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From the bead-draped balconies of New Orleans to Baton Rouge’s sea of LSU fans, there’s no denying that Louisianans have a thing for purple. Though the exact reason for The Pelican State’s predilection for the color is hard to pinpoint, most clues point to New Orleans and a little party known as Mardi Gras. According to research by local historian Errol Flynn Laborde cited by MardiGrasNewOrleans.com, purple has been a part of the fabric of The Big Easy since 1872, when Rex declared purple, green, and gold the official colors of the Mardi Gras parade honoring the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanoff....

They don’t call Julia Hawkins the “Hurricane” for nothing. The 105-year-old from Baton Rouge is the oldest competitive female sprinter in the world. At the Louisiana Senior Games at Southeastern Louisiana University earlier this month, Hawkins ran the 100-meter dash in 1:02.95, setting a brand-new world record in the process. And she did it with a flower in her hair. The retired educator first captured the attention of the world at the 2017 National Senior Games....

While East Coasters may laud Maryland crab as the royalty of the sea, the rest of the nation has crowned a different king: the leggy, heart-shaped Dungeness crab. We know it’s hard to think beyond its culinary charms, but here are some other must-know facts regarding this Pacific delicacy. 1. Dungeness crabbing season starts in winter. While crab usually elicits thoughts of summer cookouts, Dungeness season begins in mid-November to early December....

Dancing is part of the DNA of Southerners. We know how to cut a rug in style, and we sure do enjoy it. There are a few different dances that every Southerner should know, just in case the opportunity to dance arises—and, in the South, the opportunity will inevitably arise. So you should have a few types of dances up your sleeve. We’ve been known to practice our toe-tapping in dance halls, at wedding receptions, and—sometimes—in impromptu dance sessions on Southern sidewalks....

True best friends are as rare as picking a four-leaf clover or winning the lottery. But once you find true friends, they will try their best to stay with you forever. Friends, in addition to our given family, are one of the greatest treasures in life. They are the family that we get to choose, that we willingly welcome into our lives because our worlds are much brighter with them in it....

Known to Texans as “Aggieland” because it’s the home turf of Texas A&M University’s “Aggies,” College Station and the neighboring city of Bryan offer visitors a full curriculum in history, culinary arts, wine, and more to round out a stay in this youthful and charming east Texas destination. In the past few years, Bryan and College Station have expanded their downtown amenities, infusing historic buildings with new life and fresh business offerings, including the new Century Square in College Station, complementing long-time hangouts like Northgate Entertainment District....

Peonies are a popular pick for Southern gardeners. The bright, billowy blooms are showstoppers in cut arrangements, and these sought-after beauties can even be grown in backyards. While blossoming peonies are welcomed into garden beds in spring, the swarms of ants that flock to the flowers are not. Wait before breaking out the insecticide—it’s not a bad thing. Ants don’t harm peonies; the insects actually help protect them. The myth that peonies rely on ants to bloom is false, but the two do have a mutually beneficial relationship, according to the University of Missouri....

Before she married her husband of 55 years, Dolly Parton made it a point to play the field. Parton, who said “I do” to her reclusive husband Carl Dean in 1966, recently spilled the tea on her earliest brush with romance—specifically, her first kiss. “My first kiss? Lord have mercy. I think my first real kiss was still in grade school. Some girlfriend had a party at her house, and we played spin the bottle,” the 75-year-old country music icon recalled in a video interview with W Magazine....

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park’s December auction to “lift up” victims of the devastating tornadoes that struck Kentucky and Tennessee raised more than $71,000 for relief efforts. The fundraiser included the auction of 11 SkyLift chairs that survived the 2016 wildfires, as well as donations from ticket sales. According to the Tennessee attraction, each of the iconic lift chairs sold within seven hours—and for the maximum amount of $3,000. In addition to the auction, $1 per ticket sold from December 16 - 22 went to tornado relief efforts....

Every week can be Shark Week, when you’re vacationing at the beaches of North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has some of the biggest caches of shark teeth around and a new adventure helps tourists track them down. Over in Surf City, North Carolina, not too far from Wilmington, an adventure company is hosting shark tooth hunts out in the barrier islands, Travel + Leisure pointed out. The two-hour tour, which is operated by Uncharted Society with Surf City Jet Ski Rentals, has treasure-hunting guests hop aboard a Sea-Doo (a jet ski of sorts) and make their way to either Lea Island or Rich’s Inlet....

We’ve all been there. You go to do a load of laundry, lift the lid (or open the door), and there’s a smell. It’s a bit musty and a bit moldy and a whole lot of frustrating. How can a machine that is regularly filled with soap and hot water and bleach, a machine that can make even the stinkiest socks smell like daisies, contain such a foul odor? The problem is that while we might see a washing machine as a magical portal where dirty laundry goes in and sparkling clean clothes come out, the washer is actually a place where odors can start....

If you like to serve seafood and have already mastered the art of preparing lowcountry boils and catfish fries, it is time to go one step further and try your hand at salmon. We get it–salmon can be a bit more intimidating than your average fish. Do you leave the skin on or take it off? Which side do you cook first? How do you know when it is done? A minute too soon and it’s still too rare, but a minute too late and it’s overcooked....

Homemade caramel sauce is so simple and fun to make, you will never want store-bought again. Caramel sauce can be paired with Arkansas Black Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce, drizzled over a slice of Classic Cheesecake, spooned straight-from-the-pot over homemade ice cream, or used as a dipping sauce for crisp, seasonal apple slices. Regardless of how you use it, we can all agree that everything (including a slice of pound cake) is better when paired with caramel sauce....

We’re love pumpkin flavors in the fall, and this cocktail is a beautiful way to polish off your dinner and delight your guests. The easiest way is to mix a pumpkin martini is to work with flavored vodka and flavored liqueurs. You’ll want one and a half ounces (the large end of a jigger, if that’s what you’re using) of each of the following: vanilla vodka, pumpkin (or pumpkin spice) liqueur, and Irish cream....

The idea of a matte lipstick is great, in theory. The visions of dry, cracked lips, and fading color? Not so much. What about a glossy finish? Also great in theory, but when it starts feathering into lip-lines, transferring to teeth, or leaves a gloopy feeling, suddenly we’re not so enthused. IT Cosmetics has us seeing the bright side of lipstick thanks to their new line, Pillow Lips. It’s a collection of 14 shades each featuring skin care-inspired ingredients that will finally give your pout something to smile about....

Another day, another mouth-watering doughnut innovation from Krispy Kreme. The doughnut giant’s latest creation is inspired by a cherished summer tradition: the ice cream truck. That’s right. With temperatures rising throughout the country, Krispy Kreme has transformed iconic ice cream truck treats into the coolest doughnuts of the season guaranteed to have kids of all ages running. (Truck and music not included.) Three all-new treats inspired by summertime favorites from Good Humor and Popsicle are available for a limited time at participating shops across the U....

From drugstore favorites to luxury brands that deliver, good concealers are common fodder in the Southern Living coffee nook (seriously, it’s a nook). It wasn’t until recently that I realized I subconsciously set the bar for every concealer I test with Laura Mercier’s Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer. So far none have quite held a candle against my beloved $29 tube. To start, the applicator is tiny, allowing for precise application. The coverage is so hard working that just a few strategically placed dabs cover and camouflage the imperfections without fear of overdoing it....

We gardeners need haircuts every so often, and so do our plants. While we can’t load up our plants and take them to the salon, we can give them individualized cuts, trims, and shapes at home. There are as many styles of pruning as there are gardeners wielding shears, but we’ve narrowed it down to a few basic types of cuts you should know about. Learn the different kinds of snips you might need to make, from basic pruning to precise cuttings, so that you’ll be ready when it’s time to break out the garden shears, loppers, and saws....

A battle with ALS has robbed beloved singer Roberta Flack of her ability to sing. Flack’s management team announced that the 85-year-old is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to NPR. The nervous system disease has made it “impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” a spokesperson said in a press release on Monday. “Miss Flack plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits,” the release continues....

Decorating Christmas cookies is always a real treat, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Not even half-way through the month of October, there’s still plenty of time to make the most of harvest season and embrace autumnal joy before roaring ahead to the winter holiday season. And if this trying year has taught us anything, it’s that grounding ourselves in the little blessings of the present moment is the only way to make it through life’s rough patches....