Bear City

This weekend we decided to explore a little closer to home. Every time we think we have done all there is to do in North Carolina, we realize how much more there is to see and do. We had originally planned to hit up the Lake Lure area but instead headed to New Bern. I haven't been there since I was a teenager and there wasn't much back then I would have appreciated. You may have heard of New Bern because of one Nicholas Sparks. He is semi famous I guess. Or you know, some people would say because of Pepsi. Toss up.

How glad I am we went to this sweet, little town. I couldn't believe how many fantastic restaurants and things there were to do. No, there isn't a hopping nightlife here and if that is what you are after, then look elsewhere. However, we did luck out and stumble onto 3 fantastic bars that hit the spot for what we were looking for. New Bern is the perfect walking location. 

It is on the Pamlico River and the hotel we stayed at is right on the harbor. Our view was pretty much perfect and I got in my history fix all weekend and the best part is that we were able to park at the hotel on Friday and walked absolutely everywhere until it was time to leave on Sunday. 

The hotel rates and food price points for what we got were reasonable. We stayed at the Courtyard and found it enjoyable. There are also a plethora of B &B's right downtown. Our visit to the original Pepsico was worth our time. This is where I state that I am 100% a Coke girl, but this place was so much better than the World of Coke in Atlanta and what I mean is that it is the original pharmacy. It is free to walk in the few rooms and watch how it was originally made and order a Pepsi from the counter. And while I had Mt. Dew, he, of course, went with Pepsi. I will admit that the old bottles tasted better than the ones you find in the stores. And yea, the Pepsi float was the real deal.

New Bern showcases painted bears all throughout the town.  Bern is the Swiss word for bear and goes back to the town's history and is basically the official town mascot. Here are a few of my favorites. 

The eats were really good in New Bern and my two favorite meals were at The Chelsea and for lunch, right on the water, Persimmons. Both were delicious and we tried out Prohibition and the cocktails were very good. 

Tryon Palace was quite the treat, especially if you are a history buff like we are. Home of NC's first permanent capital. The gardens are absolutely stunning. 

and of course, Tony being Tony, our two-hour trip home took 5 hours, but at least we found some sweet spots. I just adore the little town of Oriental. We stumbled upon a pier next to a park with lots of empty Adirondack chairs and then a little ways up the road, we found a free ferry. This almost made up for our failure to go for a sail this weekend. Almost.

Whimsy Travel: Berry Hill Resort: South Boston, VA

We were able to make the trek to Berry Hill for my birthday. The mister ended up surprising me and it was funny once I figured out where we were headed. I grew up about half an hour from South Boston and if you would have told me ten years ago I would be going for a weekend away there, I probably would have laughed in your face and...the joke would have been on me. 

I drive through South Boston and Halifax on the way to visit my parents at least once every six weeks. I have loved seeing the changes over the past few years and the best part is that the town hasn't lost it's small town character. I can't even rmember the amount of times I spent there growing up. There are quite a few delicious and I mean really excellent high quality restaurants and the resort itself gave us no real reason to even leave if we didn't want to. 

Driving up the tree lined road and seeing the house just put my mind in relaxation mode and taking time to test out the rocking chairs on the grande porch was one of my favorite moments of the weekend. 

They have the main restaurant which we devoured our brunch, still drooling over my banana brulee french toast!  They also have a more casual tavern. Admittedly, I prefered the tavern. It just screams 'history' and the wings were so divine! They had really good drink specials going on as well. 

Our room was really spacious and had a great balcony with a nice view where we enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Then, my husband treated me to a spa service that was severely needed and what a treat it was! I loved the atmosphere and they offered an abundance of services on short notice! Afterwards we took a dip in the heated pool and spent some time in the sauna. 

If you are looking for a weekend away, I definitely recommend the Berry Hill Resort. It's about an hour from Lynchburg and an hour or so from Raleigh/Durham.

Whimsy Travel: Las Vegas

It may have taken me til I was 37 to get to Vegas, but rest assured we did it right. I mentioned in last week's post that we hit up Sedona/Scottsdale on our way to Vegas for my brother's 40th birthday. I have been pretty much all over the country, but never made it to Sin City til now. I will admit that there was tons more that I wanted to do, but we were having such a good time with some of our favorite people, I barely noticed what I missed out on. I will simply say that other than our Omnia experience, the Neon Museum is a must!

We stayed at Caesars and it was the perfect location on the Strip. It also houses Omnia nightclub which was, by far, the best "club" experience I have ever been privy to, including NYC, LA & Miami. It also probably cost more than each of those previous visits combined. Gulp. I will only say it was worth it. Look, when you are old, you will pay some cash money to have a table to sit at;) 

We had dinner at the Paris Hotel the first night we were there and my steak was incredible. We were supposed to eat at the Bellagio but there was the little detail of a shooting in front of the hotel and the Strip was closed off. I ended up happy with my meal and I won 55 bucks at the slot machine in The Paris, so I had no complaints. We headed back Caesars and gambled for a good bit. 

This is where I give my advice on Caesars. If you happen to get put in the Forum Tower, you must insist that you are on the 60th floor or above. I got in bed and my entire bed was knocking and not that kinda way. It happens to be directly above the Vista Club and it sounded like Calvin Harris himself was DJing in the room next door. Luckily for us, management was great and moved us (upgrade, cha ching) to the Palace Tower and we got an awesome suite. My other favorite part of Caesars was the attached mall. Completely crazy and the H & M came complete with a DJ spinning at 1pm. 

Saturday we kind of putzed around, enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast ( or you know, it was noon, so lunch) of a nutella and crema crepe. So beyond divine and then we got completely lost and I wanted an uber to pick me up from inside the casino because it was so insanely expansive and I am nothing if not lazy. 

That night we enjoyed dinner at Seersuckers in Caesars and it was incredible. My salmon was fantastic but, at the end of the day...it was salmon. However, we got sweet and spicy calamari steaks and potato and pork belly hash for appetizers and, suffice it to say, I could easily devour both of them every meal going forward. I also indulged in a spicy strawberry margarita. More spicy than not. 

Then it was time for Omnia and it was legitimately an experience I will never forget. There were 10 of us so that made it easier to split the minimum you have to spend to guarantee bottle service and a table.I just have zero interest in waiting in a two hour line and then being squished trying to dance. Maybe when I was in my twenties, now...no shot. Once we were in, we were led to our "table"  I am pretty sure they inadvertently gave our table away and that is how we ended up in one of the two suites they offer, I don't know and I don't care. Our suite was directly above the DJ and it came complete with our own bodyguard. Not a bad night. The LED chandelier was rather insane. It twisted and twirled and lights changed rapidly, pulsing to the beat. The chandelier alone was worth a visit to Omnia. 

And then I never went to bed. I was so pumped for the night I just couldn't calm down. Then the next afternoon we grabbed a bite and went to check out the Neon Museum. By far, one of my absolute favorite parts of the trip. This was so neat and I ascertained so much more background about Vegas than I had expected. The tour lasted roughly an hour. If you are able to take a night time tour, do that. I had an amazing time on the afternoon tour but I can only imagine how awesome it would be with all the lights lit up!

Our last event as a group was to catch the fountains at the Bellagio and then head downtown to Fremont St. Boith were fun and free, I am a fan of fun and I am an even bigger fan of free. 

Whimsy Travel: Sedona and The Red Rocks

I wish I had the words to adequately describe just how much I loved Sedona, but I am not sure I possess them. This tranquil and gorgeous place stole my heart in the shortest of visits. Our trip to Sedona lasted a mere two hours but that was more than enough time to solidify a meaningful place in my heart.

We stopped by Sedona on our way to Vegas after having a quick visit with our friends in Scottsdale. I was not able to give this majestic spot the time it was so deserving of, but what precious few moments I did have here, it garnered my full attention.

I should have known what I was in for when about an hour out of Sedona, this was the view that awaited me from the rest stop! Definite winner for rest area views that I have stumbled upon this far in my life!

Whimsy Travel: Scottsdale, Arizona

We took a trip to Vegas to celebrate my brother's 40th birthday and decided to head out to Arizona a few days early and make an extended trip out of our west coast visit. Some of our best friends moved to the area last year and this was the perfect chance to visit with them. We had a phenomenal time and I already can't wait to head back. We were only there for about 36 hours and we packed in every possible moment! 


If you find yourself in the Phoenix area and limited on time, these are my recommendations! 


Top Golf. 

I will make no bones about admitting that I may be the worst golfer ever. This is not an understatement. I am really quite terrible. For starters, I have really short arms, my nickname is Trex for a reason. (T-rex;) and on top of that, I have boobs that make watermelons look like cantelopes. When our friend suggested meeting up here, I was slightly skeptical. That said...this was one of my favorite parts of our visit. Seeing mister Karlee for a bit was also a fantastic part of the excursion.  The food was actually pretty tasty to be bar food and the view, I mean. What a way to spend our first afternoon. It is also right next to the casino, which was also a lot of fun so you could make a full night of it!

Biltmore Hotel. 

I have read about this place in many travel magazines and even as the backdrop of a few fiction books.  We still had a little sunlight left and stopped off to partake in one of their famous cocktails as the sunset over their beautiful patio and grounds. They happen to be the home of the original tequila sunrise. Who would I be not to try one? I didn't go with the traditional, but instead went with their tropical sunrise. This was a decidedly good choice. Beyond tasty! Not too strong either, just right. Although, I imagine if you went with a few too many they could pack a serious punch. 

Desert Botanical Gardens. 

I will be honest, coming from an area that is full of flowers, beaches, lakes and green mountains, I was unsure of how "beautiful" I was going to find the desert. The Desert Botanical Gardens soon put those preconceived notions to rest. This peaceful spot was just one of the many ways in which I underestimated Arizona. This place was beautiful and we spent quite a decent amount of time walking around. They also have a night walk that is apparently a must see because they have an array of lit up globes around the gardens. I would definitely like to go back and experience the park after hours. 

Jewel's Gluten Free Bakery
Our friend has celiac and he happened upon a completely gf restaurant/bakery and so we ended up having breakfast there on our day of exploring. Let me just say that I have had the misfortune to try some bad gluten free recipes. This joint was so tasty that you would never have any idea they were GF unless someone told you in advance. Oh my gosh, the pecan sticky bun doughnut and the espresso panna cotta. Lord have mercy, I could go for some of it right now