It’s summertime and the living is easy, unless you live in Atlanta with temperatures in the upper 90’s every…damn…day. With the humidity taking it over 100 degrees, I don’t even want to go outside anymore until September because it’s only going to get worse. If you know me at all, you know I don’t like heat one bit. It’s exhausting and just takes the energy out of me.
Well, enough of my ranting because what I’m going to talk about are mini-vacations. I have these on my Vision Board for this year and I’m getting a late start. I promised myself to take 2 or 3 day trips to interesting cities that are no more than a few hours away from me and I’ve come up with the first four that I’m going to try to get to this summer.
Charleston, SC
Charleston was voted the #1 City by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. My family has a rich history on my mother’s side of the family. There’s a term called “geechee” and my grandmother always said that’s what her people were. I never knew what it meant until I grew up and learned that these were former slaves from West Africa that were brought to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and they kept their cultural heritage. That in itself is enough for me to want to visit.
Broad Street is the most famous street in Charleston, SC and has been in existence since the 1670’s.
Image via Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau
Voted “America’s Best Oyster Bar” by Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Thrillist, the Ordinary is located in an old bank building. I absolutely love oysters so this looks like a good place for me to go.
Image via The Ordinary Restaurant
Angel Oak is the oldest oak tree east of the Mississippi and is located on Johns Island, a short boat ride away. I’ve loved trees ever since I was a child, so this speaks to me.
Image via Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau
The City Market is held every day from 9:30 – 5pm and they even have an evening market on the weekend from 6:30pm – 10:30pm. This shopping mecca is made up of 100% local and South Carolina artisans, food and music. This is my jam!!!
Image via The Charleston City Market
Nashville, TN
Known as Music City, I’ve been to this city many moons ago and I don’t really remember too much so I’m looking forward to seeing what has happened in the ensuing years. Home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, there is a rich history in this city.
On Broadway is where all of the music venues are and I’m not a huge country fan, but I love me some Shania Twain. I also like country music that’s closer to blues like Chris Stapleton.
Nashville is known for its hot chicken and Chauhan Ale & Masala House does have a hot chicken dish, but Modern Indian is really the cuisine here. It’s owned by Maneet Chauhan and for those of us foodies, we love this celebrity chef on Food TV. She is a master at what she does and I couldn’t visit Nashville without going to her restaurant.
While I’m there, I have to have some Tennessee whiskey. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Chris Stapleton called, you guessed it, “Tennessee Whiskey”. There’s also craft breweries around the city and I love craft beer.
Image via Green Brier Distillery
East Nashville is another place to explore with it’s green space along the River with quirky shops and fun restaurants.
https://nashvillepublicart.com/2018/12/06/donut-art-in-east-nashville
Asheville, NC
Asheville has always been a city that holds a special place in my heart. My family has spent vacations in nearby Highlands and Cashiers, we’ve gone boating in the rapids and we’ve eaten at some wonderful restaurants. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it originated as an outpost in 1797 and Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone were frequent travelers there. It’s called the Paris of the South now because it has the most 1920’s period architecture.
Asheville is known as an art colony and the River Arts District is where all the art galleries and studios are located. They have second Saturday art strolls every month which sounds like a lot of fun. There’s basketry, ceramics, painting, jewelry making, metalwork and much more. This is right up my alley and will be a must see for me.
https://www.exploreasheville.com/stories/post/how-to-rad-a-day-in-the-river-arts-district
I can’t believe I’ve never been to the Biltmore Estate, even though I’ve been to Asheville a couple of times and the surrounding area. I haven’t made up my mind if I should wait until the holidays because the decorations are supposed to be epic. This is the largest house in the United States and was built by George Vanderbilt in 1889. He is also the great uncle of Gloria Vanderbilt and the great great uncle of Anderson Cooper.
Asheville was named the #1 food city in the U.S. in 2020 and 2022 by Yelp, so it looks like I can’t go wrong with any restaurant I choose. They’re known for true Southern cuisine like barbecue, fried chicken, biscuits, etc…but there are many global choices. A few choices are the Mediterranean Curate, the White Duck Taco Shop, Daddy Mac’s Downhome Dive and Tupelo Honey.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are so beautiful and I’ve never been hiking there. That’s something I always wanted to do.
Savannah, GA
This moody, romantic city is on my Bucket List because I haven’t been here in over 30 years. I went with my parents and I was underage so I need to go back to experience it as an adult. It was discovered in 1733 by James Oglethorpe and subsequently Georgia became the 13th and final colony in the United States.
There are several tours of the historical homes and I’m thinking I might want to take one to soak in some of the history of the city.
Image via Pinterest – Leanna Mclean
I already know the food will be spectacular because it’s a coastal and river city so the seafood and fish should be very special. As with any Southern city, soul food is prevalent. So from everything I’ve read and seen on TV, the restaurant scene will not disappoint. One restaurant I keep seeing pop up is Cotton & Rye.
One thing I’ve heard all my life about Savannah is the Ghost Tour. There are many companies that provide ghost tours so I’m going to pick one and take a chance. I am a horror movie aficionado, so I’m sure this will be a hoot.
The trolleys in Savannah are iconic and have been a part of the city’s culture since 1890. You can take a trolley tour or you can even buy a ticket to hop on and off if you want to bar hop.
I’m getting excited just typing this blog post and I can’t wait to see if I can hit all four cities by the end of the summer. My Vision Board for 2024 has a goal of taking long weekend trips to nearby cities, so let’s cross our fingers and toes that I can meet those goals. Let me know if you like taking short vacations and if you like to just relax or you like to pack in as much as you can.
See ya next time.
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