road trip

Moz Takes Williamsburg, VA – A Dog’s Travel Guide

| The Bee Life

Moz went on her first vacation with us! We took a road trip to Williamsburg, Virginia for an extended family trip – and – Moz tagged along for all of the fun. Luckily we were able to prepare for dog-friendly activities and spots to bring her ahead of our trip, we just didn’t have the best weather to enjoy all of the outdoor patios, so we bundled up and Moz rocked her way too cute plaid rain coat all week.

Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect spot to get your pup plenty of exercise, while also getting a little history lesson! There is plenty of green space, lots of other pups, and plenty of space to walk and explore this quaint little pocket of history. We stopped here two separate times outside of our Spooks & Legend’s tour, to explore and take in the sights.

Spooks & Legends is also a dog-friendly evening activity that walks through Colonial Williamsburg. We took a nearly 2-hour tour that shared urban legends, ghostly sightings, and history that have happened over the years. Moz was a trooper, even on a chillier night and kept up with the group!

Pro-Tip: If you’re heading with your pup, you can access Colonial Williamsburg from the Merchant Square area, there is a parking garage on N. Henry that is a direct connection to entering Colonial Williamsburg, plus it’s affordable and walkable to the rest of Merchant Square. You can also park and walk from the Visitor Center (which is also dog friendly!), it’s just a bit longer of a hike to get to Colonial Williamsburg compared to entering from Merchant Square.

DOG-FRIENDLY Food & Brews

Amber Ox Public House. My only regret is that we didn’t get back here for another meal! We grabbed Sunday brunch here, they had a great covered patio that had turf on the floor too, which was super dog friendly.

Craft 31. This was such a score, especially with the cold weather we were experiencing during our trip, they have a covered/enclosed patio that is heated and it was SO lovely! They were dog friendly, and brought Moz a dog bowl full of water.

Copper Fox Distillery. Another indoor score, with the cutest copper dog bowls and delicious cocktails. We could’ve spent the entire afternoon here sipping on luscious cocktails, chatting while being able to have Moz with us.

A few other spots that we enjoyed, however, weren’t necessarily the best against the cold and rainy elements were Precarious Brewery and Aromas – luckily we had blankets. Precarious did have outdoor heaters that did the trick, but it was still damp and chilly! Billsburg Brewery near closer to Jamestown had a nice covered/enclosed patio, this brewery also has nice waterfront views and is definitely dog friendly.

Traveling with a pup, especially with crappy weather isn’t exactly ideal — but we made the most of it and still had fun. The weather was definitely a swift introduction to fall, and Moz was a trooper the whole trip, from the 8-hour car drive to day-long adventures including brunch, and exploring Colonial Williamsburg and the gorgeous Merchant Square. If you’re planning a trip to Williamsburg with your four-legged friend, try to plan for warmer weather, however I will say, I loved the “off-season” vibe and can’t imagine how crowded it gets in the Summer months!

See our full highlight reel on Williamsburg, VA.

Weekend Recap – A Perfect Weekend Away

| The Bee Life

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared a weekend highlight. One, because last year it felt like a cardinal sin if you had an ounce of fun or socialized with anyone — and this year, is just an awkward light-switch back to normal, so you better be prepared to live life like last year never happened! Sorry, not quite there – and have been taking baby paired with big steps into trying to get back to live pre-19.

But we had the most perfect weekend away, so I just had to share a few highlights from our time away.

Our annual STBC trip. A trip to the cabin means an automatic trip to our favorite spot, Southern Tier Brewing Co. We first went to STBC in 2013, and have made it back almost every year since as it’s our annual tradition. We usually make it there in the fall so that we can enjoy their fall seasonal beers, but we got there a little earlier this year! Luckily they had their fall beers on tap – so I was able to have my fave Warlock. The forecast for the weekend, specifically Saturday was looking like a wash, but we were going to try and arrive to STBC when they opened at 11am, so we could snag an optimal covered outdoor spot since we brought Moz. Well, when we were heading out, the forecast looked like it was clearing up, at least for our morning timeframe. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. We got our prime covered, outdoor seat – avoided the crowds – and splurged on some yummy eats and brews! And by the time we left, it was a crazy downpour, so it was seriously the definition of perfect timing.

Homemade, local ice cream! I wanna scream right now — I ate real ice cream… in a cone… and didn’t die! After being diagnosed lactose intolerant almost 6-years ago, I just came to grips that I needed to opt for dairy-free or yogurt-based ice creams to avoid a problem. BUT after going on this gut cleanse, I was interested in trying out ice cream again, I think a big thing that helped is we went to a homemade local ice cream spot near the cabin. I really wanted cookie dough, but they didn’t have the flavor (can you even believe?) so I opted for buckeye and thin mint. Thin mint was definitely where it was at – I wish I had a whole cone of thin mint. It was basically amazing.

Cabin life. Our cabin getaway is a family home, so we are so lucky to be able to enjoy our time away, make memories with a quick drive to the middle of nowhere. Once you arrive at the cabin, you’re just welcomed with a sense of relief — the real world is so far away, even when you’re scanning work emails or posting something for a client. The covered deck is perfect for early morning breakfast and late night game nights with fun lights, tiki torches and quiet ambiance of nature. Even with the rain, being “stuck” inside is welcomed, because either way it’s a retreat and a break from the real world. We love our walks around the grounds, our morning coffee, sleeping in, and making breakfasts.

Between the rain working out with our schedule and being able to get our STBC trip in – to enjoying some ice cream – having a fun game night – and then meeting some fun farm animals at a neighboring farm, the weekend was simply perfect.

Travel: #EmnBtoAVL

| The Bee Life

This past Memorial Day weekend we hit the road and ventured to a new city for a new adventure down to Asheville, NC.  From initial research on fun vacation spots, to our friends buzzing about visiting this latest hot spot our curiosity was peaked… so we crashed our friends trip and buckled in for a long weekend of exploring!
Travel - EmnBtoAVL - the bee life
Although our weekend consisted mostly of drinking and eating, we did have other trip highlights that made Asheville a memorable city that we’d be happy to visit again.

Blue Ridge Parkway – Craggy Gardens:  With the rolling mountains surrounding the city, the Blue Ridge Parkway is almost unavoidable.  We drove up to the Craggy Gardens pathway that led us to a stunning view, although the fog was rolling in, it did clear up enough for us to grab a few shots and see the true views.  This manageable hike was perfect for all ages and led for a great photo op and perfect spot for a lunch break.

Dog Friendly:  One of the great parts of this trip was being able to bring Moz! Our friends also brought their pup, Maybel, it was great because almost everywhere in Asheville was dog friendly! The one afternoon we went brewery hopping, the pups tagged along and probably met about 15-20 dogs throughout the day.  It was super fun, and the city is really great for us dog lovers whether your dining or drinking.

Rich with History:  One piece of Asheville history that we visited was the stunning Grove Park Inn. Originally built in 1913, this piece of property is impressive and of course has incredible views of the running mountains and downtown Asheville.  Even if you can just stop here for a drink on the outdoor patio (which we did) you’ll be in for a treat and able to enjoy this treasure and explore the original building.  The city center also held grounds for historic learnings and monuments that led us to google search a few times to learn about the cities origins and historical figures.

Be sure to stop back on Friday as I’ll be sharing more details into our favorite eats and breweries from Asheville!

Weekend Getaway Must-Have’s

| The Bee Life

Planning any fall getaways?  October always seems to fly by, but one of our favorite to-do’s is getting out of town for a quick weekend trip, being in the middle of nowhere, no wi-fi, no traffic, no house work, just hanging out and escaping the world.  As much as I love a weekend away with B, it’s even more fun when you can plan it with some friends or family.  Here are a few must-have’s for your upcoming weekend away.

  1. Games:  This is a way to laugh, have some friendly competition and get away from the TV!  Having some good group games like Cranium, Wavelength, Cards Against Humanity or even just a deck of cards will kick your nights off right.
  2. Drinks:  Have a variety of alcoholic beverages, but if you can find a fun recipe that is season specific or a new recipe to try! Split the ingredients with your friends and join together in trying something new.
  3. Music: Whether an inpromptu Basketstreet Boys dance party breaks out or just some background music is needed during games and drinks be sure to bring some portable blue tooth speakers and have some tunes ready to go!
  4. Food: Be sure to have a variety of snacks to enjoy during games and drinks; you can’t go wrong with cheese, crackers, grapes and don’t forget some chocolate to snack on! For dinners and breakfasts, keep it easy, eggs, bagels, oven pizza’s or something you can throw on the grill. After all your away so enjoy the down time.
  5. Local Spot: If you go to the same weekend getaway spot, and you haven’t found your go-to local spot yet, get on it!  Whether it’s a place for breakfast, an ice cream spot, an antique store, or a local brewery (we opt for the local brewery part whenever possible).  It can be your spot away from all your normal local home spots.

What’re you favorite things to do or have on a weekend getaway? 

Cheers to the weekend!