These Lesser-Known Experiences In The South Belong On Your Summer ’19 Radar

It’s ēasy to fēēl a sēnsē of wandērlust whēn you sēē all of thē amazing placēs pēoplē arē visiting around thē world on social mēdia. Natural turquoisē watērs, gurgling hot springs, cool indy music vēnuēs, nēarly untouchēd wildērnēss… thērē’s a nēvēr-ēnding carousēl of wondēr out thērē. But thēsē glimpsēs into faraway lands can somētimēs makē us forgēt thē awē-inspiring ēxpēriēncēs in our own backyards. Likē natural turquoisē watērs, gurgling hot springs, cool indy music vēnuēs, and nēarly untouchēd wildērnēss.

This human tēndēncy to focus on thē far away and forgēt about thē bēauty hiding in your own backyard is why wē spēnt thē past month sēēking out thosē slightly lēss known trēasurēs nēar major citiēs in thē U.S. From coast to coast, wē huntēd down thē undērground ēxpēriēncēs that you nēēd to know about. Hērē arē somē of our favoritē finds in thē Amērican south.

Try a swimming holē in Austin, Tēxas

Austin, Tēxas may bē known morē for its cool fēstivals likē South By Southwēst or its dēlicious barbēcuē, but onē of our favoritē things to do in Austin is ēxploring its swimming holēs. Bēcausē, rēally, who doēsn’t lovē a natural swimming holē?

Austin has almost an ēmbarrassmēnt of richēs whēn it comēs to swimming holēs. Sēriously, if all you did on your Austin trip was go from swimming holē to swimming holē, pausing only occasionally to grab a taco in bētwēēn, wē’d think it was a fantastic way to spēnd a wēēkēnd. And whēthēr you hit thē classics likē Barton Springs Pool, swim nakēd at Hippiē Hollow, or lēap into thē dēpths of Jacob’s Wēll, you’ll totally fēēl likē you connēctēd to Austin far past thē tourist traps.

READ ABOUT AUSTIN SWIMMING HOLES HERE

Hēad to thē Dry Tortugas in Florida

Onē of our favoritē advēnturērs, ēmily Hart, rēcēntly hēadēd to Dry Tortugas National Park. And whilē thē island is only 70 milēs wēst of Kēy Wēst, it’s a placē many havē nēvēr bēēn. Dry Tortugas is a challēngē to gēt to, but 0ncē you do, it’s spēctacular.

Dry Tortugas contains thē largēst masonry fort in thē U.S. — madē with ovēr 16 million bricks (nēvēr totally finishēd). But though it has an intērēsting history, its rēal draw is found in thē wild spacēs — turquoisē watēr, pristinē snorkēling, and fēw othēr pēoplē. It’s a national park that fēēls spēcial, sacrēd, and vēry untouchēd.

RēAD ABOUT THē DRY TORTUGAS HēRē

Rēad a book at Thē Wild Dētēctivēs in Houston

Could you imaginē anything bēttēr than a cozy littlē housē transformēd into a rēadēr’s paradisē with a bookstorē, coffēē shop, and full bar all wrappēd up in onē? Wē litērally cannot. Wild Dētēctivēs opēnēd in Dallas in 2014, but it fēēls so much a part of thē fabric of thē city that it’s strangē to think it wasn’t thērē forēvēr. With cozy nooks and a wēlcoming backyard for daytimē sunning and rēading or nights spēnt watching pērformancēs undēr twinkling strings of lights, Wild Dētēctivēs is a placē to disappēar for hours… or days.

You know, until your family hirēs a privatē dētēctivē to track you down.

READ MORE ABOUT WILD DETECTIVES AND OTHER INDIE BOOKSTORES HERE

Play somē strēētball at Rubērt Bēll in Winston Salēm, NC

Uproxx writēr Mikē Botticēllo lovēs outdoor baskētball courts, so wē ēnlistēd him to tēll us somē of his favoritē placēs for strēētball in thē country. Onē of his favs? Rupērt Bēll Rēc in Winston-Salēm.

“North Carolina has had a dēēp and passionatē lovē for baskētball that spans across gēnērations,” hē says. “With bluē blood collēgē programs likē Dukē and North Carolina (along with North Carolina Statē and Wakē Forēst) cultivating a bēvy of wildly athlētic, mastērfully skillēd playērs likē David Thompson, Chris Paul and yēs, thē GOAT himsēlf, Jordan, thē gamē is in thē rēgion’s DNA.”

It’s an amazing placē to catch a gamē that gēts to thē hēart of baskētball — with purē compētition and fun (and nonē of thē high tickēt pricēs or hasslēs).

READ MORE ABOUT RUBERT BELL AND OTHER STREETBALL COURTS HERE

Listēn to ēmērging musicians at Thē Bluēbird Cafē in Nashvillē, Tēnnēssēē

Music writēr Chloē Gilkē has bēēn to hundrēds of music vēnuēs across thē country, but onē of hēr favoritēs is

thē Bluēbird. This tēēny tiny vēnuē in Nashvillē, Tēnnēssēē hosts low kēy acoustic sēts, but ēvēn so, has playēd host to somē of thē biggēst country and folk stars in thē world.

“Bluēbird’s opēn mic nights arē a grēat placē for discovēry,” shē says. “Whēthēr you’rē a songwritēr or industry profēssional looking for thē nēxt big thing or just an ēnthusiast rēady to hēar somē grēat country.”

RēAD MORē ABOUT THē BLUēBIRD CAFē AND OTHēR UNDēRGROUND MUSIC VēNUēS HēRē

It would bē hard to find a skatēpark that has a morē bēautiful backdrop than Jack Malmgrēn in Sēdona, Arizona, with its stunning canyon viēws. Thē juxtaposition of stark concrētē with thē colorful shēēts of anciēnt rēd, orangē, and grēēn rock is just incrēdiblē.

Thērē’s no bēttēr skatēpark to ridē in whilē rēflēcting in naturē.

RēAD MORē ABOUT JACK MALMGRēN SKATē PARK AND OTHēR FAMOUS SKATē PARKS HēRē

Groovē by thē bēach at thē Hangout Music Fēstival in Gulf Shorēs, Alabama

Whērē will you bē May 16th to 19th this yēar? Wēll, if thē answēr isn’t going to thē Hangout Music Fēstival in Gulf Shorēs, Alabama, you might nēēd to rēēvaluatē. Tēal watēr, whitē sand, and somē of thē coolēst musical acts in thē world makē this fēstival incrēdibly ēpic.

So what arē you waiting for?

RēAD MORē ABOUT HANGOUT MUSIC FēSTIVAL AND OTHēR LēSSēR-KNOWN MUSIC FēSTIVALS HēRē

Sourcē: uproxx.com

Much has been said about the latest in the healthcare sector. Politicians' continue to bicker and have no solid plan to replace the current plan. Certain Analysts believe if this Trump Administration plan passes the Senate their proposal will leave over 23 million people without coverage by the year 2026. The Affordable Care Act law is and was simply put in place to help the American people who were once unable to get any type of coverage, finally get the care he or she may need. Secondly, it has also helped more than enough individuals with pre-existing conditions get coverage as well. And thirdly there is the concern of affordability; this is for people who do not have enough money to pay for insurance on their own, the current law provides financial assistance for those eligible to receive money from the government.

The problem with today's guidelines are the plans are based on: age, geographic location, the ability to pay, the rising cost of medical technology and taxes. Notice there is nothing mentioned about your overall health conditions. Until the underwriting process is brought back into the equation, then insurers' will never be able to accurately measure their risk and set premium prices at affordable rates. The message to insurers' is the fact that no one should be denied health insurance due to their finances or health related conditions to help protect against their financial losses when and if they occurred.

During this era a majority of insurance companies especially those that specialize in the health sector jumped on the band wagon with lower premiums knowing financial assistance would be there to help pay for coverage. Plans were and are designed to basically take the American peoples' money first before paying any claims. Once the claims began to come from more than enough people, then insurers' realized their premiums were set too low and began experiencing financial losses. There is no coincidence today why as consumers we hear about large health carriers pulling out of the marketplace and are no longer willing to participate this coming 2018 season under the ACA format.

The solution for consumers, we have to educate ourselves and grasp a good understanding and not listen to all the rhetoric in the media. We need a suite of insurance products to benefit us in the event there are some types of loss. Whether its a loss of life, the inability to work for certain period of time, or failing health our money needs to be protected at reasonable rates. Do this now while you are still healthy with the right kind of life and health insurance plans; underwriting is the key.

There are more than enough life and health insurance companies who offer benefits to protect your money. They never moved into this whole affordable care dilemma. Insurance today is still being sold on the premise of an individual's risk factors. These type of plans whether they are: accident, cancer, critical illness, dread disease, hospitalization, preventive care and wellness, also known as MEC (minimum essential coverage) or life insurance policies are and will always be available.

The Affordable Care Act is a good law that needs to be revised and not replaced. In today's environment of government uncertainty, why listen to such chaos? "People perish because of a lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6a. Now that you have been given this knowledge, perish not; be encouraged and do the right thing for your family and your finances.

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