There are some things you just expect to see when you're at the beach, like people collecting seashells, kids trying their best to boogie board and a whole lot of painful-looking sunburns.
A guy in nothing but American flag swim trunks and cowboy boots isn't likely to make that list, but it probably should if you're headed to a Southern beach.
Everyone knows Southerners like to do things a little differently, and that includes our beach vacations. With that in mind, we decided to ask our followers on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page what the most Southern thing they've seen at the beach is.We got more than a thousand replies, and let's just say some of 'em make the guy in cowboy boots on the beach sound tame.
You can see 29 of the responses below, and you can see all of them on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page.
"A person wearing a gingham monogrammed swimsuit and monogrammed beach hat with a monogrammed towel and monogrammed tumbler in a monogrammed Bogg bag." -- Holly Harper Dearmon
"Some good ole' country folks in blue jean cut-off bathing suits and Bud Lights in hand, under their tent singing 'Family Tradition' at the top of their lungs. I may or may not have joined in." -- Rebecca Davis Gahring
"Down here in Sarasota, Florida, no beach trip is complete with your very own Tervis Tumbler. Bonus points if it has a University logo on it." -- Jill Renee
"Guy towed his own port-a-john to the beach on his truck! Dropped it right there near the surf!" -- Melinda Williams Lewis
"Floating the cooler full of beer while wading out to a boat for the Cajun Navy rescue during Hurricane Harvey." -- Lisa Slattery
Read more: 25 perfect snacks for the beach
"Definitely the guy I saw wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat with no shirt in American flag swim trunks." -- Brandi Rakita
"Kids 'rafting' on an upside-down picnic table, trying to paddle it with their hands and feet. It wasn't floating as well as they had hoped, so the kids were sitting on the bottom side of the benches, and were submerged part way up their calves. It looked like they were having a blast." -- Lyle Goodson
"Someone using the inner tube, from a tractor tire, as a float. They had their entire family on it." -- Christy Delaine Long
"My mama shelling peas in a bikini!" -- Angela Reese-Law McCain
"My grandmother’s picnic lunch for a day trip to the beach -- fried chicken, potato salad, pimento cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, chewies and a cooler full of Cokes." -- Kym Westbury Bresnahan
"An Auburn and an Alabama family, fully dressed in school spirit wear including matching tattoos, going fist-to-cuff in Gulf Shores on the beach because of the previous year’s Iron Bowl results." -- James Paul Mills Jr.
"A gentleman bringing a full-sized barbecue grill with about 10 coolers using a luggage trolly from the hotel. This happened on South Padre Island, Texas shore." -- Pamela Alphin
"A TV on the beach with an Alabama football game broadcasting." -- Linda Goodwin Coley
Read more: Woman finds snake on beach chair during vacation
"Went to Myrtle Beach during senior week and saw a bunch of guys who had made a pool in the back of their truck with a tarp." -- Sailor Hugbell
"The Flora-Bama Lounge and their annual mullet toss." -- Chris Whitfield Jones
"A family wearing matching seersucker swimsuits." -- Marissa Hooverman Dove
"A couple of guys split their last beer. One drank out of the bottle while the other drank out of their snorkel face mask." -- Coley Waight
Read more: 20 things you need for your beach trip
"An older gentleman floating out in the ocean took his false teeth out and washed them off in the ocean water!" -- Anita Ring
"Back in the late '40s, and early '50s, my daddy and his buddies went to Myrtle Beach for an overnight trip. They couldn’t find a place to stay so they slept on the beach and had to burn their underwear to keep the mosquitoes away." -- Anne Jarrett
"Someone brought their pet pig to the beach in a clothes hamper." -- Jennifer Whiddon Sumardi
"My dad tying a cooler to the dock so nobody has to get out of the water to get a beer." -- Cecilia Barnard
"A deep fryer set up on the beach at Anna Maria. A guy in full dad gear at the helm, with Hank Jr. cranking way up loud." -- Steve Zanone
"I've used an air mattress to float!" -- Mandy Figueira Cruze
"Nothing says a Southern beach trip like getting up at 5 a.m., setting up a tent, putting on your best PFG, cranking up some Jimmy Buffett and drinking from a seafoam green Yeti." -- Troy Mulkey
"Woman in the pool yelling at the top of her lungs, 'THROW THE BALL TO GRANNY, Y’ALL!' Granny had on a bikini and appeared to be about 40." -- Kemie Styles Brown-Vansant
"Winning the watermelon seed spitting contest as a child hosted by the hotel we stayed at." -- Kinsey Emery
"An alligator swimming in the surf Boynton Beach, Florida." -- Sharon Wenderoth
"A woman in a bikini using canned Crisco as a suntan lotion." -- Gary F. Taylor
"Someone carving a watermelon with a buck knife then taking their slice into the ocean to salt it." -- April Small
Season three of "Virgin River" has been out for a little while now, which means many of us fans who binge-watched the whole thing during its premiere week (or day, no judgment) are going through withdrawals and eager to see what happens next.
Unfortunately, we are all in for a bit of a wait on that front. It'll be hard, but we'll get through it -- and we'll be glad we did when season four arrives and we finally found out who shot Jack.
...we are going to finally find out who shot Jack in season four, right?
RELATED: 9 shows like "Virgin River" you'll love
Until then, why not keep yourself busy by learning some behind-the-scenes facts about the series, its origins and the actors who star in it. Some of 'em might even surprise you. After all, Britney Spears isn't a name you'd likely expect to see while reading an article about "Virgin River," and yet...
"Virgin River" is based on a book series of the same name by author Robyn Carr, which includes more than 20 novels and has sold more than 13 million copies, according to Screen Rant. That's right, y'all. We could get 17 more seasons of "Virgin River" if we play our cards right.
Purchase the first book here.
While Jack's Bar is fictional and most of its interior scenes were filmed on a set, the exterior of the building featured often on the show is an actual restaurant fans can visit, reports Screen Rant. The Watershed Grill in British Columbia's Brackendale serves as Jack's Bar in the series and offers gorgeous views of the Squamish River.
If Mel's cabin looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen it on another show, according to Screen Rant. The cabin was built in 1951 as a park caretaker's home at Murdo Frazer Park in Vancouver. Since the '80s, it has become a popular set for shows. Most recently, it has been featured on "The Flash," "Psych," and "Once Upon A Time".
While Virgin River is a fictional town, the Vancouver tourism board has put together a self-guided tour inspired by the show, reports Oprah Daily. It includes the previously mentioned Watershed Grill, the "Welcome to Virgin River" sign location, the home that is used for Vernon Mullins's Family Practice Clinic and more.
Martin Henderson, who portrays Jack, has plenty of acting credits up his sleeve, but one that stands out is his role in Britney Spear's 2003 music video for "Toxic". He plays the cheating boyfriend, and -- spoiler alert -- he doesn't fare too well for it.
If you're wondering just how popular "Virgin River" is, season three racked up 2.1 billion minutes of viewing in its first week, and the show ranked higher in 2020 than other hit series like "The Crown" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor," reports Forbes.
While "Virgin River" might take place in northern California and be filmed in Canada, the settings for the book are inspired by places Carr grew up, like near the Colorado River and its surrounding areas in Utah, Nevada and Arizona, reports Screen Rant.
The audiobooks for the "Virgin River" series are narrated by award-winning narrator Thérèse Plummer, who also happens to appear in a guest role on the Netflix series as Caroline in season one, reports Screen Rant.
Tim Matheson, who plays Vernon, really has the whole "grumpy doctor set in his ways" role down, and it's probably because it's very similar to one he's played before. Matheson played Brick Breeland, a small-town doctor who doesn't get along with the new, young doctor at his practice, on The CW's "Hart of Dixie". Sound familiar?
While "Virgin River" is a hit, it almost didn't happen. Many producers have made offers to adapt to book series into a television show to author Robyn Carr in the past, but she turned them all down -- until Netflix came along. Carr said she chose the streaming service because she thought it would do the best job of toeing the line between heartfelt and edgy, reports Screen Rant.
If you were disappointed by the lack of Hope, played by Annette O'Toole, in season three, you can blame it on COVID-19, reports Netflix Life. O'Toole was unable to travel to Vancouver for filming. "Hope"-fully (see what I did there?) she'll be around a lot more in season four.
Season four of the series is currently filming and is expected to wrap in November. While Netflix has not announced a release date, many are speculating it will be released around July 2022, according to Marie Claire.
A note to readers: If you like what we do and want to help support It's a Southern Thing, please consider becoming a member. Join The Potluck for exclusive swag, behind-the-scenes content, discounts and more! Sign up here.
There are some songs that, no matter what time of year it is, immediately transport us back to summer.
For some folks, it's whatever song was getting nonstop play at the local pool while for others, it's the song they couldn't help but blast with the windows rolled down anytime it came on the radio.
With that in mind, we decided to ask our followers on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page what song reminds them of summer. We got more than 2,000 replies, and they'd make one hell of a summer playlist.
You can see 25 of the responses below, and you can read all of them on our Facebook page.
"So easy to listen to and makes me want to sway in the summer breeze." -- TerryPat Dill
"Always playing at the rec pool during the summer in Asheville, N.C." -- Cynthia Ward Dunn
"I remember it playing all the time in 1977." -- Catherine Salay Souder
"I heard it every time I went to the city pool in 1969." -- Marilyn Cook Barnes
"We always played it when leaving on a vacation when my kids were little. I love road trips!" -- Linda Pardee
"Are you really from the South if that song is not your playlist for the lake?" -- Taylor McCollum
"It was always playing on the jukebox at the pool where my sisters and I would go swimming. Good memories." -- Carol Y Prentice
"That was one heck of a week in Biloxi beach, Miss. Summer of 1986!" -- Kevin Hill
"I grew up in California but moved to North Carolina when I was 13. Brought all that music with us too!" -- Amy Hora McConnell
"My whole world changed in the summer of ‘66. I can remember basically all those great “summer” songs!" -- Steve MP
"I used to lifeguard at White Water in Georgia. It was always fun at the big slide when people were trying to get out of the way at the bottom." -- Miriam Cope
"Pretty much any Jimmy Buffet song." -- Amanda-Joe Blincoe
"Always playing at any pool party, cookout, camp fire, etc." -- Julia Starnes Burgess
"It was my favorite song when I was a little girl. They were the first band I saw live because we’re in such a small town and they actually came and played at our fairgrounds." -- Laura Harper Deppe
"I remember listening to it while riding back country roads with the windows down and the stereo blasting." -- Dian Dunn Mann-Spears
"It's in the lyrics, 'sweet summertime, summertime.'" -- Tona Terry Couch
"It can start playing and I just feel myself relax and start craving sunshine." -- Madeline Reese
"My family had just moved to Bakersfield in 1966, and it was a hot summer, 'but at night it was a different story.' I loved the warm nights." -- Eileen Mateo
"I had just graduated high school when it came out, and my best friend and I would cruise the streets of our little town in her Dodge Charger and roll down the windows and crank up the radio every time it came on." -- Sherry Rowlett
"Best summer song EVER!" -- Genafer Malyn Foree
"It makes me dance and sing-along." -- Christina Jones Mosley
"It always makes feel like it’s the beginning of the summer." -- Wendy Bosse Cabral
"If I was out driving, I'd roll the windows down and blast it." -- Jan Hagstrom
"You can almost smell the sweet scent of jasmine in the warm, humid evening air, as you listen to this swoon-worthy song." -- Ronda Gregory Waggener
"I've lived in Texas my whole life. Summers are always the same. The current temperature is 102 so 'Highway to Hell' seems appropriate." -- Stacey Joost Stokes
The sculptures' heads headed to Alabama.
What could be better than one quirky roadside attraction? Two, of course. And, just for funsies, let’s make them twins.
You may have heard of Alabama’s Lady in the Bay, who resides in the waters at Barber Marina in Elberta, Ala. This month, she got a twin, the Lady in the Lake, who is located in Leeds, Ala.
Here’s the saga of the world’s only known Twin Ladies in the Water:
George Barber – former racecar driver, real estate investor, heir to the Barber Dairy fortune and holder of the Guinness World Record for his collection of 1,400 motorcycles – has a love of roadside oddities and, thankfully, shares it with the world. Barber has ordered numerous fiberglass giant statues and creations from artist Mark Cline over the years, including four dinosaurs and a Stonehenge replica in the woods along Fish Trap Road leading to Barber Marina in Elberta, Ala. Perhaps Barber’s most iconic commission was the fiberglass figure of a woman who appears to be bathing in the water.
The quirky fiberglass sculpture showing a giant woman’s head and knees emerging from the water was completed by Cline in 2012.
Lady in the Bay, Elberta, Ala.Kelly Kazek
In 2020, the Lady in the Bay was badly damaged by Hurricane Sally. Unwilling to let her go, Barber sent the damaged pieces of the sculpture to Cline’s studio in Natural Bridge, Va., for repair. Cline was nearing completion when he had a sudden idea and asked Barber if he wanted a “spare” in case disaster struck again. Barber said yes. But instead of putting the second lady in storage, Barber placed her at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.
The Lady in the Lake and the Lady in the Bay will both be on permanent display, once the Lady in the Bay is refloated. She is in storage at the marina awaiting repairs to piers also damaged by the hurricane but will be back in the water soon, an employee said.
The Lady in the Lake at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Joe Avila | Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum