TRAVEL GUIDE: Charlottesville Bachelorette Party Recommendations.

      While cities like Nashville, Charleston and Las Vegas might be best known nationally as the biggest bachelorette party destinations, there's a small regional destination in the Mid-Atlantic that's quickly gaining in popularity for bachelorette tourism: Charlottesville, VA! Home to beautiful mountain views and outdoor activities, a charming downtown with a surprising local food scene, and a reputation of being the Napa Valley of the East Coast for wine drinkers. It's also one of my former homes, and where I lived for 3.5 years between 2018-2021. While I have my Ultimate Charlottesville Travel Guide that I've already published on the blog, I've been wanting to write a separate one with specific bachelorette party themed recommendations such as best wineries for bachelorette groups, trendy restaurants and lodging, and an overall review of Charlottesville as a bachelorette destination. 

TRAVEL GUIDE: Ultimate Charlottesville VA Guide

     I'm so excited to finally share all of my Charlottesville recommendations in one place on the blog! I lived in Charlottesville for about three and a half years between 2018-2021. I am kind of in the minority for living in Cville in that I didn't attend the University of Virginia, or move to the area for a job associated with UVA. But despite that, I was absolutely charmed by the area, and had a great experience making Charlottesville my home for part of my 20s. Charlottesville is a great destination for a weekend trip for wine lovers, history lovers, food lovers, nature lovers.... it's true, Virginia is for Lovers! 

5 Instagrammable Murals in Charlottesville, VA

      I'm not sure if it's because I am a blogger and always looking for cool spots to take photos, or just that I'm a fan of color and street art, but I sure do love a good mural! I've enjoyed finding them in the various places that I've lived over the years: Charlotte NC, Burlington VT, and of course my most recent former home, Charlottesville VA! 

     For a small city, Charlottesville has a really good amount of street art. I enjoyed finding my favorite murals over the past three years, and today I wanted to round them all up for you! If you're visiting Charlottesville, here are the best murals for Instagrammable photos.

My Interview on the Like a Local Podcast!

       Popping in quickly today with some fun news: I was interviewed last week on a podcast! If you've ever wanted to visit Charlottesville or are curious about local attractions in the area, this episode is for you.

Monticello Wine Trail: Merrie Mill Farm

      I love visiting local Virginia wineries, and it's always a treat to visit one that's brand new to the Charlottesville area. I was so charmed on my first visit Merrie Mill Farm that I knew it needed its own winery review blog post!

Virginia + Carolinas Beaches Travel Diary: Ones I've Visited + Ones To Visit

     T-minus less than a week until the official start of summer! Think about how different this summer is going to look from last year... it's just so exciting! I sure am hoping to spend a lot more time in a bathing suit in 2021 then I did in 2020. Part of that will hopefully be enjoying my apartment pool (which is open this year!!), and I am also hoping for some quality beach weekends. Virginia and the Carolinas are home to hundreds of miles of coastline and beaches. 

     

Travel Diary: Is Virginia Beach Off-Season Worth It?

      When I moved to Charlottesville three years ago, I was excited to learn that I'd only be about three hours away from Virginia Beach. I set a goal to visit VB later on in 2018. I wasn't able to get there my first year in Virginia... or my second year... but better later than never right?! A couple weeks ago my dad came down from Maine to visit, and we spent a long weekend off-season in Virginia Beach. 

     I always assumed the first time I'd visit this oceanfront destination would be in the summer during the height of tourism season and warm weather. But instead, my first visit was off-season in March! Visiting a traditionally summer destination in the off-season can have mixed results- there's both pros and cons. I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts on coming here in the off-season, and also some thoughts on Virginia Beach as a travel destination in general. I definitely haven't experienced enough of VB to do a full Travel Guide, so a mini Travel Diary it is!

TRAVEL GUIDE: Ultimate Richmond VA Guide.

      Today's Travel Guide has been a long time coming! I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I believe Richmond Virginia to be one of the most underrated cities in the South, if not one of the most underrated in the US as a whole! Yes- I really do mean that. Richmond is the perfect day trip destination from where I live in Charlottesville, and for the past three years I've been steadily visiting one or twice a month (sometimes even more!). I am so thrilled to finally bring you this Travel Guide to one of my very favorite cities! 

Monticello Wine Trail: Glass House Winery

     I am so excited to finally bring you a full review on one of my very favorite Charlottesville wineries! Glass House is not only an incredibly unique and beautiful place to visit, but the wines are phenomenal as well. It's a must-visit in my opinion if you're coming to Charlottesville! 

TRAVEL GUIDE: Weekend in Winchester, VA

      Thrilled today to share the perfect Mid-Atlantic fall weekend destination with you: the charming town of Winchester, Virginia. Located right off Interstate 81, just south of the West Virginia state line, Winchester is somewhere I've passed through more times that I can count. But I had never actually stopped and explored until last month! Spoiler alert: Winchester is a darling town and I wish I'd done a rest stop or two here in years passed, or taken the time to do a full weekend here. Luckily- it was better late than never for me to visit!

TRAVEL GUIDE: Mathews VA + The Middle Peninsula

     I spent the 4th of July weekend this year in Mathews, Virginia. Mathews is both the name of the county and the main town in the area. Mathews County is actually the second smallest county in the state, and the entire surrounding area has a quintessential small town slow pace of life. While this isn't a destination that would normally be on my summer radar, it was the perfect place to safely escape to for a few days during COVID-19. This county has had one of the lowest case counts in the entire state, and I felt extremely safe traveling and visiting there due to the natural social distancing that comes from being in a more rural place. 

    I wanted to get this Travel Guide up as quickly as possible, so that there's still a few more months of warm weather left for fellow Virginians (or those from neighboring states) to plan their own escape here to enjoy the relaxing pace of life and beautiful sights. Let's get to it! 

My Favorite Richmond Activity: Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel.

     A couple weeks ago, I had the most wonderful weekend stay at the beautiful Jefferson Hotel in nearby Richmond! You can read my full review of the hotel here, but there was one aspect to my stay that was extra special, so I thought it deserved its own blog post. And that would be the delightful experience that is Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel!

HOTEL REVIEW: Richmond's History & Luxury at The Jefferson Hotel.

     Richmond is one of the cities that was truly love at first sight for me. From my very first time visiting almost two years ago to now, I continue to become more enthralled with it each time I'm in the area. It's the perfect sized city in my opinion- not too big, and not too small. It's filled with history and culture and the most charming neighborhoods, and also has a lot of city-like amenities that Charlottesville doesn't have. Have I convinced you yet that Richmond has a piece of my heart?

    I had the opportunity this month to enjoy a luxurious girls' weekend at the historic Jefferson Hotel in Downtown Richmond! The incredible experience that my friend Emily and I had during our stay at the hotel made me appreciate this charming city even more, and I'm thrilled to share more about it with you on the blog today!

    Winter can be a dreary time of year, even in the South. I promise that a brief stay at the luxurious Jefferson Hotel will be the exact pick-you-up that you're craving! 

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5 Charlottesville Wineries to Visit in Winter.

     I've become quite the fan of visiting local wineries since I moved to Virginia a couple years ago! While I do think my absolute favorite time of year to visit wineries is in the summer (I love seeing all the grapes growing on the vines!), they are still fun to visit year round. Checking out Charlottesville area wineries in winter also has some advantages- namely the fact that it's not tourist season so they're not nearly as busy in the colder months! Winery visits from December-March are more of a cozy and intimate experience, which is still fun and special in a different way.

     Today I'm sharing five local wineries that I think are more ideal to check out in the winter months! I'm highlighting these five wineries for two main reasons: 1) they're all easy to drive to. Some wineries on the Monticello Wine trail are definitely off the beaten path (think long and winding dirt roads with no cell service), and winter just isn't the best season to attempt getting to some of those. The ones I'm featuring today are all located just off main roads and are easily accessible in all seasons. 2) They all have good sized indoor tasting rooms. On days when the weather is too cold to be outside, you don't want to be cooped up in a tiny tasting room at a winery that mainly has outdoor seating. These five all have fairly large and very cozy indoor spaces for guests to enjoy!

Virginia Winery Review: 12 Ridges Vineyard.

     12 Ridges is a brand new Virginia vineyard that opened less than three months ago! It is one of the most unique ones that I've yet to visit, and I am already dreaming about my next visit back. I'm excited to share more about the perfect fall afternoon I had at 12 Ridges today!

Monticello Wine Trail: King Family Vineyards

     Can't believe it's taken me this long to finally review my favorite winery that I've been to so far,  but better late than never! Time to take a virtual trip over to King Family Vineyards. I hope if you're local you've already had the chance to visit this incredible place. If you live outside of Virginia, enjoy this virtual tour!

TRAVEL GUIDE: What to See & Do in Norfolk, VA

     I absolutely loved my weekend stay in the beautiful coastal city of Norfolk! After living in Charlottesville for over a year and barely hearing anyone talk about Norfolk, I'm convinced this is one of the most underrated cities in Virginia- possibly most underrated in  the South as a whole as well! I'm excited to recap everything that I got to experience in today's blog post- I already can't wait to go back again and discover even more. My friend Perrin accompanied me on this weekend trip to help capture the photographs featured in this post, and we both had nothing but good things to say about this beautiful city!

    Fun fact: I have been to Norfolk once before! My parents took me to Colonial Williamsburg for our family vacation in 2003. That was actually my very first trip to the South, and last trip until I went back in 2012 for college visits! We did a day trip to Norfolk during that vacation- and apparently the South clearly made enough of a good impression on me that I wanted to move there years later. 😉I was really excited to come back to Norfolk as an adult!

TRAVEL GUIDE: NEON District Mural Guide in Norfolk.

     I'm so excited to be sharing my second travel guide post about my recent trip to Norfolk, VA today on Southern Belle in Training! I was originally just going to share my hotel review in one blog post and other with Norfolk restaurant and activity suggestions, but I loved visiting the NEON District so much that I thought it deserved its own post! Buckle up for a lot of photos of one of the most unique neighborhoods in Virginia that I've ever seen!

HOTEL REVIEW: Why You Should Stay At Hilton Norfolk The Main!

     I spent Memorial Day Weekend of this year visiting the beautiful coastal city of Norfolk, VA! I was delighted to work with VisitNorfolk for this fun press trip. My hotel for the weekend was Hilton Norfolk The Main, and I am in no way exaggerating when I say this was my favorite hotel that I've stayed at in quite awhile! I had such a fantastic experience here that I wanted to recap that separately from my Norfolk Travel Guide (which will be published in a couple weeks!). 

TRAVEL GUIDE: Outdoor Fun in Virginia's Alleghany Highlands

     I spent last weekend visiting and exploring the Alleghany Highlands region of Virginia with my dad! I actually discovered this part of the state via... Instagram! Last spring, I saw a gorgeous photo on Instagram of Falling Spring Falls, which is an incredible waterfall in Covington, in the heart of the Alleghany Highlands. I knew that I had to eventually plan a trip to see this stunning waterfall, and I also wanted to see more of the region near it. I'm excited to be recapping our weekend trip today and sharing some of the natural gems I found in Alleghany Highlands!