Fall is my favorite season for camping, wearing chunky sweaters, and road trips to see the changing leaves. What do you love about fall?
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Tag Archives: United States
Small Town Spotlight: Lexington, Georgia
Lexington, Georgia, the seat of Oglethorpe County in northeast Georgia, is eighty-five miles east of Atlanta and seventeen miles east of Athens. Like many small towns in Georgia, its economy was originally based on cotton and tobacco, and after the decline of these industries and The Great Depression, the town suffered from neglect over the years. The downtown district of Lexington has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, and has been slowly but surely experiencing a revival. With a growing number of residents, local businesses, a farmers market, and monthly special events, Lexington is a fun place to spend the day and get away from the hustle and bustle of town for a bit.
While living in Athens, Lexington was one of my favorite day-trips. It’s great place to see beautiful examples of 19th century architecture like the Romanesque Revival style Oglethorpe County Courthouse; check out the latest finds at the area antique shops; you can even get some good BBQ on your way back to Athens.
via Oglethorpe Fresh
For more information on Lexington, Georgia history check out this article. For information on events in Lexington check out the Oglethorpe Fresh facebook page. Hours and location of Pig O’s BBQ Truck click here.
Related articles
- Pig O’s Bar-B-Que, Crawford, Georgia (marieletseat.com)
happy 4th!
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National Travel and Tourism Week
Tourism is one of the largest industries and employers in the United States.
The first week in May is nationally recognized as National Travel and Tourism week; a tradition first celebrated in 1984. Events take place in cities, states, and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel. For more info- click here!
You don’t have to go far- just get out there and explore!
I love to travel because I love the sense of adventure and discovery it provides. Whether you are going abroad or checking out the town down the road…you never know what you may find.
What are some of your favorite destinations? Why do you love to travel?
Related articles
Cinco de Mayo!
Olé! Time for one of my favorite holidays…Cinco de Mayo! After a fun and productive week on Jekyll Island for The Southern C Summit, I will be recouping and relaxing in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
I know I’ll be keeping it local at my family’s restaurant- Bubba Garcias! Hope y’all have a great weekend!
Want some other Cinco de Mayo spots in the South? Check out some of my favs here!
Friday Five # 4
Bring on the heat! These are some of my favorite Southern beers that will keep you cool this Spring and Summer. Cheers y’all!
5. Endless River: Mother Earth Brewing- Kinston, NC
A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. Light body with a little tang- perfect for a river paddle.
4. Watermelon Wheat (coming in May)- Tin Roof Brewing Co- Baton Rouge, LA
I was able to sample this beer at the Natchez Food and Wine Fest last summer and loved it. Light, refreshing, and screams spring/summer with the hint of watermelon.
3. Citra Rye Pale Ale: Westbrook Brewing Co- Mt. Pleasant, SC
This beer is only available on tap so its a must try if you find it! It has some crazy tropical fruit flavors and aromatics – think mango, pineapple, and passionfruit. YUM.
2. Lil Hump Spring Ale: Highland Brewing Co.- Asheville, NC
I love this beer because it is flavorful but is designed as a “session” ale so the ABV is lower. Commercial description: “This American Pale Ale is a refreshing session beer meticulously handcrafted with a unique Highland twist. Brewed with grains from America’s heartland, using Simcoe hops for bittering and dry hopped with Amarillo and Cascade for aromatics, this beer finishes crisp and clean. It is a plate pleasing seasonal experience.”
1. Abita Strawberry: Abita Brewing Co.- Convington, LA
Doesn’t get more springtime then a strawberry laager! I love love love this beer. So light and crisp with a delicious fruity flavor from real Louisiana strawberries. Get it while you can!
Related articles
- Southern Breweries (emsontheroad.com)
Southern Breweries
With the success of grassroots initiatives like “Free the Hops” and “Pop the Cap,” beer devotees have managed to legalize brewpubs and microbreweries in every state of the Deep South from Louisiana to North Carolina. Restrictive alcohol limits on beer, usually at 6% A.B.V. (alcohol by volume), have been lifted throughout the South, with Alabama and Mississippi being the most recent.
It is exciting to see the change in the beer culture down here and try the new up and comers. With so many new breweries opening up shop, I thought it time to put together a compilation of some of my favorite breweries south of the Mason Dixon. I haven’t necessarily visited all of these places but I’m familiar with their merchandise 🙂
Terrapin Brewery– Athens GA
image via Terrapin Brewery
Terrapin introduced its first beer, the Rye Pale Ale in April of 2002. Six months later while only available on draft in Athens, Terrapin’s sole offering won the American Pale Ale Gold Medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival. Terrapin has grown tremendously over the years now offering 4 year rounds and countless seasonals and side projects.
Abita Brewing Company– Louisiana
image via Abita
Abita is located about 30 minutes north of New Orleans and is one of the oldest in the South having opened in 1986. In its first year, the brewery produced 1,500 barrels of beer. By 1994, they outgrew the original site and moved up the road to a larger facility to keep up with demand. Try the Strawberry Harvest Laager…The Perfect Beer for Spring and Summer!
Westbrook Brewing Company– Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
image via Westbrook Brewing Company
Their mission is to make the “most interesting, drinkable, and generally awesome beer possible.” Haven’t visited this brewery yet but it’s on the list. I’ve tried several of their beers and they are always unusual… in a great way. Big fan of the White Thai pictured above- Belgian wit beer brewed with ginger and lemongrass.
Avondale Brewery– Birmingham, Alabama
image via Avondale Brewery
image via Avondale Brewery
Just recently visited this brewery in Bham and loved it! The brewery and taproom are located in a beautiful historic building in Avondale that was once a fire station and a saloon. They even named each of their flagship beers after the folklore of Avondale. Being so cold out during my visit, I tried the Vanillaphant Porter; it was so velvety smooth with hints of vanilla and chocolate…perfect cold weather beer. Looking forward to going back!
Highland Brewery– Asheville, North Carolina
image via Highland Brewing Co
Highland Brewing Company rolled out its first beer kegs in December 1994. Built almost entirely of retrofitted dairy equipment, our original brewery in downtown Asheville could produce up to 6,500 barrels of beer per year. In 2010, they added a tasting room to their brewery and are still growing! They started as a three-person operation, and have grown into a staff of about forty. Currently, the Highland brand is sold in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Sweetwater Brewing Company– Atlanta, Georgia
image via SweetWater Brewing Co
“Don’t Float the Mainstream.” Hard not to include them in my list. Their 420 extra pale ale was one of the first American craft beers I ever tasted. It is still delicious 🙂
Want more? Check these out! Good People Brewery– Birmingham, AL; Red Hare Brewery– Atlanta, GA; Cigar City– Tampa, FL; Duck Rabbit Brewery– Farmville, NC; Tin Roof Brewery– Baton Rouge, LA; Lazy Magnolia– Kiln, MS New brewery called Creature Comforts, making its way to Athens, Georgia!
B-Town (Bloomington that is)
I have recently returned from the frozen tundra of Indiana…well it seemed that cold to me. The possibility of moving there grows near so Ryan and I went to visit. He checked out his possible PHD program and I was in charge of checkin’ out the town.
Being the travel nerd I am, upon arrival I whipped out my laptop and quickly began the search for dinner options. After a 9 hour drive from Athens and limited food options en route, we were in need of some serious grub. Our go to meal is almost always pizza so that was my mission. Luckily I found a good lookin’ local pizza place only a mile from our hotel. We strapped on our boots (I finally got to bust out my sweet Sorels) and down coats and headed out on a chilly stroll to Mother Bear’s Pizza.
image courtesy http://www.idsnews.com
A cozy hole in the wall pizza joint with an enticing aroma of delicious dough, homemade marinara, and pepperoni…exactly what we needed after the long haul. We ordered a couple Bells Best Brown Ales and hunkered down in a booth. They had so many options, but with a little help from our patient server we decided on The Cosmo. Homemade vodka sauce, smoked bacon, house-made Italian sausage, and portabello mushrooms, and asiago cheese- hard to go wrong.
Needless to say the pizza was epic.
While Ryan met with faculty and other phd students, I surveyed our possible new home. Each day I laced up my sorels and threw on my down coat and roamed the freezing streets in search of fashion, food, and antiques. Mission accomplished. Here are some highlights from my Bloomington wanderings.
image courtesy blu boy chocolate
Located in downtown Bloomington, Blu Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery is just what it sounds like….delicious. I ordered an americano and at the suggestion of the barista the salted caramel ganache brownie. Um yea. It was incredible. So rich, I ate on it for days.
They also had a beautiful assortment of handmade chocolates with flavors like dulce de leche, ancho chili and cinnamon, and blood orange, how could a girl resist!
image courtesy blu boy chocolate
Loved their location- sharing the bottom floor of the historic theater downtown.
A.Z Vintage: Antique store specializing in the mid-century modern era.
image courtesy a.z. vintage
image via a.z. vintage
Yes this is a thing. Knitting to Heal is a fundraiser in Bloomington that started in October of 2012 by Middle Way House a residence and service center for victims of domestic abuse. In Knitting to Heal, several local businesses sponsor one of the trees around the downtown Square. The tree trunks are wrapped in squares made of knitted or crocheted fabric sewn together as “sweaters.” Volunteers, including women who use Middle Way House services, have supplied all of the uniquely patterned squares. With 23 trees decorated, this fundraiser has raised over $10,000.
image via indianapublicmedia.org
Their beer is the star obviously but the restaurant has a good selection of bar/pub food and most of it locally sourced. The brewery is known for the Upland Wheat beer but with the temp in the teens, I wasn’t in the mood for that. My fav was the Bad Elmer’s Porter- dark, slighty sweet and oh so velvety.
image via http://www.dailybeerreview.com
Although our trip was short, we got a great taste of Bloomington!
Related articles
- Yarn Bombing and Doing Good (streetcolor.wordpress.com)
- Blu Boy (eat.repeat.blogspot.com)
- A.Z. Vintage (www.magbloom.com)
- Upland Brewery (www.indystar.com
Sunday funday photo
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Art Moderne style National Park Service Welcome Center- Ocmulgee National Monument
Sunday funday photo
Jefferson, Georgia’s town mural: celebrating the first use of anesthesia and its inventor, local Jeffersonian Crawford Long. Quite possibly the strangest town mural in existence…
Ether bunny anyone? If you’re ever in Jefferson- check out the Crawford Long Museum gift shop 🙂
Em's on the road 