Over the winter, a friend and I did some research and found some really cool places to eat, shop and explore in Wayne County, KY! There are SO many hidden gems in this small town and I can’t wait to share the ones we visited with you!!

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IVY BLISS BOUTIQUE

Our first stop was clothes! I have shopped Ivy Bliss online before but had never made it into the storefront. Let me just tell you- she has done a beautiful job with this place! There are shoes, tops, jackets, dresses- you name it, she probably has it! I tried on some spring clothes and then snagged a couple of outfits for the weekend. She has a dressing room in the back as well as tons of spots for photos! All of the outfits you see in this blog are from Ivy Bliss!

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HAPPY HOPPERS

This coffee shop has everything you could wish for! They offer seasonal specials, the everyday mixes and some signature options. There is truly something for everyone here and the coffee is SO good! They also have muffins and breakfast or lunch sandwiches and plenty of space to sit and enjoy whatever you picked! They also offered some outdoor seating as well, which I took advantage of once it warmed up a bit! This place is so cute and the service was 10/10.

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RAE + PALM

After grabbing some coffee, we went downtown to do a little more shopping! We went into a new store Rae + Palm. They had some of the cutest decor I have ever seen! They had everything from coffee mugs to tea towels, to decorative pillows. Everything was so carefully placed, it looks like it came straight out of a magazine. They carry a lot of classic and timeless items which I absolutely love. We took a ton of photos here so you can get a better idea of the items they carry. They are not online yet, but a visit to the storefront is a must when visiting Wayne County!

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POOL HALL

The Pool Hall is iconic here in Wayne County! If you visit, it is an absolute must!! The burgers are made fresh, right in front of you, then you can get the works if you wish with your choice of salt, ketchup, cheese, mustard and onions. I went with everything but ketchup and I could have eaten 10 more haha! The atmosphere here is very chill, and there are a few tables to sit at as well as some pool tables! You will not be disappointed, I promise!!

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WILDFLOWER MARKET

After lunch we went to Wildflower market, which is across the street from the Pool Hall. This is such a cute shop with a little bit of everything! They have coffees, cupcakes, homemade soaps, teas, and more! I wish I could send the smell of this shop through the computer, because it was just so good! They also do cupcakes for events too, which I will definitely be utilizing in the future! They have so many flavors and combinations and they were so delicious! Stopping in here for a pick me up is a must!

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BLACK STALLION

Next we decided it was time for a drink! We headed over to The Black Stallion where they have a full bar out back on their enclosed patio. They also have a full food menu with everything from steak, to pasta, to salads, to burgers, you name it! This would be a great place to take a group because there are tons of options for every kind of eater. They also have a full bar, so you have tons of options there as well. I went with a frozen strawberry margarita, which was SO good!

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MILL SPRINGS

After all the goodies we consumed, it was time for a hike! We headed over to Mill Springs, right on Lake Cumberland. Mill Springs is a historic watermill built in 1877 and the grounds surrounding it are beautiful. We were walking near the waterfall and saw an otter swim right past us and jump down into the lake! It was quite the site to see!

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CONLEY BOTTOM RESORT

The last stop on our tour of Wayne County was Conley Bottom Resort. My family and I spend a lot of our summer here and we love it! They have houseboat rentals, pontoon rentals and have an entire store full of lake day essentials. They are currently building a restaurant, but offer pizza and ice cream as well as snacks inside. Conley Bottom also has a campground for nightly rentals and permanent RV sites as well.

Wayne County also has another marina, Beaver Creek, on Lake Cumberland. They offer houseboat and small boat rentals. They have covered an uncovered slips for rent as well.

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As you can see, this small town in southern Kentucky has tons to offer! Whether you’re looking to shop, eat, grab a coffee or dessert, or get outside- there are options for everyone! There are quite a few murals throughout the city as well as some huge, painted Adirondack chairs that would make for the perfect photo opp! Make sure to tag @livelakecumberland in your photos when you come down, so they can share as well! Safe Tavels!

Xo- Katie

We took our first flight as a family of 5 to Charleston for Fall Break and it honestly went better than I could have even imagined!! Starting from the top:

1- We flew a new airline out of Louisville called Breeze. They do 3 nonstop flights out of Louisville, one of them being to Charleston, SC. I have now flown on this airline 3 times and have been extremely happy each time. They are a budget airline so everything is pretty cheap, but you have to add everything separately (bags, picking your seat, etc.) The 5 of us were able to fly plus 3 bags for around $800 which I thought was amazing!

As far as the flight iteself, the girls did amazing! They had two rows of 2 seats so Ariana did have to sit in the row in front of us, but we downloaded a movie on her iPad and she was totally fine! The flight itself was only 1 hour so it was pretty quick and easy. Each of the girls had their own iPad with their own shows downloaded (there was no wifi on the flight so this would be a must-do) and we also brought a backpack full of snacks! 10000/10. So much better than driving 10 hours! Here are some photos from our flight-

Once we arrived at the Charleston airport, we had already rented a car from Enterprise and that process was very easy once we got there. I will say I was not impressed by their car seats we rented though and my husband had to fix the straps because they were not in correctly. If you are comfortable flying with your carseats, I would definitely recommend doing that.

We drove 30 minutes to Folly Beach, making a pit stop at Chick Fil A. PSA- there is one about halfway from the airport to Folly and it was a Godsend with 5 hungry people! We stayed at the Charleston Oceanfront Villas. We rented through VRBO and it had everything we needed. This place does NOT have a heated pool which was kind of a bummer since we were there in October, but we survived =) . The location was top notch. It was in walking distance from center street which has restaurants, bars and a cute little coffee shop that I went to daily!

Besides hanging at the beach everyday, we did go into Charleston to do some site seeing! First up was the Charleston Harbor Boat Tour. Definitely a cool experience if you have never been to the area before. We got to see Ft. Sumpter and lots of historic landmarks on the water. The boat served snacks and drinks + alcohol, all for purchase!

After the boat tour we went straight over to the Boone Hall Plantation. Part of this plantation was used in the movie The Notebook and the Avenue of Oaks was something I have wanted to see my entire life. It was absolutely worth the drive. (About 25 minutes from the Harbor Tour). Seriously, if you are heading to the Charleston area, I highly recommend going to Boone Hall. We did a tour of the grounds and a self-guided tour of the home. Sawyer was napping in the car so Corey and I took turns seeing the property with Chandler and Ari. Here are some photos from there!

After we left the plantation we went back to the condo to get ready for dinner! We walked from our condo to Wiki Wiki on Center Street! We had lots of apps, drinks and dinner and everyone loved it! Its a fun, laidback spot and they have lots of options!

The next day, we had family beach photos done with Jewel Lia Photography and she is an absolute gem! She was so patient and kind with my wild kiddos, and the photos turned out absolutely stunning! I can’t say enough good things about her and the experience! The rest of the trip was spent relaxing on the beach and the girls played in the ocean A LOT! We had such a great time and the beach there is so laid back. It was quiet, given it was October and we had a late fall break, so most everyone else had already returned to school. We are already planning another trip back for Spring break!!

Last weekend, I took my oldest two daughters and a girlfriend of mine to Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. It is about a 3 hour drive for us from Louisville, so it was the perfect road trip for us! They are starting their kickoff to Christmas festivities and I literally could not wait to attend! They have everything from snow tubing, to Christmas Carols, to the indoor event “Everybody loves Christmas Movies” where they feature some of the best Christmas movies! There is truly something for everyone here whether you are 3 or 103.

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There are a couple different room options at Gaylord Opryland. We personally went with the atrium view room and I would highly recommend this. It was so cool to be able to sit on our balcony and eat breakfast while we watched people come and go. It was like an entire little town below our balcony! Our room had two queen beds which was perfect for the 4 of us. It also had a desk and chair inside so someone could sit in there and eat if they did not want to eat on the balcony.

The first day we arrived to Opryland, the girls wanted to go straight to the indoor water park, Soundwaves. This place was INCREDIBLE. It was freezing outside, but we got to put our bathing suits on and head to the 84 degree pool deck! They had cabana rentals, a full restaurant, waitresses taking orders from your lounge chair, water slides, a lazy river and SO. MUCH. MORE! The girls were in heaven! They also had life jackets and towels you could use for free, so we didn’t have to worry about packing those! There were a ton of different levels to the water park, so there was something from every age kiddo! They had a shallow splash pad for toddlers, then a medium size water park for kids probably 3-8 and then huge water slides for the older kids! The girls beg to go back here at least once a day now!

Once they were finally done at the Waterpark, we went back to the room and cleaned up for dinner and then the Christmas festivities! We had dinner at the Cascades American Cafe, where they had lots of options for the kids. They colored and chilled out while we were there! After that, we headed across the street to where the kickoff to Christmas was beginning. We got to listen to live music and watch an ice skating show, while sipping some hot chocolate. Quite a different experience than being in the 80+ degree pool!!

Next we went ice tubing and I think the girls could have done that 100000 times each. They laughed and giggled like I have never heard!! They had such a great time and I could tell were truly enjoying every second of this trip! There were huge decorations, huge lit up Christmas trees, I mean the decorating here was magical, even for me as an adult!

Next we headed inside to the I Love Christmas Movies tour! We got to tour replica sets from movies such as Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story and more! It was like we were at the actual place these movies were filmed, and it was SO much fun to see!!

If you are close to the Nashville area, and even if you are not, Gaylord Opryland at Christmas time is a 100/10, must see! It was a truly wonderful experience and we already can’t wait to go back!!

I wanted to share a few of our favorite shots from our beach session! We went to Orange Beach, AL in August and had the BEST time! On the third day I wanted to get some family photos taken. (I had booked these pretty much the moment our trip was booked), I figured by day 3, everyone had settled in a bit and we didn’t spend our last day fighting about getting dressed up. Believe it or not my girls have some STRONG opinions about clothes and if it is not their idea, it is often a battle.

So anywho- I booked Emily Jo Photography. She is based out of Mobile, AL but does some beautiful beach photos. I am not honestly sure how far her she travels, but I would book her again in a heartbeat. Here are some of our favorites from the session:

I liked that we did a lot of natural poses as well as some staged poses. We also did a big group photo at the end which I will cherish forever! You can never take too many photos, right?!

Corey and I had the pleasure of attending the Wine and Food Experience in Louisville over the weekend! It was located in the Norton Commons, with the dreamiest fall weather of all time. We could not have painted a more perfect day!

Upon arriving, we were each given a lanyard with a card attached to it. It had 12 boxes on it, indicating how many drink samples we would be able to test throughout the day. We were also given a small glass to keep, which would also be used for our samples, as well as a map of where everything was located.

Corey and I love food. He is a meat and potatoes person, and I am a bit of everything! So as we made our way around, I was definitely trying it all. They had everything from Nothing Bundt Cakes, to Biscuit Belly, to Havana Rumba and everything in between. Many of which were local restaurants that I had not been able to try yet, so this was a great way to try some of the signature dish samples from some local favorites!

Now onto the drinks! Corey is not a big wine-o like I am- but there were so many options other than wine available! Titos Vodka had a tent that provided samples of an apple cider cocktail that was divine! I fell in love with a new (to me) beer called The Gadget from Urban Artifact. It is a Sour and it can be found at Total Wine! It is absolutely delicious! They also had bourbon drinks, coke products and plenty of water to go around!

This is an event Corey and I will be attending each year! We had the best time walking around trying different things that we would not normally try! Not only that, but we were able to meet some chefs from some local restaurants and speak with them about the meals they offer. It was such a unique experience and I highly recommend this event! It would make a great day-date with your spouse or a group outing with friends!