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Boots Bows & Beaches

Promise her anything but give her the beach, big bows & nice boots!

Fun Date Night Ideas in Downtown Wilmington NC

February 20, 2020

I love traveling with my kids don’t get me wrong but in order to have a successful marriage you have to take some time to enjoy your significant other without the kids in tow. Escaping for the weekend to Wilmington NC is just what we did last weekend for Valentine’s Day. It was so nice to enjoy each other, let loose and pretty much do whatever we wanted! 

Wilmington, NC

Wilmington NC

We are about an hour and a half away from Wilmington NC and we decided it would be a nice place to spend the weekend. My husband and I were excited to explore the city especially because we have never been before! I want to share a quick recap of how we spent our weekend and of course some fun date night ideas we loved as well!

Wilmington NC

Our Hotel

Hotel Ballast

We arrived to our hotel, Hotel Ballast (located right on the riverfront) on Friday evening. We had a dinner reservation at the hotel’s riverfront bar and restaurant, Board and Barrel. The food was amazing and the live music while we enjoyed dinner was the perfect atmosphere for Valentine’s Day and to start our weekend off!

After dinner we checked out our room. We were welcomed with fruit, cheese and wine. So romantic and such a warm welcome! Our room had a city view with a king sized bed. There are also riverfront rooms as well!

The hotel was walking distance to everything. Once we parked the car Friday evening we never got back in until we checked out Sunday morning! It was definitely one of my favorite parts of staying at Hotel Ballast. But the entire hotel was gorgeous, clean and very accomodating. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Wilmington.

Wilmington NC

Date Night Ideas

Greenlight Escape Room 

Greenlight is Wilmington’s largest escape room and it is located right in the heart of downtown!

We love escape rooms and would definitely recommend one for a date night activity! You and your team (or you and your husband) have 60 minutes to escape from a thrilling and immersive room.

Wilmington NC

To escape you and your team or partner definitely have to have the ability to communicate, problem-solve, and keep cool under pressure. Let’s say the last part was a struggle for me…I couldn’t solve a simple math problem. It was extremely fun, hard but fun! We didn’t escape in 60 minutes or less, we went over by about 3 minutes!  I can’t wait to go back and try out another room!

Here is a sneak at the Brewery Heist room we did!

Wilmington NC

Pour Taproom Wilmington

Next on the agenda was the Pour Taproom. Pour started in Asheville, NC in 2014 to support and showcase local craft beer. Since we were kidless we decided to try out Wilmington’s Pour Taproom.

If you are looking for a unique date night experience this is definitely one of the coolest places we have been to!

So basically instead of ordering a beer from your bartender, you start a tab, get a wristband, select a glass and pour your own beer from 70 rotating taps! There is so much to choose from including wine and cider as well and you just pay by the ounce.

Wilmington NC

Consider it a self-serve beer festival with no lines! Such a cool concept and great for a date night! We will definitely be back!

River walk 

We decided to take a stroll on the river walk and it was so beautiful. We were able to enjoy a gorgeous sunset which I highly recommend. After our walk we went and sat on the outside patio at our hotel and enjoyed each other’s company. The weekend was everything we could have asked for and we loved exploring Wilmington NC! We will definitely be back sooner rather than later!!

Wilmington NC

Filed in: Lifestyle, Travel • by Jamie • Leave a Comment

Beat the Winter Blues at Jellystone Park Golden Valley

January 22, 2020

Last weekend my little family got to sneak away to the mountains in North Carolina for a stay at Jellystone Park Golden Valley. We all had such a great time that we are already talking about when we can go back for another trip!

We have never been to the mountains in North Carolina and I absolutely can’t believe why, everything is so gorgeous and breathtaking! The campground is conveniently located between Asheville and Charlotte nestled along the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and features over 600 acres of pure natural beauty!

Lodging

I am definitely not a full blown camping type of gal and neither are my girls so we opted for the Laurel Cove Lodge. We call it glamping and the whole place was gorgeous y’all! The lodge has 3 bedrooms with queen beds (1 bedroom includes a twin bunk bed) and a Sleeper sofa in the living area. 2 Full bathrooms with his-and-hers sinks, toilet, & shower/tub. Full kitchen, dining area & living room with fireplace! There is also a Shuffleboard table that the girls just loved! And my favorite part, a private 5-person hot tub on the back deck! We also had our own covered porch out front with a fire pit and picnic table.


No matter if you want to stay in a luxury cottage or a glamping tent there is a place to stay for everyone at Golden Valley.

There are so many lodging options! I would love to go back and stay in a Tree Top Cabin where this is the view in the morning! Since the park was pretty empty because of the time of year I got to sneak up and enjoy my coffee here in the morning, talk about peaceful!

Activities

As I said, the park was very empty since it is January so most of the daily events and activities were closed. Although that didn’t bother the girls! They still enjoyed playing mini golf, the jump pillow and even paddle boating! We also got up on Sunday morning and took a hike on one of the hiking trails!



The rest of the time, we just lounged around the fireplace, played board games and laughed a lot. It was so relaxing!

When the weather is warmer and there are more campers there is definitely much more to enjoy as far as amenities go. There is canoeing/kayaking, fishing, biking, tennis/basketball courts, volleyball, laser tag, a brand-new interactive water playground with water slides and a pool, arts & crafts, and a calendar filled with planned activities and themed weeks throughout the year.

Unplug

I must tell you this campground has the most amazing views is definitely one to add to your bucket list! This was probably one of our most relaxing trips we have had. No schedule, no rushing and no cell phone service! The atmosphere was peaceful and serene. I highly recommend heading to Jellystone Park Golden Valley for a little time to unplug and recharge!

Why don’t you beat the winter blues with a getaway to Golden Valley! There’s nothing like camping (or glamping) in the crisp mountain air to really awaken the soul. And now, when you book a stay anytime thru February 29, 2020, you’ll get 2 free bundles of firewood and a hot cocoa package with keepsake mug and basket (a $40 value!)

Enter promo code: WINTER at check-out.

Thank you, Jellystone Park Golden Valley for hosting our family for the weekend. All opinions are my own. 

Filed in: Lifestyle, Travel • by Jamie • 1 Comment

Hi, I’m Jamie and I’m so happy you are here!

I started Boots Bows and Beaches a few years ago to share our craziness that is being married, working full time and of course being a mom of two teen girls.

Who knew I would learn so much and make such great friends while listening to country music and dealing with teenage hormones.

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