Southern Sojourns: A Travel Expert’s Bold Forecast for 2025 Explorations

If you’ve been watching travel-related television programs since the beginning of the 21st century, it’s likely that you have encountered Samantha Brown. The two-time Emmy award-winning presenter initiated her television journey on the Travel Channel in 2000 and is presently the executive producer and host of the acclaimed PBS series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love.

The new season of the series, currently broadcasting, features Southern destinations such as Crystal Coast in North Carolina, New Orleans, and the longest segment of Route 66 situated in Oklahoma. There’s no intricate method for selecting the destinations—“it’s simply where I wish to go, to be honest,” Brown expresses. Here are some of her forecasts and advice for traveling in the South by 2025:

The Americana Music Triangle is a hit.

“The most significant travel trend is going to be the Americana Music Triangle,” claims Brown about the driving routes surrounding Memphis, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, and New Orleans. During her time in Germany, she encountered tour guides who organized entire journeys through the South focused on music. “I believe this driving triangle is not promoted sufficiently by the Southern states,” Brown remarks. “This remarkable route attracts visitors from across the globe.”

Smaller towns and cities will attract attention.

“I adore small towns,” Brown states. “I refer to them as B-side cities, reminiscent of 45 records. There was the A-side, the hit, and then the B-side, which was less recognized, yet still a fantastic song.” Brown mentions Lafayette, Louisiana, for individuals who are already fans of New Orleans, and Huntsville, Alabama, located less than two hours north of Birmingham, as two such locations that promise enjoyable discoveries and surprises.

Travelers seek genuine experiences.

“I cherish uncovering what others consider ordinary; when you can visit a place and feel enveloped by its culture,” says Brown. Her experiences have included meeting a duck decoy artisan in Beaufort, North Carolina, and engaging with the Acadian culture in Louisiana, rich in its music and culinary traditions. “We visited a venue named the Blue Moon Saloon, a bar and music spot in a turn-of-the-century house, featuring creaky wooden floors perfect for dancing,” she recalls. “We enjoyed a band called the Magnolia Sisters. I adored them for being an all-female band, performing only songs inspired by 1920s and ’30s Cajun music.”

Responsible travel encompasses more than just environmental preservation.

As per Brown, recycling and water conservation practices are increasingly integrated into numerous hotels. Environmental sustainability has, fortunately, taken hold in much of the travel marketing and managerial sectors. Nevertheless, a stronger emphasis is now placed on honoring the communities that have long inhabited these destinations—and empowering them to narrate their own stories. In North Carolina, she appreciates how Asheville has highlighted Black Appalachian heritage, and she has enjoyed learning about the city’s Black Wall Street.

Southern locations will continue to be a favorite.

“In the South, everyone is welcome; there’s no pretense—you just walk in,” Brown notes. “The cuisine is incredibly approachable; the music and dancing create a phenomenal atmosphere. I believe that’s the reason it is so successful.”

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Watch Samantha Brown’s Places to Love on PBS.