×

Copyright © Marveling Mind. All rights reserved. Created by ThemeShine

Tag: travel

Before, I began I want to say this list is in no particular order or hierarchy. These are a few wonderful places I have been in Georgia and I wanted to share it with you wonderful people. This list is perfect if you live in Atlanta or neighboring cities/towns and need a quick adventure or staycation. 

I have been to numerous places and there is nowhere like Georgia. She really is a beauty. So, let's begin! 

bell mountain, north Georgia, explore Georgia

Bell Mountain 

address - 220 Shake Rag Rd, Hiawassee, GA 30546
cost - free
parking - yes, free

I was in awe when I got to the top. Bell Mountain is located in North Georgia. It is a scary drive to the top so I recommend you go with a skilled driver. The road can barely fit two cars, so if a car is coming from the opposite direction you will have to pull over and let them pass. Although, I think all the hassle to get to the top is worth it. Check out the video below for my experience!

______

providence canyon, explore Georgia, state park

Providence Canyon State Park

address - 8930 Canyon Rd, Lumpkin, GA 31815
cost - free
parking - yes, free

Another destination I was shocked existed in Georgia! I have always wanted to go to Arizona more specifically the Sedona area then venture out to the Grand Canyon and neighboring national parks. Until I am able to do that Providence Canyon is the next best thing. Providence Canyon is known as Georgia’s little “Grand Canyon”. The funny thing about Providence Canyon is it was a mistake. It was actually formed due to poor farming practices during the 1800s. It was a big mistake that turned into a stunning state park. 

______

explore Georgia, Vickery Creek Falls Rosewell Mill

Vickery Creek Falls Rosewell Mill

address - 95 Mill St, Roswell, GA 30075
cost - free
parking - yes, free

This is the perfection destination for a quick trip if you live in the Atlanta area. Vickery Creek Falls is a refreshing way to get some cool air running through your hair and water splashing on your skin. I had a lot of fun and I highly recommend you check it out. Be prepared to do some climbing to get close to the waterfall. I recommend getting some water shoes! 

______
 
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, explore georgia

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

address - 460 Rockbridge Rd NW, Lilburn, GA 30047
cost - free
parking - yes, free

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is another location that is close to the city and so unbelivably beautiful. Please make sure to dress modestly and be on your best behavior. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a place of worship and they kindly open their doors to the open during certain hours of the day. I felt like I was in a different country and I loved every minute of it.  

______

Southern Belle Farm, explore georgia

Southern Belle Farm

Address - 1658 Turner Church Rd, McDonough, GA 30252
cost - varies but inexpensive
parking - yes, free

I felt like a true Georgia Peach exploring the grounds of Southern Belle Farm. I highly recommend you bring a friend and go during one of their harvest seasons. You could pick strawberries, peaches and so much more. Even though, it is free to explore the grounds I urge you to get something from their shop and support this family business. Their homemade ice-cream is out of this world. Amazing!


This year I made a promise to myself to explore more areas around me. I truly believe to explore and gain new experiences does not require a plane ticket. That’s why I found myself at Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, Georgia. Odera and I took a one and a half hour drive from Atlanta to McDonough. When we arrived we saw two donkeys chilling behind some fences. We were not expecting to see any animals so that was a pleasant surprise. After we parked we walked into the store and found out the ‘U-Pick Peaches’ activity was over for the season due to the lack of peaches on the trees. That was very disappointing for us  and we were not the only people that drove into McDonough for the peaches. Although, that didn’t stop us from heading over to the farm and exploring the grounds. Even though, we could not pick peaches it was amazing to walk around the farm to take in the sights and the sounds. Once, we were done exploring and taking pictures we went back into the shop to buy some of Southern Belle Farm’s famous peach ice cream. It was delightful! I have never had peach ice cream before especially peach ice cream with delicious chunks of frozen peaches mixed in. The serving portions are huge, so I recommend sharing with a friend. Overall, my time at Southern Belle Farm was great even though we didn’t get to pick peaches. We will be back during the Fall for the pumpkin season. Can’t wait!

To find out what we did in more detail watch this vlog: 


  • Location: 1658 Turner Church Rd, McDonough, GA 30252
  • Website: https://www.southernbellefarm.com/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernbellefarm/
  • Things To Do: walk around the farm, interact with farm animals, pick fruits such as peaches, grapes, strawberries, pumpkins (depending on the season)
  • Price: $ - $$, I would say everything in the store from the pound cake to the fruits is relatively cheap but this depends on the individual budget. It is free to explore the farm but I recommend buying something from the store to support their business. 




We took a lovely trip to Fort Lauderdale with the Meadows family (my brother’s girlfriend’s family). It was wonderful. I have been to Florida quite a few times but I have never been to Fort Lauderdale. Personally, I think Fort Lauderdale is like Miami without the craziness and glam. The beaches are just as nice but the vibe is a lot more relaxed and it is a very family friendly environment. It is about a 30 minutes - 1 hour drive to Miami, so you can still get a balance of both locations, which is what we did.  

For the first 3 days, my brother and I stayed at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach, which is under the Hilton family. Overall, our stay was wonderful. They renovated the hotel about a year ago and some parts are still under construction. Two things to keep in mind is their cafe/store called ‘The Market’ is ridiculously overpriced and the water pressure of the bathroom shower was not the best. Besides that everything was great and the hotel is only a 5 minute walk to the beach. 

Price: $150 - 250 a night *varies based on the season and we also used Hilton Honors points 

Check out my vlog to see what we got up to:

Our time in Paris was everything I hoped it would be and more. Paris had been on my bucket list ever since I watched Anastasia has a little girl. I definitely plan to go back and stay longer. My friend, Michelle and I booked a $360 Norwegian airlines flight (which we booked through kiwi.com) from Chicago to London. We left for Paris after spending some time in the UK (check out my other vlogs about our trip), we flew from Manchester to Paris with EasyJet for about $84 then a EuroStar train back to London for about $83. Flying for six hours on Norwegian airlines was okay but our biggest problem was before we got on the plane. We were not told that they weight carry on bags and it was $100 for an oversized bag. Which is ridiculous because it cost $70 to check-in a big size bag. So, Michelle and I spent a long time moving our stuff around and ending up carrying some of our clothes in our hands in order to check-in. But the moment, we got our carry-ons back we put all our clothes back into our carry-ons. A-ha! We finessed the system. Also, since the flight was very cheap things like food and headphones were sold during the flight. We were good because we ate before boarding and we brought our own headphones. What can I say? Finessing is my favorite hobby. 



Where We Stayed?
Finding a place to stay was the most difficult part of our trip. Michelle and I spent several days looking at hotels and airbnbs. We finalized our list to three airbnbs because booking directly from a hotel’s website seemed to be more expensive. Bob Hotel was about $117.50 for a night. Luckily, Michelle had a $40 airbnb coupon, which made our one night pay cheaper. Paris is an expensive city and that applies to accommodation. Since, we visited during a low-tourism season (February-March), most things were cheaper compared to if we visited during summer. 


Bob Hotel was everything we needed and more. We wanted to stay somewhere that gave a luxury vibe without the luxury price. The staff was amazing and spoke both French and English. They helped us with all our questions and at one point I needed an umbrella and the receptionist went out of her way to find one. Before arriving, Michelle and I where excited for the decor and it looked just as stunning as in the pictures. The only downside was everything was a lot smaller compared to America and this applies to most spaces in Paris. Everything was still gorgeous but I had to remove my American way to seeing space and size. Another thing to consider when staying at Bob Hotel is that the location is not extremely close to the popular tourist attractions. We were able to get around thanks to the amazing train system, which you can pay for with visa and mastercard. I honestly preferred staying further away because we felt more in tune with the locals and it was nice getting to practice my French. In the touristy areas, almost everyone can speak English although the further out you go the less English is spoken. 


Bob Hotel Information:
  • Price: $117.50 - varies based on season




photos from bobhotelparis.com


What We Did?
We spent most of our time walking around and taking in the city. Paris is a city that you do not need to spend money to be entertained. Of course, there are certain places that require money but we spent most of our trip walking around and looking. Our first stop was the most iconic Tour L’Eiffel a.k.a Eiffel Tower. You are crazy if you visit Paris and choose not to go see the Eiffel Tower. Even if you have already seen it. Personally, it was one of my highlights and the best time is to see it at night when it sparkles at the start of every hour. I thought it would be overrated and a letdown but I was wrong. Check out my vlog for more detail! Next, we saw the L'Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile followed by The Lourve. We missed out on seeing the Notre Dame because we did not have enough time and in most recent news I heard it burned down. That was very sad to hear. There are many more places we wanted to see but due to time we could not go and when we did go to places like the Modern Art Museum is was closed due to Paris Fashion week. 






Where We Ate?
Food and drinks, that is how most of our money was spent. Below, I list out three of our favorite spots during the trip. Cafe du Trocadero was the most pricey place we went and we got hot chocolate for $9. The hot coco was out of this world. The best hot chocolate I have ever had. It was a great spot to really feel Parisian and it had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Our next spot was Le Losserand Cafe, which is the embodiment of a true French cafe. It was like something out of the movies. From looking around and picking up some conversations in French, I guessed it is owned and run by a family. The food was delicious. My meal cost around $15 - $20 for orange juice, hot chocolate, croissant, omelette and a small salad. The final spot is Lokita, a Senegalese restaurant. The owner was so kind and it was wonderful to see another African in France. Paris is an extremely diverse city with people from all over the world and native French speakers with different backgrounds. The food and drink also cost around $15 - 20 at Lokita. 

Cafe du Trocadero:



Le Losserand Cafe:



Lokita: 

For my ideal weekend I need three things. A comfy bed, my laptop and food. Once in while, I prefer to get out and relax in a place that does not involve pillows. Below are three places you can find me if I am not lazying away watching hours of Netflix. I am a big advocate for planning a day to do nothing. That statement is a bit contradicting but let me explain. I find myself making a lot of high energy plans that overtime, I have no time for lazy or relaxed days. Therefore, when I want to have a low-key weekend in the city I gravitate towards these three spots:


Atlanta Beltline:

 Grab a bike or scooter and explore the beltline. Atlanta Beltline is a former railway corridor that connects various areas of the city. It is a long trail that is used for jogging, walks, biking and more. I mainly get a bird scooter and explore the beltline. Through out the beltline there are art installations as well as little coffee shops and restaurants. 

 Info: beltline.org | @atlantabeltline


High Museum of Art:

 I love art and even art I do not understand. I find myself looking at art and thinking two things, “this is cool but it looks like a 3-year-old did that” or “this can not be real… how did they do that?”. Atlanta’s High Museum of Art is one of my favorite places in the city and every couple of months there is a new exhibition. They also host various events such as a jazz nights or poetry jams.

 Info: high.org | @highmuseumofart


Ponce City Market: 

 If you are looking for a location that has it all and more, Ponce City Market is for you. Ponce City Market is home to one of my newest favorite donut shops, Five Daughters. There is so much to do here from food, shopping, rooftop mini golfing or a candle making workshop. Ponce City Market is a location with a collection of random shops that oddly seem to coexist well together. I also love how the building has a mixture of old and new in it’s architecture. It is a great place to access the beltline and take really cool photos. 




I spent a weekend in Nashville and came back amazed. I made a promise to myself to explore and travel a lot more this year. We have been conditioned to think we need a ton of money or a plane ticket to travel in order to take in new sights and sounds. That is completely false! My brother, Auzoyah and his girlfriend, Ashely took turns driving while I took a wonderful nap in the back seat. Three and half hours later, we arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides exploring a new city, the main reason to went Nashville was to visit Ashely’s younger sister, Aliya who attends Vanderbilt University. Before, I go anywhere I always do a quick google search and for this trip it was “Things to do in Nashville”. It took a while but I found a couple cool spots to check out and this is where we went:

Things To Do In Nashville, Tennessee:

The Parthenon: This was one of the most random things in Nashville and I did not believed it existed. It looked like something teleported from Rome or Athens. Nashville’s Parthenon is a replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. Which, I think is brilliant because I did not need to book an expensive flight to get a taste of Greece!
Price: Free & open to the public 
Address: 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203

John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge: This was my highlight of the trip. Besides this spot being free it also had the perfect view of the city. We spend so much time taking pictures and admiring the view. If you get the chance you have to go. Even though accessing the bridge is free, you still have to think about parking. We found a parking area that was $10 an hour then $15 for two hours. 
Price: Free & open to the public 
Adress: Nashville, TN 37213

Five Daughters: This is one of Nashville’s most iconic spots specially went it comes to desserts. Five Daughters is like a donut and a croissant had a baby. When we first got there it was around 5pm on a Saturday and they sold out of almost everything. We had to try again the next day in the morning. I recommend getting there before 1pm before all the deliciousness is gone.
Prices: $2 - $25
Address: 1110 Caruthers Ave, Nashville, TN 37204

Milk & Honey: If you are looking for a modern and picture perfect brunch spot, Milk and Honey is your spot. I got the avocado toast, which was delightful. It came with potatoes and eggs, which I had to ask to be firmly fried. I am not a fan of runny eggs. The food was great and their interior design is even better. 
Prices: $4 - $25
Address: 214 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203

Edley’s Bar-B-Que: One of the best BBQs I have ever had in my life and that’s a bold statement. I think what makes their food mouthwatering is their BBQ sauce. Which they sell separately and I told Aliya to bring me a bottle next time she is heading to Georgia. I also like the “old school All-American” atmosphere Edley’s BBQ gives. The wooden furniture and vintage posters of Jazz and Country musicians really sets the vibe.
Prices: $4 - $25
Address: 2706 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204









There are a those moments in life, when you are very confused as to how you got where you are. When visiting BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta I was in total disbelief. When I envision visiting somewhere this stunning, I always assumed I will have to travel far and spend a ton of money. There is nothing more magical than exploring and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta to me is one of Atlanta’s hidden treasures. My friend, Odera and I took a trip to BAPS this past weekend. This was one of the most beautiful architectural structures I have ever seen in my life. I have lived in Georgia and around the Atlanta area for a long time. Although, thanks to Odera this was my first time ever hearing of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. I truly think it is one of the hidden treasures of Atlanta. Not a lot of people know about this place. It was amazing to see and appreciate a part of Hindu culture. I can't get over how beautiful this temple looked! 

Quick History About BAPS:
“BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was inaugurated in August of 2007 after only 17 months of construction time utilizing 1.3 Million volunteer hours. The Mandir is comprised of 3 types of stone (Turkish Limestone, Italian marble, and Indian pink sandstone). More than 34,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India, shipped to the USA and assembled in Lilburn like a giant 3-D puzzle.”àsource 

Visiting Hours: Monday - Sunday (everyday), times may vary, for more info àhere 

Admission Cost: Free 
*that’s right I was just has shocked as you. It is completely free to enter. When you go, you will drive up to the gate and give the attendant your first and last name then he or she will let you in.

Dress Code: There is no strict dress code although I will advice dressing a little more modestly. I did see other tourists and non-Hindi wearing shorts and tank tops although out of respect I wanted to dress in relation to what the temple-goers were wearing. Women mostly wore long shirts, saris, scarfs, loose trousers and tunics. While men wore long tunics and loose trousers.

Random Tip: If you are going during the spring or summer bring a face towel or paper towels because if you are anything like me, you will be sweating buckets.

My Experience: Everyone was very friendly and most people would say hello or smile when you walk past them. It was also very easy to take pictures because of how huge the Mandir is. Although, there are some restricted places that photography and filming is not allowed but you can still look and appreciate. I am definitely going to visit again as well as bring along my family and friends.


A post shared by Feyi A (@marvelingmind) on

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)