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Southern Living, Spring 2001 by Fraser, Valerie

From barbecue to boiled peanuts, Elvis to Faulkner, Southern culture is alive and well on the World-Wide Web. Picking favorites wasn't easy, but we tried. Some are perennial pleasers, while others are new discoveries. In any case, they're your guides to Southern life on the Internet.

Gateways

For a general guide to all things Southern, try newcomer www anything southern.com, or the irreverent but everpopular www.yall.com, which prides itself on "covering the South like kudzu." Both can lead you to interesting links and articles on everything from football to fried chicken.

Food

There's enough Southern food online to have your mouth watering with the first click of the mouse. Start with a downhome appetizer-a 5-pound gunnysack 4 of boiled peanuts from The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue at www.boiled peanuts.com. You can also get sweet preserves, cookbooks, cookware, pickles, and "I Brake For Boiled Peanuts" T-shirts.

Perhaps your taste buds crave that sweet or tangy, but always delicious Southern barbecue. There are many Web sites you can visit for camaraderie. For example, Carolinians will find kindred pork-pulling spirits at The Lexington Collection site, located at www.ibiblio.org/lineback/ lex.htm, which includes a glossary so you'll never get your sopping sauce mixed up with your slather. Texans itchin' for a great recipe should visit www.texascooking.com. Click on "Ask Dr. John," and read questions and answers from other visitors about barbecue, chili, and outdoor cooking.

Craving Cajun? Visit www.cookin cajun.com, and check out the Verlander family's New Orleans cooking school, or just sample their recipes online and link to a host of other Cajun sites. Should you need pepper sauce for that gumbo, you'll find plenty at www. tabasco.com, home of the PepperFest.

For dessert, try Blooming Cookies, located "just yeast of downtown Atlanta," or at www.bloomingcookies.com.

Music

Country and western, bluegrass, rock 'n' roll, blues, jazz-it all started in the South. Of course, the king of music Web sites is www.elvis.com. Other favorites include www.country.com, www.country-music-club.com, and www.blueflamecafe.com. Try www. lonestarmusic.com for "the true sound of Texas," or www.allaboutjazz.com and www.takephivejazz.com to spend some quality time with "Satchmo" Armstrong and friends.

History, Literature, & Culture

The Mississippi Writers Page, at www.olemiss.edu/ depts/english/ms-writers, offers a wealth of solid, searchable information on the many writers with ties to Mississippi. Welty and Faulkner, John Grisham and Donna Tartt-they're all here. Also available through the Ole Miss home page is the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at www.olemiss.edu/depts/south. The center offers a calendar of conferences and events, as well as a catalog of educational resources such as videos, posters, and audio recordings related to Southern culture. You can also learn more about the outstanding historical and cultural resources available there.

At www.myhistory.org, you can participate in My History is America's History, a millennium project of the National Endowment for the Humanities. You can share family stories and search for family members via a link to www.genealogy.com.

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience at www.msje.org explores Jewish culture in the South. You'll find suggested tours through the Mississippi River region, as well as "Shalom, Y'all" gear.

And at www.juneteenth.com, you can revisit the oldest known celebration of African American freedom.

Icons

Some companies truly are Southern icons. Visit them on the Web to discover their colorful histories, get touring information, or shop. Go to www.nascar. com, www.krispykreme.com, www.blue bell.com, www.jackdaniels.com, and www.kentuckyfriedchicken.com.

City Sites

Any Southern city worth its tourism budget has a Web site. Three of our personal favorites, which are especially easy to navigate and offer one-stop information shopping, are www.san antoniocvb.com, www.memphistravel. com, and www.bigeasy.com. Remember that many city sites were created by one tourism entity or another, so while they're helpful in pointing you to attractions, maps, lodging, contacts, etc., they're not always totally objective.

Great Outdoors

Your online guide to the Great Smoky Mountains and many other parks is ready and waiting at the National Park Service site, www.nps.gov. Click on "Visit Your Parks" to search for a specific park. Or head straight to the Smokies at www.nps.gov/grsm, where you'll find what all great travel sites should offer: inspiration to turn off your computer, pack up the car, and go see the destination for yourself.