LONGBOAT KEY, FLA - When Gail Loefgren talks about the “lure” of Longboat Key, she speaks from experience. Loefgren, the president of the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, is originally from St. Louis. So, just like many of the people she has served in her position over the last 18 years, she is a transplant.

COVINGTON, LA - We follow the arrow-straight causeway that crosses Lake Pontchartrain — the longest bridge of its kind in the world — until it drifts off into this sleepy bedroom community located about an hour north of New Orleans.

VACHERIE, LA - The grand Antebellum home I see standing at the end of a narrow red brick path looks like something out of Gone With The Wind.

SNOWMASS, CO - The menu reads like one of Manhattan’s five-star finest: elk stroganoff, butternut squash soup, and wild salmon salad. Here’s the catch, though ...

HALF MOON BAY, CA - Although a coastal city - located around 35 minutes south of San Francisco - this feels more like a small harbour town with its romantic inns and luxurious resorts, on stretches of stunning sandy beaches where one can dine in or out on farm-fresh produce and freshly caught seafood.

NEW ORLEANS - This city always satisfies my appetite for fun — of course I’ve been known to overindulge on Bourbon Street nightlife, gorge myself on jazz and blues, gobble up its incredible history and totally devour the genuine joie de vivre of its people. But what I really crave when I come to this city with the smorgasbord of nicknames — NOLA, Big Easy, Crescent City, Birthplace of Jazz, Mardis Gras City — is the food.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC - Sea Pines Resort is no longer just another pretty face. That’s not to criticize the previous version of the resort, located on South Carolina’s upscale Hilton Head Island.

CHARLESTON, SC - On a cool, rainy Sunday morning in America’s prettiest city, I awake to the sweet sound of church bells. When I pull back the drapes of my hotel room, I look out on a city skyline dominated by church spires. There’s small ones, big ones, lots of them.

LAFAYETTE, LA - There’s music and then there’s Zydeco. Deep in Cajun Country, when the clock strikes 9, the Café des Amis is jumping.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - This South Carolina vacation town has been a family destination for decades, known for its white sandy beaches, amusement parks, neon lights, affordable accommodation, fabulous golf courses and mini-putt facilities. Catering to multi-generational family travel — with over 14 million visitors a year — is what Myrtle Beach does best.