The Virginia Beach Local Secret That Saves Money on Summer Vacations.

       Today's post is sponsored by Food Lion. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! #FoodLionVacation #Sponsored

   

How to See the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC at Peak Bloom 🌸

       Last spring, I got to finally cross-off a major East Coast travel bucket list item: seeing the Washington DC cherry blossoms at peak bloom! Seeing the cherry blossoms at their finest was absolutely incredible, and I think it absolutely worth the hype. The official peak bloom prediction from the National Park Service has been announced for this year, so I thought this was a great time to recap last year's cherry blossom viewing adventure, and share my tips for how to best enjoy peak bloom!

HOTEL GUIDE: TRS Yucatan All-Inclusive Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico

      A few months ago, Ryan and I enjoyed a wonderful first anniversary trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico. It was both of our first times visiting Mexico, and what truly made our trip so great is that the all-inclusive resort we stayed at truly exceeded all of our expectations! I'm excited to share a full review of TRS Yucatan (an adults-only all-inclusive resort) with you today. 

     It's also important to note that our lodging at TRS Yucatan was completely free thanks to credit card points! Check out THIS blog post for all of the information on how I was able to earn points and miles and successfully redeem them for a free vacation.

How We Took A FREE All-Inclusive Vacation to Mexico With Credit Card Points.

        One of my biggest accomplishments last year was planning and taking a vacation with my husband where our flights and all-inclusive resort were paid for 100% with credit card points! I've had an interest in travel hacking (free or heavily discounted travel with maximizing credit card points) for years, but it wasn't until 2024 that I finally took the plunge into switching my personal strategies with credit card usage and spending to start my own travel hacking journey. 

      In November 2025, Ryan and I enjoyed a wonderful five-day trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico for our first anniversary. I don't like to gate-keep, so I'll be sharing with you the exact strategies and credits cards that we used to get our resort and airfare for free. If I could figure out how to do this, anyone can!

HOTEL GUIDE: A 24-Hour Stay at The Omni Homestead Resort

       I recently checked another iconic Virginia hotel off of my travel bucket list: The Omni Homestead Resort. This historic resort is located deep within the Alleghany Mountains in the western part of Virginia. The Omni Homestead is home to a unique main attraction: America's oldest natural warm springs! The Warm Springs Pools are owned by the resort but open to the public. In addition, the resort also boasts beautiful historic decor, a multitude of dining options, a plethora of shopping and activities, and a large spa. My friend Amanda and I recently did a one-night stay here for our annual girls' trip. Our visit may have been brief, but it certainly was memorable! 

HOTEL GUIDE: Historic Boutique Hotel in Washington DC - The Phoenix Park Hotel

      Last year when I was working as a hotel front desk agent, I won a great raffle prize at the annual staff Christmas party. There were several hotel stays at other properties in driving distance to Virginia Beach that were being raffled off. I ended up winning a free weekend stay at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington DC. I was excited to use it, and decided to book it for late March, guessing that might be a good timeframe for the cherry blossoms. (Since I moved to Virginia in 2018, it's been a big item off of my travel bucket list to see the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in DC at peak bloom!) Not only did I correctly predict peak bloom weekend and finally get to see it, but Ryan and I also had the most wonderful stay at the Phoenix Park Hotel, which I'm excited to review today! 

Travel Diary: A Quick Winter Trip to South Florida 🌴

       This trip already happened about a month ago, but I wanted to share a recap on the blog before it gets too much further out. I had a wonderful and much needed quick trip to the Sunshine State in late February! My good friend Gentry from Girl Meets Bow had an exciting last-minute opportunity to attend an event for influencers in Miami with LTK, which is the main affiliate link platform that most bloggers use. She was able to bring a plus-one, and kindly invited me! The stars aligned perfectly for me to get off work, and use flight credits that I already had for a free flight! I also extended my trip on the front end a bit, and all-in-all it was a great time. 

Wedding Wednesday: Transcendent Stays Beach Rental House for Wedding Weekend

       I'm so excited to share all the info about the beautiful beach rental home that myself and my bridal party got to stay in for my wedding weekend! It was an honor to continue a partnership with local short-term property rental group Transcendent Stays. If you have any upcoming travel plans to the Virginia Beach area, or you yourself are a fellow bride getting married in the area, you'll want all the info about this beautiful beach rental home, which is available to rent year-round!

     Shout-out to my five bridal party memories who joined in for the photos in today's blog post, as well as my dear blogging friend Gentry! She came to Virginia Beach for our wedding, and it was a joy to have her join in for this fun photoshoot the day before the wedding. 😊

TRAVEL GUIDE: Our Honeymoon at Sandals Royal Barbados

      I'm so excited to share a recap of our wonderful honeymoon! Ryan and I went to Barbados the week after our wedding for five nights. Neither of us had been to Barbados or stayed at a Sandals Resort before. We ended up really enjoying both the resort and the island, and I have the most fond memories from this special trip. 

Travel Guide: Charming & Historic Edenton, NC (Updated Guide!)

      My favorite little southeastern town is Edenton, North Carolina. My aunt and uncle moved there a few years ago, and I first visited their new town in 2021. From my first visit on, I've thought of Downtown Edenton as a heaven on earth. It's idyllic and charming, and you really do feel like you're walking through a real life version of a TV town! If you've ever wanted to visit Blue Bell, Alabama from Hart of Dixie, Serenity, South Carolina from Sweet Magnolias, or Stars Hollow, Connecticut from Gilmore Girls... Edenton really captures all of those vibes. 

      I love Edenton so much that it was actually the location of my bachelorette party (and one of my bridal showers!). I first published this blog post in 2022, but Edenton has had some great new small businesses open in the last couple of years, so I thought it was due time for an update to my Travel Guide!

Travel Diary: 48 Hours in Highlands, NC.

       This summer I got to visit the quaint and upscale mountain town of Highlands, North Carolina for the first time! I had seen other bloggers share about trips to Highlands over the years (notably Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearls and Sydney from Summer Wind), so when my friend Emily selected it for her bachelorette trip destination, I was excited to finally get to visit. It had been several years since I'd been to the North Carolina mountains, and I had never been that far west in NC. The town of Highlands 100% exceeded my expectations, and I loved my brief time there for Emily's bachelorette. The night that I got back home to Virginia, I texted most of my Charlotte, NC girlfriends to tell them all that they had to visit! You know it's a good destination when you can't wait to recommend it to friends. 

     I'm excited to share a little Travel Diary for Highlands today with you!

Travel Diary: Two Places Worth Visiting in Wilmington, DE

        In April, I got to check a travel item off from my current 101 in 1001 list: visiting the state of Delaware! Until recently, it was the only East Coast state that I'd never been to. (Note: my definition of "visiting a state" is spending a night there, not just driving or flying through.) When my dad and I used to make our twice annual road trips from my hometown in Maine to Charlotte, NC for my college, we somehow never took routes that lead us through Delaware. It's been on my list of places to visit for quite awhile, but I never would've imagined how I'd finally get to Delaware. I finally got to visit Delaware during my "funemployment road trip" to Maine this spring, which I did shortly after losing my radio job in April. 

     Post-college, I have always flown home to Maine for convenience. But since I was going to be visiting home for a longer period of time, I knew that I needed my car. And that meant making the 11 hour drive from Virginia Beach to my hometown! I knew that 11 hours was too long for me to be in the car alone all in one day. I told my parents that I had selected Wilmington, DE as my overnight stop for the drive to Maine. It ended up being my stop on the road trip back to Virginia, too! So I got to spend two nights total in Delaware.

     I stayed at hotels in different parts of Wilmington on each leg of the trip, but neither of them were the downtown. I would still like to return to Wilmington someday and see that part of the city, as I hear it does have some nice attractions. But despite skipping downtown on these trips, there were two spots I visited in Wilmington that I think are worth sharing about with you here on my blog! The first? Winterthur Museum Garden & Library.

TRAVEL GUIDE: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Updated!)

     Puerto Rico is 100% one of my favorite warm weather travel destinations. I was lucky enough to visit two years apart in 2022 and 2024! I fell in love with Puerto Rico and the charm of San Juan during my first trip, and my second trip just deepened those feelings. San Juan is the capital and largest city in Puerto Rico. PR is a US territory so there is no passport required to visit, and no time change if you're coming from the East Coast! Win win!! I'm excited to update my first San Juan Travel Guide from my 2022 trip, and to now be able to share the best recommendations from my 2022 and 2024 trips! 

Travel Diary: An Overdue Weekend in Charlotte, NC

     In January, I got to take Ryan to visit my favorite city for the first time! It was a very quick trip, and I feel like I never have enough time to see all of my friends or do everything I miss doing in Charlotte. But we did knock out several fun things, and Ryan got to meet four of my Charlotte girlfriends and some of their significant others!! So, I'll still count the weekend as a win for our first Charlotte experience together!

       Here's a little recap of what we did during the weekend:

Travel Diary: 48 Hours in St. Pete, FL

      Last weekend, I made a quick trip to Florida! It had been close to five years since I last saw my good friend from blogging, Gentry from Girl Meets Bow. Gentry is a Florida native, and I was excited to visit her home city of St. Pete, FL for the first time. 48 hours isn't nearly enough time to do everything that St. Pete has to offer, but Gentry did show me many of the local highlights! 

HOTEL GUIDE: Kimpton The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville, VA

      I recently got the chance to stay at Charlottesville's newest boutique hotel, Kimpton The Forum Hotel, located on the property of the University of Virginia. It's always great to be back in my former home city for a weekend, and I love keeping tabs on what's new in the area. The Forum has guest rooms with an air of modern luxury, and one of the best and most unique locations of any hotel in Charlottesville. The hotel was quite busy the weekend that I visited, and there was such a diverse clientele of guests. I saw business travelers, young families with children, older folks and lots of 20-30-something friend groups who looked like they were in town for weddings or UVA events. 

      I spent a fall weekend at The Forum with my good friend and fellow influencer Caroline Coleburn. Fun fact: Caroline and I met in Charlottesville almost five years ago when I was living and working there as a morning radio host, and she was a morning reporter for a local TV news station! I'm now doing radio in Virginia Beach, and Caroline is on TV in Richmond. It was extra special to visit my former city for a weekend with a special friend like Caroline who I met during my time there.

HOTEL GUIDE: The Iconic Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN

       As a travel lover and an avid travel blog reader, I've had a running hotel bucket list in my brain for years. It's always exciting when I get to actually stay at and experience a hotel on that list. And the absolute perfect scenario? When my day job in radio brings me to one of these hotels! It hasn't happened very often, but I'm thrilled that I've now gotten to stay at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN twice for work conferences. This hotel was always high on my travel bucket list, and it has been awesome to experience in person multiple times now. Since I've stayed here twice in the past year, I think it's about time I write a Hotel Guide for this iconic American hotel.

     Even if you don't stay at The Peabody Memphis when visiting the area, I still think it is worth a visit for a drink or a meal! It's truly a historic gem. While there are many pros to staying here, there is one thing that I've found to be a con on both visits. As always- I'll give an honest review of the good and the bad!

TRAVEL GUIDE: 5 Days in Maine - First Timer's Itinerary.

       For Labor Day Weekend this year, my boyfriend Ryan came to visit my home state of Maine with me for the first time. While I always enjoy seeing the beauty of southern Maine in the summer months, it was definitely special to see my hometown and home state through the eyes of a first-time visitor. I feel like my parents and I did a great job planning out a good itinerary for Ryan's first Maine trip, and I'd recommend a similar itinerary for other first-time Maine visitors.

      There were a few points in our trip that we visited with my family and friends, and I'll also add in additional suggestions for other activities you could do as a tourist with that extra time.

TRAVEL GUIDE: My Favorite Spots in Greensboro, NC

      Greensboro, NC is a city that I've spent a good number of weekends in over the past decade. Although I've never lived in Greensboro or the surrounding Triad area myself, I have so many friends and connections in this area. It's kind of funny honestly how many ties I've had to this city over the years (and continue to have). My college friend Michelle and another college friend live here, my friend Cara is from the area and got married here, and I also have a few friends from radio networking that live here and work for Greensboro stations. I've been to multiple weddings in the area in recent years (including one for friends that don't even live there, they just got married in Greensboro!). This summer, I found my way down there for the Wyndham Golf Championship. Basically- life just keeps bringing me back to Greensboro time and time again!

     Greensboro isn't a tourist destination per say, but there are a lot of wonderful restaurants there, and some great lodging options. If you ever find yourself passing through the area or spending a weekend there, I wanted to share my recommendations that I've accumulated over the years of various Greensboro trips.

My First PGA Golf Tournament Experience (2023 Wyndham Championship)

       I attended my first professional golf tournament over last weekend! My friend Amanda and I decided early on in the year that we wanted to attend a PGA tour event in 2023 together. We ended up going to one day of the 2023 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC. I wanted to write a quick recap blog post before I forget too much about the experience. This was also our second annual girls' trip! Last year we went to the iconic and luxurious Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.