A Southern Spring Break

 

I love how in the US you can get to a vastly different climate in the span of a day. After kicking off our Spring Break in Wisconsin to see Z's musical and freezing our tails off, we hightailed it to Tennessee. We shed layers of clothing along the way. 

We've been living back in the States for almost four years now. I can't believe it! Of course, part of that was Covid which kind of cramped our traveling style but we're happy to be back at it. With my parents now calling South Carolina their home state, we have much to explore along the way. 

Even though I lived briefly in Memphis growing up, I never made it to Nashville. We finally made it happen! 

I used to be much more proactive in my planning and organizing trips. It's either an age thing, the Halldorson way of flying by the seat of their pants rubbing off on me, or a combo of the two. Wayne at least had made the hotel reservation but I was googling "what to do in Nashville for a day" as we were driving into town. 

We did a tour of the iconic Ryman Auditorium first and that was the perfect Nashville vibe and a great way to start the day! 

After that we headed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and walked through the exhibits. I surprised myself how many artists from the past I recognized. I suppose I can thank my grandparents for that! 

While we were there, we were blocked off from entering one particular area because we were told cameras would be coming in. Suddenly the place was buzzing waiting for someone important to arrive and in walked Trisha Yearwood! She was coming in to respond to a new display that featured her and we were just steps away watching the interview! 

After that excitement we headed over to the Johnny Cash museum. It was fascinating! I was so glad that we had done Memphis last summer and had been through Graceland because so much of the history overlapped. Texas, specifically Luckenbach and Austin, were also mentioned throughout the Hall of Fame linking us to other locations we've been exploring since we moved south. 

We were amused just people watching on the Nashville strip while live music blared from every single bar and restaurant. Thanks to my brother for a last minute dinner recommendation, we ended up at Hattie B's for some Nashville chicken, pimento mac and cheese, iced tea, and peach cobbler. Let's face it, I'm here and everywhere for the food!! 

From Nashville we headed to South Carolina to visit my parents and Bekah and Tom who were on their US tour from England. There was no way we were going to miss a chance to see my sister!!! 

My parents new house is adorable and already has their personality all over it as they make it their own. 

And we took more than a few rides in the new golf cart. Thankfully I didn't actually have to play golf.  

We did however go bowling (a favorite Hanson pastime) at the clubhouse in their community. 

We didn't have much time to stop and smell the azaleas before we were off to Charleston, SC for a quick trip. Once again I found myself googling What to do in Charleston for a day.  

First thing we did was take a bus tour. We find this to be the easiest and most direct way to get overall information about the area and for Wayne to get his bearings on the lay of the land since he's the one tasked with getting me from point A to point B. Then we know what we want to get back to and take a better look at. 

Charleston is the most colorful city! It's historical, romantic, scenic, foodie, and fun! When can we go back?!!

So I bought a hat..... It felt like a Charleston vacation thing to do. Also, I love this guy! 

Sister time!! Rebekah married a Brit and has been living in England for almost 20 years. Spending time together is a rare occasion! 

Brother-in-law Tom is a HOOT! . He has the funniest t-shirt collection.  Everything he says sounds intelligent basically due to his British accent and I'd like to think he gives our family an air of sophistication despite the occasional swear (just kidding - he was on his best behavior, haha). He's the best! 

Spending time with our girl is always a treat. We had such a fun time together! 

We also took a tour of a historical Charleston home and gained some more insight into the area's past. And I can't forget to mention the food. Because it's really all about the food. 

Oysters, Crab Cakes, Asparagus and Grits. Be still my beating heart! 

We had one more destination planned while my mom and dad took Tom and Bekah to the airport. Savannah, Georgia here we come!!

We had part of a day and we hit the ground running. First thing we did was get a bus tour. Then we went back to see all the places we wanted to visit before heading back to my mom and dad's. 

It was beautiful! The weather was gorgeous, the flowers were in bloom, and we had a fantastic day. 

We ate lunch at Paula Dean's restaurant. We wandered around the "Forrest Gump" square. It was a Sunday and on the quieter side which was nice. One of Zanna's classmates was even visiting on the same day and we were able to meet up with her and her mom for a brief visit. Small world! 

Then it was back to Mom and Dad's and finally back home to Buddy.