Athens

Since the summer has been a bit more hectic than we had anticipated and almost all our vacation for 2017 was used up on our (pesky) honeymoon, we've been taking day trips around Georgia to keep our wanderlustness (is that a word?!?) at bay. Last weekend we decided it was finally time to visit my sister-in-law (SIL).  She just started her senior year at UGA and we hadn't made it up there to visit once! Since Athens is only an hour and a half way, we thought it would be the perfect day trip.

I must admit when the alarm went off at 6:45am on Saturday morning, I was tempted to turn it off and stay in bed. I'm so glad we managed to get up and get going though because it was an amazing day! We managed to get out the door by 7:30, which if you knew our two dogs, is no simple feat.

After we got to Athens and saw the house SIL is renting this year, we got back into the car and headed to the local farmers market. I had no idea what to expect from the market but was a lot larger than anticipated. There were food trucks and numerous booths with local produce, meats, jams, breads, anything you'd want really. It was next to a baseball field so we were able to let the pups blow off some steam while SIL shopped.

Afterwards, we ended up walking a few miles of beautiful trails at Sandy Creek Park. I'd recommend it for you nature lovers out there. Not only were there plenty of trails but somehow we ended up next to an old log cabin, it was super cool! The views were gorgeous and we managed to work up a big appetite.

Next stop, lunch! SIL wanted us to see downtown Athens, so we parked on campus and walked few blocks to the restaurant. Being an Auburn grad, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked downtown. (War Damn Eagle, btw). There were so many adorable shops and boutique restaurants, it was pretty unexpected, honestly. SIL said we had to try Trapeze Pub because the garlic aioli was to die for (agreed).  I got a nitro cold brew coffee, we split the buffalo hummus and we settled into people watching on the patio. SIL and I ended up having the Turkey & Swiss sandwich while the hubs settled on the Double Pig. In the end, it was so much food we had leftovers for SIL to take home. Overall though, it was a great meal.

Even though we were still full from lunch, we decided to try out Terrapin Brewery. Great decision! It was perfect. Once you pay, you can walk through the building to a field where there's tons of chairs and picnic tables. We picked one off in a shady corner for the dogs and enjoyed tasting a few different beers. I went for the fruity flavors and liked all of them. The peach was my favorite and could be potentially dangerous!

Alas, all good things must come to an end. After our drink tickets were used and the dogs were exhausted it was time to say goodbye. I'm sad that I only got one photo from the whole day, but I guess that means we will have to go back again soon!

Here's SIL with our little girl at Terrapin

Serenbe

This morning we got invited to visit a good friend of mine who recently relocated to Serenbe.  For those who haven't heard of it, it is a sustainable living community south of Atlanta. She and her husband moved there after he became the head chef of a restaurant there. His focus is on aquaponics and that's one of the main reasons he got hired there. Anyway, it's actually a really cool place. And beautiful too.

So we did what we do best... loaded the dogs in the car and went down for stroll through their wooded paths. We saw a waterfall, which my friend told me had been used as a backdrop for the local playhouse. (I can't wait to go back for the full experience of a play, dinner at the farmhouse and checking out the inn soon!) We walked around for a couple of hours and saw hardly anyone. It was so peaceful. I can't believe it's located only 45 minutes from Atlanta! We had a late breakfast at the Blue Eyed Daisy, I definitely recommend it! Whether you are a sweet tooth, juicing, or prefer savory... there's something for everyone. We arrived before noon so we barely missed the lunch menu. Truth be told, I'm a huge breakfast fan so I was happy to have a second helping of eggs and bacon! The drive as we were leaving was absolutely stunning. We were surrounded by rolling hills and horses on either side!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Serenbe but I was definitely surprised. The architecture is gorgeous, the people are friendly and the food is amazing. This is definitely a great little retreat from city living!

Here's the dogs running around on the paths that connect the neighborhoods that surround Serenbe.

 We found this little guy while we are on our way to the waterfall.

 Ok people, I know this isn't a large waterfall but I can definitely see how this would make a beautiful backdrop for a play.

 It was a fairly humid morning, so we took a break and let the dogs splash around the water to cool down.

 Another one of the dogs. Both have so much energy!

 Here's us with the waterfall, we definitely worked up an appetite during the three miles we were on trail.

 This tree made me happy. 

 Beautiful farm land, sometimes there's horses up there too!

 On our way back to the city. I think we finally wore them out! Maybe.