LeConte Lodge

January 29, 2018 by Amy Johns in Guide, Tennessee, The South, USA, Travel, Most Popular

The hike up Mt. LeConte to LeConte Lodge has been a tradition in Kyle's family for many years. While I only joined in on the tradition four years ago, it has become one of those events that I look forward to every year. It's a chance to unplug and unwind, get some exercise, breathe some fresh air, be outside, explore, enjoy each other's company and go just a little bit outside of our comfort zones (going to the bathroom in the middle of the night with bears on the loose is scary I tell you). To top it off, watching the sunset over the Great Smoky Mountains from Cliff Tops is, quite simply, magical. We've been a lot of places, seen a lot of sunsets...but Kyle and I both agree, this one still tops them all!

Hotel Spotlight: Big Cypress Lodge, Memphis, TN

Big Cypress Lodge

January 05, 2018 by Amy Johns in Hotel Spotlight, USA, Travel, The South, Tennessee

Have you ever wanted to spend the night inside a Bass Pro Shop? No? Okay, how about sleeping inside one of the Great Pyramids of Giza? Well, Memphis, Tennessee's Big Cypress Lodge can check both of those off your list! You didn't even know you needed to check those off your list, did you?

Local's Guide to Memphis

December 15, 2015 by Amy Johns in Travel, USA, The South, Tennessee, Guide

When most people think of Memphis, Tennessee, they think Elvis, Beale Street, the Mississippi River, BBQ, Graceland, and the Blues. These days, Memphis is all that and more. The city has thriving arts scene, a new and growing collection of breweries, tons of parks and music venues, sports, history and then there's the food. Yes, the BBQ is to die for. Always have the BBQ! But, you can also find some of the best southern cooking this side of the Mississippi. Justin Timberlake said it best when he said, "London ain't got no Gus's Fried Chicken. Paris may rendezvous, but they ain't got no Rendezvous. Egypt has the pyramids, they don't have a Bass Pro Pyramid."

Knoxville for Grown Ups

November 08, 2015 by Amy Johns in Travel, USA, The South, Tennessee, Most Popular

Knoxville, Tennessee will always hold a special place in my life. It's where I went to college (Go Vols!), it's where I met some of my very best friends, it's where I spent four of the most fun years of my life and it's where I met and fell in love with my husband.

That being said, the college student's Knoxville and the slightly-older-than-a-college-student's Knoxville are two different experiences. Kyle and I revisited the city for a wedding recently and found a new side to one of our favorite cities.