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exposure Southern


The coastal drive between New Orleans and Tampa reveals a different view of southern USA, says Ella Buchan


T


he sound struck me first: a surprisingly loud munch- crunch as the pair of manatees, elephant grey and shaped like small airships, filled up on seagrass. Finally one ascended, her whiskers grazing my arm and tickling my face as she broke the water’s surface to inhale the air. It was a while before I caught my breath.


Florida’s Crystal River is the only place in the US where you can swim with manatees in the wild – reason enough to jump on a plane. It’s an essential stop on a road trip between New Orleans and Tampa. Following a coastline that curls softly around the Gulf of Mexico, the journey showcases a wilder side of America’s southern states. Passing through towns with


pastel-coloured beach homes, crossing roads that skim over the water and stopping to laze


on some of the world’s whitest beaches, the route is easily doable in a week – though clients won’t regret taking a little longer to savour the journey.


 NEW ORLEANS TO MOBILE How far: 150 miles See: Suggest clients spend a couple of days soaking up the fun, food and music of New Orleans before hitting the road. Brunch at Brennan’s, with crab- stuffed omelettes and grits on the menu, is a must, as is live jazz at revered Preservation Hall. The road east passes swathes


of green, from the soupy swamps and wetlands of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge to roadside forests with intertwined canopies. There’s endless blue, too, as the road skims across Lake Pontchartrain towards Mississippi, whose slice


of coastline has buttery beaches and casinos. Suggest a stop in Bay St Louis, a cute town with antiques shops, fishing piers and restaurants serving just-caught seafood, before continuing to Mobile in Alabama. This port city is interlaced with creeks and inlets, and has charming streets lined with magnolia trees and Creole architecture. Dauphin’s, which serves seafood infused with rich southern flavours, on the 34th floor of a skyscraper, frames the water with floor-to- ceiling windows. Stay: The super-stylish Ace New Orleans is walkable from much of the action, though it has plenty within its walls, too. Three Keys, for example, is a cosy live-music venue tucked off the lobby, and there’s a rooftop garden with cocktail bar, pool and views over the city. Doubles from £110. acehotel.com/neworleans


38travelweekly.co.uk11 April 2019


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