After a year without travel, we are plotting summer destinations that can be reached by car with little-to-no planning. From Louisiana to South Carolina, Florida, and Arkansas, our surrounding area is packed with striking architecture, rare art collections, captivating museums, and endless design inspiration. Enter: the summer road trip.

New Orleans, Charleston, St. Augustine, and Bentonville are nearby destinations that inspire the aesthetics of Beth Haley Design and continue to be sources of inspiration to share with our clients. So, if you want to start planning a road trip, add these stops to your list! 

New Orleans, Louisiana 

As a vacation destination, New Orleans has it all. Looking for history? Look no further than the residential streets of the French Quarter, Garden District, Bywater, and Uptown. Strolling the streets will introduce you to decades of notable architecture, charming gardens, inviting cafés, and a glimpse of the city’s culture. Before you fill up on beignets and Sazerac, pay a visit to two noteworthy museums: the New Orleans Museum of Art on Camp Street in the Warehouse Arts District and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Then, when you are ready to call it a day, retreat to a room at Hotel Peter and Paul located in the former Sts. Peter and Paul church, schoolhouse, convent, and rectory in Marigny. 

Charleston, South Carolina

With beautiful architecture, brick sidewalks, and pastel color palettes, Charleston is teeming with design inspiration. Charleston homes range in style from Colonial and Georgian to Classic Revival, Victorian, and Art Deco. The architecture gives insight into the long history of the waterside city, while the local art galleries and museums reveal present-day happenings. Gibbes Museum of Art was established in 1858 and sits in a Beaux-Arts building on Meeting Street. It is a must-visit. Art lovers will also feel right at home inside local galleries, including Corrigan Gallery, Meyer Vogl Gallery, Ann Long Fine Art, The City Gallery at Waterfront Park, and George Gallery. End your day with a dozen oysters at The Darling Oyster Bar!

Design Inspiration: Summer Trip Ideas | Beth Haley Design

Augustine, Florida

Visitors can admire more than four centuries of history in a short visit to this Florida town rich with Spanish and European influence. The town boasts Moorish Revival and Spanish Renaissance-style architecture that is showcased on every corner. The Ponce de Leon Hotel by Architect Henry Flagler and Villa Zorayda by Architect Franklin W. Smith are requisite visits for architecture enthusiasts. First, get lost in the Historic District and visit these must-sees. Next, enjoy Spanish/Cuban cuisine and endless design inspiration at the Columbia Restaurant, filled with countless hand-painted tiles. Finally, spend the afternoon admiring the works at the Salvador Dalí Museum

Design Inspiration: Summer Trip Ideas | Beth Haley Design

Bentonville, Arkansas

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is reason number one to add Bentonville to your list of summer destinations. The museum’s permanent collection of American art spans five centuries and includes work by Norman Rockwell, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andy Warhol. Tucked away in the Ozark Mountains, Bentonville has experienced recent growth thanks to the culture and culinary offerings that previously went undiscovered. The museum is a beacon of art and culture, but you can also see art on display at the 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville. The 12,000-square-foot hotel museum features rotating exhibits that you can explore on the way to dinner at the Hive, the on-site restaurant. Of course, don’t forget to roll down the windows during the drive, and be inspired by the beautiful natural surroundings. 

Where are you heading this summer? Let us know where you plan to take a road trip and all the spots you will visit along the way!

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