Magical Southern Christmas Getaways: Charleston, Savannah & St. Augustine
There’s something about Southern Christmas getaways that makes me want to pack a bag, grab a hot chocolate, and disappear for a long weekend. Maybe it’s the historic homes covered in garland, the little shops decorated for the holidays, or the fact that we can enjoy Christmas lights without worrying about digging our cars out of three feet of snow. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a picture-perfect white Christmas. Snow-covered rooftops, cozy fireplaces, and all that Hallmark movie nonsense sound wonderful. Right up until I have to scrape ice off a windshield. Then I’m perfectly happy celebrating Christmas somewhere a little warmer. Living in Georgia has…
Lake Tahoe With Teens: How to Plan a Trip You’ll Actually Enjoy
Sponsored content: The Mama Life received compensation for publishing this article. Planning a trip to Lake Tahoe with teens? Sitting on the California-Nevada border, this destination somehow manages to feel like two trips in one. You get alpine scenery, beach energy, mountain towns, and enough outdoor options to keep even screen-attached teens from complaining for at least a few hours. If you’re planning a family trip and want it to feel organized without becoming a military operation, Tahoe gives you plenty to work with across every season. Source: Pexels Start With the Season, Not the Packing List Your Tahoe trip changes a lot depending on when you go. Winter brings…
From Fine Dining to Hole-in-the-Wall: Georgia Restaurants Where the Food Is Damn Good
Let’s start with the good stuff. FOOD! If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I freaking LOVE good food. I’m talking about the kind of meal you find yourself thinking about three weeks later, the kind that makes you stop mid-bite, look across the table at your husband, and say, “Oh my gosh, you HAVE to try this!” I love the entire experience of going out to eat, whether we’re getting dressed up for a special occasion or stopping somewhere completely unexpected on the way home from a hike. And I am not particularly concerned about what the restaurant looks like or how much dinner costs.…
Unique Things to Do in the Southeast: 11 Unforgettable Experiences Worth the Trip
There are only so many times I can read another list of the best places to visit in the Southeast before I start wondering what we’re actually supposed to DO when we get there. Don’t get me wrong, I love a charming mountain town, a beautiful beach, and a good restaurant as much as anyone. But sometimes I want to come home from a weekend getaway with a story that starts with, “You’re not going to believe what we found.” Living in the Atlanta area, we’re fortunate to have so many incredible destinations within driving distance. My husband and I have always loved exploring, whether that means hiking through the…
Best Romantic Mountain Getaways in the Southeast: Hiking, Spas, Wineries & a Little Luxury
If you read this blog based solely on my Google traffic, you would probably assume I am a beach girl. And I do love a beautiful beach, especially if you give me clear water and somewhere to snorkel or dive. But mountains have always been home for Heath and me. When we lived in Colorado, we spent pretty much every free weekend hiking. We put thousands of miles on our boots, climbed several 14ers and thought absolutely nothing of disappearing into the mountains for an entire day. Then we had Coop and apparently decided a baby wasn’t going to interfere with this plan because he was in a hiking carrier…
Best Romantic Beach Getaways in the Southeast: Luxury Resorts Worth Leaving the Kids Home For
If you’ve spent any time around here, you already know I spend a ridiculous amount of time talking about beaches we can drive to from Atlanta. Usually I’m looking at them through the lens of a family trip. Where can Coop snorkel? Is there enough to do? Is the beach nice? Can we get there without spending an entire day traveling? But Heath and I celebrate our 14th anniversary next month, and this time I’m looking for something completely different. I don’t want the cooler, beach toys or a condo with a kitchen so I can somehow find myself making breakfast on vacation. I want someone to hand me a…
Best Waterfall Hikes Near Atlanta: Georgia Trails Worth Getting Your Feet Wet For
There are approximately 400 million “best waterfall hikes in Georgia” lists on the internet, so I wasn’t particularly interested in making another one based on trails somebody else said were pretty. These are waterfall hikes we’ve actually hiked. Long before our family vacations started leaning heavily toward the beach, Heath and I were hikers. We’re talking thousands of miles on trails, weekends planned around where we could hike next and several Colorado 14ers under our boots. When Coop came along, we didn’t stop. We strapped him into a carrier when he was barely four months old and kept going. Now he’s nine, carries himself and occasionally even carries his own…
Fall Trips From Atlanta: Getting Back to Our Mountain Roots
If you’ve spent any time on this blog, you could easily assume I’m a beach girl. There are certainly enough beach posts around here to make a pretty convincing case. The truth is, I’m a mountain girl through and through. Before we had Coop, Heath and I spent thousands of miles on hiking trails. When we lived in Colorado, we were gone almost every weekend. We hiked 14ers, explored trails all over the state and basically planned our free time around where we could hike next. Some couples had brunch plans on Saturday mornings. We were usually somewhere on the side of a mountain. Then we had a baby, and…
Where to Find the Clearest Water Within Driving Distance of Atlanta
If you’ve spent any time around here, you already know I have a slight beach obsession. Okay, maybe more than slight. I have written about beaches close to Atlanta, quiet Florida beach towns, hidden beaches, 30A, Sarasota, Key West and probably enough sand at this point that Google has figured out exactly where my happy place is. But there is one thing I will absolutely drive a little farther for: clear water. You know the kind. The water where you can stand waist deep and still see your feet. Where the kids can put on a mask and spend an hour looking for fish. Where the Gulf turns from pale…
Best Fall Mountain Getaways in Georgia & North Carolina: Festivals, Waterfalls and Small-Town Charm
There is a point every summer in Georgia when I am just done. Done with the humidity, done with sweating while walking from the house to the car, and definitely done with getting into a vehicle that feels like it has been preheating at 425 degrees. Then we get that first cool morning and suddenly I want coffee on a porch, a cabin in the mountains and absolutely nowhere I have to be. After our recent weekend in Ellijay, I may have entered my mountain era. We rented a cabin right on the river, hiked 7.3 miles, watched lightning bugs at night and basically let our nine year old and…
