Nashville Wife

Lifestyle Blog | Recipes | Home Decor | Money Saving | DIY Wedding Planning

South

Fishing the Emerald Coast

by 17 Comments

Wow, there’s something about that picture of Mr. Handsome standing next to his ocean fishing rod that makes him look like a giant. During our weekend trip to the Florida Panhandle earlier this summer, he spent a couple hours fishing off the shore one evening. Mr. Handsome is an avid angler, but he has very little experience in saltwater. With waves and the tide to consider, it’s a whole different ballgame than fishing in lakes and rivers.

While we were on our trip, we made about half our meals in our tiny condo and ate the other half at restaurants. Fresh Emerald Coast grouper cannot be beat, so we indulged in that a few times without any ounce of regret. Sauteed grouper with a savory butter sauce is probably my favorite meal ever. Sadly, the fish found in Nashville doesn’t hold a candle to the stuff you can find on the coast. Nothing beats freshly caught, and you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get it. Santa Rosa Beach is filled with locally owned, ocean-view eateries that serve incredible fish.

Our hope with Mr. Handsome’s fishing excursion was that it would yield a prize fish that we could cook in our condo, but sadly it did not. He caught one small trout that had to be thrown back, but that was the extend of his return. Boy did he make a good effort, though!

Little Buddy giggled as Daddy waded out into the choppy waves with his 10-foot fishing pole. He was less than 30 feet from the beach, but the water was so deep that he had to start swimming to make it to the sandbar. He stayed out there for a while and came back with blue lips.

Do you like eating fish? Have you tried freshly caught?

Santa Rosa Beach with a Toddler

by 15 Comments

Earlier this summer, we took a long weekend vacation to the Florida Panhandle. Over our six years of marriage, we have fallen in love with Santa Rosa Beach. It’s just under seven hours from Nashville, and the drive isn’t bad. Traffic can get busy between Birmingham and Montgomery, but that depends on time of day. After passing through Montgomery, you jump off the interstate and begin a leisurely jaunt through the small towns of Southern Alabama and Northwest Florida. We stopped and bought fresh peaches from a family-owned roadside stand.

When you arrive at the coast, you are greeted by white sand beaches and blue water. Not quite as picturesque as the Caribbean or Hawaii, but I can’t imagine that anywhere in the continental United States could have a more beautiful shoreline than the Emerald Coast.

This time, we stayed for three full days, which was perfect. We spent the entire time “chilling” and enjoying a slower pace of life. Even with a toddler, we managed to leave feeling just as relaxed as we did after our trip to Hawaii three years ago.

We booked a tiny, one bedroom condo with a fully equipped (but very small) kitchen. It met our needs perfectly, and the best part was that it was within walking distance of the beach. With a toddler, that made all the difference in the world. We didn’t have to find parking, deal with a hot car and an unhappy child, or cover our seats in sand.

Each day, we enjoyed the beach for a few hour-long stretches, which worked great for all three of us. Neither Mr. Handsome nor I are “sit on the beach all day” type of folks, so we didn’t mind having to go inside for naps and snack breaks.

Aside from the beach, we indulged in fresh smoothies, short walks (it was pretty hot and humid, so we couldn’t go far), and that’s about the extent of it.

On the way home, we stopped in Destin so Mr. Handsome could rent a jet ski for an hour. I stayed on the beach with Little Buddy, and I honestly was not the least bit bummed. We went jet skiing together before having a child, and let’s just say that it wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of us. I was terrified the entire time and did not enjoy it one bit, and my poor husband almost lost his hearing from all the screaming. After that adventure, I decided that I prefer watching from the shore.

Rodney Scott’s BBQ: As-Seen-on Netflix

by 5 Comments

Mr. Handsome recently got hooked on the Netflix show Chef’s Table. During the BBQ Series, he learned about chef Rodney Scott and was thrilled to find out that Rodney has a restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, which is only a couple hours from Nashville.

Rodney Scott grew up cooking hogs for his family’s store/restaurant in South Carolina, where they used the old-fashioned technique of smoking whole hogs over real wood coals. It’s a very labor-intensive technique that involved Rodney chopping wood, preparing hogs, and monitoring the huge smoker pits for hours in order to keep the temperature consistent and create a delicious smoky flavor. Rodney eventually started his own restaurant and continues to use the same techniques that his family has used for generations. He won the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast Award in 2018.

While driving through Birmingham recently, we had the opportunity to visit the restaurant. No, that’s not quite right. Here’s what really happened: We were looping around the outside of the city, on our way to the beach, when Mr. Handsome suddenly exited the interstate and parked at the nearest gas station. Taking out his phone, he announced that we absolutely had to eat at Rodney Scott’s, even though it was 3:00 in the afternoon.

Mr. Handsome was giddy with anticipation as we pulled into the restaurant. As soon as we opened the car door, we were hit with the smell of BBQ smoke wafting across the hot pavement. Little Buddy could sense the excitement and exclaimed, “I’m hungry like Daddy!”

The restaurant had a window where you could see the large BBQ pits and watch the chefs work. Little Buddy loved watching and proudly stated, “Look Mommy, there’s a fire.”

I enjoyed the BBQ, although it ended up not being my favorite style. They use a vinegar-based BBQ sauce, which is the traditional South Carolina style, while I like more of a sweet sauce (Kansas City style). Mr. Handsome, on the other hand, loved the meat, and Mommy and Little Buddy loved the fries, green beans, and coleslaw. So we all had a great experience.

Touring the Carter House

by 23 Comments

Carter House Franklin TN

For several years, I have we wanted to tour the historic Carter House in Franklin, Tennessee, located about 20 minutes south of Nashville, and we finally go around to visiting for my birthday. It’s an incredible place, not because of the size or grandeur of the home, but because of what happened there almost 160 years ago.

The house was built by a man named Fountain Branch Carter, who was born in 1797. He and his wife, who passed away in 1852 at the age of 46, grew the farm from 19 acres to nearly 300 acres. They had 12 children, although only eight survived until adulthood. By the time the Civil War broke out, most of the kids had a moved away to start their own families.

On November 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin (technically the Second Battle of Franklin) took place on the Carter Farm. By that point, the house was bursting at the seams, as some of the daughters whose husbands were fighting in the war had returned to the farm with their children temporarily. The Carter family, as well as their slaves and a family from across the street (whose house, the Lotz House, still stands today) took refuge in the Carters’ cellar for 17 hours, as the battle raged around them.

The battle that took place around Carter Farm resulted in nearly 9,000 casualties. The hand-to-hand fighting was some of the worst in the war and occurred right next to the house, within earshot of the civilians huddled in the cellar.

On the tour, you can see bullet holes in the sides of the house and other buildings on the property. There is also bullet damage to some of the furniture inside the house. One might wonder why the family didn’t repair the bullet holes after the war. The tour guide explained that when slavery ended, the Carters were nearly broke.

My favorite part of the tour was the view from inside the farm office. How incredible is it that this wooden building has survived 157 years?

My second favorite part of the tour may seem small and insignificant, but it really helped bring the story to life. These contraptions, which sit outside the house and all the outbuildings, were used to clean the mud off one’s boots before going inside. Through pictures, historians were able to confirm that they were there on the day of the battle. These tiny pieces of metal sure have been through a lot!

See Rock City

by 15 Comments

I’ve been meaning to write about our quick drive down to Rock City since early fall. Little Buddy is taking a nap, and I’m enjoying the quiet, so I thought it would be a great time to tell y’all about it.

In 2016, I posted about our Valentine’s Day trip to Chattanooga. We stayed in an old train car at the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and visited the Tennessee Aquarium and Ruby Falls. This time, we visited Rock City.

Have you heard of Rock City? It’s an attraction that everyone in Tennessee knows about because they do an incredible job of advertising. On the two-hour drive from Nashville to Chattanooga, you’ll see dozens of “See Rock City” signs painted onto barn roofs. The owners have used this advertising method since 1936. According to a sign inside the park, in the 1950s, “See Rock City” was emblazoned on more than 800 barns across several states (as far away as Michigan and Texas).

The rock garden features a one-way path created by founders Garnet and Frieda Carter in the late 1920s. The current owner is a third-generation descendant.

Located at the top of Lookout Mountain, Rock City not only boasts unique rock formations, but also incredible views.

It’s an outdoor attraction, which was perfect for social distancing. Guests wore masks and stayed well more than six feet apart, and entrance numbers were limited, so we felt very safe.

We were grateful to be able to support a family-owned business that is committed to following health guidelines and providing a safe experience for guests.

My favorite part of Rock City was Fairyland Caverns, a large, drafty cavern with miniature displays from popular fairy tales. The bright, larger than life colors made it truly magical! Entrance was controlled, masks were worn, and social distancing was followed by all.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

by 21 Comments

While we were in the Great Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago (see my photos from Parrot Mountain), we visited Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. I was surprised to learn that it is owned by the same company that does the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not books, comics, and TV show.

Mr. Handsome and I have somehow become aquarium and zoo people. I didn’t grow up spending time at either, but since we have been married, we have visited quite a few (Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium,  St. Louis Zoo, New Orleans Audubon Zoo, and Memphis Zoo). We also went to the Knoxville Zoo on our way home from the Smokies. We both agree that going to a zoo or aquarium isn’t the absolute most exciting thing that anyone could ever do with their time, but we love how relaxing and therapeutic it is to walk through the exhibits and watch the animals. You can allow yourself to lose track of time for a few hours.

The aquarium has a huge shark tank, where you can see the sharks from above water and then walk through a glass tunnel and watch them swim above you.

Gatlinburg Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies shark lagoon

Gatlinburg Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies shark lagoon

The creature in Shark Lagoon that fascinated us the most is not actually a shark, although it looks like one. It’s a sawfish, and while it can cause harm to prey with its “saw,” it is not aggressive towards humans (unlike actual sharks). It also has what looks like a human face on its underside.

Gatlinburg Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies sawfish

Gatlinburg Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies sawfish
The penguin exhibit was my favorite, and it was hilarious to put Little Buddy up to the glass and watch a swimming penguin try to grab his swinging pacifier.

Gatlinburg Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies penguins

The stingrays were also pretty neat and reminded us of our honeymoon on Grand Cayman, when we swam with wild stingrays at Stingray City. Mr. Handsome enjoyed seeing the jellyfish, but he now unfortunately wants one as a pet.

Gatlinburg Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies

Florida with Friends–Santa Rosa Beach

by 21 Comments

30A Santa Rosa beach

One of the great perks of living in Nashville is that it’s only a seven-hour drive from Santa Rosa Beach. Mr. Handsome and I got engaged on St. Pete Beach (near St. Petersburg), and during our first year of marriage, we spent a few days in the Fort Myers area with friends (their relatives had a condo, so it was free). But until last year, we didn’t know about the beautiful beaches of the Florida Panhandle. It’s no wonder why it’s the top vacation destination among Nashvillians.

We weren’t planning on taking a trip in September, but when our Sunday school class planned a weekend getaway in Santa Rosa Beach, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Ten young couples rented two beach condos, and the cost per couple ended up being surprisingly low–about as much as you would pay to stay at a roadside hotel for three nights. We were expecting an older beach house several miles from the shore, and we were thrilled about it. But when we arrived and found this, we were blown away….

Read More

Fort Phantom Hill

by 10 Comments

Fort Phantom Hill Abilene Texas

While in Abilene, Texas, visiting friends, we stopped by a historical site called Fort Phantom Hill. The sun was just about to set on the Texas plains, and the lighting was perfect for photos. Fort Phantom Hill Abilene Texas

The fort was built in 1851 out of necessity, to manage increasing hostility between settlers and Native Fort Phantom Hill Abilene TexasAmericans. (The area was called Phantom Hill because it seemed to disappear when approached from the nearby river.)

The Fort was only occupied for a few years before it was abandoned and burned in April 1854. Although the wood structures were destroyed, the stone structures provided shelter to various individuals over the next thirty years. …

Read More

Final Photos from Cades Cove

by 8 Comments

Last month, I shared photos from our trip to Cades Cove, a historic settlement nestled in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. I also posted pictures of the vibrant fall colors that we came across on our trip. Below is the last batch of snapshots from our journey through Cades Cove.In one particular part of Cades Cove, we came across some especially unique buildings. The first was a barn with a space in the middle. The idea was that two workers could pull a wagon in and easily throw hay up into the lofts.

The second was a cantilever barn, which has an overhang on one side for animals and equipment storage.

Nearby was a grist mill (a mill used to grind grain) that was built around 1870 by John Cable.

Then there was the Gregg-Cable House (circa 1879), the first frame house built in the Cove. At that time, the sawmill was brand new, which was a big deal for the residents of Cades Cove, who had not previously had access to lumber.

By this point, we were most of the way through Cades Cove. On our way out, we made two last stops. The first was the Dan Lawson Place, built in 1856. The house has a rare feature for Cades Cove–a brick chimney, constructed using bricks that were made on-site as the house was being built.

At that time, it was not uncommon for families to have multiple outbuildings, such as a smokehouse, a woodshed, a granary (for storing grain), a corn crib (for storing corn), and, of course, a barn.

Our last stop was the Tipton Place, built in the early 1870s. The owner was a colonel in the Mexican-American War, and the original inhabitants were his daughters, who were teachers in Cades Cove.

Fall in the Smokies

by 30 Comments

A few weeks ago, I posted photos from our recent trip to the Cades Cove historic settlement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have a few more snapshots from that day, but I first want to show you some other pictures I took.The drive through the park was simply beautiful with all the vibrant colored leaves.

Every turn we made, there was another stunning view.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Fall in the Smoky Mountains

 

Autumn in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Smoky Mountains in autumn

On Saturday of our weekend trip, we ventured over to the start of the Roaring Fork Motor Trail (southeast of downtown Gatlinburg) and parked at the Rainbow Falls trailhead.

 

It was a difficult, 5.4-mile roundtrip hike, but the views were worth the trek. Just as we had at Cades Cove, we saw the smoke-like fog that give the Smoky Mountains their name.

Smoky Mountain fog smoke

As we climbed higher, we passed an area that had been burned by the devastating wildfire that tore through the Smoky Mountains in November 2016. We are thankful that the area has been able to rebuild and that Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are still as busy as ever. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones and property.

With a 1,500-foot elevation gain, we had to stop and rest quite a few times, especially as we neared the end.

After a 20-minute period of rain, we finally reached our destination…the beautiful Rainbow Falls! You’re probably wondering what Mr. Handsome is wearing on his head. (That is the first question people ask when we show them this picture.) It’s his sweatshirt. He got tired of carrying it.

Rainbow Falls Gatlinburg Tennessee