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Submitted by Alexandria Ducksworth

Stuck planning your southeast summer vacation? Here are six helpful guidebooks to help you out:

1. Charleston, SC

Welcome to the Holy City, known for its historic churches. If staring at church architecture isn’t your thing, have a taste of Charleston’s southern cuisine.

Guide: “Insiders’ Guide to Charleston: Including Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, Kiawah, and Other Islands” by Lee Davis Perry

Attractions:
-Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
-Drayton Hall
-Fort Sumter National Monument
-Rainbow Row

2. Memphis, TN

Fun fact: Memphis is not only the birthplace of early rock n’ roll, but to Piggly Wiggly. There are over 60 attractions in this music town. Plan your daily sightings in advance!

Guide: “Frommer’s EasyGuide to Nashville and Memphis” by Ashley Brantley

Attractions:
-Beale Street
-Graceland
-Memphis Zoo
-National Civil Rights Museum

3. Miami, FL

Miami is the only female-founded city in America. It gained its name after the Mayaimi tribe who lived in the swamps. Deep-sea divers will love the underwater shipwrecks waiting to be discovered in the city’s waters.

Guide: “Fodor’s South Florida with Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the Keys by Fodor’s Travel Guides”

Attractions:
-Coral Castle
-Everglades National Park
-Jungle Island
-Miami Beach

4. Nashville, TN

Travel and Leisure magazine voted Nashville in 2017 as one of America’s friendliest cities. Come for the fun and music (if you didn’t have enough in Memphis).

Guide: “Insiders’ Guide to Nashville” by Jackie Sheckler Finch

Attractions:
-Cheekwood Estate and Gardens
-Grand Ole Opry
-Johnny Cash Museum
-The Parthenon

5. New Orleans, LA

There’s no southern town like The Big Easy. Researchers in 2017 counted almost 11 million tourists have visited NOLA. Don’t let the crowd stop you from sightseeing. There’s plenty of room for you and beignets to share.

Guide: “Frommer’s EasyGuide to New Orleans 2019” by Diana K. Schwam

Attractions:
-Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
-The French Quarter
-Mardi Gras World
-St. Louis Cathedral

6. Savannah, GA

Savannah has been labeled as America’s most haunted city. On the lighter side, there are many of garden, history, and food tours to choose from. Don’t leave the city without tasting River Street’s candy kitchen pralines!

Guide: “Savannah” by Sally Mahan

Attractions:
-Bonaventure Cemetery
-Forsyth Park
-Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
-River Street

Want more travel guides? Type in “travel guide” in our library catalog to uncover more vacation inspiration.

Have a great trip!

According to Consumer Reports, some teenagers are now putting laundry pods in their mouths as part of an online dare called the “Tide Pod Challenge.” In some cases, according to videos on social media, they bite into the pods. This is actually dangerous, even potentially deadly. Placing these pods in your mouth is dangerous because of the potentially fatal dangers posed by the toxic ingredients in these pods, so it is a bad idea for anyone to intentionally ingest them.

Here are links to just a few recent news stories about this issue:

CBS News
Washington Post
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
USA Today

What’s in a Laundry Pod?

While the exact blend of ingredients in any given laundry pod is proprietary and may differ, Consumer Reports says that they generally consist of ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, and what chemists call “long-chain polymers.” This mix of chemicals is great for cleaning your clothes. But it’s not meant to be eaten.

What Happens When You Ingest a Pod?

A recent article from Consumer Reports states, “In their laundry-pod concentration, these three ingredients alone (never mind what else is in there that we don’t know about) have the power to burn through the lining of your mouth and stomach.” The same will happen to your esophagus, stomach and other parts of your gastrointestinal tract as the ingredients make their way through your digestive system. At the same time the contents of the pod are burning the lining of your mouth and stomach, Consumer Reports says, “…portions of the laundry pod that has made their way into your stomach and GI tract can migrate into your bloodstream and vital organs, including your brain. From there, it can be a short path to seizures, coma and eventually, death.” Therefore, don’t try to eat laundry pods and don’t put them in your mouth. You may want to tell any teenagers you know about the potentially severe negative consequences of ingesting these pods as well.

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