Road Trip: Columbia, Tennessee

There are a million and one reasons why people stop doing the things they love, the most well-known culprit of course being a lack of time. A lot has happened since I last wrote on this blog. Nate and I had another baby, Everett, born in December 2013. My band, The Carmonas has been busy writing, recording and performing. And I've just been living life; trying to balance raising two small boys, being a good wife and traveling and performing with the band. But I have missed writing and documenting the little snippets of life that tend to get forgotten as we get caught up in the whirlwind of our day to day existence. With the encouragement of my sweet sister-in-law, Megan, I hope to revive this little spot on the www, so I figured I'd start with one of the things I love the most: travel. 

As the band has gotten busier, and our lives in general have become more hectic, Nate and I have fallen out of the habit of taking little road trips to explore the space around us. We decided to remedy that a few weeks ago by spending an afternoon in the quaint little town of Columbia, Tennessee, about a 40 minute drive from our house. Nate had done a story awhile back about the revival of vinyl records, and highlighted Variety Records on the Columbia town square, and he really wanted to take me there.

Columbia seems to be experiencing a bit of a resurgence in their downtown area. According to our conversations with some of the locals, a lot of great small businesses have been setting up shop, and as nearby Franklin expands, more and more people are venturing out to explore. 

We had a bit of snowy and icy weather that kept us homebound for several days, so it was great to get out with the kids and stretch our legs a bit with the sun on our faces.

Ahh, those little legs kill me!

 I am not kidding when I say to run to Pie Sensations in Columbia and get a pie. Any pie. We took home the chocolate cream and it was gone in less than a day. So good!

Yummy coffee and homemade muffin at Muletown.

The sweet shop owner at Pie Sensations gave Maddux a carmel, so naturally he was in Heaven.

Those legs again!

Variety Records

I loved the original structures and details surrounding the town square.

Amazing staircase in the Old Curiosity Book Shop.

Maddux was enthralled by the desk made of books!

Making wishes.

Nate let the boys run around outside while I went into the Accents & Antiques shop to browse. 

It's nearly impossible to get a shot of these two facing the camera!

Road Trip: Savannah, Georgia

As amazing as becoming parents has been, Nate and I have been craving a good old fashioned road trip like the kind we used to take before Maddux came along. Taking a kid on the road, as fun as it can be, completely changes the dynamics of any vacation. We haven't been away from Maddux since he was born, almost 21 months ago. It was way past time for us to leave the Munchkin with Nana and Papa and take off down the open road.

When we were pregnant, we took a trip to Savannah and absolutely fell in love. Like, we could move here and spend the rest of our lives here kind of love. So off to Savannah we went, despite tropical storm warnings and the threat of Memorial Weekend crowds.

Savannah has not lost its touch. The Spanish Moss still hang romantically from the trees in the squares, River Street still allows you to walk around outside with a beer, and Paula Deen still cooks up a mean Southern buffet.

We loved out first stay at the Marshall House so much, we decided to make a return visit. Being Savannah's oldest hotel, it is filled with history, charm and romance. If you get one of the Broughton Balcony King rooms you can sit outside on the balcony with wine and cheese and watch the sunset, or the too cool SCAD students walking to Leopold's . Which is exactly what we did:

The Marshall House also has the distinction of being one of the most haunted hotels in America . So if you're cool with that then this may be the place for you.

One of our favorite things to do in Savannah is just wander through the old squares admiring the well-preserved historic homes and churches.

We also got dressed up one evening and had an amazing dinner at Belford's. Their Baked Brie was seriously out of this world. I'm craving it right now!

We also spent a couple of hours at Tybee Island. Tropical Storm Beryl was in the area, but we never got really nasty weather. It was actually kind of nice. Breezy, slightly overcast, mid-80's. Perfect.

As amazing as our trip was, I have to admit one of my favorite parts was picking Maddux up. When we opened the door, he ran to Daddy first, then me, giggling uncontrollably. I mean, he was practically giddy. But we absolutely can't wait to go back, and would highly recommend Savannah to any of you planning a little get-away.

Road Trip: Lynchburg, Tennessee

If you are a fan of Jack Daniels Whiskey, then you may be familiar with the tiny town of Lynchburg, Tennessee. 

Lynchburg is home to the famous Jack Daniels Distillery, which according to the town's website, averages over 250,000 visitors every year. For a town of less than 6,000 people, nestled in a pretty remote location in the Tennessee hills, that is a pretty significant population jump.

Nate was working on a story last week, so Maddux and I tagged along. We only stayed long enough to take a few pictures and get some Jack Daniels infused chocolates (yum!), but we are thinking about going back this Saturday for the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbeque Competition. With over 25,000 people expected in the town on that day alone we may have a hard time finding parking!

Road Trip: Nolensville, Tennessee

Another weekend, another road trip for me, Nate and Maddux. Saturday was such a gorgeous day here in Nashville, sunny and finally cool enough for jeans and hoodies. Fall is just beginning to make its presence known and after such a stifling hot summer, it is certainly welcomed.

We didn't have a whole lot of time, so we drove out to the tiny town of Nolensville, less than 30 minutes from home. 10 years ago, Nolensville was nothing more than a small area of decaying historic houses and rolling old farmland. But with the huge growth of nearby Brentwood and Williamson County, the town has grown exponentially. Gone are many of the farms in place of Publix grocery stores and cookie cutter subdivisions. But if you drive just past all that, the main town area still stands, albeit with a brand new, shiny Town Hall. 

We stopped at the Nolensville Feed Mill where you can buy groceries, gifts and knick knacks. On Saturdays, they host Music at the Mill (the store backs up to Mill Creek) where you can eat their buffet-style Meat and Three while listening to musicians do some "pickin' and grinin'". When we were there, we were lucky enough to hear the super talented Mark Winchester, who we found out used to play upright bass with the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Road Trip: Charlotte, Tennessee. The Sequel.

Nate, Maddux and I headed back to Charlotte for their Fair in the Square on Saturday afternoon. As expected, sweet tea and fried food was in abundance, there was a bluegrass band playing and the locals were laying on the down-home charm. Basically, it was Heaven.