Southeast Region

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Fayetteville, Arkansas Shamrock Tour®

I grew up in Arkansas, so it’s fitting that I’m heading to the Ozarks for my first Shamrock Tour®. I plan to spend roughly a week in northwest Arkansas, with Fayetteville as my home base. The Bikes, Blues, and BBQ 2021 rally was set to provide plenty of

Destinations

Destination: West Virginia’s Coal Heritage Trail

The story of the southern West Virginia “smokeless” coalfields is a remarkable legacy of working-class culture, industrial might, racial and ethnic diversity, and the creation of a unique and distinctive culture of national significance. The winding Coal Heritage Trail juxtaposes scenes of early West Virginia coal mining against a backdrop

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Following The Cherokee Trail of Tears

Missionary Daniel Butrick kept a journal of his travels with the Cherokee People as they were force marched to Indian Territory during the winter of 1838-39. It is one of the saddest episodes in American history, with the depths of despair grippingly described by him in this entry: “… the government

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Racing Thoroughbreds From Tennessee to Kentucky

We are lucky, living in the Nashville area, to have so much spectacular riding within a few hours of our house. Regardless of the type of bike we may be on, there are options to suit. While usually finding ourselves on dual-sport styled bikes capable of off-pavement exploration, we also

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Kentucky Adventure Tour: Delayed Gratification

I hear the sharp pop of metal moving. An orange flash falls into the maple tree, getting caught on the handlebar like a makeshift kickstand. The bike has fallen against the tree, settling into it's final resting place. This is a fairly good outcome, as the tree safely

May/Jun '22

City Escape: New Orleans, Louisiana

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Florida’s Unique SR 30A

Florida is notorious for its ruler-straight roads. But riding on straight pavement gets much more interesting when you can do it in a picturesque setting. Florida’s SR 30A—the Crown Jewel of the Southern Riviera, as it’s called—is the perfect opportunity to embrace your inner beach bum

Reader Ride Premium Content

Crossing the Precipice on a Super Duke GT

Traveling New Roads Someone I trust advised me to start this story with a bang. My bang was the sound of the Achilles tendon on the dominant right side of my body rupturing on a basketball court at Disney World. My magic encounter with the land of Mickey Mouse landed

Events

Adventure Cross Rally

It doesn’t get much better than spending a few days in the woods with new and old friends, riding dual sports on asphalt, gravel, dirt, and everything in between. A new event popped up last year, and it’s on our radar to attend. The ADVxRally, or Adventure Cross

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Leesburg, Virginia Shamrock Tour®

“The Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads.” —Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative Mid-Atlantic Civil War Trails Between 1861

Mar/Apr '22

City Escape: Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Racing

2021 Tennessee Knockout Hard Enduro

We humans have always enjoyed watching people perform tasks with extreme proficiency. This seemingly unique quality has been studied by psychologists and helps explain the advent of spectator events in virtually every society that we know of. Whether it’s the Tokyo Olympics, the gladiators of ancient Rome, or an

Travel Guide

Top 5 Things to Do in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem, North Carolina is a great base for motorcycle adventures, but you don't have to get out of the city to have a good time. Here are some of our favorite places to visit in Winston-Salem. Bailey Power Plant—Innovation Quarter Once R.J. Reynold’s coal-fired power

Nov/Dec '21 Premium Content

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Shamrock Tour®

Moravians settled land in North Carolina in 1766 and called it Salem. Just one mile north, Winston was founded as the county seat in 1849. In 1913, they merged to create Winston-Salem. R. J. Reynolds built his tobacco empire here, and many recall the cigarette brands Winston and Salem. The

Sep/Oct '21

City Escape: Atlanta, Georgia

> Escape the sprawling urban landscape of Atlanta by taking a series of secondary roads to Alabama’s iconic Little River Canyon, and then return via rural roads in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Charming historic settlements along the way include the Georgia towns of Dallas, Cave Spring,

Jul/Aug '21 Premium Content

West Virginia

If mountains are magnets then I am steel. Be it the Alps or Appalachians, I have always been drawn to the folds of stone and soil, wondering what secrets lay hidden in the distant peaks and valleys. They are tranquil and foreboding at the same time, and largely inaccessible. But

Jul/Aug '21 Premium Content

Florida's Coastal Curves

While much can be said about the year-round sun, boating, and beach lifestyle of southern Florida, motorcycling in the lower half of the Sunshine State can leave a bit to be desired. Although rides along beach roads are always good for pleasant scenery and beautiful sunsets, the topography is sea-level

May/Jun '21 Premium Content

Johnson City, Tennessee Shamrock Tour®

Johnson City lies just on the edge of the Cherokee National Forest in the northeastern corner of Tennessee. The city is claimed to be one of the first settled areas in the state, originating in the late 1700s, but it didn’t get its name until 1856 when Henry Johnson

May/Jun '21

City Escape: Ridgeland, Mississippi

> This escape takes riders from a modern-day suburban environment back to the 19th century when bloody Civil War battles determined the future of our nation. You’ll also visit a historic location where columns of stone are the only ghostly remnants of a once expansive plantation. After a lunch

Mar/Apr '21

City Escape: Richmond, Virginia

> Journey back in history along some of Virginia’s most enchanting byways, where American history is combined with lost-in-time backroads through a hilly agricultural landscape, mountaintop vistas, a classy lunch stop, and a slice of the Blue Ridge Pkwy as a delicious dessert. Traffic on the backroads is usually

Mar/Apr '21

Destination: Hot Springs, Arkansas

> Hot Springs, AR, sits atop more than 40 springs with water heated by magma thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface. Native Americans enjoyed these mineral springs long before European Americans arrived. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “taking the waters” in the “Valley of Vapors”

Jan/Feb '21

Classic Roads: Down from the North US 1 in Florida Part 1

> The US 1 stretches across 545 miles throughout the entire length of Florida along its eastern shore, from the northern border with Georgia to the southernmost tip of the continental U.S. in Key West. It was designated the first U.S. highway when the Numbered Highways System was

Jan/Feb '21

City Escapes: Maryville, Tennessee

> This trip is for those who like long riding days. Start early to complete the entire loop before dark and ride during summer to get the most sunlight. This is a three-season route, as higher elevations tend to get snowed up in the winter. The mountains are stunning in

Nov/Dec '20

City Escape: Jacksonville, Florida

> While Florida roads are mostly straight, a ride around the St. Johns River offers a curvier experience. After starting south on San Jose Blvd, making a detour out to Mandarin Rd helps with traffic. The last 60 miles to Palatka go along a winding, scenic river road. The way

Nov/Dec '20 Premium Content

Chattanooga, Tennessee Shamrock Tour®

Luke was stripping down to his underwear in the middle of a park somewhere outside of Cleveland, TN, not too far from our hometown of Chattanooga. Just behind him flowed the Hiwassee River, over which stretches a bridge from where he claimed he’s seen people jump. It was 50