Last weekend in the mountains was just SO GOOD. On Saturday morning, some girlfriends and I drove up to the Boone/Banner Elk area and had the best 36 hours. No kids, no agenda and the most gorgeous weather. There is just something about that fresh mountain air that always does wonders to the soul. We stayed at my friend Allie's mountain house which was a little slice of heaven!
We arrived around lunchtime and made a pit stop for lunch at The Cardinal, which came highly recommended by a friend. We sat on the back deck of the restaurant and kicked off our girls weekend with gourmet burgers and local beers. PERFECT! This is where I discovered Boonshine Brewing (which we hit up for lunch the next day!) The Farm Burger was everything.
Our next stop- Grandfather Vineyard Winery. This spot was so quaint and perfect for an afternoon with the girls. You also cannot beat the backdrop. The view of Grandfather Mountain from the patio was beautiful. The wine was so, so good. We shared two bottles from the tasting room- The Pinot Gris (my favorite-perfect for summer), and the Cabernet.
Dinner was a treat and we had all been waiting for this meal for months! We had reservations at Artisanal, a restaurant in Banner Elk that is open seasonally. I cannot express how much we all LOVED it. The restaurant itself is so stunning. It's elegant but rustic and still has that homey mountain feel. The back deck area of the restaurant was a lovely spot to enjoy our pre-dinner cocktails. I could have sat out there all night in front of the fire! The food, the service, the company- everything about our dinner that night was just wonderful and I want to go back!! If you are local to NC this place is a must.
Before we headed out of town and down the mountain on Sunday, we had lunch at Basil's Fresh Pasta + Deli/Booneshine Brewing. This was such a cute spot! I had the most delicious BLAT and left with a full belly AND a four pack of their IPA.
Clearly, we ate and drank our way through the weekend, but I couldn't have asked for anything more! So thankful for these friendships! (and the dads that held down the forts at home to make this moms weekend away possible)
We recently spend almost a week in Florida and had the best time. We stayed in the Tampa area with Mark's family and had fun exploring the area that he grew up in. The car ride from Charlotte clocked in at around 9 hours and with our two little ones in tow, it took around 11 hours.
We spent a ton of time with Mark's family and extended family and our kids looooved having fun with their cousins. The beaches were gorgeous. I love love love Carolina beaches, especially Kiawah, but this was a different kind of beautiful. I don't think you can ever compare them because they both have their unique qualities.
This was Kate's first trip to the ocean and she was in LOVE. She ran through the water, got her toes in the sand and made a giant mess. Ha! The little princess has no fear. Will hadn't been to the beach since he was two, and he was so excited to be back.
Tarpon Springs was my favorite little spot! We walked around the little town that reminded me of a European village. We enjoyed some Greek pastries with coffee and popped in and out of the shops. The boats were just beautiful- something about seeing tons of boats on the water gets me every time.
We ventured to Clearwater beach to dinner one night. We ate at Frenchies Rockaway Grill which came highly recommended. The outdoor patio was right on the beach and our meal was FANTASTIC. Fresh fish from the gulf coast is hard to beat- my grouper was beyond delicious. It also turns out that Tampa Bay Brewing has some pretty delicious IPA.
After dinner that night, we walked on the beach just before sunset. The sand is like baby powder and the water is crystal clear. I'm a beach girl so this was heaven for me. Will and Kate loved running around on the sand and sticking their toes in the water. This was my favorite night of the entire trip!
We spent a day at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park which was fun and hilarious. Apparently this is one of Florida's oldest attractions, including MERMAIDS! My six year old Ariel loving heart was freaking out a little.
The Florida sun was in full force and it was HOT but it was such a fun outing. We also took a boat ride down the springs and watched a wildlife show with snakes, alligators and turtles.
On our way home, we made a pit stop and enjoyed a glass bottom boat ride in Ocala. The state park has been been running these boats for over 100 years! The Springs were beautiful and Will especially loved being able to see all of the fish and turtles below. Our captain tossed fish food into the water and tons of fish swam up to the bottom of the boat to eat. I still cannot get over the crystal clear spring water. Definitely worth the stop and it was perfect since it was right on our way home.
Thankful for fun, sun and plenty of family time and memories!
