My trips or places I would love to visit

In Savannah…

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I have always wanted to visit Savannah. I have always pictured myself as a southern belle kinda of gal. And I was so excited when my husband added this to our list of places to visit while heading down to Florida.
So after a restful night at the hotel in Asheville, we packed up our bags and headed to Savannah! We drove by Forsyth Park and I could not get any pictures of it because my husband was looking for a parking spot!
We ended up parking on the same street as Lady and Sons. We then walked around and took a few pictures of downtown before heading into the restaurant. 

Love these trolleys! So charming….

Pretty trees in the park



Taking in some of the historical views on River Street

Spotted this gorgeous necklace in the Banana Republic store in 
Savannah. It is called the Sea Life Focal Necklace.

Once we finished walking around we headed into Lady and Son’s. We walked around the gift shop and I could not take my eyes off this floral arrangement. 

I love the tiny roses on the vase. 

After we finished dinner this “guy” was walking around greeting everyone!
It was Paula Dean’s husband. Very nice man! 
I enjoyed Savannah and hope to return soon!
(all photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Antiquing in Asheville

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I had such a wonderful day at the Biltmore. We spent the night at a great hotel and got up early to continue on our road trip to Florida. The day before while we were heading to the Biltmore, my husband and I spotted tons of antique stores!

I am a sucker for antiques and wanted to stop so bad but I knew that my husband wanted to get on our way so I didn’t say a word. So the next morning he surprised me by stopping at the biggest one we saw. It was called the Antique Tobacco Barn and it was huge!

I felt like a kid in a candy store! My husband was extremely impressed and he is never impressed with antique stores. He usually hates going into them but will tolerate them for my sake.

I love the chairs!

I thought this was gorgeous! It was massive!




I love these crystal vintage candlesticks!

My daughter found this blue and white vase. Good find right?

Beautiful dishes and pictures

This would be beautiful in a backyard with roses all over it!

Okay, I could not help it. I had to grab the crystal candlestick holders.
Fantastic right?
This was so much fun and I hope to visit Asheville again! My family and I loved it!
(all photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Wine Tasting at the Biltmore

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As we continued on our wonderful tour of the Biltmore Estate the next place we ended up at was the Biltmore Winery.  The winery was built in the early 1980’s. I have some co-workers who visited the estate before the winery was built. I found that fascinating. If you want to see the timeline of the winery you can view it here.

Once you finish your tour at the estate you then have to drive 4 miles down the road to the winery! The scenery was unbelievable! Sorry, I did not take any photos because I was too busy taking it all in. You then park your car and walk up to the shops, restaurants, hotels and then the winery.

The beautiful fountain out front. 

Entrance to the winery
The history and what to expect….
After reading the sign you walk down this beautiful path….

You pass the beautiful hydrangeas….

And into the winery.




You then walk into the shop and look at all the delicious goodies!

After you look at all the wines you can then enter the wine tasting room.
There you can sample all the wines in the winery. Great right?



My hubby and I enjoying the wine tasting. 
They have grape juice for the kids!

We purchased about 5 bottles. We really enjoyed the Chenin Blanc.
We also purchased these cute Biltmore glasses and the wine bottles were put into this beautiful wine boxes. 

The winery was fantastic! I have never experienced anything quite like that. There was so much to explore and see. I hope that we can visit again soon!

(all photos Mrs Shockley)

The Biltmore Gardens

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The second part of the Biltmore visit was a tour of the gardens. I was on heaven! It was stunning! Even though it was a scorcher that day the grounds were still immaculate…..

Walking down from the home was this….. beautiful isn’t it?

The pond was full of fish….

You can see the house in the distance

The Greenhouse

The greenhouse is just spectacular!

Inside the greenhouse




The mountains…

This had a magical touch to it….

Well this ends the tour but the photos do not do it justice.
Trust me you must visit this garden in person.

It is truly unforgettable.
Here is my personal video of the pond at the Biltmore.
Enjoy!
(all photos & video Mrs. Shockley)

My Visit to the Biltmore ~ part 2

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Here is the second part of the tour. Now I did not take pictures of everything. There was just too much but my family and I really enjoyed the tour and the home.

This space was outside on the balcony. So serene….

The library….

The ceiling in the library… breathtaking isn’t it?

I could not get over the details in the ceilings!

Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room







The bowling alley….

The swimming pool







The kitchen…

The servant breakfast room. This looks better than some of our rooms!

A room full blue and white vases!

The gentlemen quarters

The outside balcony….so gorgeous!
The Biltmore was just glorious and I am so grateful that I got to see it. It was a wonderful opportunity to see something historical and beautiful. It was also great to see my family’s faces when we approached the home. Just smiles all over.
Here is my personal video of the view from the Biltmore
Enjoy!
(all photos & video via Mrs. Shockley)

My Visit to the Biltmore ~ Part 1

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I have returned home from a week long vacation! It was wonderful! I enjoyed it! As I last left you all I told you that we were visiting the Biltmore Estates and it did not disappoint!

I have lots of pictures and will be sharing them this week and maybe even next week. I hope that this will inspire some of you to add this historical and beautiful home to your “visit list” the next time you take a trip! I have already inspired my boss to visit it in August!

My photo of the Biltmore. So spectacular!



The front lawn






The views were so grand!
When you walked in you saw this grand cake!

Beautiful hallways

Indoor garden

Just stunning!
Next was the Billard’s room

This is the Tapestry Room

Chandeliers in the Tapestry Room

The organ at the top….
Here is the next room….




The details in the ceilings….


The view from that room

The Piano Room

The artwork above this fireplace was beautiful but they don’t let you get too close to
the furniture.

An upclose look at the cake….


This is just the first half of the tour. I will share the rest of the tour this week!

Thanks for reading!!!!




(all photos via Mrs. Shockley)

On Vacation ~ Florida and the Biltmore Estates 2016

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Well, today is Friday and next week I will be on vacation! My family and I are headed to Florida but we have a wonderful stop along the way!

We are stopping at the Biltmore Estates! I have been wanting to go here since I was a kid. I first saw it in the movie called Richie Rich in 1995. Once I found out it was a real home I have been longing to see it ever since!

photo via Ms. Shockley 

We are taking the 2 -hour self-tour of the home. Then it’s on our way to tour the gardens…



After the tour of the gardens, we will then head over to the winery for a complimentary glass of wine…


Once we finish taking in the Biltmore we will stop in Savannah and then head to Florida!


I can’t wait to hit Cocoa Beach! Then I hope to do some antiquing, take my daughter to the American Girl Store in Orlando, and just enjoy my family. 



I will do my very best to take photos and maybe a small video at the Biltmore. I am not sure if we are allowed to. So enjoy your week and I will see you soon!



photo credit: Guillaume Lorain