, barbecue, and play soccer. The snack shack there has catfish fry, burgers, and Coke floats, not to mention pigeon and duck food (2201 Barton Springs Rd., Zilker Park, 512/474-9895, burger $3). Artz Ribhouse is a roadhouse, with cacti out front that are taller than the building. You can get a half-rack of ribs with potato salad or coleslaw for $9. Carolyn Wonderland and Shelley King were playing when we were there--imagine eating baby backs while Janis Joplin serenaded you (2330 South Lamar St., 512/442-8283). &quot;A day without goat is a day without sunshine&quot; was the motto on the Friday we went to Ranch 616. We watched them barbecue a baby goat in the parking lot, and ate their &quot;pulled pie&quot;--a lemon-meringue-pecan creation with hand-pulled peaks (616 Nueces St., 512/479-7616, pulled pie $6).

SUZANNE GOIN Chef at A.O.C. Wine Bar and Lucques, both in Los Angeles, and author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques, to be published in November

Los Angeles There's a Thai place called Ruen Pair on Hollywood Boulevard. It's in this minimall that's famous for having three Thai restaurants. One, named Palms, has a Thai Elvis impersonator. Put your name down at Ruen Pair, then go have a beer at Palms and watch Thai Elvis sing his songs, then go back and your table will be ready. It's a lot of soupy noodle things, fried noodle, meats over rice. We never remember what we ordered. We just look at what other people are eating and we point. 5257 Hollywood Blvd., 323/466-0153, papaya salad $6.

MARK BITTMAN Host of the PBS series How to Cook Everything: Bittman Takes on America's Chefs and food columnist for the New York Times

New York City I've been going to Menchanko-Tei for 20 years, and I always get the same thing: Hakata Ramen ($8). It's a milky white broth with vegetables, meat, and delicious noodles. Craig Claiborne turned me on to it. 43-45 W. 55th St., 212/247-1585.

Los Angeles Dumpling 10053 has dumplings with this amazing chili sauce. It's like an Asian-Mexican fusion, but there's nothing pretentious about it. The thing to order is the pork or the shrimp. 10053 Valley Blvd., 626/350-0188, shrimp dumplings $6.

PHYLLIS RICHMAN Former critic for the Washington Post and culinary mystery writer; her latest book is Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham?

Washington, D.C. One of the most upscale restaurants in town, Galileo, has a bargain lunch in the lounge. If you see the charcoal grill out front, it means that they're grilling sandwiches in the back. The best is the pork sandwich. It's $5 for a huge one with a green sauce and fried onions. Also, they have the best cannoli on the East Coast for $2.50. You'll see limousines sitting outside waiting for someone who's gone in to get his lunch. 1110 21st St. NW, 202/293-7191.

FRANK STITT Author of Frank Stitt's Southern Table and chef/owner of three restaurants in Birmingham, Ala.: Bottega, Highlands Bar and Grill, and Chez Fonfon

Charleston An out-of-the-way place for an oyster roast in the winter is Bowens Island, on James Island, outside of town. It's a cinder-block shack overlooking the water on a bend in the river on the way to Folley Beach. They'll roast the oysters, then shovel them onto these big wooden tables. If you're at all cool you know to bring your own oyster knife (1870 Bowens Island Rd., 843/795-2757, oyster roast $19). In Mount Pleasant, on Shem Creek right across the river from Charleston, where the shrimp boats come in, there's the Wreck, a hole in the wall. It's a reeeal dive. It's a little bit sleazy and a little bit shady, and cheap, but you get shrimp that are right off the boat, either boiled or fried (106 Haddrell St., 843/884-0052, fried shrimp dinner $15).

New Orleans At Acme Oyster House the guys stand at this marble oyster bar, shucking oysters that came out of the water the day before. You drink your beer. (Wine, no way.) The guys are shucking oysters as fast as you can eat them. There's a bit of an honor code about how many you've eaten, which I think is charming. 7204 Iberville St., 504/522-5973, half-dozen oysters $4.

San Francisco: Swan Oyster Depot has the most beautiful seafood on crushed ice. 1517 Polk St., 415/673-1101, seafood salad $15.

CHRIS KIMBALL Founder, editor, and publisher of Cook's Illustrated

Vermont At the Creamery, in northeastern Vermont, the woman who makes the pies still melts and renders leaf lard--the fat around the kidneys in the pig. It's mild and makes it taste much better than butter crust. They are delicious! There are maple cream and chocolate cream pies--stuff you usually don't see anymore. 46 Hill St., Danville, 802/684-3616, slice of maple cream pie $5.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Where Foodies Love to Eat

Travel Tips

Though they are normally pictured as Gothic castles on rural hills, America's spiritual centers (with in-house accommodations) are also found smack-dab in the center of some of our biggest and most heavily visited cities. And there they provide some of the most suitable budget lodgings in all the nation for travelers in search of both frugality and propriety. Here, if you'll excuse the alliteration, is cost-conscious comfort in contemplative surroundings.

New York City

Even the most enthusiastic tourists can find New York's high pressure a bit daunting. Here, by contrast, is serenity - on a budget.

The Leo House (332 W. 23rd St., 212/929-1010, fax 212/366-6801) was already a 100-year-long mainstay when its surrounding Chelsea district recently became a trendy center of chic restaurants, art galleries, nightspots, and the performing arts (don't miss the Joyce dance theater). Self-styled as &quot;A Heart in New York,&quot; it has a wood-paneled breakfast room that today is filled with multilingual chatter as guests enjoy a $6 buffet, complete with home-baked breads. The emphasis here is on the quiet and clean. But it has all the creature comforts you'd want, including cable television and telephones, although in compact rooms. Some units have private baths; others share a shower, but all have a sink and toilet. Singles start at $62 and doubles at $70, with a few larger rooms for families.

St. Hilda's House (621 W. 113th St., 212/932-8098, ext. 345, outpourings@chssisters.org) is a big leap uptown, just steps from Riverside Church and the giant Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine (a don't-miss sightseeing attraction). It is a retreat house of the Sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit, consisting of three converted brownstones in which neat single rooms rent from $65 a night (there are three doubles, which cost $130 a night), and most guests share a bathroom. The nuns center their lives around daily prayer services, and anyone who spends the night is invited to join them.

Landmark Guest Rooms (3041 Broadway, 212/280-1313, tcabrera@uts.colum bia.edu) of the Union Theological Seminary near the Upper West Side's Columbia University, with its English Gothic architecture and tree-filled quad, is like a time machine transporting you to the past. And yet its recently redecorated rooms all have air-conditioning, cable television, a mini-fridge, and private bath. With continental breakfast included, single rooms start at $150, making this one of the priciest of our properties.

The House of the Redeemer (7 E. 95th St., 212/289-0399, fax 212/410-7899, info@redeem.org), on the elegant Upper East Side of Manhattan near Museum Mile (Metropolitan, Guggenheim, Frick), is a retreat where guests in the third- and fourth-floor rooms sleep under the same roof that once housed Edith Shepard Fabbri, Cornelius Vanderbilt's great-granddaughter. Ms. Fabbri donated the house to be used as &quot;a place apart,&quot; and it's often filled with quiet groups. When it's not, others can enjoy its splendid fifteenth-century Italian library and newly redesigned chapel that overlooks Central Park. Rooms in this peaceful bit of paradise start at $60 for a single with a shared bath.

Chicago

Carl Sandburg called Chicago &quot;Hog Butcher,&quot; &quot;Tool Maker,&quot; and &quot;Stacker of Wheat,&quot; but obviously he never stayed at one of the city's ultragenteel guesthouses.

Urban Meditation Retreat Center (1710 W. Cornelia Ave., 773/528-8685, fax 773/528-9909, buddha@enteract. com) is a quiet beacon for those with busy lives, particularly blessed by its pleasant sunroom and open deck devoted to restful reflection. At this Zen Buddhist temple, visitors attend early morning meditation and stay on the fourth floor, which has been fitted out with single or dormitory-style rooms with access to kitchen facilities. Located only 15 minutes from downtown by bus or elevated train, it attracts young professionals with accommodations priced at only $45 a night.

Imani House (1340 E. 72nd St., 773/643-0359), whose name means &quot;faith&quot; in Swahili, is a rambling building that over the years has served as both a Catholic rectory and a convent, and is now a lodgings place for transient visitors when people on formal retreats are not in residence. Up to 35 guests can choose rooms that range from singles to triples, and the kitchen, dining room, and sitting rooms make it feel like home. Somewhat off the beaten track, this South Shore facility varies prices to match group size and season, but in general the charge is $15 per person per night.

Bethlehem House (1125 North La Salle Blvd., 312/642-3638) is next door to the Convent of St. Anne, in the heart of Chicago, and both buildings date from the late nineteenth century. The guesthouse, which once served as a butler's residence, has five single rooms with a shared bath. Its quiet convenience costs just $25 a night.

Benedictine Bed and Breakfast (3111 S. Aberdeen St., 888/539-4261, fax 773/927-5734, porter@chicagomonk.org) is a two-bedroom loft apartment operated by monks dedicated to their order's long tradition of caring for travelers. They offer far more than the usual B&B amenities, including a dataport in each bedroom, a fax machine, and secure, off-street parking. With a complete kitchen, dining area, and study, there's plenty of space for up to four guests. Rates range from $145 to $185 per night with breakfast treats such as pineapple topped with Wisconsin maple syrup, delivered to the door with a morning newspaper. It's even possible to make reservations via their Web site at www.chicagomonk.org.

San Francisco

It's been a long time since San Francisco was founded by Spanish missionaries (as Yerba Buena, on the Bay of San Francisco), but there are still open doors for those seeking a spiritual connection in the &quot;City by the Bay.&quot;

San Damiano Friary (573 Dolores St., 415/861-1372, fax 415/861-7952) is just two blocks from the historic Mission San Francisco de Assisi, the city's oldest structure. Both it and its neighbor, St. Francis House (see below), are run by orders associated with the city's namesake. Visitors to San Damiano stay in simple single rooms with a shared bath, for a self-determined donation. Despite the brothers' busy schedules, which include work in health care, teaching, and the arts, their hospitality includes sharing their evening meal.

St. Francis House (3743 Cesar Chavez St., 415/824-0288, fax 415/826-7569) is also in the area known as the Mission District. The nuns here welcome visitors to a small guest apartment that sleeps three and comes with a complete kitchen. Set off from the street, it also has a garden that is ideal for quiet reflection. The donation is $30 a night.

Incarnation Priory (1601 Oxford St., Berkeley, 510/548-3406, ohcmonks@ohcmonks.org.), just a 20-minute ride on the BART train system from San Francisco proper, is a short walk up the hill from the BART station and right on the edge of the UC Berkeley campus, near coffee bars and bookstores. Don't be put off by the apartment-house exterior; this is a real Anglican priory with a complete guest apartment (housing as many as four) on the second floor. The priory asks $40 per night for the entire apartment.

Incarnation Monastery (1369 La Loma Ave., Berkeley, 510/548-0965) will require a bus or taxi, but it's well worth the trip. The monastery is built on the side of a hill with a sweeping view that includes the Golden Gate Bridge and the mountains beyond. The $45-per-night guest rooms share bathrooms, but breakfast is included. And the splendor of the setting is enhanced by the stillness of the monastery.

The San Francisco Zen Center (300 Page St., 415/863-3136, ccoffice@sfzc.org), just a block from very hip Haight Street, refers to its guest facility simply as the &quot;City Center.&quot; Here guests will find single and double rooms, some with private baths, renting from $55 to $93. While those rates do not include meals, vegetarian fare is plentiful and available at the Center for under $8 a big plate. This elegant building was designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan; its impressive courtyard invites introspection and relaxation.

Budget Lodgings at Spiritual Centers

<h2>A spirit-lifting adventure in Kentucky and Tennessee</h2><ul><li>Take a Historic walking village tour with a local guide at a Shaker village followed by a farm to table lunch.</li><li>Pay a visit to some of Nashville’s most photogenic and colourful murals with a stop along the way for Mimosa and Donut tasting.</li><li>Earn your place in the Country Music Hall of Fame as you take part in a recording session with a professional sound engineer at the iconic Studio B in Nashville.</li><li>Discover a kitschy world of Southern glitz and glamour at Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley and his final resting place.</li><li>Get to know the real New Orleans during a walking tour that celebrates the city’s jazz music heritage, stopping off at some lively venues along the way.</li><li>It doesn’t get much better than Southern food – learn how to cook a classic New Orleans crawfish boil for a true taste of Louisiana.</li><li>Join a local Black-owned business for a tour of the Whitney Plantation, where you’ll get a sobering glimpse at what life was like for those enslaved on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation.</li></ul><h1>Budget Travel readers get 15% OFF Use Intrepid coupon code: 691016</h1>
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Best of the South: Louisville to New Orleans

<h2>A thrilling escape to the Sunshine State</h2><ul><li>Get a behind the scenes look at Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood during an in-depth tour, uncovering the area’s rich Cuban history, art, architecture and cuisine.</li><li>Discover Miami’s fantastic collection of colorful and glamorous Art Deco buildings and visit the trendy Wynwood neighborhood to admire its display of street art murals.</li><li>Zip through the wildlife rich landscapes of the Florida Everglades on an exhilarating airboat tour, looking out for alligators and unique flora and fauna.</li><li>Take a trip to paradise and travel to the Florida Keys, stopping off at the beautifully tropical Key Largo for a kayaking adventure over its crystal-clear waters.</li><li>Walk through years of history during guided explorations of Key West, from its successful industrial endeavors to its reputation as a getaway for many of the USA’s important figures.</li></ul><h1>Budget Travel readers get 15% OFF Use Intrepid coupon code: 691016</h1>
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Miami to the Florida Keys

Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,160 at the 2010 census, up from 3,674 at the 2000 census. It is home to one of the world's largest apple sculptures, which is displayed on top of an obelisk-shaped monument. Cornelia was the retirement home of baseball legend Ty Cobb who was born nearby, and was a base of operation for production of the 1956 Disney film The Great Locomotive Chase that was filmed along the Tallulah Falls Railway that ran from Cornelia northward along the rim of Tallulah Gorge to Franklin, North Carolina.

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Established in 1998 as America’s favorite Go-To travel magazine, Budget Travel inspires and empowered millions of Americans to become savvy travelers and see more for less. For over two decades, Budget Travel has provided readers with the how-to advice they won’t find elsewhere: Destinations where the dollar goes the farthest; authentic, under-the-radar tips; and a template for getting the most from each travel experience. We focus on U.S. domestic travel, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, road trips, cool small towns, American cities of all sizes, weekend getaways, theme parks, cruises, national and state parks, round-ups of the best budget destinations, island escapes, start-today tips and how-to stories. Budget travel is not about cheap places and backpacking, it is about creating the best travel memories with whatever money you have. That's why our new site experience integrates a private booking platform with discounts of up to 50% in all sorts of hotels, from 5-stars, chic boutique hotels, and even motels.

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Cornelia

Banks County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,395. The county seat is Homer. The Old Banks County Courthouse is located in Homer and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new county courthouse was constructed adjacent to the old one in 1983.

Banks County

This article refers to the town. For the lake, see Lake Tallulah Falls, for the waterfalls and gorge, see Tallulah Gorge and for the river, see Tallulah River.
 Tallulah Falls is a town in Habersham and Rabun counties in the U.S. state of Georgia near the Tallulah River. The population was 168 at the 2010 census.

Tallulah Falls

Helen is a city in White County, Georgia, United States, located along the Chattahoochee River. The population was 510 at the 2010 census. The city is known for its Bavarian style architecture and its mountainous landscape.

Helen is a city in White County, Georgia, United States, located along the Chattahoochee River. The population was 510 at the 2010 census.

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