A Culinary Retreat at a Georgia Mountain Bed & Breakfast

For the first trip of my #Take12Trips Challenge, my husband Ryan and I wanted an easy getaway from Atlanta. As is most often the case with us, we decided to head to the mountains and check out some vineyards. This time, we made our way up to Clayton, Georgia to try out Tiger Mountain Vineyards and Stonewall Creek Vineyards. Wineries? In Georgia? Yes, and you can check out reviews for the other vineyards we’ve visited here. The vineyards were great, but our favorite part of our weekend ended up being where we stayed – The Beechwood Inn, a luxurious Georgia mountain bed & breakfast with the most amazing chefs!

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Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

stonehenge feature photo- edited

Epic Site Reviews: Unimpressed and Impressed Tourists

A couple of articles I read on Afar and CNN recently inspired this roundup of bad versus good reviews about iconic sites on Yelp and TripAdvisor. Are these reviewers even talking about the same place? I have to laugh at some of these otherwise they’d make me cry! Here are some epic site reviews!

Eiffel Tower

eiffel tower

Bad: Just make sure you go with someone you love, or buy your tickets online, in advance – because you are going to be spending a hell of a long time with them in a queue that moves at a snail’s pace.[…] I’m gonna do it, and maybe this is the period talking, but I’m actually giving the Tour Eiffel THREE STARS.  That’s it!

Good: I live in Ohio and they have a tiny version at an amusement park called kings island .. it was much more impressive to see the real thing. It’s so big you see it from all over Paris .. at night is my fav.

[Yelp]

Machu Picchu

Peru 345

Bad: This is the most expensive tourist destination I’ve been to, after Antarctica. Train, bus, entrance fee, small place, expensive food… Sure great view, same as what you see on guidebook and website, thats it. I made revisit and things have gotten only worse (better 7 years ago). I recommend this place only if you have so much money to waste.

Good: Visiting Machu Picchu was a lifelong dream, and the trip far exceeded my expectations. Pictures cannot capture the beauty and majesty of the site. Getting there is quite a journey, involving multiple planes, trains and buses, but the experience is worth the effort.

[TripAdvisor]

Stonehenge

Bad: Some rocks in the middle of nowhere. Was part of a tour and we immediately vacated to go somewhere more interesting. The story is intriguing. The physical artifact not-so-much. I suggest the Roman Baths in the City of Bath as a sightseeing alternative. If you really, really, really love Stonehenge then look at the pictures.

Good: How do you not give this amazing cite 5 stars.  WTH, this place is amazing, gorgeous and just something that makes you feel history.

[Yelp, Photo credit: Laura Brown]

The Grand Palace

2015-01-09 23.51.05

Bad:Expensive and same same” Temple, temple and temples again. There all the same and it’s really expensive. 400 bahts (10 euros!). Plus, it’s unaccessible with public transport. Requires tricycle or taxi.

Good: “Bejeweled temple heaven” The most beautiful manmade place we have ever seen. It’s a must see if you are in Bangkok – not to be missed. Gorgeous Thai architecture and design. We didn’t have this on our bucket list, so we added it just to cross it off. We had no idea. Crowded but glorious.

[TripAdvisor]

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Bad: Whoopity do, Grand Canyon.  You are a giant hole in the ground.  You were caused be erosion.  You don’t have roller coasters or dippin’ dots.  Jeeesh.  Can you say “overrated?”

Good: Who knew that a big hole in the ground could be so cool!  That is so for the biggest highlight in my life.  They do it if you can go lower every time you walk down.  You can also touch the rocks and see the different reds oranges and colors of rocks!  I loved the trails and the different was that you could go, I loved how it was built out, my one tip it can get boring after 4-5 hours spending time at the same place but, at first it is amazing!

[Yelp, Photo credit: Laura Brown]

Please leave any thoughts in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

Stephanie grew up road-tripping across the U.S., but her first flight was to Australia, and she’s been hooked ever since. She lived abroad in Thailand, where she met Meagan, and in Ghana with Peace Corps and has been to over 30 countries on 6 continents. She travels for the adventure, the stories, and nature.