Browsing Tag

Georgia

RECAP | AIR B&B + WINERY

14298742451_843d5b009a_bWelcome to Mountain Laurel Farm Bed and Breakfast!

After pulling into the gravel driveway and meeting our host, Melody, we felt right at home!  She told us that we were actually the first guests after making it an official bed and breakfast so we’d get extra special treatment, score!  She also told us that they’ve booked 11 weddings already since they put it on the web as an event space, when you see the below photos of the barn, you’ll know why it’s already a hit!

Since our trip was SO SHORT after we arrived we quickly got a tour, set our stuff down and headed out for the hike I recapped in the last post. When we got back and got cleaned up we got a tour of the barn and walked around the property before heading out to dinner at Melly’s (mmm…grilled trout!) When I was pulling images for the post I sadly realized I didn’t take that many photos of the home’s interior which is a shame because it was nicely decorated and beautiful–like something you’d see in a Southern Living magazine!  Sometimes it’s just nice to soak it in and live in the moment and not worry about documenting, though I do love to snap photos of most everything! Here’s what I captured–

14320949103_bcde9001da_b14298843262_d757b8672d_bThis was our Paris themed room.  Above the bed are Melody’s grandmother’s vintage hats. They were each so pretty and detailed, she told us the center one is the one her grandmother wore at her wedding. You can’t really tell but it’s a deep teal with black ribbon.

14115403867_883e2fbfbc_b14300065142_60d3507767_bThey made this walkway down to the barn using old doors from the property. I imagine that’s where brides will walk through making their entrance to the barn for weddings, so dreamy!

14278848626_6f4f2f8986_b14301931355_61475ce671_b14114228597_bf940a13f6_bThis was our breakfast feast Melody made, she’s quite the cook!  That morning I woke up BECAUSE I smelled bacon, now that’s living the good life on vacation!

14115414797_f0efe24827_b14300011472_bc64de168f_bThis is the original homestead-now free standing-fireplace near the bed and breakfast’s property. If I was a bird, I’d definitely live here!

14301949455_811ef041d4_bTouring the barn, Dustin was snapping photos of all the decor while Melody was telling me about all the renovations they’ve done and plan to do before the weddings start. I was asking lots of questions and taking mental notes since my favorite idea thus far is a barn wedding. Below is the loft that will eventually be an additional space for events. The light coming in was so moody, hope they keep it slightly open.

14277645326_9a16a05e62_b14301436914_ed1330ce9f_b14114081799_7c55ef9290_b14322125053_3af140e351_bThe tail-end of our short getaway was visiting Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega, GA.  My old roommate Lisbeth was always talking about this place and how awesome it was so we said we’d meet up for drinks which kept getting put off. Well we finally did and I was pleasantly surprised at how big it was, it’s like a small version of a California Vineyard!

winejpgMy favorite white wine is Chardonnay so we selected this bottle of a limited release. It was delicious! I prefer buttery oaky chards and this was on point–not too tart or sweet.

14278806966_f7d7d7f179_bI’m wearing a Banana Republic dress, Clarks desert boots, Jcrew bag.

We decided we didn’t need to take an official tour since Dustin was certain he could give us a better tour so we set out and took a little adventure around the vineyards.  As we all expected the “tour” Dustin led was hilarious and “informative” though we found out most of the information was made up!

14115314250_e4c3bfca8c_b14115295788_b6da8035f8_bPhoto of a photo of a photo, taken by our other friends that met us there-thanks Matt and sorry if we’re in your photo bride lady! It was an awesome afternoon hanging with friends with a beautiful view and tasty wine! I’d go back to each part of this trip in a heart beat.

Here is the listing, we both highly recommend!

Have a good and safe weekend!

RECAP | GEORGIA HIKING

14290748924_fc7301642b_bTo add to the holiday weekend my boss gave the entire office off this past Friday just cause (what a nice guy right?!!) so Dustin and I decided to take advantage and skip town for a night! Through Air B&B we booked a nights stay at a historic home and headed to North Georgia-specifically the Cleveland/Helen/Dahlonega area-to hike and take in the sights.  As one would expect I took a TON of photos so I’m splitting it up, this post is all about the hike we did through Raven Cliffs Falls.

14311426583_c964cbab0f_b14311412043_10cf1689ce_bThe hike from start to finish was around 5 miles and in that time we came across 2 salamanders (we held one!), 3 snakes (did NOT hold these..), a clicking beetle, lots of butterflies, a HUGE toad (biggest I’ve ever seen) and a bunch of millipedes/caterpillars/snails!! We are both nature lovers and took it all in with a smile that was until I swallowed a medium-sized bug of some sort and then I chocked for a bit until I got it down with some water and trail mix. Laughed it off and kept going..with my mouth closed!

The woods were so green that the trees made a nice canopy that kept us cool. We had forgotten bug spray but thankfully didn’t really get bit. The weather was pretty humid until a small storm rolled through and chilled things down a little, we were scared at first thinking we are going to get drenched since we had two cameras on us but our tree canopy helped with this as well. The actual trail is a mix of dirt, rocks and LOTS of tree roots which made it hard to take your eyes of the ground at many points if you didn’t want to trip or roll an ankle. I really enjoyed the actually climbing parts when we hiked down to a few smaller falls, especially since I had a handsome man helping me!

14268127916_2f285b86aa_b14104602138_e622386f1f_b14104549319_6e44f07567_bThis mega waterfall was the “end” of the trail, aka our mission, which we reached in just shy of 2 hours after stopping and playing with all the bugs and things we saw along the way. Dustin had been on this hike about a half dozen times so he knew it well and told me that the “ultimate view” was getting ON TOP of this cliff {waterfall} and looking down(!!!) I agreed to try and we hiked up the rocky “trail” to the side of it to the almost top. Then I slipped down some clay and was trapped under a fallen tree holding on for dear life and laugh-crying while experiencing the WORST WEDGIE I’ve ever had and couldn’t move (thanks overall shorts..) So once Dustin helped me up and I gathered myself and dusted off what clay I could, we hiked back down to the normal trail and started our way back to the car. The only injuries I faced from my slip and fall was a really dirty bum and dyed forearms from the clay.

14268089316_83c822c3e5_b14289295802_7a77a5f1bc_bI felt good having an Eagle Scout with me on the trails, however, next time I should remember Dustin is an experienced hiker and that “easy trail” may mean that’s it’s more difficult to me! Our next visit to N. Georgia we’d like to camp on the premises of the trail, after all it’s first come first serve and FREE as well as go tubing!

Coming up: photos from Mountain Laurel Farm Bed & Breakfast!