Blake Guthrie

THE SHORT VERSION
An Art Deco-era office building in soulful Macon, reconceptualized as a casual, free-spirited boutique

Scene
Even the locals hang out at downtown’s only boutique hotel

Hotel Forty Five opened in early 2022 as downtown Macon’s first boutique hotel in the historic core of this mid-sized Georgia city. Housed in an early-20th-century office building restored to its former Art Deco grandeur, it’s an eye-catching gem that embraces its history. Vintage elements such as terrazzo flo...

It was my girlfriend’s birthday and she wanted to go someplace she’d never been before. I said, “Try the kitchen.” [rimshot]. Okay, not really, but the classic Henny Youngman one-liner flows so naturally after being teed up like that. Instead, I said, “How about somewhere in the mountains?”

Scenic Highway 30A in the South Walton area of the Florida Panhandle has become more than just a dogleg route off of U.S. 98 connecting small beach communities; 30A is now a lifestyle as well as a study in contrasts. It’s casual but upscale, luxurious but low-rise, commercially developed yet surrounded by untouched natural beauty beyond the beach.

Roughly 40% of South Walton — the coastal region of Walton County between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico — is protected from development...

Situated on a sweeping horseshoe bend in the Alabama River, downtown Montgomery was once a major center of the domestic slave trade in the antebellum South. Enslaved people were transported on the river, unloaded at the dock, marched up Commerce Street and sold-off at the market on Court Square.
Today, there’s a beautiful circa-1885 fountain in the middle of Court Square adorned with frolicking figures from Greek mythology. Standing by the fountain and its soothing sounds of falling water, wi...

A recent study by the charity group Help Musicians UK surveyed the health and well-being of working musicians at all levels of the business. According to the results of the survey, mental health issues are a major concern among professional musicians. Over 60 percent of respondents reported dealing with serious psychological issues at some point in their career. And it's worse among musicians who tour on a regular basis. Touring is especially hard on independent acts.
It's not talked about of...

In 2004, I wrote this cover story for Creative Loafing, Atlanta's major newsweekly magazine at the time. The events covered in the story are back in the news again after the release of the popular Fight Night podcast series.

Below is the full corrected text of my original story, which you won't find on Creative Loafing's website because their link is faulty compared to the original print version.

I first heard about Daufuskie Island in 2015 from a regular at a dive bar in Savannah. He saddled up on a barstool after overhearing me ask the bartender for recommendations on what to do while in town. Instead of telling me about Savannah, the regular told me about a nearby island at the mouth of the Savannah River in South Carolina with no cars or traffic lights. My ears perked up.
You can only get there by boat, the man said. People get around by bicycle and golf cart. They live the simple...

[Story/interview from 2002. John Trudell passed away from cancer in 2015.]

John Trudell's resume boasts an impressive roster of celebrity endorsements from the likes of Amy Ray, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Angelina Jolie (executive producer of Trudell's latest release, Bone Days) to name a few. When asked if he sometimes gets a little star-struck, Trudell says, "No, I'm too old for that, and too busy."

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My father, normally a very gregarious man, was staying quiet and attentive. He’s always been an attentive person, too, but this was a more vigilant type of silent awareness. I suspect it was because he was trying to take in as much as possible, paying close attention to everything he saw and listening intently to everything said.
We were at Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters. So there’s that. You’re supposed to be quiet when golf is being played. But even when we were away from th...

Discover the Southeast like a local ...

10 Atlantan Stereotypes That Are Completely Accurat...

It's easy for first-timers to New York City to feel both intimidated and giddy with anticipation when planning a trip there. So much to do, so little time. It's a city of world-renowned ......

If you want a memorable Italian vacation experience and have only five days, it's best to concentrate on one or...