TC Getaways Travel Blog

Our weekend plans were off to a great start. We were pleasantly surprised in our hotel room at the Luxbury Inn & Suites in Maryville, TN. I had done very little research before booking the room for a Friday night stay and I only knew that it was the closest place to the concert venue. For the price and location, we definitely weren't expecting a 1 bedroom with kitchen. After settling in, we headed to The Shed to grab a quick bite of BBQ before the concert.  This was our second concert at this venue and we really like the atmosphere. It's outdoors which sometimes equals HOT but after the sun goes down, then it's perfect. You can take your own lawn chairs to sit in on the perimeter of the shed or you can stand up next to the stage if you prefer. That night we saw the band The Steel Woods. (Highly recommend giving them a listen.)  On Saturday we had a nice (free) breakfast at the hotel and then did a little shopping in Maryville. We were staying in ...

  Yep, that is me and my husband standing on top of a VERY large Sequoia Tree stump at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California. Standing there, feeling so small, I couldn't help but wonder if this is how ants feel. (Odd thought - I know.) The first tree we saw was big, the next was bigger, and the next was even bigger. Each time we saw an even bigger tree, I was shocked all over again. The pictures that I have seen of these giant wonders could have never prepared me for just how big they really are. I'm going to say it one more time, "THEY ARE BIG".  To be honest, I fully expected to see a few trees and be done in the first 5 minutes; however, walking through the forest was peaceful, awe-inspiring, and calming. Small wildlife was plentiful and the sounds of birds were the only noise you could hear. I would have loved to have strung me up a hammock in the middle of those great woods and relaxed for the day.  I could go on and on about the absolute beauty of this p...

If you know me... Then you know I L-O-V-E to eat. If I ever figure out how to get paid to review food, then you'll probably never see me again! But until then, here's some quick comments and of course pics of all the delicious things from our week. MexCal (Reno) - Don't knock it, til you've tried it. Octopus cooked right is delicious.  The Chart House - The view is just as amazing as the food. Prime rib was good. (I wouldn't say the best I've ever had) Tom said the Chilean sea bass was a 10 out of 10.  Hell's Kitchen - Our 3rd time eating at a Hell's Kitchen. We order the same thing because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Beef Wellington and lobster risotto doesn't get any better than this.  A Noodle restaurant we just happened to stop at somewhere between Lake Tahoe & Reno that turned out to be amazing! We couldn't even pronounce what we ordered 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣 La Strada (Reno) - we ordered the mushroom ravioli as an appetizer. After we a...

We flew into Reno a day before our check-in day at Lake Tahoe. We had planned on checking out everything Reno had to offer that evening but found ourselves too tired to leave the room except to grab a bite to eat. It was also enough time for us to decide Reno wasn't a town we too much cared for. Maybe we were too quick to judge but it seemed dirty and not the safest.  Some vacations feel like we have every minute planned out, but with this one, it was more of a surprise to us both what we decided on doing. The next morning, thanks to a 3 hour time difference, we were awake way too early. After a quick search of best day trips from Reno, I knew exactly the town I wanted to see to "waste time" - Virginia City.  The drive to Virginia City was an adventure all on its own. The road is steep and winding and offers beautiful views along the way.  As I seem to say in almost all of my posts... Pictures do not do this little town justice. When you pull in, be prepared to feel like ...