After what had to be the longest school year of all time, summer is finally here! Now that everything’s opening up again, it just might be the best summer ever — There’s nothing like spending a year at home to appreciate normal, everyday life and all the activities that come with it, right? I’ve spent […]
May 25, 2021
I’ve learned over time that what often makes a shop or a tour or even a restaurant really, really special is the owner or guide or chef you interact with while you’re there. When I’m researching a city or town, I sort through hundreds of user reviews, seeking out the bookstore with the charismatic and […]
May 23, 2021
I’m a sucker for a great French brasserie and over the years, we’ve been lucky to dine at some of the best. 39 Rue de Jean in Charleston, Echaude in Quebec City, and the now sadly closed Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan all left me with delicious memories of crispy pommes frites, mussels steamed in […]
May 7, 2021
I’m trying to be very Zen about Nashville’s growth explosion and its resulting traffic and soaring prices and overcrowded everything, and really the only way I can do that right now is by focusing on the food. Until the last few years, the food scene was pretty boring here — Our restaurants catered largely to […]
April 24, 2021
Machine Falls near Tullahoma has been on our short list for a few years now, for two reasons: First, we’ve heard it’s an impressive waterfall by Middle Tennessee standards. Second, State Naturalist Randy Hedgepath told me a couple of years ago that Short Springs Natural Area– where Machine Falls is located– is one of his […]
April 20, 2021
Like most of you, after months of quarantine, we are so very tired of being cooped up in our house — At the same time, we’re being extremely cautious about traveling this summer. It’s hard to find a place right now that meets our standards of crowd size, cleanliness, and plain old fun, but we […]
July 6, 2020
Cooler weather is (finally!) here, which makes it the best time of year for weekend family field trips. I’ve always had two ulterior motives when planning weekend activities for my family — No matter what we do together, I want my kids to get active or I want them to learn something. Fortunately, there are […]
October 11, 2019
For years now, I’ve been trying to plan a weekend getaway with my husband in Murfreesboro. Even thought it’s just 45 minutes from Nashville, we feel like we’re worlds away when we visit, transported to a place where history abounds, nature beckons, and plenty of shopping and restaurant opportunities await. Dennis and I finally got […]
May 7, 2019
