Spend a few days in Santa Barbara and it’s safe to say you’ll never want to leave. Nestled between the majestic Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara boasts an average 300 sunny days a year and temperatures that generally stay between the mid-60s and mid-70s. It’s just 90 miles north of LA […]
March 29, 2019
Shelby Bottoms has some beautiful natural features you won’t find at any other park in Nashville — including several beaver dams! But with its close proximity to urban Nashville, you and your family might see a little more than you bargained for… We don’t get out to Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms Park all that often and […]
March 26, 2019
Looking for an easy North Georgia trail that features several scenic waterfalls? The Raven Cliff Falls Trail is perfect for you and your family! Here’s all you need to know before you go! It’s sort of mind boggling to me that you can drive just an hour and a half from the big city bustle […]
March 22, 2019
These fantastic restaurants near Nashville boast fabulous food and lots of small-town Southern charm. This post was written in partnership with Visit Rutherford. Nashville’s restaurant scene is on fire right now, but while this means more options on the food front, it also means higher prices, longer waits for a table, and the disappearance of […]
February 25, 2019
Get ready for the ultimate Chattanooga family vacation. If there’s any city I feel completely knowledgeable about (besides Nashville), it’s Chattanooga, Tennessee. My oldest stepdaughter enrolled at UT Chattanooga in 2008, my younger stepdaughter followed her a few years later, and at least one of them has lived in Chattanooga ever since. We generally visit […]
February 7, 2019
A while back, I wrote about my favorite ‘secret’ hiking trail in Nashville — the Hidden Lake trail at Harpeth River State Park. It’s a gorgeous trail with a fascinating past, and most people who read the post were excited to find out about it. Notice I said MOST. ‘Well, I guess it’s not a […]
January 29, 2019
Years ago, when I was a young reporter for the ABC affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, I interviewed a minister who’d been a local leader in the Civil Rights Movement and had worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr. The interview took place in his home, and before we arrived, he’d pulled out albums full […]
January 21, 2019
There’s nothing like visiting a town when it’s all dressed up for Christmas. We’ve been scheduling a Christmas weekend getaway each year for some time now and these trips have ended up being some of my all-time favorites — and it’s no surprise when I think about it… As fun as my own hometown’s holiday traditions […]
December 7, 2018
There’s no lack of things to do this Christmas in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County! Here’s your complete guide to the 2018 holiday season. This post was written in partnership with Visit Rutherford County. You want to enjoy Christmas this year without having to brave the massive Nashville crowds. Savor the season without a stampede of […]
November 14, 2018
On an overcast morning in Gulf Shores, Alabama, we loaded the kids up in the car and set off without telling them where we were going. “Won’t you give us a hint?” my son pleaded. “Does it involve video games?” “Nope,” I said firmly. “Definitely not.” “Does it involve dessert?” my daughter asked hopefully. “Uh, […]
October 18, 2018
