Detroit Suburbs, Michigan

Warning: This post will be flooded with pictures of my family (like this precious picture of my 90 year-old Granny sticking her tongue out with me instead of taking a picture with me). 

My southern, sassy granny

Detroit has such a bad wrap because of all of the foreclosures and bankruptcy. Most people don't even know that on the outskirts of the city are these precious little towns full of great restaurants and things to do. There are so many places that we love in the suburbs of Detroit and I will tell you about each of those in between my obnoxious amounts of pictures of my family (Sorry, not sorry).

Cousins

Some smaller suburb areas that you may want to check out right outside Detroit: Grosse Pointe, St. Clair Shores, Rochester Hills, and Warren.

Like I said before, most of my time is spent visiting my relatives, but when I do get out, I love all of the outdoor activities and yummy restaurants that the suburbs have to offer. Below I will share some of them with you, in case you're ever around the area :)

Twins? Or just sisters?

Park Day with my Grandparents before we headed home

Favorite Restaurants:

• National Coney Island: hot dogs and "hanis" (pita bread tacos)
• Original Pancake House: waffles, pancakes, french toast, crepes, eggs & omelets 
• East Detroit Bakery: donuts & pastries, cakes, cookies & sweets all extremely well priced
• Country Dairy: Ice Cream (try the flavor burst cone -- raspberry is my personal fav)
• Sanders: some of the best chocolates and ice cream sundaes 
• El Charo: Mexican food; home of the puffy taco
• Chicken Shack: fried chicken and french fries; buildings are as it sounds -- shack(ish)

Things to Do:

• Eastern Market: Saturday morning farmers markets (and one of the biggest ones around) in downtown Detroit
• Comerica Park: see the Tigers play
• Belle Isle: visit the Zoo, Aquarium, Athletic Fields, Park, Slide, Beach, Lighthouse & Concessions
• Walk the Detroit Riverfront
• Stop by Nino Salvaggio's International Marketplace for some really fresh produce and great marketplace specials
• Great Skate: indoor roller rink in Roseville
• Make the drive to visit Frankenmuth (you won't be disappointed with this slice of Bavaria)

Although Michigan always holds less of my typical adventures, it is always fun to explore new parts of the city and spend quality time with family.

Stay safe,
Hilary

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Cruising

Josh & I's first cruise was for our honeymoon back in February. We took a 5 day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line (pictured on left). This time around, we were spoiled and treated for a 4 day cruise on Royal Caribbean to celebrate Josh's grandparents 50th wedding anniversary (pictured on right). I will talk about both cruise lines & what we liked best on both.

First off, aren't my grandparents so precious?! 50 years of marriage?! Josh & I aspire to be like them one day. Second, yes, we are all in matching shirts. Go ahead and get a good chuckle in. They were awesome though and we loved bragging to everyone about Meme and Poppy. So the overall ship atmosphere was way more welcoming on the Norwegian cruise. I am not going to speak for all cruise ships because I have only been on two, but the Majesty of the Seas seemed to be WAY understaffed. When we needed help, there was never anyone around, where as the Norwegian Sky was almost overwhelming the amount of people offering to assist you at any time.

Next (and really most important) is food and beverage services. The food on both ships was fantastic. Overall, we thought that the buffet food was better on Royal Caribbean, but the dinner options were more plentiful (and tasted better) on Norwegian. Another thing we loved about Royal Caribbean was that you chose your dining time, and showed up at the same time each night. Although my my time dining was nice on Norwegian because we ate at different times each night depending on our schedule, there is just something special about having the same wait staff serve you each evening (we even got our waitress to take a selfie with us).

Family time is the best time, and that is what we lived by on this cruise. My recommendations for Nassau are book an excursion, or head to one of two places on the island: the beach about a half-mile walk down the coast, or the straw market. The straw market is fun for about an hour, then it can be overwhelming if you are not into people trying desperately to sell you the product they have (think people at those little kiosks at the mall chasing you down to sample their latest fragrance or lotion). We only lasted about 30 minutes in the straw market, got a souvenir each, and headed back to the boat. The advantage of not having an excursion booked -- pretty much having the ship to yourself. If I was to go again, I wouldn't even get off of the ship.

Private island day is THE BEST DAY. Book an excursion OR take my recommendation and bring your snorkel gear, and enjoy some of the clearest water you have ever seen. Grab your lover and follow each other through reefs and the trenches of the ocean, all while seeing tons of beautiful creatures. Watch out for stingrays, though, they're pretty prevalent in these waters.

The way I feel about excursions is this -- if you can afford one, pick one or two and head out for an adventure of a lifetime. If you are just lucky to make your way onto a cruise ship, there is plenty of fun to be had by just taking part in everything that is included. Don't spread yourself too thin, and don't feel like you won't have a GREAT time if you don't do any of them. Josh and I have spent 9 days on a cruise ship and have yet to take part in any excursions, and let me tell you -- we have had the time of our lives. Hopefully you catch the fever and are looking to book your next cruise before you're even off the one you are currently on.

No matter which ship or cruise you take on or whatever length you stay, the one thing you must do is get up early one morning and watch the sunrise. There is nothing more beautiful than watching the sun come up while watching the vastness of the ocean. Trust me, it's breathtaking. 

Must have cruise items:

Lots of sunscreen

A good camera (or your phone handy at all times)

Selfie Stick (to capture all the amazing views, and you too)

Something for nausea (sea bands, patches, ginger gum, etc.) -- just in case

*Make sure to pack a separate bag with clothes & toiletries for the first day as sometimes you cannot get into your room until the late afternoon and you don't get your bags delivered until after dinner

Last thing I will note about the two cruises, there is nothing better than spending uninterrupted time in the middle of nowhere with close friends or family. I would highly encourage all cruises to be taken with those you love. There will be memories made in the middle of the ocean that you will NEVER forget. So until next time, I leave you with a picture of my family and those I spent 4 days on the high seas with. 

XO, Hil

Ichetucknee Springs & Gainesville, Florida

I know what you are thinking...camping in the middle of the Florida summer? They're crazy right? We aren't too crazy (only a little), but when it comes to making trips as newlyweds, we know that we can travel more (and have more fun while traveling) if we watch where we spend our money. Camping was one way that we could make this trip affordable. After researching, we chose to stay at High Spring Campground. It is just north of Gainesville, and right off of I-75. It was gorgeous, clean, and the campers were very friendly. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to camp in the area.

When you think of gorgeous springs and crystal clear blue water to swim, tube, kayak and dive in,  Ichetucknee Springs should be one of the first places you think of. Living in Fort Myers, the body of water that I am around the most is the Gulf of Mexico. No hate here on the Gulf, but it's pretty gross. You can barely see a foot under the water and you can't walk out to waste deep without being covered in seaweed or some other floating substance. Needless to say, the words "crystal clear water" had never made much sense to me...that is until I hit the springs a few weekends ago. After this trip (further explained below), we will definitely be exploring more springs around us. There isn't a better way to spend a Saturday than floating down the river with close friends, drinks in hand, pub subs for lunch, and sunshine. That sounds like a perfect summer weekend to me. The springs are open 365 days a year, so if summer doesn't fit into your schedule, come anytime. They maintain a perfectly consistent temperature year round.

We woke up early on Saturday and rented floatation devices from this awesome place called Lowe's Tubeland (and even awesome(er) than their hospitality and good prices is this tree full of tubes on their property - totally selfie necessary). There are a TON of places that you can rent tubes from, but we just picked this one because of their great location and easy directions. They are a few miles from both the North and South entrance to the park.
**There's a place where you can print coupons off their site for an additional discount on tubes

 With little research (and by research I mean as much as I could do on my iPhone in the car ride from our campground to the springs) we discovered that the best place to go for ease of tubing (and most cost efficient) was the South Entrance. Only $6 to enter the park and unlimited tubing with our tubes tied to our car. The South entrance boasts a concession stand, restrooms, and lots of picnic tables and shelters. Although concession stand food is tempting to some, we much prefer to pick up pub subs on the way (our absolute fav travel food). With our food in our trusty yeti, we set to float down the the last take out.
This float trip took between 1.5-2 hours (which was about all our stomachs could take without food). We decided it was a good idea (and would highly recommend) to walk instead of pay $5 per person for the tram. Although the tram is easier, there isn't anything better than a nice walk through the woods with your friends/family. The walk to the tubing drop off is only about 100 yards and the walk from the final drop-off back to the parking lot is only about 15-20 minutes. Totally doable and worth every penny. Just make sure you wear shoes as the terrain can be tough on the feet. **You can't bring anything disposable with you, so make sure to bring some water (or other beverage) in a reusable cup (our preference -- our Yeti's!)

There are a lot of places that I enjoy eating when I venture through Gainesville (my parents are both Gator alumni, so we visit quite often), but my most recent favorite is 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Known for their beef brisket, this barbecue joint will not disappoint. Choose any of their scrumptious sides to pair with your meat, and you will leave in a food coma (yes, it's that good. Can't you tell by the fact that we didn't even take a picture prior to devouring our entire meals.) They also have a sweet shop full of cupcakes and pudding cups to cure the sweet tooth in anyone.
If cupcakes, cakes, and puddings aren't your thing, then you need to make a stop at Midnight Cookies. These cookies are fresh baked right in front of you (and if you are staying in town, you can even have them delivered) and they're open sure late to cure your late night sweet tooth. For a totally reasonable price of $1.39, you may just need to try more than one. Allow yourself time to wait for them to cook, and then bite into one of the most deliciously fresh cookies you've ever tasted in your life. You're welcome.
*They even have vegan cookies (if you are into that sort of thing).
**Pictured are (R) Cake Batter & Smores;  (L) Snickerdoodle, Dirt, and the Midnight Cookie

All of that to say, the Gainesville/Springs weekend with my sweet husband and friends was one for the books for sure. We even took a walk around the University of Florida Campus to burn off all of the calories that we ate between our BBQ and cookies -- totally worth every bite. Can't wait to share about our next great adventure with you. Until then....

Keep Dreaming,
Hil

Rabun County, Georgia

There aren't many places where I feel as much at home as I do in Rabun County, Georgia. The people there are just unlike any others. Just south of Franklin, North Carolina and west of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Rabun County is a hidden gem. Full of beautiful hikes, peaceful lakes, family-run restaurants, goats on a roof and gorgeous scenery, Clayton is a town that you do not want to pass up. I might be biased, because I call this place my second home, but after all of this time, I truly think that there is no better place to vacation. 

When Josh & I traveled there over Memorial Day, it was no exception. We spent our first day on the beautiful Lake Burton. We rented a pontoon boat from La Prade's Marina and spent the day exploring the beautiful homes that line this lake. La Prade's has excellent costumer service and their boat rentals are par none. We had almost a brand new boat and enjoyed a day out on the water with 10 of our closest friends. For lunch, we thought it would be fun to eat at the marina. Although the food was good, I would only recommend eating here if you are willing to wait an hour for concession stand food. The Chophouse is a sit-down place upstairs, or there is a stand where you can walk up and order downstairs. There is also a bar for the adults outside, and a store with popsicles and ice cream for kids inside. 

An evening is not complete in Rabun County without a trip to the Universal Joint for dinner or drinks after work. This eclectic restaurant/bar (and frankly, probably the only place that is open past 9pm on weeknights) is a relaxing and laid back environment, and completely worth the wait. Although it might be pushing upwards of an hour at time, just grab a drink, enjoy the tunes and wait your turn for one of the best burgers you've ever laid hands on. Full of live music, tasty eats, a variety of tap beers, and great decor, the Universal Joint is the place to eat. 

Another place that you need to visit in Rabun County is the Tiger Drive-In Theater. I know what you are thinking, you didn't even know that these existed anymore! Well, a diamond in the rough of Tiger, Georgia is this Drive-In. The one struggle that I have with the drive-in is hearing the movies if you are not watching from your car, so make sure that you get there early and park your car close to the projection room/concession stand! Call in to see what movies are playing, and know that it is only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the months of March - November. A few helpful hints -- 1) dress appropriately (it can get cold in the winter, and buggy in the summer {bug spray!}); 2) make sure that you turn your car back on between movies (we don't want any dead batteries). 

  

There are a ton of fantastic hikes that are close to Rabun Co, but one of my favorites is at Black Rock Mountain State Park. There are a few different hikes, from easy to strenuous. The hike we took this time was the Tennessee Rock Trail. It's a loop with a gorgeous view over the state of Georgia. This particular trail is rather treacherous, and is not for the "out-of-shape" (and if you aren't sure if you're in or out of shape, you'll learn real quick on this trail, TRUST ME!).  **Be aware: Black Rock Mntn is closed December 1 - March 15 for weather. 

Until next time, Rabun County. You will always be my second home and most treasured adventure.