Shereen Rayle's Blog, page 10

Free Art in Nashville

While our trip to Nashville was interrupted by Hurricane Helene passing through (we just got heavy rains), we were still able to get some walking and outside time in. On our first day, we did our one and only mural tour, because it was the only day it was nice enough to do it when we had the time.

Luckily, there was plenty of art everywhere we went, so we saw it walking around and driving down the street. It always pays off to look up at buildings and down alleyways, because you are usually rewar...

The National Museum of African American Music

Though it's a mouthful, this museum might be one of my favorites that I've ever visited. When going to Nashville, people are going to recommend tours of The Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium, and probably the Johnny Cash or Patsy Cline Museum (or both).

As someone who doesn't enjoy country music, for the most part, I was only mildly interested in the Johnny Cash Museum and even the Music Hall of Fame. The price tags for both seemed higher than I was willing to ...

Walk Among the Stars at Astra Lumina

A few weeks ago, I learned about a nighttime walking light tour called Astra Lumina that was going to be coming to Seattle, because nothing seems to come to Portland, even though we have spaces for them. I was going to purchase tickets for next month, but then decided to look at the other cities it was going to.

It seemed like kismet that the event was currently on display in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, just a 10 minute drive from where we're staying outside of Pigeon Forge to visit Dollywood, so I bo...

Knoxville's World's Fair Park and the Sunsphere

During our time in Tennessee, we took 3 days to visit the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area. On our way, we stopped in Knoxville to have lunch and visit the Sunsphere. You're probably wondering "WTH is the Sunsphere?" Well, I'm going to tell you, just like I told the concierge at our vacation rental (it's a timeshare).

In 1982, Knoxville was the site of the World's Fair (why don't we have these anymore?!) and like all World's Fairs, they needed a gimmick, like Paris had the Eiffel Tower for theirs...

5 Tips for More Efficient Packing

Sometimes we overpack. Maybe instead of sometimes, you're an Always Overpacker™. It's okay. I've been there. Every once in a while I'm still there. I almost never regret taking less than planned, but I always regret taking too much. Like, last trip, I wished I had left some things at home and packed a second dress instead. I know that now and will remember that going forward. Let's look at 5 ways to pack more efficiently:

Stop the what-ifs with these tips, instead of living a "fear-based lifestyl...

Nashville Wish List

We're Nashville bound soon, but also splitting our time to go to the Pigeon Forge/Sevierville/Gatlinburg area. Why Nashville? Well, I simply looked at places that were still warm in September/October and where we haven't visited and that's how we landed on Music City. We also had been wanting to do Dollywood for a long time.
Photo by Andrew Sterling on Unsplash
As someone who was born in Tennessee, I always think about going back and immersing myself in that atmosphere, the people, the food, and t...

Fun Facts About Nashville

Soon, I'll be headed to Nashville to take in the sights, eat some southern foods, and drive out to Dollywood. You'll be getting my wish list for that soon, but let's check out some fun facts about the city. I just learned about the Batman building earlier today when Eric asked me about it. You can't tour it, but it's pretty cool looking. 
photo credit: Puppet City Tours

Do you have Nashville recommendations for my trip? What should I see, do, or eat?

Denver Graffiti Art Tour

If you love art, but you're on a budget, you don't have miss out on some of the best art in a city. Even if you don't step foot into a museum, most cities have a thriving street art scene. Much of it encouraged by the city itself, even going so far as to have street art festivals like Las Vegas's Life Is Beautiful Festival and Denver is no different. They have started something called Denver Walls.
Kimchi Juice
While we were in Denver, we took a guided graffiti tour, because I wanted to learn more...

10 Ways to Save Money Dining On Vacation

Unlike some other things on vacation, like souvenirs and alcohol, you have to actually eat. Lots of us go on vacation without buying anything to bring home, but none of us travel without buying food. It's something you have to build into your budget, and there are many ways you can save on it, so it doesn't take up a big chunk of your overall budget. 

Just because you are trying to save money doesn’t mean that you have to eat fast food or sandwiches for every meal or can’t experience th...

Saving with the Denver CityPASS

Last week, Eric and I were in Denver for a quick 3-day trip before he had to attend a work conference. We had a few things we planned to do, so when we were offered a pair of Denver CityPASSes to make the most of our short trip, we quickly accepted and made a pretty ambitious plan of activities.

If you don't know, CityPASS allows you to skip some ticket lines, because you already have tickets right on your phone. Most attractions will scan your code and give you a physical ticket or wristband. Th...