A Journey With Jenna – Page 12 – Always take the scenic route

Atlanta, GA

01.22.19

Atanta seems to be one of those places that many of us have probably traveled through, either by car or a layover flight, but maybe you haven’t actually spent time there. That’s the case for me, and after finding out more about what there is to see and do there, it definitely sounds like a place that would be fun to visit.

Shan from Traveling with Shan has given us a great tour of her city, and answered several questions I had for her about Atlanta. So, let’s get started!

How long have you lived in Atlanta?
I’ve lived in Atlanta my whole life!

Atlanta is a pretty big city. What’s the best way to get around?
I live a little outside of the city, so I use a car to get around town. If you are in the heart of the city, the best way to get around is by walking or by using the electric Bird scooters that are available for rent.

What would you say is the best spot in Atlanta?
My favorite spot to visit in Atlanta is Ponce City Market — part of the historic Sears, Roebuck & Co building. There are so many nice restaurants, shopping, the best photography spots, and my favorite, Ponce City Roof. You take the elevator straight to the top and you’ll find Skyline Park ($10 admission for adults; $7 for kids 12 and under) with rooftop restaurants, mini golf and the most amazing city views of both Atlanta and nearby Buckhead. During the holidays, the rooftop even had a skating rink with decked out private igloos that you could rent! They’re pricey, but fun to look at!

What are your favorite places to eat in Atlanta?
Ponce City Market has a huge variety of restaurants where you can find the best food for any time of day. W.H. Stiles Fish Camp is an amazing seafood restaurant with an oyster bar with oysters from around the country. There are also many dessert places, but my favorite is called Batter Cookie Dough Counter. They have an assortment of cookie dough flavors to choose from, and they are so delicious.

What’s a fun thing to do outdoors?
Piedmont Park is a great park to visit in Atlanta. With lakes and views of the city, it is a really nice place to picnic, too. Festivals take place here nearly every month of the year, and beginning in March through mid-December, be sure to check out the Green Market on Saturday mornings. You can go for a walk or run, and dogs are allowed in the park, too. If you need a snack or a juice or coffee, there are several cute little places that you can walk to near the park, or you can walk to the Flying Biscuit Cafe for a meal.

What about an indoor activity?
The Georgia Aquarium is a fun place to see all kinds of sea life, and it has some of the largest viewing windows in the world. Also, the Sun Dial Restaurant & Bar is a must visit when in Atlanta. You take an elevator to the top of a high-rise, and the restaurant is surrounded by glass with a complete 360 degree view of the city. It is gorgeous, and even if you’re not hungry, you can sight see from the top.

If someone only had 24 hours in Atlanta, what should they pack into their day?
A great way to spend the day in Atlanta is visiting the aquarium in the morning, heading to Ponce City Market for a nice lunch, making your way to the rooftop for a beautiful view and some mini golf, then capping off the night at the Sun Dial for a nice upscale dinner with a beautiful view of the sunset.

Thanks to Shan for sharing so many great spots! I never knew Atlanta had so much to offer. Fun fact about the Flying Biscuit Cafe: even though I’ve never been there, I’ve been making their grits for years and they are the BEST! My friend ate at their Gainesville, Florida location when she was in college and raved about the grits, so I’m sure their other food is just as good! It was so fun learning more about Atlanta!

Winston-Salem, NC

01.16.19

I’m really excited to share my favorite place with you! There is so much I love about Winston-Salem — the weather, the parks, the food, the people… the list goes on. So, to prove that I’m not the only one who thinks it’s pretty great, I’ve enlisted the help of my friend and fellow blogger, Anna, to give you her thoughts on what makes it such a fun place!

I’ve followed Anna’s blog for several years now, and we were able to meet up three years ago at Camino Bakery, a cute coffee shop downtown. I knew right away I had a lot in common with Anna. She’s also very health-conscious and is Type A like me, and our personalities just clicked. I asked Anna some questions about Winston-Salem, and she did a great job of highlighting many of the best spots! See what she had to say.

Hi, y’all! I’m Anna Keller, and I live in Winston-Salem with my husband, Kevin, and our daughter, Maggie. (Maggie will turn 2 in March, and even though I know I’m very biased — she’s my kid, after all! — I think she’s pretty amazing.) I work as one half of a two-person ad agency here in Winston, Curly Top Solutions, and have enjoyed making the switch from a more corporate career into one that’s much more independent. My husband owns a men’s grooming company, Fulton & Roark, and we’re thrilled to both be able to work for ourselves now.

In addition to my advertising and marketing work, I’m also a blogger (curiouser-and-curiouser.com), where I write about everything from health and wellness to pregnancy and parenting and lots in between. I also introduced a podcast element to my blog in 2018, and so far have 19 episodes where I speak with a variety of people on topics ranging from adoption to essential oils to entrepreneurship.

I’ve been a self-proclaimed “Pure Barre addict” for several years now, and for the past three years have also been a Pure Barre teacher (a role I ADORE). Our Pure Barre community in Winston-Salem is wonderful — supportive and fun and so motivating — and I constantly feel fortunate to be a part of it.

Finally, I’m also a Beautycounter consultant, so I work to introduce women to safer skincare and makeup options that are also really effective. I have loved the relationships I’ve been able to build and strengthen thanks to this portion of my life.

Kevin and I moved to Winston the day after we got married: July 4, 2011. We moved here for him to attend business school at Wake Forest University, and assumed we’d just be here for two years and then probably head back to Atlanta, where we were both from. Seven and a half years later, though, we’re still here — and we LOVE it!

What do you enjoy most about Winston?
This is such a hard question to answer, because I could spend all day answering it! We love the community we’ve found here. We love the size of this city (it’s nice that everything is so close together, that we don’t spend all day in our cars getting to and from work, that all our friends live so close to us, etc.), and are able to do so many more things just by virtue of that fact. We love the energy here, and have enjoyed watching the city evolve since we moved here. This is a great place, and we feel so fortunate to live here.

What are your favorite restaurants in town?
Another hard question! Some of my favorites, in no particular order, are: Village Juice (AMAZING healthy food, and as a vegan this is a go-to for me!), West End Cafe (everything from salads to burgers to amazing dinner entrees), Humble Bee (not a restaurant, but a bakery in town you must try!), Canteen, The Porch, Spring House, Quanto Basta, Pancho Villa’s, and Teeter Thai (not its real name, but it’s the Thai restaurant inside a local Harris Teeter grocery store, and we get takeout from there at least once a week)!

What are your favorite things to do outdoors?
We are close to a few good hiking options (Pilot Mountain is especially close), and there are beautiful places to explore in town, like Reynolda Gardens, Graylyn Estate, and just walking around downtown on a pretty day!

What about indoor activities?
We have a wonderful arts cinema, a/perture, and Kevin and I love to see movies there as often as we can. We also have amazing breweries here! Our favorite is Wise Man, but there are several to choose from.

Any hot spots or “must see” places that a visitor should check out while in town?
Checking out Reynolda House is a must for visitors, and the art museum there almost always has a wonderful exhibit in town. I’d also say going to the Kimpton hotel to see the “mini Empire State building” close up.

What are your favorite day trips nearby?
We have enjoyed exploring places like Chapel Hill, Durham, Saxapahaw, and Mount Airy — all easy day trips!

Any favorite local shops?
A favorite local BRAND is my husband’s company, Fulton & Roark, which is sold at a few local retailers. Other faves include URBN Grl (an eclectic gift shop), Canteen’s shop, Mast General Store, and Southern Home & Kitchen.

Let’s say you have an out of town visitor. What’s the first thing you take them to do?
Probably to a brewery so we can enjoy a drink and plan the rest of our Winston itinerary!

I absolutely love so many of the places Anna mentioned! In addition to all of her recommendations, I also think Tanglewood Park is a must-see. It’s my very favorite park, and you’ll almost always see deer wandering around. They come close, too!

I also think you have to check out Old Salem. It’s a step back in time. The streets are cobblestone and you can walk into little buildings that were once homes (many of them are actually still private residences) and watch hands-on demonstrations by tradesmen dressed in traditional Moravian clothing. There are also shops that sell locally made, traditional items.

The iconic coffeepot at the end of Old Salem near downtown

One last place I want to mention is an Asian restaurant I recently discovered called HakkaChow. The Mongolian tofu is amazing, and if you’re not a tofu lover (I think you’d still like it), try it with a different protein!

Thanks to Anna for sharing so many great places and things to do! Be sure to visit her blog, and I hope you’ll check out some of these spots if you find yourself in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Bradenton, FL

01.11.19

It’s only appropriate that I show you around my hometown – Bradenton. If you haven’t heard of it, maybe you’ve heard of Sarasota or Tampa? It’s in that general area. I would say Bradenton is most known for its beaches. Although most people think of Miami or Orlando when they hear Florida, those places aren’t where you want to go if you’re visiting for the beaches. The central west coast of Florida, where Bradenton is, really has some of the most beautiful beaches.

I would recommend checking out Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach or my favorite, Holmes Beach. You could actually go to all of these in one day since they’re all clumped together. Just a tip – get there early! Parking can fill up quickly.

If you find yourself getting hungry, there are little places to eat along the beaches, but you’ll definitely find more in the main part of town. My favorite lunch spot is Fresh Kitchen. They serve up healthy bowls where you can pick your bases like rice, salad or sweet potato noodles, then you pick a veggie, a protein and a sauce. They have lots of add-ons and you can really customize your order however you’d like. Fresh Kitchen makes delicious cold pressed juices, zucchini brownies and paleo chocolate chip cookies, too!

If shopping is your thing, you’re in the right area near Fresh Kitchen. The University Town Center mall is right across the street, and there are tons of shops you can walk to right in the same plaza where Fresh Kitchen is (lots of other restaurants, too). This area is what I consider the center of town, even though it really isn’t when you look at a map. But everything you would want or need is right here!

Speaking of restaurants, my favorite dinner spot is Riverhouse Reef and Grill. They have a menu that offers something for everyone, and this place has the best location of any restaurant in town in my opinion. Be sure to sit outside – you’ll be right on the water and you’ll have a great view to watch the sunset and relax.

There’s still plenty to do outdoors! Head to Robinson Preserve to walk the miles of trails or go kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding. The park is what I consider “Old Florida.” It’s very primitive looking and has lots of open space. Just bring lots of sunscreen – it gets really hot here because there’s very little shade!

Not too far from Robinson Preserve, you’ll find De Soto National Memorial. This is actually my favorite “beach” type area to go to because it’s typically less crowded and feels like you have your own private beach. It’s a historical site where you can learn about Hernando De Soto, who first settled Florida, and you can also picnic, walk the trail or just hang out on the beach.

There’s one more park in town that you have to see! G.T. Bray park is a county park, and I actually went there every day after school when I was in high school on the cross country team. We held our practices here, and the nice thing about it is that there are tons of old oak trees that give a lot of shade. And it’s really beautiful! It’s a great place to walk around or bring a picnic.

Well, that covers it for all my favorite places in Bradenton! I highly recommend checking out some or all of these if you’re ever in the area. And if you have any questions or want any other info, feel free to reach out to me!