Wilmington, NC

Wilmington is a fun beach town on the coast of North Carolina!

Wilmington Tips: 

• Wilmington has several distinct areas to explore so be sure to get out of downtown! The Cargo District, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach are all great to adventure around in. They are pretty close together, but plan ahead so you’re not going back and forth a bunch!

• Wilmington is super dog-friendly so bring your four-legged friends along!

• Expect very chill, beach vibes throughout the area. It’s also a college town so things are very laid back.

• Be conscious of fly season—the summer months mean the flies are everywhere making dining outdoors less than enjoyable.

• Expect to pay for parking nearly everywhere you go unfortunately.

Adventures & Ales Top Wilmington Recommendations: ​

• The Half: A stellar spot for sandwiches and craft beer. The cute little building has wildly good beers available on tap and in cans to pair with delicious sandwiches. The staff is all super friendly as well. Truly a delight!

• Fermental Beer and Wine: A nice beer and wine war with a back patio in a unique building. They have 12 taps and a nice selection of packaged beers.

• Drift Coffee & Kitchen: A great spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee, and smoothies. Delicious breakfast sandwiches and lattes and friendly staff. They have a few locations in the area.

• Wilmington Brewing Company: Another really fun brewery with a large taproom, outdoor seating, frequent food trucks, and a variety of beers to choose from.

• Cheese Smith: A restaurant with killer grilled cheese! They’ve also got other sandwiches and a few beers. Located a 3 minute walk from Fermental in the Cargo District.

• Savorez: A great spot for Latin American style food. Don’t skip their delicious margaritas!

• Stay at the Aloft! This beautiful hotel is right on the river and just a few minutes walk from downtown. The space is very nice and the location is perfect. The Aloft also has a fun rooftop bar with nice city and river views. It is open to the public and a great spot to catch sunset. Hotel Ballast is another nice hotel on the riverfront walkable to everything downtown.

• The Vine: A cute spot for charcuterie, wine, and cocktails! They’ve got a small food menu and chill vibes.

• Bespoke Coffee: A cute coffee shop in downtown Wilmington. They have pastries and also offer free refills on iced coffee!

  • Be sure to check out the iconic Second Street Mural right across the street!

• Beer Barrio: A fun spot for Mexican eats, craft beers and cocktails. 

• Outer Dunes Brewing Company: A solid brewery between Topsail and Wrightsville. They have a nice outdoor seating area to enjoy your brew in.

• Waterman’s Brewing Company: A restaurant-style brewery near Wrightsville Beach with a large outside patio. They have a delicious food menu that includes brunch offerings and solid beers.

• Front Street Brewery: A solid brewery in the heart of downtown Wilmington. They’ve got restaurant-style vibes and they also have an extensive whiskey selection.

• Ponysaurus Brewing Company: The Wilmington location of this Durham-based brewery is located in a converted house with a nice patio. They have a pizza-focused food menu and large beer menu alongside a few cocktails.

• Sauce’d: A solid cocktail bar on the water.

• GelaRto: Delicious gelato in a cool building on the riverfront!

Carolina Beach

Top Touristy Spots in Wilmington Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Wrightsville Beach: The closer beach to downtown Wilmington. I personally love and prefer Wrightsville beach—the water is clear, the sand is soft, and it’s overly built up.

• Carolina Beach: South of Wilmington, this beach area is much more established than Wrightsville Beach with a boardwalk and a plethora of bars and restaurants.

  • Freeman Park: A section of Carolina Beach that is dog friendly and you can drive on the beach with 4WD.

• Wander Airlie Gardens: These beautiful gardens are truly stunning and make for the perfect stroll. Admission is $9.

• North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher: A beautiful aquarium with a wide variety of species to explore. Book your tickets in advance, $12.95 for adults.

• Cape Fear Rum Cake: A touristy but tasty stop in downtown!

• Take a sunset cruise with Cape Fear Riverboats. The cruise runs up and down the river with beautiful views.

• Take a food tour with Taste Carolina: The tour visits 6 local restaurants and spans 3 hours. It includes small bites and drinks with some history and general Wilmington information along the way.

Second Street Mural

Other Things To Do in Wilmington:​​

• Flying Machine Brewing Company: A large brewery with solid beers. They have frequent events and food trucks as well. They also have a location right near Wrightsville Beach that has a full food menu and bar. This spot has more restaurant-vibes than brewery-vibes but is still a fun spot and the food is delicious.

• Floriana: A nice Italian with terraces outside on the riverfront.

• Mad Mole Brewing: A smaller brewery with an outside patio. They are solar powered which is an awesome feature as well!

• Wrightsville Beach Brewery: A restaurant-style brewery with good pizza and solid beers.

• The Workshop: A nice little spot for coffee and sandwiches at Wrightsville Beach.

• Hi-Wire Brewing: The Wilmington taproom of this Asheville based brewery is spacious and full of games! Great vibes and solid beers here.

• Edward Teach Brewery: A brewery with frequent live music and a nice outdoor space with lounge vibes.

• Hopyard: A bottle shop and beer bar in the heart of downtown with a solid selection of beers.

• Broomtail Brewing: Broomtail has two locations in Wilmington but both are quite different from each other. Their original taproom is a small space in an industrial strip mall. Overall they are Sour focused and their beers are solid. The Pub & Arcade location (former the Sour Barn) is full of games and has a nice outdoor seating area in the back.

• Good Hops Brewery: Bringing the beach vibes, this brewery has lots of outdoor seating and is very kid and dog friendly. They’ve also got disc golf!

• Ironclad Brewery: A brewery in downtown Wilmington with average beer. They’ve got a large space with frequent events and super nice staff members. Be sure to check their social media ahead of time to ensure they are open due to how many events they host.

• Flytrap Brewing: Solid beers (Belgian heavy), lots of outdoor seating, board games, and frequent food trucks.

• Bill’s Brewing: A restaurant-style brewery with average beers and a full food menu.

• Waterline Brewing Co.: Average beers, chill vibes.

• The Fortunate Glass: A wine bar with an extensive selection alongside a small food menu.

• Panacea Brewing Company: A kombucha focused brewery with an all vegan food menu and a few house-made beers.

• The UnderFront Company: A cocktail bar that caters to the college student vibe. They have live music on the weekends and a back patio.

• Beach Bagels: Average bagel shop with several locations throughout the Wilmington area. The downtown location is right around the block from Bespoke so you can grab your coffee they head over for a bagel!

• Bagels on Pointe: Decent bagels but not overly impressive.

Greenville, SC

Greenville is a cute little growing city nestled in the northwest corner of South Carolina

GVL Tips: 

• I spend a lot of time in Greenville and it is a really nice city. It is kid friendly, dog friendly, pedestrian friendly and bike friendly.

• The city is pretty small, a weekend visit is the ideal amount of time!

Adventures & Ales Top Greenville Recommendations: ​

• The Eighth State Brewing: My favorite brewery in the Greenville area and arguably the best in the entire state! They have delicious beers, frequent events, lots of non-beer options, and rotating in-house food.

• The Whale: A fantastic craft beer bar with something for every palate! They have 20 taps and a huge selection of cans and bottles.

• Swamp Rabbit Café: I HIGHLY recommend visiting this cute little restaurant, the food is incredible! Located right on the Swamp Rabbit Trail if you are biking/running/walking it is a great spot to stop for lunch. I recommend you get a sandwich because the stecca bread is superb!

• The Community Tap: A fun beer bar with some killer beers on tap and wine and beer for purchase. Dog friendly!

• Sully’s Steamers: A great spot for bagels right in the heart of downtown.

• Lewis Barbeque: This renowned Charleston-based BBQ restaurant is superb. The food is delicious, bar drinks are great, and patio is lovely. Don’t miss happy hour from 4-6pm!

• Other Lands: A brewery and coffee shop with a small food menu. They have solid beers, but dirty glassware. The patio is nice + they are dog-friendly.

• Fireforge Brewing: A ton of beer options, smell menu of snacks, comfy seating options, outside space, really friendly bartenders, and it’s located right downtown!

• The Trappe Door: A restaurant and beer bar specializing in Belgian food and drink. This unique spot is in a dark basement setting in the heart of downtown Greenville. They have a great Belgian beer selection and tasty food.

The Eighth State Brewing Company

The Classic Tourist Spots in Greenville Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Falls Park on the Reedy: A pretty park with lots of places to sit and relax or wander around. The quintessential ‘Greenville’!

• Paris Mountain State Park: About a twenty minute drive from downtown Greenville but worth it! It is a $6 entrance fee for the State Park to gain access to all of the trails. Brissy Ridge was a good hike but didn’t have as exciting of views as I’d hoped. The Lake Placid Loop is a very chill walk around the lake where you can also see the dam. Sulphur Springs was nice but a little boring.

• The Commons: A ton of small local businesses under one roof! The food hall has The Community Tap (above), Methodical Coffee, SC Bake Room, Automatic Taco, Golden Brown and Delicious and more. Located on the Swamp Rabbit Trail too!

• Gather: Another food hall concept made out of old containers and fully outside. Pasta Addict is my favorite! Greenville Beer Exchange also has a space here.

• Swamp Rabbit Trail: A 22 mile trail running through Greenville along the Reedy River and through city parks. This trail connects GVL and Traveler’s Rest!

• Stay at the Hampton Inn downtown: This is actually a super nice hotel in a fantastic location at reasonable rates. Pro-tip you don’t have to valet or park in a garage, there is free street parking all around.

Swamp Rabbit Café

Other Things to do in Greenville:​​

• Liability Brewing: Tasty beers and lively atmosphere, especially when the weather is warm and the garage-style doors are open.

• Greenville Beer Exchange: A bottle shop and taproom with a wide selection of beers.

• Traveler’s Rest: A cute little town north of Greenville! An easy detour to explore.

  • Swamp Rabbit Brewing: Solid beers and small town vibes located in Traveler’s Rest

• Tetrad Brewing: An average brewery with chill vibes.

• Smoke on the Water: A nice spot for BBQ in the heart of downtown. The food here is delicious and they also have a nice outside area.

• Biscuit Head: A delicious breakfast spot out of Asheville. All things biscuit!

• Southernside Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a large outdoor space, full food menu and tasty beers. They are located across the river from The Commons.

• Grateful Brew: A cute 60’s vibes coffee shop and beer bar that is dog friendly.

• Fork and Plough: A farm to table restaurant with solid eats. They also are a market and butchery.

• Double Stamp Brewery: A solid brewery with a rooftop patio.

  • Home Team BBQ, the popular Charleston-based BBQ spot, is located right next door as well.

• Yee-Haw Brewing: The Greenville outpost of the Johnson City brewery. Half of the beers on tap are brewed in GVL, half in Johnson City. A cute outdoor space, while the inside has more restaurant-style vibes.

• Shoeless Brewing: A brewery in the homebrew supply store Grapes and Grains on the east side of the city. The beers here are solid and it is a popular local hangout.

• 13 Stripes Brewing: Located Northeast of the city inside the old Taylor’s Mill, giving the brewery warehouse-y vibes. They have a large selection of beers, but no flights as a heads up.

• Brewery 85: A fun brewery with many German-style beers that come in fun mason jar pint glasses. Frequent events and food trucks!

• Tipsy Taco: A Tex-Mex restaurant with several locations in the area.

Paris Mountain State Park

Skip:

• Think Tank Brew Lab: A mediocre brewery near the downtown airport. They have large taproom and large outdoor space with a small food menu.

• Iron Hill Brewing: A chain brewery with a large menu of average beers.

• Spill The Beans: This is a coffee shop in downtown Greenville with bad coffee and worse service.

• Quest Brewing: A small little tap room with below average beers.

• Pangaea Brewing: A mediocre brewery in The Commons with a small food menu and average beers.

Asheville, NC

Asheville has repeatedly been ranked Beer City USA and is a cute little beer-centric town in the middle of the mountains.

AVL Tips: 

• Wear layers! The weather here fluctuates quite a bit with the elevation so be prepared to be hot one minute and chilly the next.

• The downtown area can get quickly overwhelmed with tourists and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Be sure to get out of ‘South Slope’ and see more of the city, you won’t regret it.

• Hiking isn’t as close as you would initially expect, you’ll need to drive a bit to hit the trails even though the city is nestled in the mountains

  • Check out my 2 day Asheville itinerary here!

• Asheville is unique in that there are ~30 breweries, but there are multiple outposts of some breweries that make that number as high as it is. Burial, Hi-Wire, Wedge, Wicked Weed, Green Man, Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Thirsty Monk, One World, and Catawba each have more than one location all within five or so miles, something that is not common in other cities. I would definitely recommend checking out each location individually if you have time because each atmosphere can be very different!

  • Check out my blog on The Best Breweries in Asheville here!

• Looking for more of a small town vibe? Hendersonville is a cute area just south of Asheville.

  • Check out my Hendersonville, NC guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top Asheville Recommendations: ​

• Burial Beer: The mecca of Asheville beer! This is a MUST. Expect it to be busy as a result of how fantastic the beers are, so try to visit on a weekday if you can. They are constantly changing things up but 100% of what they make is fantastic, especially their IPAs. Their original taproom is in South Slope with patio seating and a small food menu.

  • Forestry Camp is their second venture in the city. It is in the Biltmore Village neighborhood a bit south of downtown. They’ve got a food menu, cocktails and wine, guest taps, a rooftop patio, and chill vibes.

  • Eulogy is their music venue next to the South Slope taprooms. On Saturday afternoons it is open as a beer hall. The space has Burial beers, occasional guest beers, cocktails, Visuals wine, and Good Hot Fish inside. On top of Eulogy is Visuals Wine and Cocktail Bar. This rooftop bar is home to Burial’s wine line, cocktails, a handful of their beers, and a small food menu.

• Cellarest Beer Project: A great brewery in West Asheville. They are particularly focused on Farmhouse Ales and Lagers. Cassia is their onsite food truck with incredibly delicious Asian eats.

• Dssolvr: A killer brewery with delicious beers. They are located right downtown and you can get food delivered from nearby restaurants as well.

• The Whale: An awesome craft beer bar with a variety of taps, cans and bottles. They have three locations in the Asheville area: West Asheville, South Slope, and The Outpost in Haw Creek.

  • The Masters Park to Haw Creek Valley Overlook trail is located 3 minutes from their Outpost location. It is a great way to get in a quick workout with a view before your brew. The trail is 2.3 miles long with 551ft of elevation gain and takes about an hour to complete.

• Stay at The Glamping Collective: This is an amazing property with geodomes and glass cabins located 30 minutes west of Asheville in Clyde. The domes are incredibly luxurious with kitchens, full bathrooms, hot tubs, fire tables, air conditioning & heat, and so much more. The property has three onsite trails as well, so you don’t even have to get in your car to go for a beautiful hike. The Sunset Summit Trail was my favorite—the views are incredible, even not during sunset! Plus they even have Adirondack chairs at the summit to sit and relax.

  • Another great lodging option is Asheville River Cabins: These are cozy stays on the French Broad River right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The cabins are complete with full kitchens, grills, hot tubs, fire pits, coffee nooks, and everything you could need for your stay. They are located 15 minutes south of Asheville proper. In addition to the cabins they have A-frames and RV spots.

• Taco Boy is a great spot for tacos, nachos and cocktails next to The Whale in West Asheville and in Biltmore Park.

• TRVE Brewing: A metal-themed brewery coming out of Denver with solid beers.

• Terra Nova Beer Co.: A solid brewery with two locations in the Asheville area: South Slope and Swannanoa. At their South Slope location they have Mission Pizza inside serving up ‘za, a nice patio, and a large variety of taps including 4 Czech side pulls.

Dssolvr

• Summit Coffee: An extremely cute coffee shop located in The Foundation, a complex covered in 14 acres of street art that is super trendy. Get the lavender latte & don’t look back!

  • Walk across the street to Wedge Brewing’s Foundation outpost once you’re ready to transition from coffee to beer. They also have a BBQ restaurant, 12 Bones Smokehouse, attached for your food needs.

• Zillicoah Beer: Located right on the French Broad River, this is the perfect spot north of town to relax on a beautiful day. It’s super chill, family friendly, and dog friendly outside. They specialize in fantastic Lagers.

• Sunny Point Café: A delicious spot for brunch every day of the week! This spot is incredibly popular so expect a wait and try to avoid it on Sundays. They are also open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Located in West Asheville.

• New Origin Brewing: A small brewery with a large variety of beers that are all great. They have a nice patio space and 900 Degreez food truck onsite for pizza.

• Cursus Keme: The “secret brewery” in Asheville that’s not quite a secret anymore. This spot used to be a tractor trailer repair shop and is now a large bright and airy taproom. The outside seating near the river is lovely as well. They have a limited number of beers on tap that are usually quite unique and delicious. Located a block past New Origin at the end of the road.

• Biscuit Head: A tasty spot for—you guessed it—biscuits! They have sweet or savory options as well as drinks. There are 3 locations in Asheville: downtown, West Asheville, and Biltmore Park.

• Catawba Falls: Another great spot to hike just 30 minutes from downtown. This is very family friendly and relatively flat to the falls. If you’re feeling adventurous you can climb up the falls via a rope on the right-hand side. The trail is short and sweet but still provides great views!

• Taco Billy: Delicious tacos! Highly recommend their breakfast tacos but they’ve also got beers if you go for lunch or dinner. You can order online to avoid a line as well.

Summit Coffee Asheville

Top Touristy Spots Actually Worth Visiting in Asheville:​

• Blue Ridge Parkway: An amazing scenic drive with viewpoints to pull over and admire from. Bring snacks, take your time, and enjoy!

• Float the river with Zen Tubing! Bring your cooler and speaker and enjoy the relaxing journey along the river.

• Sierra Nevada Mills River: This is a HUGE outpost of the California-based brewery with a private drive, full kitchen and taproom, and concert space. The outdoor space is great, with a firepit, game space, dog space, kid space, and all nestled in the forest. Do not miss the pretzels with pimento beer cheese! The staff here is also super friendly and great!

  • Located right next to the airport so it’s a perfect spot on your way in or out of town if you’re flying! Driving distance from downtown Asheville is about 20 minutes.

• Highland Brewing: Asheville’s first brewery! This is a unique spot with shipping containers inside and out, frequent live music, cool artwork, and a meadow onsite. The also have hiking trails on their property and chill vibes all around.

• North Carolina Arboretum: A lovely outdoor space with gardens, trails, educational programs and events. It is $16 to enter the parking area.

• New Belgium Brewing: Based in Fort Collins, CO., New Belgium calls Asheville its second home. They are located right on the Catawba River and have a fantastic outdoor space. You can also tour the incredibly massive brewery.

• LaZoom: Bus comedy tours that share a bit of Asheville history, comedy skits, and a stop at a local brewery. They also offer haunted tours, band tours, and kids tours.

Sierra Nevada

Other Things to do in Asheville:

• Lookout Mountain & Rattlesnake Mountain: Most of the hiking near Asheville is a solid hour drive from the city, but these trails are just 25 minutes away in Black Mountain, NC. Lookout is crowded and there are a lot of manmade steps, but the views are good from the top. I would highly recommend going over the back end of Lookout and continuing up to Rattlesnake where there is generally no one else on the trail and the views are even better.

  • Montreat Rainbow Road, Toll Road, Lookout Mountain Trail: This trail is 4.3 miles long with 889ft of elevation gain. If you go straight up to the Lookout Rocks you’ll gain all of that elevation in about half of a mile, if you end with the rocks it’s a gradual ascent. This trail is a bit boring at times but the Lookout Rocks are great—most folks just go straight up and back down. Parking is limited so avoid this trail on weekends if possible.

• Pop up to Weaverville, 10 minutes north of town and visit Leveller Brewing Company and Zebulon Artisan Ales. Leveller has a cute patio space and stellar Farmhouse-focused beers. Zebulon has funkier styles in a tucked away taproom a block away.

• Trombatore Trail: A solid hike up to a pasture-style view of the surrounding mountains. AllTrails listed it at 4.7 miles but it is actually more like 6 as a heads up.

• Hillman Beer Co: Lots of outdoor seating and a full food menu. They’ve also got a location in Old Fort, east of Asheville.

• Mountain Madre: A great Mexican restaurant and Agave bar in downtown AVL. Their food and drinks are delicious and their patio is very cute.

• Vortex Donuts: A great spot to grab a donut and coffee! If you go close to closing time it’s buy one get one free donuts! Highly recommend the peanut butter chocolate.

• Hi-Wire South Slope: A small little taproom with fun vibes and good beers.

• White Labs Kitchen and Tap: A production facility, education hub, and brewery based in San Diego with a second location in Asheville. This taproom has a variety of beers on tap and each style has two beers to choose from using different yeasts which is fun! They’ve also got a full food menu with wood fired pizzas that are delicious. Service is mediocre.

• Diatribe Brewing: This is a chill spot in West Asheville where the tap list is Lager and old-school styles heavy.

• One World Brewing: Two taprooms, one in West Asheville and the original is downtown in a basement setting.

• Green Man Dirty Jack’s: The historic original Green Man location with semi-grunge vibes (hence the name).

• Asheville Pizza and Brewing: 3 locations in town, each with solid pizza and solid beer. Their South Slope location also has a cute little outdoor patio. Their location on the north side of town has a full movie theater!

• Wedge Brewing at Wedge Studios: The original Wedge outpost. They have a large outdoor space but a small indoor space. Be sure to ask for peanuts.

Highland Brewing

• Hi-Wire Big Top: A really chill spot compared to their South Slope location. This is where their production happens so it is pretty industrial. They’ve got a permanent food truck onsite, Foothills Meats. The 10W-40 Stout series is delicious!

  • Hungry & don’t love the food truck options? Standard Pizza is a one minute walk away and has great pizza! The slices are huge!

• Archetype Brewing: A brewery in West Asheville with average beers. They have a nice rooftop patio and Pizza Mind is located next door for some ‘za.

• Asheville Retrocade: A game bar with craft beer! They’ve got Dance Dance Revolution, Pac-Man, Skee-Ball, and so much more! If you go after 9pm it is 21+

• The Brew Pump: A craft beer bar in a gas station! No, really. They’ve got $3 specials and well…gas!

• All Sevens Brewing: Another brewery in West Asheville, they’ve got a full food menu, a pool table, and basic beers that you can get pitchers of.

• Rattlesnake Lodge Trail: This is a close to town but pretty boring hike that is 4.3 miles long with 882ft of elevation gain and takes 2 hours to complete.

• Wicked Weed Funkatorium: Wicked Weed was bought out by Anheuser-Busch so I try to avoid their beers and drink small/craft. The Funkatorium specializes in farmhouse ales and barrel aged sour beers that are small batch.

• Thirsty Monk: Overhyped Belgian brewery and seltzery where neither the beer nor the seltzer is good.

Charleston, SC

Charleston is a gorgeous southern city with the best of both worlds: a fun downtown and the beach!

CHS Tips: 

• As with anywhere in the deep south, it is HOT in the summer, so plan ahead (or visit between September-May)

• If you're planning a trip check out my bestie's amazing business to help you celebrate any occasion! Girls weekends, birthdays, engagements, whatever it may be, she will help plan your perfect experience!

Adventures & Ales Top Charleston Recommendations: 

• The Whale: A fantastic craft beer bar with great taps and a cans/bottles to choose from. It is beautifully designed and has both indoor and outdoor seating.

• Westbrook Brewing: A large brewery a bit outside the hustle and bustle in Mt Pleasant. They have a large variety of tasty beers, specifically their Stouts!

• Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company: Edmund’s Oast has two locations in Charleston—the brewery and the restaurant Both are great spots—they have chill vibes, nice patios, a wide array of taps, and tasty eats.

• Wine & Company: Seriously the best cheese plates I've ever had in my life (& I’ve had a lot of cheese plates). They have an extensive wine selection and a can/bottle list with select beers!

• Taco Boy: A fun Mexican restaurant with three locations—one on Folly Beach, one in downtown CHS, and one in Summerville. Get the Frozen Screwdriver, you won’t regret it!

• Folly Beach: A large beach and a cute strip of bars and restaurants—a great place to spend a day!

• Lewis Barbecue: A delicious spot for eats and drinks! They have a nice patio and very popular BBQ alongside superb sides and nachos.

• Revelry Brewing: Such a fun brewery with a rooftop and a wide variety of beers for every palate

• Brown Dog Deli: Mouthwatering sandwiches! Pro Tip: Grab a sandwich to go and eat it on the waterfront just a few blocks away

• The rooftop bar at Stars: a fantastic place to enjoy the outdoors and relax with a cocktail. Conveniently located right on King Street

• Baker and Brewer: From Evo Pizza and Holy City Brewing, this pizzeria and brewery has phenomenal pizzas and delicious beers! They also have nice outdoor seating options.

• Bowens Island Restaurant: A fantastic spot for fresh-off-the-boat seafood with lovely views and chill vibes! Get here early to avoid the line.

• Bodega: Such a cute spot for coffee, breakfast and lunch. They have great indoor/outdoor seating and are in the heart of downtown.

Magnolia Plantation

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting in Charleston: ​

• King Street: You could wander up and down King Street for hours on end popping into shops, restaurants, bars, and people watching

• Magnolia Plantation and Gardens: Gorgeous grounds and a lot of history to soak in

• College of Charleston: A beautiful campus in the heart of downtown, it is definitely worth wandering through!

• Charleston City Market: Historical site filled with several shops full of good finds

• Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens: Gorgeous grounds & a ton of history

• The Battery: The park at the end of the peninsula on the water—a perfect spot for a picnic!

• Rainbow Row: Just a quick stop, but the houses are gorgeous! 

• Firefly Distillery: An awesome Firefly spirits tasting experience alongside fun cocktails and frequent live music and events!

Wine & Company

Other Things to do in Charleston: ​​​

• Sullivan's Island: Another beautiful beach!

• Low Tide Brewing: Located on John’s Island, this brewery has a variety of beers and a great outdoor space

• Charles Towne Fermentory: A brewery with solid IPAs in West Ashley. They’ve also got a food window and board games!

• Graft: A cute wine shop and wine bar that also has a small food menu

• Home Team BBQ: A delicious BBQ restaurant with locations downtown, in West Ashley, and on Sullivan’s Island. Their famous cocktail The Frozen Game Changer is delicious!

• Leon’s Oyster Shop: A fun restaurant set in an old garage specializing in fried chicken, oysters, and unique drinks.

  • Pro-tip: You can only make a reservation if you party is larger than 6, so if there is a long-ish wait, head around the corner to Graft for a glass of wine while you wait!

• Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit: A delicious biscuit shop located both on Upper King Street and in the City Market.

• Five Loaves Café: A tasty spot for brunch, lunch and dinner. They have locations in Mt. Pleasant and Summerville!

• The rooftop bar at the Vendue Hotel: Another great rooftop, highly recommend when it is dark outside so you can admire the well lit Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

• Frothy Beard Brewing: Tonssss of beers on tap here. Located in the West Ashley neighborhood.

• Azul: A solid spot for Mexican eats with multiple locations around town!

• Charles Town Landing: ​The original Charleston. Lots of history, lots of beautiful outdoor space

• Brunch at Shelter: cheap carafes of mimosas and a deep fried peanut butter french toast…. need I say more?

• Freehouse Brewery: Organic brewery in a scenic setting on the Ashley River. Very chill vibes

• Holy City Brewing: Solid beers, full food menu, and a large space.

• LoFi Brewing: A warehouse style brewery with a small tap list but solid brews!

• Ghost Monkey Brewing: Classic taproom vibes with a variety of beers available

• Fort Sumter: For the history geek, be sure to check out this famous battle site 

• Munkle Brewing: Belgian-style brewery with Trappist beers

• Kudu: A nice spot for coffee and craft beer just off a King Street.

• Palmetto Brewing Co: Solid beers and nice patio seating with frequent food trucks

• Pawley’s Island Brewing: A small brewery with solid beers—close to Freehouse Brewery

• Rusty Bull Brewing: A fun brewery in North Charleston with ax throwing connected to it as well!

• Tradesman Brewing: A brewery with extremely unique beers and an abundance of outdoor seating

• Isle of Palms is another great beach to check out! There is less parking and it’s a little less built up than the other beaches but still a gorgeous beach!

• Kiawah Island is less crowded than Folly, Sullivan’s, or IOP, but it is also a longer drive from downtown. If you’re up for the hike it’s definitely more peaceful!

  • Seabrook Island is located right next to Kiawah but it is a gated community—you have to have a pass to access the island or any of the beaches.

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte is where I’ve called home for a few years now so I figured it was time to write a beer & Travel guide for the Queen City! CLT is a large southern city with a plethora of breweries, great places to eat, and fun neighborhoods to explore!

CLT Tips: 

• The Queen City is distinctly organized into neighborhoods, each with different things to offer and different vibes. If you’re visiting try to organize your time by neighborhood so you’re not crisscrossing all over the place as traffic can be less than ideal.

• Charlotte is moderately large and somewhat spaced out but once you get to a particular neighborhood you can walk everywhere, so if you are visiting a car is not entirely necessary.

• What we call Uptown is what you think of as Downtown in any other city.

• As I said, I live in Charlotte so I could list out hundreds of places to go, but these are my top recommendations overall! Additionally, this guide is focused on the city of Charlotte itself, but there are lots of great options to explore in the suburbs of CLT too! Blog coming soon.

Adventures & Ales Top Charlotte Recommendations:

• Resident Culture Brewing Company: The best brewery in Charlotte, hands down. Their beer is top-notch no matter the style, but I would highly recommend their Hazy IPAs, Lagers, and Stouts. At their original taproom in Plaza Midwood they have a great patio, + frequent events and food trucks. At their newer taproom in South End they have a great BBQ menu and coffee bar.

• Burial Beer: The Charlotte taproom of this Asheville-based brewery has killer beers and a great space. Highly recommend checking them out in Plaza Midwood for their IPAs, Lagers, Stouts and rooftop patio.

• Salud Beer Shop & Cerveceria: The best beer bar in America. You don’t have to take my word for it, they’ve won the national title 3 years in a row from USA Today. They have a phenomenal tap list, huge can and bottle selection, and mouthwatering pizzas. If that wasn’t enough already they also have their own brewery and coffee shop upstairs with fantastic beers, particularly their Dairelynerweisse Fruited Sour series. The upstairs and downstairs are very different but both offer chill vibes and incredible food/beer. Located in the heart of the NoDa neighborhood.

• HopFly Brewing: A great brewery in the Gold District of Charlotte right by the Bank of America Stadium. Every style of beer they make is fantastic, they have a great rooftop patio, and for food Katsu Kart is usually onsite.

• Inizio: Some of the best pizza in the city! They are located in the Dilworth neighborhood and have a small patio and frequent specials.

• Supperland: A fancy restaurant with a killer cocktail list and a food menu designed for sharing. Their stunning building is a converted church in Plaza Midwood. They also have a bar next door for drinks and a speakeasy.

• Stable Hand: A coffee shop with beer, natural wine, food, and chill vibes. They are located in the South End neighborhood with some patio seating as well.

• Divine Barrel Brewing: A delightful brewery in the NoDa neighborhood with a wide array of beers and a fun patio space.

• Zada Jane’s Corner Café: A neighborhood spot for breakfast and brunch in Plaza Midwood. They have a diverse menu and patio seating.

• Dilworth Tasting Room: An adorable wine bar in the Dilworth neighborhood with cheese plates, tasting menus, and a fabulous garden space.

• Petty Thieves Brewing: A fun brewery located between Camp North End and the NoDa neighborhood with a spacious patio, frequent food trucks and events, and delicious beers.

• The Hobbyist: A lovely coffee shop, beer bar, and bottle shop in the NoDa neighborhood.

Fahrenheit

• Common Market: A convenience store, deli and bar with unique vibes. Their breakfast and lunch sandwiches are my top recommendation. They have locations in Plaza Midwood, South End, and Oakwold.

• Edge City Brewing: A beautiful brewery with top notch beers and a great patio. Located in the MoRa neighborhood off Independence Avenue.

• The Cellar at Duckworth’s: A classy restaurant in a basement cellar providing almost speakeasy-esque vibes. They have really tasty food, a huge beer selection, and craft cocktails. Located in Uptown.

• Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop: A great beer bar and bottle shop in South End. They have 24 taps and a large selection of cans and bottles to choose from as well.

• Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden: A stunningly gorgeous coffee and wine garden! Grab a drink and wander McGill Rose Garden.

• Fahrenheit: A rooftop bar and restaurant with incredible views located above Skye Condos in Uptown. Their food is superb and the vibes are unbeatable.

• Legion Brewing: A popular brewery with locations in Plaza Midwood, SouthPark, and West Morehead. Their brunch menu is super delicious and they have tasty beers as well. Juicy Jay IPA is the most popular beer in the city, but I prefer their Sours and darker beers..

• Rhino Market & Deli: A great spot for breakfast, sandwiches, soups, and salads. They also have a market for grab and go options as well as beer taps. They have locations in Uptown, NoDa, Wesley Heights, and South End.

• Not Just Coffee: A great coffee shop with several locations around town!

Fonta Flora at Optimist Hall

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting in Charlotte:​

• Camp North End: A large outdoor converted space with a ton of different types of vendors and events. My favorite spots are: Leah & Louise, Free Range Brewing Bar, Babe & Butcher, Black Moth Bars, Bleu Barn Bistro, and Saru Ramen!

• Optimist Hall: A large food hall in the NoDa area with great options such as Papi Queso, The Dumpling Lady, and Suarez Bakery!

  • Fonta Flora Brewing is housed here as well and makes absolutely fantastic brews.

• Levine Museum of the New South: A fantastic modern history museum located in Uptown. Tickets are $10 for adults.

• Explore the Greenways: CLT is home to sprawling greenways to get out and explore the city. Check out my full guide here!

• The Whitewater Center: Massive recreation grounds with whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing & more! They have a bar, restaurants, and frequent live music.

Camp North End

Other Things To do in Charlotte:

• Undercurrent Coffee: A cute coffeeshop in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood with patio seating, delicious drinks, and a small food menu.

• Triple C Brewing: A solid brewery in the South End neighborhood with an onsite food truck and nice patio space.

• Food trucks to hunt down: Studelteig, What The Fries, The Dumpling Lady

• Two Scoops Creamery: A fantastic ice cream shop located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.

• Ruru’s: Yummy Mexican food and a great patio. Located in the Myers Park neighborhood.

• Amelie’s French Bakery and Café: Incredible pastries, but also a full food menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Located in NoDa and on Park Road.

• Aqua e Vino: A small Italian restaurant with incredible food. This gem is located in Providence Park.

• Hawkers: A fun spot for Asian Street Food mainly in the form of small plates. This popular spot has a unique cocktail menu and is located in South End.

• Seoul Food Meat Company: A Korean Fusion BBQ restaurant with a plethora of delicious sides as well. They are located in the Gold District with a second location coming soon to NoDa.

• Moo & Brew: A fun spot for brunch or burgers in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. They are best known for their Large Marge, a 20-ounce Bloody Mary with two shots of Tito's Handmade Vodka topped with a jalapeño firecracker, Wisconsin cheese curds, an angus burger slider, Applewood smoked bacon and a mini Miller High Life on the side.

• Pins Mechanical Co.: A game bar in South End with a ton of different activities to keep everyone entertained.

Brunch at Legion Brewing SouthPark

Dive Deeper into Charlotte with my other CLT blogs:

• My guide to the Plaza Midwood neighborhood

• My guide to the NoDa neighborhood

• My guide to South End, LoSo, and The Gold District

• The Best Breweries to Drink Outside at in Charlotte

• Charlotte Breweries with Heated Outdoor Patio Options

• The Best Hikes Near Charlotte

• The Best Weekend Hikes From Charlotte

The Best Breweries in the Midwest

The Midwest is full of great breweries—let’s be real there’s not much to do from November-March when you are snowed in other than brew and drink great beer. As a result there are some stellar spots spanning across these states!

The best breweries in the Midwest, in no particular order:

Phase Three Brewing Company: Lake Zurich, IL

Speciation Artisan Ales: Grand Rapids, MI

Pulpit Rock Brewing Company: Decorah, IA

Lua Brewing: Des Moines, IA

Forager Brewery: Rochester, MN

Side Project Brewing: Maplewood, MO

Jackie O’s Brewery: Athens, OH

New Glarus Brewing Company: New Glarus, WI

BlackStack Brewing: St. Paul, MN

Transient Artisan Ales: Bridgman, MI

Revolution Brewing: Chicago, IL

Drekker Brewing Company: Fargo, ND

Which of these have you been to? What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

Johnson City, TN

Johnson City, Tennessee is a gem! The city emanates small town charm while still having plenty to do and some delicious spots for beer, cocktails, and eats.

The city is a hub for outdoorsy activities with its location nestled in the mountains, motorcycles with the Southern Dozen rides, and biking with numerous mountain biking trails and pump tracks. It is also a very dog-friendly city!

It is located in the Northeastern corner of Tennessee, 3 hours from Charlotte via the Linville Gorge or an hour north of Asheville.

Little Animals Brewing

Adventures & Ales Top recommendations:

• Little Animals Brewing: Solid beers in a fun atmosphere with arcade games. They have a small tap list of their own beers and a handful of guest taps.

• Stay at the Carnegie Hotel: This gorgeous, historic hotel was originally built in 1891. It is located across from the ETSU campus and a 20 minute walk from downtown. They have a seasonal pool and they are dog-friendly.

• Timber!: A stellar restaurant with a cute interior and dog-friendly back patio space. Their menu is divided in small, medium, and large plates alongside cocktails, wine and a handful of beers. The food and drinks are fantastic, highly recommend.

• The Atlantic Ale House: A beer bar with 16 taps, a small selection of cans, and frequent food trucks. They have a nice back patio overlooking Founders Park as well.

• Laurel Falls: This trail is 4.7 miles long with 620ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It shares the path with the Appalachian Trail and leads to a gorgeous waterfall. The trail is a lovely serene walk along the river in Cherokee National Forest. It takes about 2 hours to complete and the trailhead is 20 minutes from Johnson City in Hampton.

  • Appalachian Sun Brewery in Elizabethton is on the way back towards Johnson City but unfortunately their hours are quite limited.

The Carnegie Hotel

• Off Leash Social: A dog park and bar in North Johnson City with frequent food trucks and events. They have beer, wine and cocktails in a large outdoor space with shipping containers. The staff is super friendly and attentive to the dogs (and humans).

• BURG’r & Barrel: A cool spot for burgers and BBQ. The space is an old train depot and they have a nice interior space and a lovely patio.

• Pal’s Sudden Service: A Northeast Tennessee icon! You can’t miss their fun shaped buildings as you are driving through the area. This fast food drive thru specializes in biscuits, burgers and hotdogs. The cheddar rounds are absolutely superb and should not be missed.

• Nolichucky Ridge Cliff via Appalachian Trail: This trail is 2.6 miles long with 524ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It takes about an hour to complete and there are two very nice viewpoints at the top of your climb. It is known as “The Gorge” and sits along the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

• Tennessee Hills Brewstillery: A brewery and distillery combination with solid cocktails and beer. The tap list is quite large and they also have their own food truck onsite.

• Buffalo Mountain Park: A great park 7 minutes from downtown with several different trails. Huckleberry Knob is a great viewpoint to check out!

• King Commons: A nice park downtown spanning three acres.

Laurel Falls

Other ideas:

• Shop around downtown: There are plenty of cute stores to explore, but my two favorites are The Generalist and Terrarium.

• Great Oak Brewing + Southern Craft Barbecue: Great Oak is located inside of Southern Craft downtown. The food menu is expansive and tasty and the beer menu has selection of Great Oak taps + guest taps. They also have wine and cocktails. The team here is super nice!

• Tweetsie Trail: A walking, running and biking path that runs in the place of a former railroad line. In total it is 9.6 miles long and connects Johnson City to Elizabethton. There are bike rental spots at the trailhead in Johnson City as well

• Cranky’s Pump N Pints: A beer garden housed at the Tweetsie Trail start. They have 8 taps and a selection of cans with frequent food trucks. There is indoor and outdoor seating and a pump track.

• Label Restaurant: A popular restaurant in downtown with sushi, burgers, entrees, and bourbons. They have a front patio space and a fun interior. They serve brunch on Sundays with $3 mimosas and $6 Bloody Mary’s.

Timber!

• Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park: This mountain bike park has a pump track and biking trails along with a pretty overlook.

• The Moon Coffee and Tea House: A cute little spot on Main Street with plants and chill vibes for coffee, tea and a selection of pastries from nearby Lazy Lady Baking Co.

• Yee-Haw Brewing & White Duck Taco: These two spots share a building downtown with a front and back patio. Solid tacos, average beers, chill vibes.

• The Main Street Pizza Company: A tasty spot downtown for variety of eats, don’t let the menu fool you they do more than pizza! The butternut bisque was wildly delicious and the subs are a big hit.

• Founders Park: A spacious five acre park downtown with a sculpture exhibit.

• The Beauty Spot: A scenic viewpoint at the Tennessee/North Carolina border that is 35 minutes southeast of downtown. A forewarning: the road is closed with no notice at times.

• Johnson City Brewing: A brewery downtown with a massive tap list. The beers here were not my favorite.

New Mexico and Texas Road Trip Itinerary

For this trip I spent 6 days exploring 4 National Parks and 1 National Monument across Southern New Mexico and Western Texas. I flew in and out of El Paso, but you could also extend the trip to include Albuquerque or Phoenix/Tucson if you wanted.

To note: The time zones will flip throughout this journey between central (part of Texas) and mountain time (El Paso and New Mexico).

El Paso, Texas

• El Taquito: A popular spot for Mexican near the airport. A great spot to stop on your way in or out of town!

• Craftbox Fill Station and Bar: A solid beer bar with 19 taps in the suburbs. They have a cool shared beer garden space and it would be a great spot to watch sports.

• Scenic Drive: A nice, quick drive with nice mountain and city views. I actually prefered the views from Rim Road, right before the scenic drive starts, more.

• Franklin Mountains State Park: This park is right in the city and you can see the mountains everywhere you go.

• Stay at this Airbnb: It is a great little spot and super cheap that still has good amenities.

• Hope & Anchor: A solid bar near the UTEP campus. It says it is a craft beer bar but they did not actually have a beer menu and the bartender was unhelpful, but I enjoyed my tasty and cheap cocktail on their nice patio.

• Craft Rhythm & Brews: A woman and veteran owned brewery with a small snack menu and beer cocktails along with their tap list of average beers.

• To note: Dead Perezidents Brewpub is where I would recommend visiting based on my research but they were closed when I was in town.

• Absolutely skip Salt + Honey Bakery Café: The owner attacked me on Instagram after I said nice things about their business, but just wished the side options had something for breakfast, not 7am French fries. 0/10.

Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument 

Pine Tree Trail: This trail is 5.3 miles long with 1,049ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. The trailhead is 1.5 hours north of El Paso directly on the route to White Sands National Park. It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete and winds through the desert with some pretty views of The Needles and the surrounding area. It is a very quiet trail and a little boring.

White Sands National Park

White Sands is a smaller National Park with just one road and a handful of trails. A half day visit is plenty to soak it all in. Be sure to keep in mind that walking in sand is always harder than walking on a hard surface and you will tire faster, especially in the desert heat and sun. Bring a sled to the park for even more sand dune fun.

• Backcountry Camping Trail: This trail takes about an hour to complete the full loop, but you can do as much or as little as you’d like. It is a great spot to see the sunset!

• Dune Life Nature Trail: This trail is just over a mile long with two dune climbs and takes about 25 minutes to complete. It is a good introduction to the dunes but a little boring.

• Alkali Flat Trail: Another popular trail option going deeper in the dunes, this one is much longer and though it says “flat” in the name it is not a flat trail.  

Alamogado, New Mexico

Alamogado is 20 minutes from White Sands. This small town has a lot of chain restaurants and seems to exist mostly for the park tourists.

• 575 Brewing: A popular spot with frequent live music, a nice outdoor patio, a small food menu + frequent food trucks, a large tap list + wine and N/A options. The beer quality is not great, but the atmosphere is nice.

• Stay at the Hampton Inn: It’s a nice, newer hotel conveniently located on the way into town.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

It is just over 3 hours from White Sands to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico’s two National Parks. There are a couple of surface trails here, but the main attraction is going into the cave itself. Plan on about a half day to take it all in.

Reservations are required—if you’d like to go on a ranger led tour these book up pretty far in advance, but even to go on a self-led walk you’ll need a reservation to enter the cave. Things to note: don’t bring anything into the cave that has been in any other cave, this is to protect the bats. They have dog kennels available if needed while you tour the cave so no pets are allowed.

• Natural Entrance Trail + Big Room Trail: This is the main route through Carlsbad Caverns. It is about 2.5 miles long and winds down the Natural Entrance through the cave and the loop of the Big Room and then back up to the visitor’s center via the elevator. Keep your eyes peeled for Whales Mouth and Green Lake Room, two of my favorite parts! Be sure to at least walk into the Big Room, even if you are not up for doing the full loop—it’s awesome.

• Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center and Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail: This is a mostly flat ~1 mile trail near the Natural Entrance. It is a pretty boring loop but a good way to kill time if you arrive before your reservation. You start the trail via the visitor’s center, not the parking lot as indicated on AllTrails.

• Bat Flight Amphitheater: See the bats take flight and hear a talk from a ranger. This program starts in late May and runs through October.

Carlsbad, New Mexico

This is a small town with a lot of chain restaurants, heavy traffic, and heavy wind. It’s convenient to stay before or after visiting the cave, but otherwise it can be skipped.

• El Jimador Restaurant: A solid, popular spot for Mexican.

• Milton’s Brewing: The local brewery with frequent live music. The tap list is not personally my ideal with lots of Browns and Reds, but it is popular with locals.

• Stay at the Fairfield Inn: It is a little outdated but there is a pool which is great for the desert heat.

• Lake Carlsbad: A nice little swimming area and walking trails on the Pecos River.

• Grind Time Coffee: Solid spot to grab coffee in a food truck park.

• Guadalupe Mountain Brewing: This spot did not have a beer license for several months (including when I visited) so I can’t imagine the quality is very high. The staff was also quite rude when I asked about it since it was unclear that there was no beer at the brewery.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

This National Park is 50 minutes from Carlsbad, New Mexico just across the Texas boarder. It’s a small park with limited activities and trails.

Guadalupe Peak Trail: This trail is rated hard and is a grind at times over the 11ish miles with 2,949ft of elevation gain. It leads to the highest point in Texas with sweeping views. The first 1.5 miles are the hardest and most exposed to the sun. The trail is rocky and the trailhead parking is limited but there is overflow a half mile away at the visitor’s center. The trail takes about 5 hours to complete plus however long you’d like at the summit.

Marfa, Texas

Marfa is a little artsy town between Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Big Bend National Park. It is essentially in the middle of nowhere, but a nice spot to break up a drive.

• Convenience West: This restaurant is a James Beard Award finalist specializing in BBQ. They are only open Friday and Saturday from 5 until sold out, so go early and expect a wait. Really fantastic food and cool spot. They only have outdoor dining or to-go.

• Prada Marfa: A random “piece of art” 30 minutes outside of town on the way in from Van Horn

• Para Llevar: A cute little bodega with pizza, salad, and bread with a nice outdoor area. Pizza is average.

Terlingua, Texas

Terlingua is known as a “Ghost Town” because it was abandoned after the mining boom. The population here is 127 people, but it swells with tourists thanks to its location 10 minutes from the entrance to Big Bend National Park.

• Stargaze! This area is home to one of the darkest skies in the country so make sure to spend some time at night looking at the beautiful skies!

• Espresso y Poco Más: A cute little spot for breakfast, lunch, and coffee with a lovely patio. It is a little pricey for what you get, but expected for a tourist town.

• Starlight Theater: A popular spot in an old movie theater for dinner and drinks. They also have a patio space.

• I stayed at this Airbnb which was quite nice! It’s close to town and to the park with a nice little patio and thoughtful touches.

• Taqueria el Milagro: Solid spot for tacos, plates and apps with outdoor seating. They are BYOB.

• Canyon Brew Coffee/Bella Bean Coffee Shop: A quick spot for coffee and a small breakfast menu on the go. Also a little pricey, but a tourist town.

• El Gordo’s: A popular spot for tacos and burritos for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but their google hours are incorrect as a forewarning.

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend is the largest National Park in the country! It is divided into three main sections: Chisos Basin, Eastside, and Westside. Each section is a decent distance away from another so plan at least a couple of days to explore this big park.

Beware of flash flooding in the summer months and the dangerous heat in the park in most months. I visited in April and it would be 70 degrees when I entered the park in the morning and 100 degrees when I left in the afternoon. There is little to no shade in the entire park.

Chisos Basin:

• Lost Mine Trail: This lovely trail is 5.6 miles long with 1,131ft of elevation gain. It is rated moderate and takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. There are nice sweeping views along this trail and it’s not too difficult. I highly recommend going all the way to the tippy top at the end of the trail. There is very limited parking at the trailhead so try to go at an off time.

• The Window Trail: This trail is 6.4 miles long with 948ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. There are some nice views along the way and towards the end there is a cool canyon to journey through. The trail leads to a little pop out view that is “the window". It is a descent trail, so keep in mind that you’ll need to hike back up after hiking out to the viewpoint, and it is a very exposed trail so the earlier you start the better. Overall it takes about 2.5 hours.

  • Window View Trail: This an alternative option that is just .4 miles long and flat, showing views over top of The Window Trail.

  • The Chisos Mountain Lodge, a visitor’s center, and a camp store all here at trailheads.

Westside:

• Santa Elena Canyon Trail: This trail is 2.4 miles long with 219ft of elevation gain and is rated easy. It travels along the Rio Grande River that divides the United States and Mexico. The trail heads up a few switchbacks before flattening out and ends when the canyon walls hit the river. It takes about 40 minutes to complete plus however long you’d like to hang out at the river. It is a nice spot to bring a picnic or a beverage and sit in the shade with the view. The trailhead is located at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

• Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive: A nice journey through the park, but nothing too epic—I think the drive into the park from Terlingua is more epic. The Sotol Vista Overlook and Mule Ears Viewpoint are both cool to see.

Eastside:

This area is known for the Rio Grande Village, Boquillas Canyon, and Hot Springs.

April 2024

April! I took a trip to western Texas and southern New Mexico, explored Johnson City, Tennessee, made a stop in Asheville, and hung out in Winston-Salem for a day. All in all I tried 109 different beers this month, and crazily two of the best were Helles Lagers. In no particular order, here were the best beers I had over the past month:

4 Meters from Lesser-Known Beer Co. in Winston-Salem, NC

Lesser-Known has been one of my favorites for about a year and a half now. They make wildly delicious Lagers in a cute little taproom in Winston-Salem. This Helles was a tank pour and absolutely superb.

Chocolate Rain (2016) from The Bruery in Placentia, CA

Chocolate Rain is a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with cacao nibs and vanilla beans. The 2016 edition comes in at 19.7% ABV (!!!) and packs a punch. It was full of flavor which was pretty surprising given the age and ABV. Thanks to Ricky for sharing this one at Pop The Top’s anniversary celebration!

Trailing Souls collaboration brew from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA and Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

Trailing Souls is a Triple IPA with Citra, Strata and Simcoe hops. I knew this was going to be a great Hazy based on the two breweries involved, but it exceeded expectations. Absolutely delicious!

Heartsease from Keepsake Brewery in Gastonia, NC

Heartsease is an unfiltered Helles Lager that was the perfect post-hike brew. Keepsake opened in the Charlotte suburbs in February and I made the trek to Gastonia at the beginning of this month. I was very impressed with the beers and will definitely be back!

Plum: 2021 Harvest from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT

I love a fruited Saison from Hill Farmstead and this version of Plum was great! The oak from barrel aging and fruity flavor both combine for a great well-rounded taste. I am so very excited to finally be visiting them next month!

Check back next month to see my top Beers in May! Cheers —Alexis

The Best Cities for Beer Vacations

I have explored the beer scene in a lot of cities both domestically and abroad, and it’s time to share the absolute best places for a craft beer vacation.

To make the list you have to have a high quantity of breweries, but also some fantastic breweries. There are a lot of cities with a ton of breweries that make average to mediocre beer. These cities all have folks absolutely crushing the game.

In no particular order, here are the best cities in the United States and abroad for beer vacations:

The Best US Cities for Beer Vacations:

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond has a ton of breweries and some that are truly fantastic. Scott’s Addition itself is jam packed with breweries but the rest of RVA has some great beers to offer as well. Highlights here include Triple Crossing, The Veil, The Answer and Tabol for breweries and Mekong for a great beer bar. Check out my Richmond beer and travel guide here.

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville has long been deemed one of the best beer cities in the country, so it is no surprise that I would agree. This picturesque city is home to some huge breweries like Sierra Nevada, Highland, and New Belgium, but also more localized spots like Burial, Dssolvr, Zillicoah, and New Origin. Don’t miss The Whale for a great beer bar! Check out my Asheville beer and travel guide here.

Denver, Colorado

Of course Denver is on the list. With superb breweries like Cerebral, Bierstadt, Our Mutual Friend, and TRVE it’s hard to beat the brew scene here. Pair that with everything else the city has to offer and the surrounding scenery and you’re absolutely in for a good time. Check out my Colorado beer and travel guide here.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

As a Michigander this addition should be no surprise, but it’s not just me and my home state biases—Grand Rapids is constantly in the running for any “beer city” competition. Don’t miss Speciation Artisan Ales, Arvon, and City Built for breweries and for Seven Monks for a beer bar. The city is exploding with breweries to explore. Check out my Grand Rapids beer and travel guide here.

New York City, New York

I’m sure most “normal people” wouldn’t think of New York as a hub for craft beer, but the city that never sleeps is indeed a great spot for craft beer lovers. The beer bar scene here tends to shine brightest with spots like Torst, Beer Street, and Proletariat, while breweries such as Other Half, Fifth Hammer, and Evil Twin absolutely crush it. Check out my NYC beer and travel guide here.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago has a wide array of breweries throughout their many neighborhoods and suburbs. Heavy hitters include Maplewood, More, Mikerphone and Revolution, plus don’t miss Phase Three in the northern suburb of Lake Zurich. Check out my Chicago beer and travel guide here.

The Twin Cities, Minnesota

The Twin Cities are exploding with breweries! Highlights include BlackStack, Barrel Theory, Fair State, Modist, and Falling Knife. The beer scene here tends to be somewhat IPA heavy, but the beers are superb and there are plenty of spots to explore. Check out my Minneapolis and St. Paul beer and travel guide here.

Portland, Maine

We all know New England is chock full of great breweries and particularly Hazy IPAs, but Portland’s beer scene is unmatched. With OG spots like Allagash, Maine Beer Company, and Oxbow alongside newer (and hazier) breweries like Mast Landing, Belleflower, and Bissell Brothers, you can find an absolutely superb beer of any style. Don’t miss the killer beer bar Novare Res Bier Cafe as well! Check out my Portland beer and travel guide here.

Los Angeles, California

LA might not seem like a great beer city at first glance but this sprawling metro is home to some of the country’s best breweries. LA’s southern neighbor San Diego gets all of the praise for craft beer, but LA’s scene is far superior. Monkish, Bottle Logic, Green Cheek, Homage, and Highland Park all call LA home, along with a ton of other great spots. Windsor Home Brew is a fantastic beer bar and bottle shop that is not to be missed either. Check out my LA beer and travel guide here.

Portland, Oregon

Portland’s beer scene has been exploding for decades. The city is overflowing with breweries and it seems a new one opens almost weekly at this point. There are some solid spots in PDX, and topping the list are Great Notion, Cascade, Ruse, and Wayfinder. Check out my Portland beer and travel guide here.

Charlotte, NC

I wouldn’t live in Charlotte if I didn’t think the beer scene here was superb! There are a ton of breweries in the city, but Resident Culture, Burial, HopFly, and Fonta Flora top the list. CLT is also home to some fantastic beer bars—Salud and Pop The Top should not be missed. Check out my Charlotte guide here.

Tampa, Florida

Tampa absolutely crushes the dark beer game. There are a lot of breweries that make great other styles of beer, but if your a Stout person Tampa is for you! Brewery highlights include Angry Chair, BarrieHaus, Woven Water, and Magnanimous. Check out my Tampa beer and travel guide here. Neighboring St. Pete is also full of great spots!

Notable Mentions:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—Check out my Philly beer and travel guide here! I am excited to be back in May 2024!

Burlington, Vermont—This is the one beer city that I believe will be stupendous that I have not yet visited, but I do think it is probably one of the best cities for a beer vacation. My plans to visit have been foiled numerous times now, but I will finally be there in June 2024!

The Best Cities Abroad for Beer Vacations:

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is a gorgeous city with a booming beer scene, especially for Oceania. Stomping Ground, Fixation, Mood Dog, and Mountain Goat are the best of the best here, but there are a ton of spots to visit. Check out my Melbourne beer and travel guide here.

Munich, Germany

Is it possible to think of “beer cities” and not think of Germany? Munich is home to some classic gems like Augustiner Keller, Lowenbrau, Hofbrauhaus, and Paulaner. Pair a cold mug from any of their breweries with a pretzel or sausage and it’s impossible to have a bad time. Check out my Munich beer and travel guide here.

Brussels, Belgium

Another classic beer city! Personally I think the not-so-classic Belgian beers here outperform the dubbels and tripels. Cantillon is obviously the top choice here, but Moeder Lambic and Delirium should not be missed either! Check out my Belgium beer and travel guide here.

Wellington, New Zealand

My beer expectations for New Zealand were low, but the country as a whole is making some killer beers. Wellington in particular has a stand out beer scene. It is home to Garage Project, the country’s best brewery hands down, but Parrotdog is also a must-visit. Check out my North Island beer and travel guide here.

What are your favorite cities in the world for beer travel? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

Charlotte Specials

Happy Hour may be illegal in North Carolina, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t specials to save here and there! Check out some of our favorites from around the Queen City:

Rhino Market & Deli

Any deli sandwich + a pint of beer for $11.50 on Mondays

Kid Cashew

$6 Craft cocktails on Thursdays

Taco Boy

$5 Casa Margaritas on Tuesdays

Sea Level

$1.50 Oysters from 2-6pm on weekdays

Salud Beer Shop

Choice of cheese, tomato, or margherita pizza + 4 wings for $15 Monday-Friday 11am-5pm

State of Confusion

$3 Double Mimosas & $5 Bloody Mary’s Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2:30pm

O-Ku

Half off sushi on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-7pm

Craft Tasting Room

$6 cheese and charcuterie plates on Wednesdays

What are your favorite specials in Charlotte? Let me know in the comments! Cheers—Alexis

Hendersonville, NC

Hendersonville is a cute little mountain town south of Asheville, NC. It is a popular area for retirees and has a classic “main street” to bop around. HVL is a great spot for a weekend getaway with more small town vibes and less crowds. The surrounding small towns also offer great eats, drinks and hikes. Check out my recommendations below!

See my Asheville guide here.

Oklawaha Brewing Company

Downtown Hendersonville

Pro-Tip: Most of the main streets of downtown Hendersonville have paid parking requirements, but if you go over just a block or two to the side streets the parking is free.

Beer + food recommendations—in ranking order:

• The Blue Door Bottle Shop and Beer Hall: A great spot with 20 taps and a wide selection of cans and bottles. My favorite spot I visited in HVL.

• Blue Ridge Beer Garden: A cute spot with a turf patio, string lights and picnic tables. They have 25 taps with a good variety of options. There is often a food truck parked out front and the vibes are great.

• Oklawaha Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a wide offering of beers. They have a kitchen and frequent live music.

• HenDough: A delicious spot for donuts, breakfast biscuits, and chicken biscuits.

• West First Wood-Fired: A cute spot for pizza and pasta in a cozy environment. Tasty!

• The 2nd Act: A coffee shop and bar with a small food menu and frequent live music and events. A great place to start or end your day!

• Arabella: A cute spot for breakfast and brunch! The food is tasty and they have a small patio out front that is open seasonally.

• Dry Falls Brewing Co.: A nice little brewery with a wide variety of beers on tap. They have a small patio and average beers.

• White Duck Taco Shop: A Carolinas chain for great tacos! They have a large patio out front and delicious eats—don’t skip the queso.

• Trailside Brewing Co: A solid brewery in a renovated factory space. They have a large patio and they are dog friendly inside and out.

• Mikes on Main: An old school diner offering breakfast and lunch on Main Street.

• Postero: A solid spot for lunch and dinner downtown.

• Southern Appalachian Brewery: Hendersonville’s first brewery! They have frequent live music and a patio space. The beer here is mediocre.

• Guidon Brewing: A German brewery with a German-inspired beer list and kitchen. Located directly next door to Southern Appalachian Brewing. The beer here is below average.

• Skip Boodas Brewing Company: They don’t have any of their own beers available and the guest tap selection is mediocre.

12 Bones South

Surrounding Towns:

• Burning Blush Brewery: A stellar spot in Mills River. The Lagers are great and the space is unique. There is usually a food truck outside if you are hungry.

• Whistle Hop Brewing Company: A great brewery located in Fairview, NC. They have a huge outdoor space with a ton of yard games. They are housed in a literal train car which is unique and fun. Highly recommend!

• 12 Bones South: A great BBQ restaurant and brewery located in Arden. They have another location in the River Arts District of Asheville as well. They have both indoor and outdoor seating with cute murals and little mason jar glasses for flights. The beers are tasty and the food is delicious. The “damn good corn pudding” is in fact damn good.

• Sierra Nevada Mills River: This is a huge outpost of the California-based brewery with a private drive, full kitchen and taproom, and concert space. The outdoor space is great, with a firepit, game space, dog space, kid space, and all nestled in the forest. The staff here is also super friendly and great! Located in Mills River near the airport.

• Mills River Brewing Company: A spacious brewery in Mills River with a fantastic outdoor space. They are located near the airport and offer cocktails, wine and beer. They have a permanent food truck onsite with a large menu and frequent live music.

• Sideways Farm and Brewery: This farm brewery is located in Etowah. The beers can be great but they have only 4 taps so it’s a bit unreliable.

• Turgua Brewing: An average brewery on the creek with a nice outdoor space. They are advertised as a farmhouse brewery but they have a large variety of beers. They are located 3 minutes from Whistle Hop Brewing in Fairview.

• Blue Ghost Brewing Company: A mediocre brewery located in Fletcher near the airport. They also have an onsite food truck but the hours are limited.

• Skip Joey’s New York Bagels: A bagel shop with two locations in the area—Hendersonville and Fletcher. 0/10 experience here twice.

Rainbow Falls

Get Into Nature:

• Rainbow Falls Trail: This is a great hike that is 5.4 miles long with 1,181ft of elevation gain and takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. It is located in Jones Gap State Park in Marietta, SC, just across the border. Reservations are required on holidays and weekends, the park closes by 5, and there is a $6 entrance fee. It is a very nice trail that is steep at times but the falls at the end are fantastic.

• High Falls and Triple Falls Tour: A popular trail in DuPont State Recreational Forest. This is 20 minutes from downtown Hendersonville and overall 3.7 miles long with 511ft of elevation gain. Both sets of waterfalls are very cool and there is also a fun old covered bridge.

• Bearwallow Mountain Trail: This trail is directly across the road from Trombatore. It is a quick 1 hour trail that is about 2.5 miles long with 587ft of elevation gain. Skip walking up the fire tower road, the views are nothing.

• Trombatore Trail: A solid hike up to a pasture-style view of the surrounding mountains. AllTrails listed it at 4.7 miles but it is actually more like 6 as a heads up.

• Explore Green River Game Lands: This nature area is just 20 minutes from downtown and has a few different trails to explore.

  • Little Bradley Falls Trail which is 2.2 miles long with 164ft of elevation gain and takes about 50 minutes to complete. There are 3 river crossings but it is worth it to get to a very cool waterfall at the end. There is a little swimming hole as well.

  • Across the street is the Big Bradley Falls Overlook Trail which has some threatening signage and a very high and wide river to cross so I opted to turnback, but would try again in the summer months.

  • Lower Big Hungry Falls is another good option that is short at .8 mile with 170ft of elevation gain and takes 20 minutes. It leads to a nice waterfall with a beach area.

Have you explored the Hendersonville area of North Carolina? Let me know your favorite spots in the comments below!
Cheers—Alexis

March 2024

March! Warm weather officially landed on us this month in Charlotte which meant plenty of backyard beers, especially while watching March Madness and tennis. I kicked off the month in Hendersonville and Asheville, NC with many brewery visits and also headed to Wilmington for Feast Wilmington, then ended the month with a bottle share. Of the 115 beers I tried this month, here were the best of the best:

Take Me Higher collaboration brew from DSSOLVR in Asheville, NC and Corporate Ladder Brewing in Palmetto, FL

Take Me Higher is a Double Barrel Aged Brown Sugar Barleywine that was barrel aged 40 months in wood. It rested first in 8-year Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrels for 20 months and then Apple Brandy Barrels for another 20 months. This packed a punch but was a delightful flavor combination.

Doom Loop from Freak Folk Bier in Waterbury, VT

Doom Loop is a Triple IPA with Citra, Galaxy and Strata CGX hops. This was my favorite Freak Folk Bier to date! What a delicious, juicy, smooth TIPA.

Life and Fate XXV from Root and Branch Brewing in Copiague, NY

The Life and Fate experimental multi-oat/wheat Double IPA series from Root and Branch can’t miss! It is wild to see they are already at number 25—if you haven’t gotten your hands on one of these yet it is time to seek one out!

Hormesis from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC

Hormesis is an Imperial Stout aged 1 Year and 11 Months in a Laird's Apple Brandy barrel with toasted coconut, Scotch Bonnet peppers, Habanero peppers and Tahitian vanilla. I somehow stumbled upon this via some friends at a beer release and it was a great blend of heat and apple brandy!

Void Nectar from Brujos Brewing in Portland, OR

Void Nectar is an Imperial Hazy India Pale Ale Double Dry Hopped with Galaxy, Citra and Nectaron hops. Another juice bomb from Brujos that was just a little tooooo easy to drink.

Barrel Aged Coconut Pistachio Cheesecake collaboration brew from Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY and Southern Grist Brewing in Nashville, TN

This was a creamy, flavorful delight from two greats! Pistachio is not usually my favorite adjunct but this was very well balanced and delicious.

Check back next month for my top beers of April! Cheers—Alexis

February 2024

February was a month full of fire beers! Between Super Bowl parties, a bottle share, beer releases, Queen City Brewers Festival, @wanderinghops coming to visit, and a trip to Greenville—I tried 145 different beers this month. There were some real delights!

In no particular order, here were the best beers I had over the past month:

Seven from The Veil Brewing in Richmond, VA

Seven is an Imperial Stout aged In Willett, Utopias, Maple And Weller Bourbon Barrels for an average of 21 months and conditioned on chocolate sandwich cookies, toasted coconut, Tahitian vanilla and truffle. I gave this a 4.75 on Untappd, meaning it was absolutely incredible.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Not Your Nana’s Pudding from Resident Culture Brewing in Charlotte, NC

Resident Culture put out several variants of this beer, and the Banana Pudding edition was my favorite! This is an Imperial Stout aged in Willett Bourbon barrels for 12-20 months then conditioned on wild Thai bananas, vanilla, and Nilla wafers.

Backpack Full of Cans from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Backpack Full of Cans is a Triple IPA with Citra, Motueka, and Simcoe hops. Another Monkish banger, no surprise there! Best paired with a fantastic book from Book of the Month.

Wormhole Junction from Newgrass Brewing in Shelby, NC

Wormhole Junction is a solera of elaborate imperial stout bases, with 37.5% aged for 37 months in Old Forester Bourbon barrels, another 37.5% aged in Willett Bourbon barrels for 23 months, and the final 25% aged in MGP Bourbon barrels for 18 months. After blending, the solera base was conditioned with a curated selection of Ugandan and Comoros vanilla bean. This was my top beer at Queen City Brewers Fest and extremely delicious!

Brabantiæ (2018) from Cantillon in Brussels, Belgium

Brabantiæ is a Gueuze that was finished in Port wine barrels. Upon description I would not think it would be quite my cup of tea, but this was superb. It was incredibly well-rounded and light.

Nucleate (2019) collaboration brew from HOMES Brewery in Ann Arbor MI, Speciation Artisan Ales in Grand Rapids MI and Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI

HOMES creates this beer each year in celebration of their annual Nucleate Beer Festival. They collaborate with different breweries each time, and the 2019 version happened to bring together my 3 favorite breweries in Michigan! This is a Mixed Culture Sour Ale with a blend of the house culture from each brewery, then refermented on strawberry, blackberry and raspberry and bottle conditioned with champagne yeast.

Three Times Three from North Park Beer Company in San Diego, CA

This is a collaboration with Omnipollo, Monkish, Trillium, Other Half, Troon, Brujos & North Park, and it is North Park’s version of the collab. Three Times Three is a Triple Dry Hopped Hazy Triple IPA with Citra, Citra Cryo, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka hops. After doing a side by side of 5 different versions of this beer, North Park’s was above and beyond the best! Our entire group at the bottle share agreed.

Microcosm IV, No. 4 from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC

Shout out to Jesse at The Whale in Greenville for sharing this wild brew! Microcosm IV, Number 4 is a Strong Ale Blend consisting of: 4-Year-Old Barleywine aged in a Laird's Apple Brandy barrel, 3-Year-Old Imperial Stout aged in a Maple BLiS barrel, 2-Year and 3-Month-Old Imperial Stout aged in a Single Pick Four Roses barrel and conditioned on roasted pecans, New Hampshire maple syrup, Tahitian vanilla and toasted coconut. The barrel flavor and adjuncts come through nicely without one note overpowering the others. A really well done beer. Also a special shout out to Neck and Neck (Batch 3) from Eighth State, which was another fantastic beer I had during my Greenville visit, but I had to narrow down the list. Check out my Greenville beer and travel guide here.

10th Anniversary Collaboration #7 Smoothie Sour from Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn NY, Mortalis Brewing in Avon NY, J. Wakefield Brewing in Miami FL, Hoof Hearted Brewing in Marengo OH and Omnipollo in Stockholm, Sweden

For Other Half’s 10th Anniversary they released 10 different collaboration beers, only one of which was a Smoothie Sour. Other Half’s IPAs and Stouts are usually my favorite, so my expectations were not overly high when I cracked this can, but wow was I wrong. Collaboration #7 blends anejo tequila aged seltzer into the base beer along with strawberries, lime, a hint of tangerine puree, and some soft serve ice cream. It was tart, yet sweet. Full of body, yet smooth and light. Fruity, yet tequila-y. Sheesh!

Check back next month for my top beers in March! —Cheers, Alexis

How to Plan a Trip Abroad

Planning a trip out of the country can be overwhelming at first, so let’s break it down into a step-by-step process. My brain is very systems and type-A, so this is full of nitty-gritty details. Even if you don’t replicate this exact process, steal some nuggets to make your next trip overseas a breeze.

How to plan a trip abroad:

1) Book your flight first

I almost exclusively plan trips around flight deals. I keep a running list of places I want to visit and when I see a deal pop up for one of the spots I book it! If I know there is a particular time I want to be traveling (i.e. late May over Memorial Day) I set up flight alerts and/or have a weekly remind to check flight prices. Read more of my cheap flight tips below.

2) Figure out your priorities

What do you want to see and do? What are your “musts” for each area? What are your “would be nice, if there is time/logistically it makes sense” items for each area? I create a spreadsheet with columns for each location and make a list of all of the things I find that I want to do and then prioritize them.

For example, if I am visiting Argentina and Brazil my spreadsheet has one sheet for Argentina and one sheet for Brazil. On the Argentina tab I have 3 columns for each destination within Argentina—beers, eats, activities. So the first column might say Buenos Aires beers, second column Buenos Aires eats, third column Buenos Aires activities. Then I will skip a column to leave some white space before starting with Patagonia beers, Patagonia eats, and so on.

Within those individual columns I will make notations as I am researching—if a restaurant is a “must”, for example, I will italicize it. If it is a “maybe” I will add a question mark after the name. This continues for all three categories of beer, eats, and activities. If you have different interests your columns might look a little different—maybe you are a big museum person and you want to dedicate more time to those so you create a column specifically for museums instead of adding them to your activities column.

3) Make your itinerary

Now that you know what you want to do, plan out what makes the most sense to do when. You can make your itinerary as detailed or as loose as your style is—for me I like to plan out almost every detail, but leave some flexibility in case something else pops up that I hadn’t originally planned to do or I stumble across a delicious restaurant, for example. This ensures I actually enjoy my trip instead of spending my time researching what I want to do next or where to spend my time. There is nothing worse than being on a trip and spending your time on your phone or computer looking things up instead of soaking it all in.

I create a new google sheet that has each day at the top of the sheet and outline the day underneath. One example column would read from top to bottom: Monday—January 1st—Buenos Aires—Breakfast/Coffee ideas—Morning activity—Lunch ideas—Afternoon activity—Dinner ideas—Beer spots—Lodging. I include any travel in there as well (i.e. 2 hour drive from x to y or flight at x time). Then repeat this for each day of the trip.

Within your itinerary be sure to plan out the logistics as well—Do you need a rental car? Are there any ferry tickets, train tickets or in-country smaller flights to book? Do you need tickets or reservations for any activities or trails? Are there any restaurants you want to make reservations for?

I would recommend marking all of your itinerary items on Google or Apple Maps as you go so that you can then see what is close to each other and it’s easier to navigate once you land. I use different symbols for different types of activities—my method is: trailheads are the green flag in Google Maps, breweries that I must visit are hearts, breweries that are on my “if there is time or it is convenient” are starred, restaurants are the blue suitcase, activities are the teal icon for lists. This makes it easy for me to zoom out of an area and see what order it makes sense to do things in versus crisscrossing across town multiple times.

4) Book your lodging

Now that you know where you’ll be spending your time, it’s time to book where you’ll stay. Compare prices and neighborhoods for hotels and Airbnbs. If you marked things on Google Maps it’s easy to see how far away things are from your potential lodging spots. Make note of check-in and check-out times on your itinerary and if you will have a car what the parking situation is.

5) My Pre-Trip Checklist:

It’s almost time to go on your adventure! Here are the things I think through before leaving:

1. Schedule a mail hold (for longer trips)

2. Do you need a visa? Is your passport expiration date far enough out?

3. Double check flight seats are ideal

4. Confirm meal requests on flight (when needed)

5. Charge everything—phone, Airpods, Kindle, portable charger

6. Confirm phone plan details—what’s included, any potential extra costs

7. Download offline maps for each area

8. Download Kindle books, Netflix shows, podcasts

9. Confirm travel alerts on credit cards, get any needed foreign currency

10. Set your out of office—my favorite part :)

11. Hiking? Clean your boots and any gear to prevent spreading any pests/seeds

12. Bump up the air conditioning temperature or bump down the heat on your thermostat, season dependent.

13. Unplug most electronics around the house to save energy

14. Water your plants

15. Clean out your fridge

16. Take out the trash/recycling

17. Pack! I love packing cubes to stay organized. Don’t forget a plug converter when needed, plane snacks, and old-school wired headphones for long flights to watch movies.

Happy Adventuring! Let me know if anything else would be helpful! Cheers —Alexis

January 2024

January was a wild ride! I started off 2024 in Brazil before getting back home to Charlotte right in time for my birthday and then spent a couple of weeks bopping around Charlotte. In January I tried 99 different beers. Here were the best beers I had over the past month, in no particular order:

Pear Sauvie from The Ale Apothecary in Bend, OR

This is a Wild Ale with Mecca Grad Estate barley and rye malts, combined with Sauvie Island’s Crystal hops, brewed wild and naturally in the woods of Central Oregon. 100% naturally carbonated with pear juice. Unfiltered, open-fermented & barrel-aged. The Ale Apothecary’s unique brews are always a delight! I am a particular sucker for all things pear, so it is no surprise that this was one of my favorites this month.

A Rather Profane Sentiment Towards Things of This Kind collaboration beer from Burial Beer in Asheville, NC and TRVE Brewing in Denver, CO

This is an Imperial Stout with Toasted Hazelnuts, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, and Flamed Orange Peel. This collaboration was created to celebrate TRVE’s expansion to Asheville. Their new North Carolina taproom is slotted to open in early 2024.

Biggie, Biggie, Biggie from Monkish Brewing in Torrance, CA

Biggie, Biggie, Biggie is a Triple IPA dry hopped with El Dorado and Galaxy. Monkish continues to put out the bangers, particularly their Triples.

Methods of Excavation III from Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY

Methods of Excavation is a Imperial Stout with almonds, cacao nibs, caramel chocolate ice cream, cinnamon, coffee, coconut, freeze dried ice cream, macadamia nuts, maple, marshmallows, molasses, Tahitian vanilla, vanilla wafers, walnuts, wild Thai bananas, and Madagascar vanilla. A wild amount of adjuncts come together in this brew to meld into a delicious beverage. Other Half has really nailed this style and I continue to be impressed.

Bueze (2023) from Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI

Bueze is a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year Weller Bourbon Barrel Aged Kentuckley Imperial Breakfast Stout with Comoros Vanilla Beans, Tugboat Coffee, and Maple Syrup. I snagged this while I was in Michigan last summer and was very impressed. The bottle came in a fun purple velvet bag which added some extra flair.

Fun Beer, Lovely Guys collaboration brew from Percent Tap House in Harrisburg, NC and Funguys Brewing in Raleigh, NC

Fun Beer, Lovely Guys is a Kiwi Topped Strawberry Birthday Cake Smoothie Sour with Double Strawberry, Kiwi, Strawberry Cake Filling, Yellow Cake Batter, and Marshmallow. This was a superb Sour—the cake elements were incredible. I could drink far too much of this!

Coating Consistency collaboration brew from The Eighth State Brewing Company in Greenville, SC, WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, Co, Tripping Animals Brewing in Doral, FL, Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn, NY, Moksa Brewing in Rocklin, CA and Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA

Coating Consistency is an Imperial Stout with Toasted Coconut, Raw Coconut, Almonds, Walnuts, Muscovado Sugar, Vanuatu Vanilla, Indonesian Vanilla, West Papua Vanilla and Mayotte Vanilla Beans. Sheesh! What a killer collaboration. The vanilla really comes through strongly, but in a great way. It is no surprise that this was delicious given the fantastic breweries involved.

Check back next month for my top beers in February! Cheers —Alexis

My Experience in Antarctica

Visiting Antarctica was truly a dream! It had never been a spot on my “to-visit” list or somewhere I ever thought I would venture to. That all changed when my friends Wandering Hops sent me a text one day saying “Soooo do you wanna go to Antarctica?” How could I ever say no to that opportunity?

The Logistics

We booked our trip with Poseidon Expeditions in April for over Christmas—I would recommend booking as far in advance as possible! I spent some time upping my winter clothing game and then we were off to Argentina.

In order to visit Antarctica you need to travel to either South Africa or Argentina. In Argentina expeditions leave out of the Patagonian city of Ushuaia at the bottom of South America. There are many different companies that offer trips to Antarctica, and we landed on Poseidon for a few reasons.

1. The size of the ship: This was the biggest advantage to traveling with Poseidon! The ship only fits ~100 guests and there is an IAATO rule that only 100 folks can be on the ground at a landing site at a time. The larger ships can only do half of the expeditions because they have to rotate in groups who can go at a time. There are also ships were you don’t even get off the boat to step on the continent. Additionally, being on a small ship meant we could traverse tighter channels and see more!

2. The price: No matter who you travel with, visiting Antarctica is expensive! Poseidon’s price was lower than some of the other companies, but also not the absolute cheapest.

3. The dates: In the end we were down to Poseidon and Quark, but Poseidon’s Christmas dates worked great for our schedule so we booked!

The Journey

As we departed Ushuaia sailing through the beautiful Beagle Channel I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I do research before trips but I hate having expectations for anything—I hate movie previews, I hate seeing photos of a place before I visit, etc. (I know how strange that is ha!). I was already in awe of the views of this pretty channel in southern Argentina, but I had no idea what lay ahead.

Upon departing the Beagle Channel, the Drake Passage awaited. Some of you may have seen the famous “Drake Shake” videos—you either get a Drake Lake when you cross this treacherous passage or you are faced with the roughest seas that exist in the world. This is because it is where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern seas converge, and because the currents here meet no resistance from any nearby land.

We had rough waters on the Drake Passage, both sailing to Antarctica and on the return. It was not as bad as it could have been, but it was not super comfortable. The first night entering the passage we had 16.5ft high waves and the guides compared it to “a small hurricane”. It thankfully eased up in the afternoon of our first day in the passage.

On our second day in the Drake Passage things were a bit bumpy but not too bad and we actually made it to Antarctica early! In the afternoon we arrived for our first expedition which was a huge bonus. Each of the 4 days in Antarctica they attempt 2 expeditions and everything is completely weather dependent. This early arrival meant we actually got to complete 9 out of 8 expeditions!

The Expeditions

Our 9 expeditions took place at Halfmoon Island, Palavar Point, Portal Point, Cuverville Island, Neko Harbor, Paradise Harbor, Port Charcot/Booth Island, Useful Island, and Foyn Harbor.

A typical expedition starts with layering up and then hopping on a zodiac boat to either cruise to land or if you are lucky enough to be a part of the Kayak Club, a zodiac ride to the kayaks.

Rebecca and I were kayakers and able to hit the water on 3 different expeditions. It was definitely one of the best parts of the entire trip! Being able to see everything from the water provided a different perspective and was incredibly amazing. It was also great that we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything because after each kayak session we were able to go to the land and explore.

Some expeditions included a hike up a mountain in the thick snow, some included glacier views, and all of them included hanging out with a TON of penguins. The landscape of the continent was truly stunning!

The Wildlife

We were incredibly lucky on our journey with wildlife sightings! We saw thousands of penguins and three different types: Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie. We also saw a ton of them porpoising which was very cool, and even better when it happened while we were kayaking! It was hatching season for the babies so we got to see the mothers on their nests, eggs, and fathers gathering supplies for the nests.

The penguins travel via “highways” and are very indecisive. It was hilarious to watch them try to decide where to go and to watch them flail around with their little bodies. They are arguably the cutest animals I have ever seen.

Humpback Whales were the next wildlife type that we saw the most of. We saw somewhere over 40 Humpbacks, and we were lucky enough that TWO of them were breaching! We saw the Humpbacks from the ship throughout the journey and from the zodiac boats. They are such beautiful creatures and I could have watched them roll around for hours.

We also saw over 30 Orca/Killer Whales! These are not as common in the area and were definitely a treat. The Orcas got very close to our ship and provided a lot of entertainment. We even saw a pod of Orcas hunting a Humpback which is very rare (and sad).

On most of our expeditions there were several seals on the ground and surrounding rocks—we probably saw somewhere over 25 in total. They were mostly Weddell Seals and Leopard Seals. They are so funny the way they just lay around and are unbothered. From the kayak we did see some enter the water which was very cool.

The Ship

Though the ship was small, it was more spacious than I was expecting. There are 6 floors and a majority of the space are the guest cabins. There is a dining room, a lounge, a bar, a library, a gym, and an upper outdoor deck with a hot tub. The hot tub was fantastic and definitely a highlight!

The food on the ship was solid. It became a bit repetitive at times but they did a great job of meeting different dietary restrictions and cultural norms. The dining staff were all incredibly nice and ensured we never went hungry or thirsty!

While at sea there were various information sessions and briefings so were always pretty busy. I envisioned being bored, reading a ton of books, or playing a ton of games, but we really were constantly on the go.

The Highlights

The best parts of visiting Antarctica for me were:

• The wildlife—As described above we were incredibly lucky and saw so many penguins, Humpback Whales, Orcas, and seals.

• The polar plunge—They offer an option polar plunge so obviously I had to do it! Jumping into the Antarctic waters was absolutely freezing but such a cool, once in a lifetime experience. The water temperature was about 35 degrees.

• The landscape—I was blown away by the diverse landscape of Antarctica. Seeing all of the mountains and glaciers was incredible. We saw some gorgeous sunsets off the mountains and it was truly majestic.

• The icebergs—The color, size, and texture of the thousands (millions?) of icebergs that we saw were epic. There were some that were such a bright blue it looked fake. Some that flipped over right in front of us. Some that broke apart right in front of us. Some that were absolutely massive. They were incredible!

• Traversing the Channels—The Errera Channel and Lemaire Channel in particular were absolutely breathtaking. These narrow slices through the land and ice were amazing to witness.

• Kayaking—Getting up close and personal to the icebergs and wildlife was unforgettable!

The Return

After 4.5 days in Antarctica we headed back across the Drake Passage. On the return we had 13-16.5ft waves the entire two days. We traveled 1,795 miles on our Antarctic journey and it was a profound, once in a lifetime, majestic experience.

Have any Antarctica questions? Let me know! Cheers —Alexis

Charlotte Brewery Specials (2024)

It's a new year and it’s time to save that money, honey. I am so sick of living in a state where Happy Hour is illegal and constantly paying $8+ for a beer, so I decided to round up Charlotte’s brewery specials for each day of the week.

MOnday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $12 Rewind pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 CLT Brew’d drafts

Burial: $5 Lagers

Divine Barrel: $10 Flights

Fonta Flora: $1 Off pints

Hi-Wire: $4 Select pints

Lower Left Brewing: $1 Off pints

Monday Night Garden Co.: Rotating $5 pint and $8 Mules

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $0.75 Cent wings

Panzu: $6 Pints

Protagonist: 1/2 Off cocktails + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $7 Smashburger and fries and $5 pours of Blue Daisy Pilsner

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off pints

Tuesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $3 Rotating drafts

Brewer’s at 4001 Yancy: 1/2 off Apps

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Prophetmaker

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $10 32oz Crowlers to-go & $4 select pints & half-off glasses of wine

Fonta Flora: 15% Off to-go beers

Hi-Wire: $15 Flagship pitchers

Lenny Boy: 50% Off bottles of wine

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Taco Tuesday pints

NoDa Brewing: $2 Off to-go beers

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $8 Zack’s special

Panzu: $4 Guest taps, taco specials

Pilot Brewing: 1/2 Off shots and 20% off snacks

Protagonist: $2 Off drafts + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Island Times

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $10 Chicken tenders & fries

Wednesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $4 Pints of Lazy Bird, Higher Ground, and Jalapeno

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $1 Wings (in-house, minimum 5)

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Surf Wax

Devil’s Logic Brewing: Half-off apps from 3-6pm

Fonta Flora: $1 Off Appalachian Wild Ales & wine pours

Hi-Wire: $12 Flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $8 Wine glasses + $30 wine bottles

Panzu: $2 Off wine glasses, $8 off wine bottles and $11 wings

Pilot Brewing: $3 Select beers

Protagonist: $5 wine pours and $12 bottles + select Bourbon on special + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Select pints

Resident Culture South End: $5 Drafts, $10 flights, $12 steins, $17 pitchers

Salud Cerveceria: $15 Wine tasting

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half-off salads

Triple C Brewing: $15 One topping pizza & any draft

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off glasses of wine & 20% off to-go crowlers

THursday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Blue Blaze Brewing: $4 Off pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $6 Feature burger + side

Burial Beer: $10 Burger & Fries, $5 Lightgrinder

Fonta Flora: $1 Off in-house cans and $2 off to-go 4-packs

Lenny Boy Brewing: $5 pretzels and $10 flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $10 Signature cocktails + free draft beer with to-go beer purchase

Panzu: $10 Cocktails

Petty Thieves Brewing: 1/2 Off wines—bottles + draft

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Resident Culture South End: $4 Yard Ripper Seltzers

Salud Cerverceria: $5 Side pours + $9 chicken wings

Southern Strain: $1 off pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half off beers and $1 wings

Friday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $10 Growler fills

Lenny Boy: $10 Pitchers + $10 Growler fills

Monday Night Brewing: Buy one get one free pizzas from 12-3pm

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Triple C Brewing: $15 Burger and Beer from 12-3pm

Saturday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Sunday

Another Brewery: $1 Raw oysters + $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $6 Mimosas

Blue Blaze: Half price wine by the glass, $9 pitchers of Yellow Blazer, $4 off all pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 Crowler fills

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $4 Mimosas and beermosas

Divine Barrel: $5 Small batch pours & wine

Fonta Flora: $1 Off dimple pours

Free Range Brewing: Half off mimosas

Hi-Wire: $5 Mimosas and beermosas

Lenny Boy: $3 Kombucha-mosas

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Select Stout, sangrias and mimosas

Panzu: $8 Mimosas + $10 Bloody Mary’s

Pilot Brewing: $5 Goblets, Bloody Mary’s, and mimosas

Protagonist: $6 Mimosas

Petty Thieves Brewing: $5 Mimosas and Saisons

Resident Culture South End: $5 Mimosas, $8 Bloody Mary’s

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Mimosas, beermosas and Micheladas

Southern Strain: $5 Cherrymosas

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Vaulted Oak: $5 Mimosas

Happy savings! Cheers —Alexis

Washington Road Trip

Washington! What a glorious state. I spent 13 days meandering the area and here is my full guide to The Evergreen State:

Seattle

Check out my full guide to Seattle here! Here are some favorites from this trip:

Fair Isle Brewing: An amazing brewery focused on Saisons and Farmhouse Ales. Their taproom is cute, their staff is really nice, and their beer is absolutely incredible. By far my favorite stop in Seattle. 49th Street Beast is their onsite food truck.

The Masonry: A stellar beer bar and pizza restaurant in Lower Queen Anne. They have a solid draft list and a good list of beer bottles, wines and cocktails. Their pizzas are fantastic and the menu also includes salads and small plates.

Fast Fashion: This is a great brewery with two locations in Seattle: Lower Queen Anne (connected to The Masonry) and in the SoDo neighborhood. They are known for their tasty IPAs but still have a robust tap list.

Great Notion Brewing: This fantastic Portland based brewery has two locations in Seattle, one in the Ballard neighborhood and one in the Georgetown neighborhood. They are particularly great at Sours and Stouts. In Ballard the taproom has nice indoor and outdoor seating with Burb’s Burgers inside for eats.

RidgeWood Bottle & Tap: A great beer bar and bottle shop in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. They have a huge tap list with a great selection. The vibes are chill and there are some water views from the front patio space.

Fulcrum Café: A cute coffee shop in Belltown with a small food menu. Their coffee is great!

Chihuly Garden and Glass: A very cool glass museum with an indoor gallery, outdoor gallery, glass blowing demonstrations and onsite restaurant. Tickets are $35 which I was shook by but I would say it is worth it! Located in the Seattle Center next to the Space Needle.

The Fat Hen: A cute spot for brunch just north of the Ballard neighborhood. They have a coffee bar, full food menu and a few cocktails. Everything I had was delicious and it is a great little neighborhood spot.

The Maxwell Hotel from Stay Pineapple: A really nice hotel conveniently located right downtown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood. They are dog-friendly and have onsite parking. The bedding and robes are absolutely luxurious, and there is also an indoor pool and complimentary bikes. They have an onsite bar/restaurant and coffee shop with tasty drinks and eats.

Biscuit Bitch: A popular and touristy spot with delicious biscuits. They have 2 locations and you can order online to avoid any potential lines.

Seattle Center: Wander this area that is home to the Space Needle, multiple event spaces and a large outdoor park.

Lake 22 Trail: This trail is 6.4 miles long with 1,450ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It is a rocky trail out to Lake 22 which is pretty and overall it’s not too tough. The trailhead is 1 hour north of Seattle in Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. It takes just over 2.5 hours to complete.

Holy Mountain Brewing: Holy Mountain has two locations in town—their OG taproom and the newer Phinney Ridge taproom. Phinney Ridge is a nice, sleek space with a smaller tap list. There are a few places nearby to snag eats. The original taproom has frequent food trucks and a large open space.

The Pine Box: A craft beer dive bar with a food menu in an old chapel. The vibes are fun and their selection is solid. The Pine Box is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, parking in this area can be tough.

TeKu Tavern: This beer bar and bottle shop has a great can and bottle selection alongside some solid taps.

Ravenna Brewing Company: An average brewery in the northeast Suburbs with frequent food trucks.

Bellevue

Bellevue is right across the water from Seattle and has a cute downtown and over 100 parks.

Bellevue Brewing Company: Located in The Spring District, a planned community, they have a great patio, a large variety of beers, cocktails, wine and a full food menu.

Get on the water: Rent a kayak or stand up paddleboard from the REI Boathouse on Meydenbauer Bay. The bay leads out to Lake Washington with pretty views. They also offer tours.

Take a Circuit to get around: Bellevue offers Bellhop for free electric transport in town.

Bellingham

Bellingham is a cute little waterfront town full of breweries. It is 1.5 hours north of Seattle and 20 minutes south of the Canadian border. Keep your eyes peeled for seals in the bay!

Otherlands Beer: My favorite spot in town! The beers here are superb and mainly Saisons and Lagers. They also have a European-style food menu and a restaurant set-up. Highly recommend!

The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge: A fantastic bottle shop and beer bar from Garden Path Fermentation. They are located in the heart of downtown with a ton of bottles and a great selection. They have Garden Path Fermentation taps and guest taps with super friendly service.

Stemma Brewing: A great brewery with a cute taproom, nice patio space, and tasty beers.

Explore Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest:

• Chain Lakes Loop Trail: This trail is 8.3 miles long with 1,794ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. The views of Mt. Baker are fantastic before the beautiful Iceberg and Hayes Lakes. Bagley Lakes are here too and you can extend the trail to do the Bagley Lakes Trail if desired, but they weren’t as impressive. The last 1 mile from the Visitor’s Center back to Artist Point is extremely steep, and the trail takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete. I highly recommend starting this trail early, it gets very busy. It is a very exposed trail and rocky at points.

• Picture Lake Path: A quick little paved trail to a small lake with views of Mt. Shuksan. It is worth the stop!

The North Fork Brewery: A quaint little brewpub in Deming, between Mt. Baker and Bellingham. They have pizza, salads and appetizers and it is a popular spot.

Home2Suites: A nice place to stay that is 5 minutes from downtown. Updated and clean!

Structures Brewing: Structures has 2 locations in town. Their original taproom has a small tap list and a cute outdoor seating area. Their Old Town location has a burger menu and a few more taps.

Wander Brewing: This brewery has a wide variety of things on tap and very strong branding. The beers overall are average but the vibes are great. Their second location is named Roam and also has coffee.

Artivem Mead Co.: A nice meadery and wine + beer bar on the waterfront. The views are quite nice and you can do flights of the various meads.

Elizabeth Station: A craft beer bar, bottle shop and pizza restaurant with a solid selection of Pacific Northwest beers.

Little Squalicum Beach: A nice little rocky beach that is great for sunset!

Aslan Brewing Company: Aslan has two locations in town, the Brewpub and the Depot Barrel & Blending facility. At The Depot I found the beers to be average, there were not blended or barreled beers available during my visit (given the name this seemed off), there is a nice patio space, and they have a full food menu.

Woods Coffee: A local chain coffee shop with solid coffee and food, they open very early which was convenient!

San Juan Islands

Grab the ferry from Anacortes and head out to the San Juan Islands! The ferry is $15.20 roundtrip for passengers and you have to buy them at the counter, there are no advance reservations unless you are bringing a car to the islands. Parking is $13 per car at the lots onsite and there are more spots in businesses nearby for $7 per day.

The ferry takes just over 1 hour each way to get to San Juan and there are pretty views of various islands along the way. The ferry is a well-oiled machine and there are plenty of seats so there is no need to arrive super early. Be sure to catch the sunset if you’re on the ferry at the right time, it is absolutely gorgeous.

The town of Friday Harbor is cute and quaint, I walked the whole downtown in about 30 minutes. It is perfect for a day trip! There are also other islands you can visit, but San Juan is the main island and most popular.

Take a whale tour: I did the Adventure Whale Tour with San Juan Safaris and we hung out with 3 killer whales for a majority of the time, it was epic. We also saw a ton of absolutely massive sea lions. They provide spray suits for the wind and water which was very helpful on our little zodiac-style boat. There are multiple whale tour companies on the island, but I had a great time with San Juan Safaris and would definitely recommend the smaller boat experience.

Riptide Café is connected to their building and has coffee, smoothies and a small food menu.

Cease and Desist: A fantastic beer bar on the water with a solid selection of Pacific Northwest beers, great vibes, and water views.

San Juan Island Brewing Company: A cute restaurant-style brewery with full food menu. They have indoor and outdoor seating.

Overlook Park: A good viewpoint higher up overlooking the bay.

The Whale Museum: A small museum all about whales. It is $10 to enter and probably not worth that cost but when in Rome.

Cynthia’s Bistro: I have mixed thoughts on Cynthia’s—the food was good and the little side garden is nice and relaxing but the food took an insane amount of time to come out (not just mine, other people mentioned this to me later in the day too), and the mimosa was almost all juice. In conclusion go for the food if you aren’t super hungry and have a lot of time to spend.

Madrone Cellars: A winery and cidery with a lovely back patio. They have a small food menu as well, but I was not super impressed with the wine.

Avoid Cousin Vinny’s New York Pizza: They offer slices of pizza or whole pies but it’s a complete ripoff.

Anacortes

Anacortes is where the San Juan Islands ferry runs from. If you aren’t taking the ferry there is no reason to head over here.

Good Bagels Café: A cute spot for coffee, bagels and burgers. The bagels here are really fantastic.

Marina Inn: A nice hotel that is pretty modern and very clean. It’s also quite cheap!

Deception Pass State Park: I was underwhelmed by this park, so don’t go out of your way for it, but it has some nice spots. The bridge is the main attraction here which is always an odd concept to me but it is a nice bridge. North Beach is a rocky beach with views of the bridge and lots of folks come here to fish. There is a $10 entrance fee without a Discover Pass.

Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery: A popular spot with a full food menu and interesting dive bar and restaurant vibes. The beer here is mediocre but it’s open later than most spots in town which was what I needed after the San Juan ferry.

North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park is one of the prettiest places I have ever been and I highly recommend exploring here! The North Cascades Highway runs directly through the park and is full of great views. It is pretty isolated up in this area of Washington and the nearest towns to stay in are Marblemont, Winthrop (an old western town), and Mazama.

Unfortunately wildfires prevented me from getting to have the full experience I had planned, and unfortunately this is not uncommon so be prepared for potential road and trail closures. I planned to stay at Freestone Inn & Cabins which looks great!

Diablo Lake Overlook: A stunning viewpoint—if you do one thing in this area visit this overlook.

Cascade Pass Trail: This trail is 7.7 miles long with 1,784ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It is a steady climb up that leads to a viewpoint. There are a ton of switchbacks to start but they aren’t too steep and you’re almost done when you complete those. The trail takes just under 3.5 hours to complete and the trailhead is off of a gravel road but it is pretty smooth. It also connects to Sahale Arm & Doubtful Lake.

Trail of the Cedars Trail: A nice easy trail with views of the Skagit River and a fun suspension bridge.

Gorge Overlook Falls Trail: A quick trail with really pretty Gorge Lake views. I would recommend just going out to the viewpoint off the paved trail instead of completing the dirt loop here, the rest is boring.

Sterling Monroe Boardwalk Trail: This is a simple trail at the Visitor’s Center that leads to a nice mountain view.

Planned hikes that were closed but look awesome: Diablo Lake, Thunder Knob, Cutthroat Lake and Cutthroat Pass, Blue Lake, and Maple Pass.

Leavenworth

Leavenworth is a touristy but cute Bavarian Village nestled in the mountains. There are a ton of beer bars and wineries here along with lots of themed shops. The parking in town is awful and I would recommend staying somewhere you can park at the hotel/Airbnb and walk.

Colchuck Lake via Stuart Lake and Colchuck Lake Trail: This trail is 10.7 miles long with 2,342ft of elevation gain and is rated hard. The views are absolutely stunning and it is a fantastic hike. Pack your bathing suit and jump in the lake if you are brave enough for the cold water! The lake is located in The Enchantments in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The first half of the trail is pretty easy and then it gets pretty steep with some nice flat sections sprinkled in. The trailhead is 35 minutes from town, and the last 4 miles are a gravel road. The parking lot fills up quickly because there are other trails here so I would recommend starting early. It takes just under 4.5 hours to complete.

Yodelin Broth Company and Beer Garden: A superb spot. They have a wide variety of menu items and are known for their broth. The back garden space has nice views and they also have a solid beer list. I enjoyed it so much I went back a second time during my stay in Leavenworth!

Icicle Brewing Company: A great brewery with a small food menu, a nice patio and chill vibes. Their IPAs are particularly tasty.

München Haus: A touristy spot for brats, pretzels and beers, but it is actually great. They have Icicle Brewing and Hofbrauhaus beers on tap. I was taken aback by how good the veggie wurst was, and I loved the variety of condiments and toppings available.

Bushel and Bee: A beer and cider bar and bottle shop with a relaxed atmosphere. They have a good list of selections and a variety of cans and bottles.

Blewett Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a pizza menu and a wide variety of beers. They have indoor and outdoor seating with nice views.

Hampton Inn: The Hampton Inn in Leavenworth is wildly nice. It is definitely the best Hilton property I’ve ever stayed at. The rooms are huge and really well done, the lobby is gorgeous, and there is a shuttle to town so you don’t have to pay to park or you can walk about 20 minutes.

Leavenworth’s Finest Espresso: A really great spot for coffee that is a quaint drive-thru.

Lake Valhalla Trail & Mount McCausland Trail: I combined these two trails and it totaled 8.6 miles with 1,900ft of elevation gain. They share the same trail for a majority of the hike until a split where there is a very, very steep climb up the mountain and a slight decent down to the lake. It was extremely foggy when I got to the mountain and the lake even though it was a perfectly clear day for a majority of the hike, so perhaps start this one a little later in the day to ensure things are clear. The trailhead is about 45 minutes from Leavenworth and the last 3 miles are a gravel road.

Milepost Brewing: This is in nearby Cashmere with a full food menu but only a couple of their own beers on tap.

Skip the Howard Johnson: This was not a great place to stay, and was a late addition to my itinerary due to wildfires in North Cascades. It was nice to be able to walk everywhere in town but would not recommend.  

Chelan

Chelan is a cute little town known for wineries and lake life. The water is super clear and pretty with nice mountains surrounding the lake.

Nefarious Cellars: I had the best glass of wine of my life here so I would highly recommend a visit! They are just a small spot but the wine was superb, the views are fantastic and it is very chill. They’ve also got a guesthouse you can rent to stay onsite.

Tsillan Cellars: A fancier winery with a nice restaurant onsite. They have a great patio space and delicious wines that are available for a tasting, glass or bottle. The staff here was incredibly friendly.

Lakeside Lodge & Suites: The views at this hotel are fantastic. It is right on the lake on top of Lakeside Park with a swimming area and volleyball court. They have two pools and are just 5 minutes from downtown. The rooms themselves are a little dated but the views and lake access make it a great stay.

Sigillo Cellars Tasting Room and Public House: A solid winery with a full food menu and a delicious cheese board. There are nice views from the rooftop, though it is on a main road.

Lake Chelan Artisan Bakery: An average spot for coffee, pastries, pre-made breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos. I found my sandwich and coffee underwhelming.

Don Morse Memorial Park: A waterfront park downtown with lake access.

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is stunning. There are so many great views from all over the park, it is truly amazing. There are two main areas to explore: Sunrise and Paradise. If you can only choose one, I would recommend Sunrise. It has prettier views of Mount Rainier and is quieter than Paradise. Be bear aware and do not feed the chipmunks.

Sunrise Area:

Sunrise Rim Trail Loop and Mount Fremont Lookout: This trail is 10 miles long with 2,004ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. The trail has stunning views from the start and hits all of the main views in the Sunrise area. It is a fantastic hike that isn’t terribly difficult with a great mixture of things to see. The Mount Fremont Lookout Tower is a steep climb for the first half and then evens out and leads to completely panoramic views. The climbs up each Burroughs Mountain are steep but lead to great views—this trail has you go to the 1st and 2nd but you could also continue on to the 3rd. You get very close to Mount Rainier from the Burroughs and it is awesome. When you turn around from the Burroughs you can see the North Cascades on a clear day! The sunset rim side of the trail is very quiet and has nice views of Glacier Basin. This whole trail is very exposed so definitely bring layers. It takes about 4hrs 45 mins to complete, but that is with 50 mins of break time to enjoy a beer with the view.

Paradise Area:

Skyline Loop Trail: This trail is 7.2 miles long with 1,768ft of elevation gain and is rated hard. It was not too difficult after the first section where you climb about 100 flights of stairs in an hour. There are stunning panoramic views throughout the trail. The first section is paved and starts with Nisqually Glacier before heading onto great views of Mount Adams, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helen’s. The last section is also paved and ends with Myrtle Falls, which is a very popular area. It takes about 3 hours to complete and there is a cool little hobbit bathroom about halfway through the trail.

Reflection Lakes: A nice serene lake with Rainier views. There is also a loop trail here, or you can just walk down and enjoy the view. You can actually see Mount Rainier reflected on the water on a clear day which is amazing!

Inspiration Point: A pretty scenic turnout between Ruby Falls and Reflection Lakes with views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding valley.

Narada Falls: A quick trail to a large waterfall that is short but a little steep. I would recommend visiting the falls in the afternoon—in the morning they are shadowed and dark.

Yakima

Yakima is most known for their farms, and particularly their hop production. The area has quite a few breweries to explore, but unless it is on your route I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to explore this city.

Bale Breaker Brewing Company: This is a very cool spot growing their own hops onsite. They have hop-forward beers, as you might expect, and nice vibes. The outdoor space is nice and they frequently have food trucks.

Single Hill Brewing: This brewery is the closest to downtown Yakima itself and they have a great outdoor space. The tap list has a wide variety of styles and the beers are pretty solid. They have a food pop-up inside with a limited menu.

Wandering Hop: I had a really poor experience at Wandering Hop due to the bartender so it was tough to enjoy my beers but they were tasty. They’ve got a food menu with sandwiches and snacks that is not always available. They have a second taproom in Zillah too.

Valley Brewing Company: This is a popular spot with an underwhelming tap list. They have a Mexican restaurant in the back for eats and a nice patio space.

The Donut Bar: An average spot for donuts, bagels and espresso. The vibes were weird and the food/drink were just okay. I wished I had gone to Catalyst Coffee instead!

Olympia

Olympia is a great stop south of Seattle. I added this in to break up my drive between Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks.

Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar: This is a superb spot for oysters, cocktails, and more. Highly recommend!

Oly Taproom: A great beer bar and bottle shop with nice views—a 3 minute walk from Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar.

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is an insanely diverse park—there are forests, mountains, and the coastline. There are no roads through the park so it takes quite a bit of time to get from one spot to another.

There are two main areas to stay for park exploration—Forks and Port Angeles. Forks is known for their Twilight connection and there are a few touristy things for the vampire lovers out there. Port Angeles is a cute little town and it was a delight to see free street parking all over.

I stayed at this Airbnb, a tiny home in Forks, and it was nice. It was larger than expected and only about 10 minutes to central Forks. In Port Angeles I stayed in an average basement Airbnb. If possible I would recommend staying at Lake Crescent Lodge—it’s a great central location and right on the water.

Ruby Beach: This is a great spot for sunset! It is popular but absolutely worth it. It is a rocky beach with beautiful views.

A Shot in the Dark: Solid drive-thru coffee shop with a small breakfast menu.

Hole-in-the-Wall from Rialto Beach Trail: This trail is 3.2 miles long and mostly flat along the beach. The trail leads to a giant hole in a rock that is pretty neat—to get to this last part you can either scramble along the cliffside or go up and around. Be sure to check the tides because you can’t get to Hole-in-the-Wall if the tide is up. I wore sandals because it was a beach walk but would recommend hiking boots to better navigate. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete and I highly recommend going in the early morning light for a gorgeous glow! The trailhead is about 20 minutes from Forks.

Hall of Mosses Trail: This trail is 1.2 miles long and mostly flat. This is in the Hoh Rain Forest along with the Spruce and Hoh River trails. It is pretty and, as you might expect, very mossy. This area gets very busy so the morning is best.

Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge: My intent was to complete this hike but due to nearby fires there were no cars allowed and limited shuttle times so unfortunately the timing did not work out for me, but I have heard great things so I wanted to include it! Hurricane Ridge is a pretty area with a few other short hikes with nice views that I was able to do. This area is 45 minutes south of Port Angeles and you can take a shuttle from downtown to reach it. If you do plan to hike Hurricane Hill keep in mind the shuttle stop is 1.5 miles (each way) from the trailhead.

Angeles Brewing Supplies & Taproom: A solid beer bar and bottle shop with good vibes in Port Angeles.

Catch the sunset at Lake Crescent Lodge: This is a pretty area for the sunset that is not too crowded. You can explore the grounds even if you are not staying there.

Mount Storm King Trail & Marymere Falls Trail: Both of these trailheads are at Lake Crescent Lodge and easy to combine, or you can just choose one or the other. Together they are 7.1 miles long with 2,404ft of elevation gain and take about 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete. It’s 10 minutes from the intersection of the two trails so the falls are an easy addition after the mountain.

• Mount Storm King is a hard trail with 2,106ft of elevation gain. I would describe it as very difficult and quite sketchy and not for folks who are inexperienced or afraid of heights. After a very, very steep climb you reach a section of ropes to pull yourself up the mountain and then cross a narrow stretch of rock to the viewpoint. The views are wildly stunning and it is worth it, if you are comfortable and capable.

• Marymere falls is an easy trail with 298ft of elevation gain with a few stairs. The waterfall is nice and this is a popular trail.

Next Door Gastropub: A beer bar with a full food menu. Their tap list is decent and the food is tasty. Located in the heart of Port Angeles.

Higher Ground Espresso: A solid spot for coffee and breakfast with 2 locations in Port Ángeles.

Add on a visit to British Columbia!

Check out my full guide to Vancouver here! Though not in Washington, this is an easy addition to a Washington road trip. Here are some BC favorites from this trip:

Garibaldi Lake Trail: This trail is 13.8 miles long with 3,211ft of elevation gain and is rated hard. It is very challenging but absolutely worth it! The views are truly epic at the lake. There are two other lakes you’ll come to first but Garibaldi is majestic. The water is absolutely stunning and Sphinx Glacier is very cool. It gets quieter and easier after the switchbacks where many folks head towards the Black Tusk and takes just under 6 hours to complete. A day use pass is required in Garibaldi Provincial Park during the summer months—you can reserve this easily online ahead of time.

Backcountry Brewing: Located in Squamish, 25 minutes from the trailhead. This a cute and popular spot with great beers and food. The menu is pizza focused and everything was delicious. Squamish is 1 hour north of Vancouver.

Superflux Beer Company: The best brewery in Vancouver, by far. Their main taproom has a restaurant-style set-up with chill vibes and tasty beers. The food menu here is an interesting mix of hot dogs, salads and appetizers. Superflux Cabana is their second space with vacation vibes, a different food menu, and their same tasty beers.

Luppolo Brewing Company: A great brewery with a Lager-heavy tap list and a full food menu. They have a side patio for outdoor seating or a colorful inside space.

33 Acres Brewing Company: Their food here shines a bit more than the beer, and I am not a fan of only having 16 or 24oz pours. It is always quite loud in their taproom, but the cheese board made it worth it for me.

Strange Fellows Brewing: A solid brewery with a quaint taproom. They make tasty Sours.

What are your favorite spots in washington state? Let me know in the comments! Cheers —Alexis

A Weekend in Frankfort, Michigan

Frankfort is a cute little city on Lake Michigan known for their sunsets! It is just south of Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula and makes for a great weekend getaway.

Want to head a little further north? Check out my guide to Traverse City here and the Leelanau Peninsula here.

• The main attraction for Frankfort is their great beach and famed Lighthouse. Spend some time at the lake soaking in the views. There are lots of benches and some parking but it is easily walkable from downtown as well. The sunset at the beach is fantastic!

• Stormcloud Brewing Company: A great brewery with tasty beers, a full food menu, a nice patio space, and friendly staff. They have two locations—their main pub is right downtown and their newer taproom is just a few minutes away.

• L'Chayim Delicatessen: A delicious spot for bagels and lunch sandwiches with locations in Frankfort, Beulah and Glen Arbor.

• Glen Arbor Wines: A great spot for wine with a nice outdoor space and friendly staff. They also have a small selection of cheeses and things in the fridge.

• Vita Bella: A nice Italian restaurant in downtown Frankfort. Their pizza and pasta is tasty and they’ve also got sandwiches and salads on the menu. The back seating area has a water view.

• Stay at this Airbnb: Which is a nice cozy spot on Little Lake Platte with water access that is wildly cheap.

• Rock's Landing: A nice spot for dinner with good lake views. Reservations recommended.

• Birch & Maple: A solid spot for brunch and dinner downtown. It has a cute interior space.

• The Manitou: A good spot for dinner with a menu that is seafood focused but still has a variety of options.

• Point Betsie Lighthouse: An old historic lighthouse on the beach. It is $5 to enter the lighthouse itself or you can just check out the outside and surrounding beach. The beach is to the left of the lighthouse on an unmarked path. This is a great place to find Petoskey Stones!

• Beulah Beach: A nice small beach on Crystal Lake.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

• Empire Bluff Trail: This trail is 1.7 miles long with 170ft of elevation gain and takes about 50 minutes to complete. It is rated moderate but quite easy and leads to a nice bluff overlooking the lake.

• Dune Climb: A must! If you want to go beyond the initial dune you see be prepared that it can be hot and intense! If you want to get down to Lake Michigan over the dunes plan 3-4 hours. It took approximately 45 minutes round trip to get to the top of the fourth dune where you have nice views of Lake Michigan.

• Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive: This is a 7.8 mile loop drive with overlooks and a few hikes. There is a very steep dune climb you can do here but beware, it’s hard! It costs $3,000 to be rescued and over 100 people have to be saved each year, so make sure you can make it back up before you start your descent!

• Sleeping Bear Point Trail: We did a shorter version than this map just out to the lake and back which was just under a mile and took about 35 minutes trudging through the deep sand.