Category: Destinations

Guest Post: The Stunning Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland

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Our good friend Audrey and her new husband spent a wonderful, two-week honeymoon in Ireland and Northern Ireland last June.  Neither had ever been before, and they quickly fell in love with the lush scenery, the friendly people, and the surprisingly tasty food.  Their goal was to get to see the sights, but also to enjoy down time embracing Irish culture.  They spent their fair share of time off the main roads in tea shops and pubs enjoying one type of brew or another. Enjoy Audrey’s guest post on her visit to the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland!

Audrey and Josh

 

Belfast

We kicked off the honeymoon in Belfast in Northern Ireland.  We had round trip Dublin flights, but caught a bus up to Belfast for about $30 a person when we arrived.  We then took a taxi out to our amazing hotel, The Culloden, which was situated about 10 minutes north of the city.
The Culloden

Seriously, I got sleep here! Normally I would get a place closer to the sights, but who on earth would pass up staying in this beauty?!?  They even had a train station just off property so you could get into Belfast with ease. Continue reading →

Stephanie at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Great Georgia Getaways

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Spring has sprung, and it’s time to get outside and explore on the weekends! We love living in Atlanta because Georgia just has so much to offer! Head north, and you’ll reach the Blue Ridge Mountains. Head southeast, and you’ll hit beautiful beaches and barrier islands. There’s something for everyone!  Here are a few of our favorite Georgia getaways along with our favorite places to stay and things to do.

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The 1842 Inn – A Macon Bed & Breakfast

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We’ve been on a mission lately to find great weekend getaways from Atlanta for you. Recently, we visited the Beechwood Inn in the North Georgia Mountains, the Chanticleer Inn in Lookout Mountain, the Historic Spencer House Inn in St. Marys, and the Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island. We traveled from the mountains to the sea, just one of the reasons we love Georgia, and now we’re taking you just two hours south of Atlanta to the 1842 Inn for a historic Macon Bed & Breakfast.

1842 Inn - A Macon Bed & Breakfast

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island

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Where History, Nature, and Luxury Meet

The magnificent Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island is more than a romantic coastal getaway. It’s a classic Southern destination. It’s an opportunity to enjoy Georgia’s coast at a slower pace. And it’s a chance to take a step back into another era.

Cumberland Island overflows with natural history as well as stories of America’s past, and those continue at The Greyfield Inn.  As soon as you step off the boat and are guided toward the old Carnegie home, you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a Southern Living magazine. You’ll find yourself wondering how long you can possibly stay before you really have to return home, and you’ll be in good company – everyone else is wondering the same thing. There are few inns that offer such an exceptional experience. This, friends, is how you vacation.

The Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - www.AFriendAfar.com

For more on visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore, you can see our full guide here.

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - www.AFriendAfar.com

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide

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Cumberland Island National Seashore is one of our absolute favorite places in Georgia! Pristine beaches, wild horses, and a mansion in ruin are a few highlights of why we love this place! If you’re a nature lover like we are, look no further for your next unique beach destination.

Cumberland Island Vacation Guide - A Friend Afar

Nature on Cumberland Island

There’s a whole lot of the natural world to see on Cumberland Island. It’s Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier Island; in fact, it’s almost twice the size of the island of Manhattan! Cumberland Island hosts a variety of wildlife, and you’ll see numerous species even on a short day trip. The island is famous for its wild horse population. They tend to congregate in areas where there’s grass, so it’s not unusual to see them near the ruins and houses. The population of horses is usually between 150 and 200, so it’s very likely you’ll also see them along paths or in the sand dunes. You might also run into armadillos, rattlesnakes, white-tailed deer, wild boars and turkeys, and even the occasional alligator, not to mention all of the birds! We’ve even seen dolphins on the ferry ride over there, so don’t forget your camera! [Note: Keep a healthy distance from the wild horses. The photos below are an exception as this young horse near Greyfield Inn came up to us! We let her nibble on our sleeves a bit, but then we gave her some space.]

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

The Historic Spencer House Inn and St. Marys, Georgia

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For our February trip of our Take 12 Trips Challenge, we began our weekend away at the Historic Spencer House Inn in St. Marys, Georgia. St. Marys is the perfect coastal town to use as a base for not only exploring Cumberland Island National Seashore (since the park ferry departs from the port) but also other surrounding areas including Savannah, the Golden Isles, Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville and even St. Augustine.  At  a little over a 5-hour drive from Atlanta, an hour and 45 minutes from Savannah, and 45 minutes from Jacksonville, it’s a great long weekend destination.

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The Historic Spencer House Inn

The Spencer House Inn was built in 1872 and was known as one of the finest hotels in all of southeast Georgia. It operated as a hotel until 1942 when it changed ownership and was run as a rooming house. In the 1980s it was renovated and used as a professional building until 1990 when it was restored again and preserved as the Historic Spencer House Inn. The current owners, Mary and Mike Neff,  took over in 1995!

The Historic Spencer House Inn
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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

A Relaxing Escape to a Chattanooga Area Inn

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Since Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga are only two hours away from Atlanta, it makes the perfect weekend getaway! Whether you’re looking to be active, relaxed or to experience culture, this area has a ton of great options. For a beautiful, relaxing place to stay, look no further than the Chanticleer Inn, a charming Chattanooga area inn on Lookout Mountain!

The Chanticleer Inn

Chanticleer Inn upon arrival

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Stephanie at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

A Culinary Retreat at a Georgia Mountain Bed & Breakfast

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

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Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

National Parks in Florida

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After hitting Miami, one of the highlights of our most recent trip was visiting two national parks in Florida! We went to Dry Tortguas National Park as a day trip from Key West, and it was easily our favorite excursion of the entire vacation. Then we also explored part of the Everglades, another amazing national park in Florida. Everglades is a vast park so we were already talking about our next visit via another entrance.National Parks in Florida- Dry Tortguas- www.afriendafar.com #drytortugas #florida

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Stephanie at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

A Day in Miami

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A Day in Miami- www.afriendafar.com #miami #southbeachAhhh Miami! I went to this Florida metropolis for the first time last month. I’d driven by and flown through but never spent time in Miami or Miami Beach. We really couldn’t have asked for better weather while we were there. It was in the 80s and sunny! I’m not exactly sure what I expected from this city, but I definitely liked the vibe. There’s a little bit of everything depending on your taste and style. Of course, there’s the beach, but there’s also amazing architecture, art and culture, as well as food and history. Since it was my first time, I wanted to stay in iconic South Beach, and we opted to use Airbnb (if you’re a first timer get $20 to travel). Here’s how I spent a day in Miami chock full of ideas for your next Miami stay!

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Stephanie at A Friend Afar

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

http://www.AFriendAfar.com