Sassy Southern Blonde

A Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kelsie Bynum

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • PARTNER WITH KELSIE
  • SHOP
    • SHOP MY INSTAGRAM
    • SHOP MY IG STORIES
    • HOME DECOR
  • CATEGORIES
    • FASHION
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • BEAUTY
      • MAKEUP
      • HAIR
    • TRAVEL
    • BLOG TIPS
  • DISCOUNT CODES

Stowe, Vermont Travel Guide

November 2, 2022

Pink Teddy CoatSHOP MY OUTFIT (15% off with KELSIEBYNUM) Size: SM in both

Casual Fall OutfitSHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: SM)

Visiting Stowe, Vermont has been on my bucket list for YEARS! I live in South Mississippi, so we never see the level of fall foliage that the New England states do. Bo and I traveled to Boston last October, and I’ve been wanting to go back to that area. Luckily, I rounded up two of my favorite travel buddies and we headed on a weekend trip to Vermont! We arrived Thursday night and flew out Sunday morning, so I do wish we had a little bit more time there.

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: XS in both)

We went to dinner at Idletyme Brewing Company on Thursday before checking into our hotel! It was a top recommendation on Yelp, and it lived up to the hype. I ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli, and the Idle Fries were an amazing appetizer! We stayed at Topnotch Resort just a few miles outside of Stowe, and I’d definitely book there again! It was actually even nicer than I expected!ย Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to explore the resort, but they had a lot of amenities between the spa, indoor pool, and tennis courts!

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: MD/LG for dress length)

On Friday morning, we grabbed coffee at Black Cap Coffee! I ordered the French Kiss Latte along with a chocolate croissant, and it was phenomenal. Another top suggestion was Butler’s Pantry for breakfast! It was extremely busy, but we joined the Yelp waitlist beforehand. I ordered the Biscuit French Toast Sticks because they were a restaurant special! I thought they were great. Both of these spots were next door to each other in downtown Stowe so super convenient!

Fall OutfitSHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: XS in both)

After eating brunch, the morning fog started to lift, and we took photos around Stowe! I don’t know the exact address of the gorgeous landscape view with the church in the background but it’s on Mountain Rd right before the Stowe Covered Bridge. The view looked straight from a movie or an episode of Gilmore Girls! Lol. We also stopped by the Cold Hollow Cider Mill to grab donuts and apple cider! I went with the apple cider slush, and it was the right choice! ๐Ÿ™‚

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: XS)

Pink Tweed SetSHOP MY OUTFIT (Size: 0 Petite in both)

I normally make reservations beforehand, but I wasn’t sure what our plan would be since we were shooting content all day! Hindsight is 20/20 and I definitely regret this. I’ll never go on a trip without reservations again because it just added stress to find somewhere to eat! Harrison’s was highly recommended, and they luckily had open seating on their heated patio. (Inside dining is booked months in advance) I ordered the most delicious Lobster Roll. It hit the spot after a busy day!

Casual Fall OutfitSHOP MY OUTFIT (Vest is 15% off with KELSIEBYNUM)ย 

Since Stowe is pretty small, we decided to make the hour and a half drive to Woodstock on Saturday! I knew I’d regret it if we didn’t. Our first stop was the Woodstock Inn, and it’s just as cute in real life! We snapped a few photos and drove around downtown Woodstock before heading over to Sleepy Hollow Farm. I couldn’t believe how chaotic it was including an extremely narrow road with too many cars. Lol! At this point, we were starving, so we ended up back at Harrison’s in Stowe for the second night in a row!

Lobster RollSince we only had 48 hours in Vermont, there were several places I wished we would have had time to go like Cafe on Main for breakfast and Smuggler’s Notch State Park for fall foliage! It’s a gorgeous place that I’d travel to again in a heartbeat! ๐Ÿ™‚

XO

Kelsย 

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Travel

Our Weekend in Nashville

July 28, 2022

I know everyone says this, but I just love visiting Nashville! It never gets old. I probably went 5 or 6 times in 2019 alone but hadn’t been back since before the pandemic! It was so fun to return to one of my favorite cities even for a few days. The trip was somewhat last minute, but Bo’s dad got an Airbnb for the weekend and luckily my mom could watch Baker! ๐Ÿ™‚

Since it opened, I have been dying to stay at The Graduate in Nashville! It’s everything I love: sparkly, girly, and PINK! I talked Bo into driving up a day early, so we could spend Thursday night there. That ended up being my favorite part of the getaway! We got drinks at the White Limozeen on the rooftop (which is an absolute MUST), ate dinner at Bartaco, and came back to White Limozeen before we crashed! It wasn’t that crowded, so we got to sit at a table and just hang out for a little while!

Of course I wanted to shoot some content at The Graduate before we left, so I got late checkout and we took pictures around the lobby after brunch! We had eaten at Liberty Common because it came highly recommended, but I was disappointed in my food. The chicken tasted weird! Lol. I’d be willing to give it another chance, though!

We decided to do some afternoon shopping in Green Hills, and I talked Bo into a late lunch at Restoration Hardware. Honestly, that was probably my favorite meal! Hahah. The prime rib sandwich is SO delicious! We checked into our Airbnb afterwards and headed to Broadway that night. I couldn’t believe how crowded it was! Like NYE level on a random July weekend! No surprise here, but we didn’t make it out long!

Bo and I woke up early on Saturday and grabbed coffee at Frothy Monkey and donuts from Five Daughters Bakery! Bo’s dad is obsessed with riding scooters, so we literally rode them for hours around Nashville that afternoon! We covered a lot of ground, and it was pretty fun to see everything that way. We stopped at Church & Union for brunch, and it was great! I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Biscuit, which was much better than the Liberty Common one.

We ended the weekend trip back on Broadway that night and visited the Twelve Thirty Club! My new favorite spot. It’s just much more elevated than the other bars on Broadway, and the vibe was IT! The bartender actually followed me on Instagram, which made it even better! Shoutout to Paige! ๐Ÿ™‚ They also had some of the best Frozรจ I’ve ever had! All around 10/10.

PS: HERE is my previous Nashville travel guide for more suggestions + recommendations!

XOXO

Kels

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Travel

CHARLESTON TRAVEL GUIDE

May 15, 2022

Even though our weekend getaway to Charleston started on the wrong foot, we ended up having a great time once we finally made it! Baker came home from school with the stomach virus the day before we were supposed to leave and the germs spread quick. I’ll spare the details, but it caused us to miss our flight Thursday morning! The lady at the ticket counter was kind enough to reschedule us for later that afternoon. We were not expecting any good luck after the night we had! Lol.

Once we arrived in Charleston at Midnight on Thursday, we headed straight to our hotel. We stayed at the Andrew Pinckney Inn in downtown! It’s a smaller boutique style hotel, but I was so impressed. Everything was updated, extremely clean and located near all the popular spots! They even offered breakfast and afternoon wine with cheese to all guests!

We hit the ground running on Friday with lunch at 82 Queen! They also have an amazing brunch, but it’s only offered on the weekends. Bo was in desperate need of new clothes, so we shopped along King Street afterwards! There are so many great men’s clothing stores. I had been wanting to visit Camellia’s inside Hotel Bennett, so we grabbed drinks before dinner! It is the most gorgeous bar with a dreamy pink aesthetic. We ended the night at The Darling Oyster Bar with delicious lobster rolls!

Saturday started with peach green teas at a local spot called The Rise Coffee Bar! We didn’t have it in us for coffee just yet. Haha! We ate brunch at Poogan’s Porch with the Fried Green Tomatoes and buttered biscuits! The appetizers were pretty filling, so Bo and I split the Diner Cheeseburger that was too good. We decided to take a Lyft to Folly Beach for the afternoon, and I just had to try dole whip at The Pineapple Hut!

Several recommended Theย Citrus Club for drinks, so we went to The Dewberry before dinner! There was an hour wait to get to the rooftop, but we decided to stick it out. They called our names right as we were leaving for our reservation, so we only stayed 10 minutes. I think it was a busy weekend but just a heads up if you’re wanting to visit! I personally think it was worth it!

Dinner was at Bourbon N’ Bubbles that Leva from Southern Charm owns. It was good, but I’m still SO sad we missed our Thursday reservation at Halls Chophouse! I wish I would have rescheduled for Saturday! It was my top recommendation from y’all. And being the Southern Charm fan that I am, I had to visit Sewing Down South! Unfortunately, I think I had just missed Craig and Paige. Lol! I’m leaving more recommendations for y’all to refer to below!

WHERE TO EAT

Halls Chophouse

82 Queen

Poogan’s Porch

The Darling Oyster Bar

Leon’s

Church & Union

Home Team (Sullivan’s Island)

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit

Stella’s

Saltwater Cowboys

Obstinate Daughter (Sullivan’s Island)

Carmella’s Dessert Bar

Husk

The Citrus Club (Drinks)

Camellia’s (Drinks)

Little Palm Bar (Drinks)

WHERE TO PLAY

King Street Shopping

Rainbow Row

Pineapple Fountain

Charleston Market

Boone Hall Plantation

Folly Beach

Sullivan’s Island

XOXO

Kels

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Travel

BOSTON + SALEM TRAVEL GUIDE

October 28, 2021

I had been wanting to properly plan a trip to Boston for months, but it never came together! Lucky for me, Bo has always been a huge Red Sox fan and they made the ALCS aka the American League Championship Series! After they beat Tampa Bay, we knew we had to order tickets. Plus, Gigi (my mom) had vacation days left she needed to use before the year was over! Perfect timing. Lol! We quickly ordered the ALCS tickets for Game 3 and Game 4 in Boston, booked our flights, and I started my research to throw together a bomb itinerary in less than a week! ๐Ÿ™‚

Being the Type 7 that I am (Google the Enneagram if you’re confused), it gave me anxiety that I didn’t have a lot of time to plan for Boston. When I go on a trip, I have to make the most of every minute! I want to visit the coolest (and most Instagrammable) spots and eat at the best restaurants. I tried to find travel guides from other bloggers for Boston, but I didn’t see many! So I knew I wanted to recap our trip for y’all in case some of you are heading to the city too!

Since our priority was the Red Sox, we opted to stay in Back Bay at the Hilton because it was walking distance to Fenway Park! I think this area is great even if you aren’t doing the baseball thing because it’s near a lot of hot spots and restaurants! I do believe Downtown is the most popular, though.

Once we landed in Boston on Sunday, we quickly checked into our hotel, got ready, and headed to dinner at Lolita! I booked an early reservation for 4:30 because we had been awake since 1:30am. We were exhausted! Haha. But we knew we wouldn’t have another night to get dinner on Boston Harbor, so we rallied! Lolita was SO delicious, and I highly recommend eating here if you’re in Boston. From the food to the overall vibe, everything was perfect! I think my personal favorites were the Broken Heart cocktail and the Churros with a chocolate dipping sauce. YUM!

After catching up on sleep, we hit the ground running Monday! I made a reservation for Saltie Girl at 11am, so we grabbed a house latte from Blue Bottle Coffee and visited the Boston Public Library beforehand. Libraries in big cities are always so beautiful, and Boston’s was no exception! I made Bo snap a photo of me in the Reading Room with the iconic green lamps! Saltie Girl was fabulous, especially for a quick lunch. We ordered the Lobster Rolls, and they tasted super fresh! ๐Ÿ™‚

So many people recommended going to the Beacon Hill area and visiting Acorn Street! I think it’s pretty famous with the American flag. We wandered around there for a while grabbing an afternoon coffee from Tatte Bakery and looking at the pretty porch decoration for Fall! Once we found Boston Common at the edge of Beacon Hill, we decided to Uber to Harvard just to say we saw it. We had some time to kill before the baseball game, and I had to see where Elle Woods “attended” school! Hahah.

The whole reason we planned the trip to Boston was for the ALCS games, so we cheered on the Red Sox in Fenway Park Monday night! They won that game, and we had the BEST seats. We sat in section 82 if you’re curious for future reference! Before the game, we split the Hot Chicken Bites appetizer at Loretta’s Last Call near Fenway. I guess I had low expectations because they were super good! Lol.

Since we did pretty much everything we wanted to in Boston, I knew I’d regret it if we didn’t visit Salem on Tuesday! Omg. SO happy we went because it was my favorite part of the trip! We made the mistake of taking an Uber there but rode the train back, which was much better. We ate at Red’s Sandwich Shop and the breakfast was incredible! I’m convinced nothing you order there could be bad! 10/10 recommend.

I booked us a walking tour with Witch City Walking Tours, and it was wonderful! Our tour guide was super informative but made it fun. They even offer a Hocus Pocus tour, but it wasn’t available the day we went! ๐Ÿ™ Beforehand, we tried to go to the Witch Museum and it was already booked. We settled on the Witch Dungeon Museum instead! Later on, our tour guide told us the best one is actually the Peabody Essex Museum, and she’s a local so she knows the best spots! Haha.

We rode the train back to Boston after exploring Salem and attended Game 4 of the ALCS series! Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost so we were pretty sad about that. Instead of eating at a bar around Fenway, we got an early reservation at Crazy Good Kitchen, which is a more upscale burger restaurant. I think this is a better lunch spot, but we wanted to go somewhere quick! A few places that were recommended to us but we didn’t have time for were Citrus & Salt, Mike’s Pastry, Beehive, Buttermilk & Bourbon and Ocean Prime!

I’m positive I covered everything and more in this blog post, but please let me know if you have any other questions about Boston or Salem! Thanks for reading ๐Ÿ™‚

XO

Kels

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Travel

JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING TRAVEL GUIDE

October 14, 2020

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Travel GuideJackson Hole, Wyoming has been on my travel bucket list for YEARS! When Karli suggested we plan a fall trip out West, I was Googling flights on Expedia within 5 minutes! Lol. We decided to fly in Thursday night and leave Sunday morning! I’m so happy Karli and I were able to travel together from New Orleans with all the Covid-19 restrictions in place. Once we touched down in Jackson Hole, we picked up our rental car at the Enterprise desk and headed to our hotel!

My first travel tip would be to make sure the rental car company you use is onsite at the airport! I’m sure you’d be fine taking the shuttle they offer, but this is THE easiest way in my opinion. We were in our Charger (HA) within 10 minutes! And yes, renting a car in Jackson Hole is absolutely necessary, but the process is a breeze!

My second travel tip is a personal preference, but Karli and I both agreed that we wished we would have stayed in Jackson vs. Teton Village! (If you’re unfamiliar with the area, the entire valley is called Jackson Hole) Teton Village is 12 miles past Jackson with gorgeous views, but it wasn’t the most convenient fit for us. Although beautiful, we felt like we could have driven there one afternoon to shoot content, and it would have been enough!

The sole reason is because all the restaurants and things we wanted to do were in or around Jackson, so we kept driving back and forth! Interestingly enough, the main road requires you to go through Jackson to get to Teton Village. If you look at a map, you’ll see why it’s kind of weird! Haha. Now, I’m sharing my recommendations for Jackson Hole below! ๐Ÿ™‚

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Travel GuideWHERE TO EAT

-Liberty Burger (Order: Grilled Cheese + Sweet Potato Fries)

-Local Restaurant & Bar (Order: Sparkle Pony Cocktail, Filet, Truffle Mac & Cheese)

-Persephone Bakery (Order: Country Club Sandwich, Chocolate Chip Cookie)

-Hatch Taqueria (Order: La Paloma Cocktail, Queso Fundido, Smoked Pork Tacos)

-The Bunnery Bakery

-Snake River Grill

-Cowboy Coffee

-Bin22

-The Merry Piglets

Side Note: Make dinner reservations before your trip because most places require them and they book up quick!

WHERE TO PLAY

-Grand Teton National Park (Quick 20 minute drive from Jackson)

-Jenny Lake (Located inside Grand Teton National Park)

-Yellowstone National Park (Requires more planning because it’s 2 hours away)

-Million Dollar Cowboy Bar (Major tourist attraction but SO cool)

-Jackson Hole Town Square (Best dining & shopping)

WHERE TO STAY

-Continuum (Our hotel. I’d stay there again, but it is located in Teton Village)

-The Wort (I want to stay here if I travel to Jackson Hole again because it’s on Jackson Square)

-Mountain Modern Motel (Jackson)

-Four Seasons (Teton Village)

-Hotel Terra (Teton Village)

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Travel Guide

XOXO

Kels

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Travel

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 6
  • Next Page »

MEET KELSIE

MEET KELSIE
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

STAY IN THE KNOW!

LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE

LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE

Recent Posts

  • Kelsie Bynum x BuddyLove Collection
  • Top 10 Sellers of 2022
  • MY GOALS FOR 2023
  • Reflecting on 2022
  • CYBER WEEK SALES MASTER LIST 2022

MAKEUP MUST HAVES

WHERE I SHOP

Abercrombie

Amazon

American Eagle

ASOS

Express

Forever 21

J. Crew Factory

Nordstrom

Old Navy

Pink Lily Boutique

Red Dress Boutique

Revolve

Target

ยฉ 2017 SASSY SOUTHERN BLONDE