King studies two locales: 'South of the Border' - Alan Schafer's beer stand cum theme park - and Atlantic Beach - a primary tourist destination for middle-class African Americans. She considers them separately and together, to illustrate how they serve as lens for viewing the historical, social, and aesthetic aspects embedded in a place's culture over time. In doing so, the book engages with concepts of the 'Newer South', the contemporary era of southern culture.