Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

View from Wayah Bald A few years ago the ladies in my family did a trip to the mountains in July and we stayed in Dillard, Georgia. It was the first time I had stayed in the area and I enjoyed my time there. We went kayaking, hiking, found a salvage yard, and visited a fun French-ish restaurant that was located adjacent to a gas station. I liked the area and wanted to return.  In the years since, I have been back to the Franklin, North Carolina area a few times. This year, we went over 4th of July weekend. We decided to go there because we thought it would be a good place to avoid the crowds that you find in many areas of the North Carolina mountains. It was a good choice. We were able to do all the things we wanted to and didn't feel that we were ever in a situation where there were too many people in close quarters.  During this visit, we hiked two short trails. I was amazed at the flowers we were able to find along the trails and roads, since it was July and many flowers ha...

In 2019 I decided I wanted to up our amount of hiking and being outdoors. I'm always inspired this time of year to get outside. There's something about hiking when it's cold and dry and the trees are bare of leaves. I think it comes from hiking with my parents often in the winter. They usually do a Christmas Day hike which I'd love to join them for one year. I've thought about getting park passes, like the South Carolina State Parks Pass, but before I commit the money to that, I thought we'd see how much we might need it. Most parks are pretty cheap to get in ($5 or less) and there are many of places we can go for free. I also got one of the SC Park Passports where you get it stamped at each park and when you get them all stamped, you are an Ultimate Outsider. Fun. Besides SC State Parks, I love that we have the Palmetto Trail . One day it will go from Oconee to the beach. It comes right through Columbia. It's not 100% complete now but there are a lot of ...

I don't know about you but I have a bit of spring fever. My remedy: plan a vacation! I love to travel and plan trips. Day trips, weekend getaways or even longer vacations, sometimes I am just as excited planning the trip as I am going on the trip. When I'm out of town, and we're tired and hungry and looking for somewhere to eat, I'm glad I did all the prep-work. Also, it comes in handy when you're trying to plan a trip and save money. So I thought I would share some of my money-saving vacation-planning tips to help you plan your upcoming adventures, wherever they take you. Budget - Think about what you're willing to spend on and what you want to save on.  travel - I, personally, would rather drive just about any time over flying. And I love flying. But, with the time and money involved in flying, I don't see it as worth it. When driving, I can see more sights and pack more. If you're concerned about gas prices, you can consider renting a car that ge...

Asheville, North Carolina, is a great city for beer. It has recently gained popularity for its locally brewed beers and has attracted a few national breweries to the region. If you live in the South, this is a great city to tour and taste the many, varied offerings. Also, there are a few towns nearby that are worth checking out. About 30 minutes to the west is Brevard and maybe 15 minutes to the east is Black Mountain. Not to mention the many other towns worth visiting in the vicinity.  I prefer to start in Brevard and then head over to Asheville. The breweries in Brevard are open earlier so you can get the most out of a day trip. I suggest checking each place's website for hours for their tasting room as well as tour hours. I've attached my map with some places pinned on it. It helps so make a driving plan so you're not going all over town. Downtown Asheville traffic can get difficult, especially on a busy Saturday.  Be sure to have a designated driver for this!  Also...

So, I was supposed to go to Savannah the other weekend but other plans came up and I wasn't able to go. I was bummed when we had such nice weather on Sunday and I knew it would feel like spring in Savannah. It got me thinking about the city and what I would do or recommend someone to do if they were in Savannah for the weekend. I thought I would share with you my ideal itinerary. I'm giving you some "Save" options and some "Splurge" options, you could also see these as save = more family friendly options and splurge = romantic weekend options. I hope you can use these and enjoy Savannah. It's one of my favorite southern cities. First thing I would do, is check the Savannah visitor's website . See what kind of events are going on that weekend in Savannah and Tybee Island. You may want to join these events or avoid them. Also, be sure, if you're going to be spending time downtown, you may want to invest in a parking pass for the city. You can f...