Hannah Brusven, founder and editor-in-chief of The Swish magazine, discusses her background as an eighth-generation Georgian. She is a relative of Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler and Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell.

Hannah delves into her fascination with classical femininity, etiquette, and traditional Southern hospitality on the latest episode of SHFB.

On today’s podcast, we are stepping back in time to the 1930s, when the Sea View Inn—one of two remaining inns on Pawley’s Island—was first built. Hurricane Hazel destroyed the building, which sits on the beach, in the 1950s, but it was rebuilt to its original footprint in 1956. That structure remains standing today, and its interior is a reflection of what life was like at the inn nearly 70 years ago.

Visitors at the Sea View Inn feel like they’ve stepped back in time. There is no AC in the main building; guests are encouraged to open their windows to the sea breeze on warm nights. Guests are offered a glass of sweet or unsweet tea when they walk in the door. Local chefs prepare traditional Southern cooking each night, and staff ring a bell to inform guests when dinner is being served. The inn has a no-cell-phone policy and, while it does have WiFi, it only really works in one spot. But guests aren’t coming to the Sea View Inn for business or luxury; they’re coming to escape the outside world and sit in peace on the beautiful, white-sand beach where the hotel has stood since 1937.

Sassy Henry and her husband, Brian, took over ownership of the inn in 2002. On this very special episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners, Sassy tells me about her family’s decision to drop everything and take over the inn more than two decades ago, whether Southern hospitality still exists today, and why it’s so important for the Sea View Inn to maintain its longstanding Southern roots.

Southern Hospitality Magazine feature writer Apryl Thomas discusses her 20-year experience traveling across the South and telling the region's stories. Hear about her favorite destinations and experiences on the latest episode of Southern Hospitality for Beginners.

Alabama native Elizabeth Conner discusses her upbringing in "the Heart of Dixie" and Tennessee, plus her college experience at Ole Miss. She shares some of her grandmother's favorite Southern idioms and remains optimistic that Southern hospitality will live on.

My good friend and North Carolina native Evie Solheim discusses all things Tarheel, from the famous Duke-Chapel Hill rivalry to The Outer Banks TV series to her childhood trips to see The Lost Colony in Roanoke County. Most importantly, Evie shares her thoughts on whether Southern hospitality still exists—and who is allowed to say "y'all."

For the first episode of "Southern Hospitality for Beginners," four residents of Western North Carolina share stories of how their communities came together to help each other in the wake of Hurricane Helene. One year after the storm, business owners and residents reflect on how the storm united strangers when they needed each other most.

Guests:

Richard Sayles of The Grafton Lodge in Lake Lure

Ryan Dietrich of Lake Lure

Crissy Barnes Blanton of Chimney Rock

Steve Antle of Fairview