Eighty-nine lithium battery incidents happened on U.S. planes in 2024. It was a record year, and phone chargers were one of the culprits. These are the everyday items that Texas’ airport security takes away from carry-on and checked bags. 1. Queso and Other Creamy Dips Queso doesn’t look like a security risk to a Texan…
A tourist refreshes Blue Spring State Park’s reservation page at 12:01 a.m., chasing one of just 232 vehicle slots for the day. They were advised to do so at that exact time by a local, while being told to save that trip for later in September. These are the places many Floridians have learned to…
A new coworker in Nashville guesses California within five minutes of small talk, before the Californian says a word about where they grew up. Their accent wasn’t the tell. These are the small, dead-giveaway habits that get a Californian noticed the moment they cross state lines. 1. Ordering a Soda, Not a Pop Californians order…
Louisiana has 64 parishes, and New Orleans sits in only one of them. That leaves 63 to explore. These are the small Louisiana towns that rarely make tourists’ itineraries but should. 1. Natchitoches Natchitoches predates New Orleans by four years, founded as a French fort and trading post on the Red River in 1714. That…
Florida’s largest weekly flea market packs an entire week’s worth of business into one morning. Show up on the wrong day, and the lot at Webster sits nearly empty except for the occasional first-timer circling the gravel, phone out, looking for a market that isn’t there. These are the flea market mistakes that mark you…
About four in ten Rockport residents stayed home in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey’s Category 4 winds were bearing down on the Texas coast. The acting mayor told those staying behind to write their names and Social Security numbers on their arms in marker. That’s how rescue crews would identify the bodies. Rockport wasn’t the last…
North Carolina has more than 250 named waterfalls in Transylvania County alone. The falls locals send visitors to don’t always match the postcard everybody already knows. These are the waterfalls the state’s oldest hiking club has already vetted as worth the trail, ranked by the hikers who’ve made the climb. 1. Rainbow Falls Rainbow Falls…
Alabama drivers taking the same road trip year after year fall into a familiar handful of habits each summer. Here’s how those habits cost them. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Alabama’s traffic laws and fines are subject to change, so confirm the current rules with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. 1. Skipping…
Grand Strand rental agencies lock summer guests into Saturday-to-Saturday stays for the entire stretch from June through August, no exceptions. By September, the same oceanfront units are taking three-night weekend bookings with a Tuesday check-in. These are the things South Carolina’s beach towns do differently once the summer crowds leave. 1. Boardwalk Rides Slow to…
Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with wagon rations and little else. Utah’s kitchens never fully shook that make-do streak. These are the Utah foods and drinks that catch out-of-staters off guard, their appetite included. 1. Fry Sauce Utah’s fry sauce turns a basket of fries into a small local ritual, a…
