Travel – Page 5 – Whitney Rife

whitneynrife@gmail.com November 3, 2021

Fall in Vermont: My Outfit Lookbook

In addition to the wonderful time spent with family, beautiful scenery, and delicious food, the fall fashion in Vermont was one of the best parts of this dreamy trip. I couldn’t wait to break out ALL of the flannels, sweaters, and boots that I don’t get to wear a lot of during the short South Carolina fall. We did a little bit of everything while in Vermont, and my outfits definitely reflect this, from cozy to chic—Y’all know I love making each piece and outfit my own style! 🙂

For my coziest looks, I loved pairing cute sweatshirts and pullovers with the OG Spanx leggings and warm (but oh-so stylish) boots. For our outdoor adventures, it was fun styling my favorite flannels in so many ways. The rest of my Vermont looks featured plenty of plaid, the trending “shacket,” and a color palette to match the gorgeous landscape!

I hope you enjoy these warm, autumn outfits as much I did! You can find all of my Vermont looks here. I’ve linked Shawn’s and Bo’s outfits as well! For all of my Vermont travel recommendations, I’ve put together a separate Vermont Travel Guide for you already on the blog!

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whitneynrife@gmail.com October 25, 2021

Fall in Vermont: Travel Guide

Since we mainly have palm trees and sand at home, I couldn’t wait to catch fall leaves at their peak foliage in Vermont. And it did not disappoint! The landscape was carpeted in amber tones and sun-fire hues that were like nothing I’ve seen before! In addition to the scenic views, the area had SO much to offer when it came to stays, experiences, and good eats. I’ve outlined all our favorites from this trip and included our daily itineraries to help you plan your trip to Vermont. As always all of my outfits are linked on my LikeToKnow.It and under each picture; however, a full Vermont look-book is up next on the blog!

Our Stay:

We stayed at this darling barn and silo AirBNB that was full or character and cozy vibes. A good amount of our time was spent exploring this beautiful home and it’s surrounding property (including a treehouse!). Would recommend this family-friendly stay to anyone and everyone headed to Stowe! Learn more about this barn-silo home here!

Other Stays…Equinox Resort, Von Trapp Family Lodge, Woodstock Inn

Where to Eat:

What We Enjoyed…The Skinny Pancake, Prohibition Pig, Idletyme Brewing Co., Edison Hill, Cold Hollow, Cafe on Main, Ben & Jerry’s, Harrison’s, Butler’s Pantry

Other Restaurant Recommendations… Hender’s Bake Shop & Cafe, Piecasso Pizza, Two Sons Bakehouse, Roost, Matterhorn, Topnotch Resort, Doc Ponds, Worthy Kitchen, Mon Vert Cafe, Sugar and Spice, Hen of the Wood, Sarducci’s

Must-Visit:

Stowe Mtn. Resort—Gondola SkyRide

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

Shelburne Orchard

Other Places to Visit… Stowe Recreation Path, Barnes Camp Visitor Center, Bellows Falls, Smuggler’s Notch State Park, The Vermont Country Store, Simon Pearce

Must-See:

Scenic Route 100

Woodstock Inn

Sleepy Hollow Farm

Burlington Waterfront

Middle Covered Bridge, Taftsville Covered Bridge, Gold Brook Covered Bridge, Emily’s Covered Bridge

Must-Do:

Smores and cozy night with the family

Mountain Hike

Apple Pie with Fresh Picked Apples

Explore the Autumn landscape

Daily Itineraries:

What a dreamy, fall trip this was, full of memories and family time! Thanks for following along with us through our Vermont adventure, and I hope this travel guide inspires your next family trip! I’d love to hear your “fall escape” recommendations in the comments—I’m already thinking about our next one!

whitneynrife@gmail.com May 11, 2021

A Hidden Gem: The Retreat Key West Florida

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Imagine a place where you can relax and take in the beautiful sights of Key West. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? Well, this is precisely what The Retreat offers! This hidden gem provides guests with an opportunity to rejuvenate their body and spirit while exploring the wonders of Florida’s Southernmost City.

Key West, Florida is the perfect place for your next beach vacation! It’s a laid-back paradise that offers activities for all types of travelers. Whether you’re looking to enjoy some time on white sandy beaches, explore historic sites, or get away from the winter weather, Key West has something to offer everyone.

Marathon is one of our favorite parts of the Keys and when I was searching for the perfect house, there were certain things we wanted and when I found the Retreat, I immediately was in love + booked it! Honestly, I waned a place to where we never had to leave if we didn’t want to – and with the Retreat, that is exactly what I found.

With over 10,000 square feet of livable space spanning across two structures, The Retreat boasts 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 2 pools, a gourmet kitchen, an enclosed outdoor sports bar, a game room with billiards table, a commercial style bar complete with 4 draft taps, a conference room with seating for up to 14 with full multimedia capabilities (where Shawn worked most days), a full outdoor spa (INCREDIBLE), an expansive tiki bar with outdoor kitchen (our FAVORITE part) and SO much more (including a fully stocked bar with anything and everything you could ever want, and yes, they even had Red Bull for me, hehe). While The Retreat is perfect for larger families, we loved everything that it offered and couldn’t think of a better way to spend our Keys vacay. I think the thing I loved the most is that they literally THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING! Sunscreen, bug spray, towels, TV’s, cups, koozies, pens, groceries (and all condiments), dishwashers in EVER room necessary, toys for kids, all the pool accessories, paddle boards, life jackets, kayaks, fishing gear, board games, books, the best music entertainment system in every room ran by a waterproof iPad, I mean I could go ON AND ON with how amazing everything truly was.

I do have to say, we are now a bit spoiled, hehe! I already tried to book it again for my birthday but they were already booked! Ruth, the property manager went above and beyond for us, and even used her chef skills to make us my favorite fish, Hog Fish, one night for dinner. The house also offers yoga, massages (amazing), a boat you can rent (super nice), sunset cruises, etc.

Since my dad is on nightly dialysis, we had to have them deliver his supplies a day early and Ruth was there to get the supplies and take them in for us. Little things like that make everything so much more personable and we are forever grateful for that.

Honestly, as I sit here recapping these pictures and writing this post, I am just full of so many emotions. We celebrated dads birthday, our anniversary, fished, danced, cooked, sang, ATE (a lot), relaxed, swam, shopped, toured, you name it – we did it! It was the best family vacation I have ever been on and honestly, we loved it because we were just all together in the most beautiful place we could dream of. It was so nice to be at such an amazing property that we worked so hard for, to be able to take a week off and spend with Bo in a place that he loves so much, and most importantly, was so nice to see my dad so happy, swimming in the pool, drinking Pina coladas and daiquiris, listening to Jimmy Buffet, and cherishing everyday.

I received SO many dm’s and emails about where we were staying and while I couldn’t wait to share with you all, I 1- wanted to leave before sharing details, and 2- make sure it was ok with them that I shared such a beautiful, luxurious piece of heaven.

I am linking The Retreat here for you all to check out and also recapping below so many of our favorite moments from the trip + my outfit recap! Honestly, I was even able to shoot all of my content at The Retreat which also made it SO NICE!

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Marathon Favorites:
•Burdines
•Island Fish Company
•Sparky’s Landing – great casual spot on a canal…has music often in the evenings and during happy hour
•Franks Italian Grill – for authentic old school Italian dining.
•Butterfly Café – more formal dining… and one of our favorites for good food in Marathon.
but no sunset views…but they do have outside and inside dining – make reservations ahead of time.
•Keys Fisheries and Seafood Market – great for casual seafood dining… and sunsets also. Best place to get stone crab!
•Hideaway Café – beautiful spot for nicer dining… and sunset. Make reservations!
•Driftwood Pizza – next pizza
•The Stuffed Pig – great for breakfast
•Irie Island Eats – great for lunch. Nice spot with games for everyone.
Very Keysie spot to order all sorts of tacos and bowls… and other tropical Mexican items.
•Fish Tales Seafood and Market –only open during the week. Great market also…
and the most amazing prime beef for steak or burgers!!
•Brutus Seafood and Market – casual spot, nice for lunch. And also great seafood market.
•Florida Keys Steak and Lobster House – no sunsets…but great for sushi and all around good food.

Key West Favorites (you have to do the Duval Crawl at least once, hehe, and see the sunset at Mallory Square ):
•Latitudes – MAKE RESERVATIONS ASAP
•Bagatelle
•BO’s Fish Wagon
•Lighthouse Grill
•Blue Heaven
•El Siboney
•Hogfish Bar and Grill
•Conch Republic
•Hot Tin Roof
•The Flaming Buoy
•Lola’s Bistro
•Harpoon Harry’s

We also loved Islamorada – definitely recommend:
•Islamorada Fish Company
•Lazy Days
•Lorelei
•Wahoos *my favorite, the view is gorgeous!
•Chef Michaels
•Marker 88

What are some of your favorite places/things to do in the Keys?

whitneynrife@gmail.com March 9, 2021

A Weekend Trip to Palm Beach, Florida

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This was, by far, one of our favorite vacations we have ever been on! Palm Beach is absolutely stunning and there is beauty EVERYWHERE you look. Staying at The Breakers definitely made it 10x better.

The Breakers is essentially the heart of Palm Beach. It was built in 1896 by the Flagler Family and has since grown into this amazing retreat.

Shawn and I have been lucky enough to travel to a number of beautiful places and also stay in some amazing resorts but The Breakers exceeded every expectation, even getting me Redbull for my Vodka Redbulls when a bar didn’t have it. When I say above and beyond, the staff there made you feel like royalty. There were so many ah-ha moments where you’re thinking, “if only every resort were like this.” I even said to Shawn, “If we could go back and have our wedding day again, it would 100% be here.”

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We loved how peaceful and clean the beach was in front of The Breakers. With four heated oceanfront pools, one for adults only and one for families + 5 hot tubs, everyone was very spread out! I loved that they had someone to help you find chairs and keep them for you as long as you wanted. The Breakers also has an ocean fitness club + classes, 25 luxury bungalows, 36 Hole Championship Golf/Ocean Course (perfect for our husbands while we relax at the beach), Tennis Courts, 11 Shopping Boutiques, 8 restaurants and 8 bars, 24 hour in room dining, childcare services, snorkeling, scuba diving, cruises, and other water sports.

We stayed Wednesday through Sunday but it wasn’t long enough. Normally after three days, I am fully ready to get home. If Bo were with us, we would probably still be there, hehe. We are already planning our next trip and plan on taking Bo with us next go around. The Breakers truly is a beautiful place for couples but it is also super family-friendly.

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Other Beautiful Hotels:
– The Colony Palm Beach (Very Instagram Worthy- not on the beach but they do have a darling golf cart to take you around)
– White Elephant (LOVED the architecture + decor and in a great location but not on the beach)
– Eau De Palm (beachfront)
– The Four Seasons
– The Brazilian Court Hotel

Things To Do:
– Enjoy the beautiful beach + blue water!
– Go to the beautiful Spa at The Breakers
– If you are not staying on property, I recommend (if you can) getting a bungalow at the Breakers and hanging by the beautiful pools all day.
– Ride around and enjoy the beautiful homes. Shawn and I love looking at homes and Billionaire Row in Palm Beach was nothing like we had ever seen before and definitely has inspired us to do MORE. From the landscaping to the beautiful architecture, wow! We also enjoyed riding by Mar-A-Lago and seeing the beautiful “Winter White House.”
– Bike Ride on the trail
– Tour The Flagler Museum (The Flagler Family is very interesting and have helped to create a BEAUTIFUL escape.)
– Shop
– Take a ride to Delray Beach, Boca Raton, or Jupiter
– Book a boat for the day

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Food:
Honestly, we ate and had drinks at every restaurant at The Breakers, and with every meal it just got better! From the BLT’s, to tapas, to their amazing cut steak, you do not even have to leave the resort to eat! Here are some places we loved + recommendations (make sure you make reservations):
– Flagler Steakhouse
– Palm Beach Grill
– Lola 41
– Sant Ambroeus
– La Goulue
– Henrys
– BiCe Ristorante
– Renatos (the Lasagna is amazing)
– Buccan (the most recommended restaurant from my IG family)
– Flories
– Honor Bar
– Surfside Diner (locals favorite for breakfast and lunch, I loved their egg salad)
– Green’s Pharmacy Luncheon (Another locals favorite with the sweetest wait staff! I love eating at places like this and their breakfast/lunch was so good!)
– Restoration Hardware (so cliche, but I love RH)
– Meat Market
– Guanabana’s (in Jupiter but recommended by SO many)
– Avocado Grill (also picture worthy)
– Sailfish Marina (You all know we love boats so we went and spent the evening at Sailfish Marina. We had some drinks and appetizers. I had the cocktail shrimp and I swear to you it was the BEST cocktail shrimp I have EVER had + live music and great drinks)

Drinks in Palm Beach:
– Cucina (so fun and a great little date night place)
– HMF at the Breakers (they didn’t have Redbull and went above and beyond to track some down for me, I love them so much for this! Please understand I was also prepared to order something else and without hesitation, the sweet waitress made it happen. It’s the small things, hehe)
– 215 Speakeasy
– 123 Datura
– Seafood Bar (also a great place for food but the view is amazing)
– The Honor Bar
– BiCe
– Henry’s Palm Beach
– The Islander

Shopping in Palm Beach:
– WORTH AVE! All my favorites on one strip! Think King Street in Charleston but BIGGER and BETTER! Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Saks, etc. BUT with the cutest ally ways to restaurants + most gorgeous cars!
– Lilly Pulitzer
– Stoney Clover (I was SOO happy to go to an actual Stoney Clover store! Cant wait to show yall what I got!)
– Palm Beach Vintage
– C Orrico
– Skinny Dip (also one in Charleston)
– Newly opened Tara Grinna (Local to Myrtle Beach)

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Almost everywhere we went had valet so that was nice too because they could always help and direct you on where to go and gave great recommendations!

Instagrammable Spots in Palm Beach:
– Everywhere recommends the Bougainvillea Wall but when we were there in February the beautiful vines and flowers looked almost dead, but right across the street near Renatos makes for the most beautiful pictures.
– The Colony Hotel
– The Breakers Hotel
– Worth Ave
– Royal Palm Way
– Delray Beach
– Cranes Beach House

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whitneynrife@gmail.com December 22, 2020

A Family-Friendly Weekend in Williamsburg

We had the perfect pre-holiday weekend in Williamsburg, VA a few weeks ago, and this mini-getaway could not have come at a better time. We loved spending some quality time (just the three of us!) in such a beautiful place. I’m from Virginia and have always loved how gorgeous and historic Williamsburg is, especially around the holidays! It is a perfectly picturesque town you can envision as the set of a Hallmark movie, complete with cobblestone streets!

The leaves were breathtaking, and we loved strolling through their historical downtown and exploring everything that this beautiful area had to offer. It was very family-friendly, and Bo loved seeing all the battlefields! He’s starting to really soak everything in, and it is so fun watching him experience things for the first time.

We were SO excited to stay at The Great Wolf Lodge. We had never been, but some of our friends highly recommended it, and we are so glad we stayed there. The indoor water park was amazing, and the lodge was just beautiful. Plus, everyone that works there is SO nice, and there were SO many fun kids activities going on as well. Bo even got to see SANTA! The lodge really has taken all precautions to make everything super clean and safe, and we are already planning our next trip to The Great Wolf Lodge.

The Visit Williamsburg team recommended some amazing restaurants around the area, and let me say they were delicious! On night one, we had dinner right out front of the Great Wolf Lodge at The Huntsman’s Grill, where we tried some wild game. Shawn was in heaven, and Bo loved the fish tank! It was so nice being so close to the hotel so we could go back for some swimming and fun in the arcade!

Before heading to the Art-Full Tree Event at the Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg, we ate at The Hounds Table (the Mac and Cheese, DIVINE). After the tree event, we had worked up an appetite, so we headed for a light snack at Electric Circus, which is inside the Precarious Beer Hall. Their guacamole and the empanadas were AMAZING!

We then went ice skating near Merchants Square (and had some hot chocolate, of course) and headed back to the lodge to change so we could go to Busch Gardens Christmas Celebration! Bo loved riding the train in Busch Gardens, and it was so fun to see him so happy on the rides they have for little ones. The Christmas lights were absolutely magical, and I am so happy we were able to go. I highly recommend going in December just so you can see how beautiful the lights and decorations are. We ate our way through Busch Gardens and then headed back to the Lodge for pizza.

We absolutely loved Yorktown! Driving along the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown was so beautiful. I loved riding the Parkway in December, but I am SURE it was gorgeous in the fall. We went early to go to the and the Viking Yule Tide Celebration and the Christmas Market on Main, where we purchased the most beautiful marble charcuterie board. Bo grabbed some homemade cookies, and we enjoyed seeing the local art and Christmas carolers. We then headed to the American Revolution Museum. We loved being able to see first-hand the re-created Continental Army encampment. Bo was so engaged and asked so many questions. It was really cute to see him so excited.

For lunch in Yorktown, we ate at Water Street Grille, and it will forever be a MUST for us whenever we are in the area. The view is gorgeous, and the food is SO good. We had oysters, deviled eggs, and Caprese salad for an appetizer. Then Shawn had the lobster bake, Bo had the skillet blueberry pancake that was out of this world, and I had my favorite, a Shrimp Boil. We rode around Yorktown and finished the night off with dinner at Aberdeen Barn, where we both had the prime rib, and it was DIVINE. The staff was so nice there, and the atmosphere was so cozy and sweet. Definitely a MUST when in Williamsburg.

Finally, we had brunch at Blue Talon Bistro and then headed home through Norfolk and the Outer Banks, which, if time allows, I highly recommend traveling that way. It was so beautiful. So many of you recommended so many amazing restaurants. I wish we had more time to go to them, and we already cannot wait to go back. Here is a list of restaurants in the area.

We could not have dreamt of a better weekend and cannot wait to go back to Williamsburg again. With so many attractions and sights to see, this can be a destination for anyone. You can have a full day of museums for a historical getaway or parks and hikes for the nature lover. There’s also shopping and dining, or just relaxing and enjoying the view. There truly is something for everyone!

*A special thank you Visit Williamsburg for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fall in Vermont: My Outfit Lookbook

Fall in Vermont: Travel Guide

A Hidden Gem: The Retreat Key West Florida

A Weekend Trip to Palm Beach, Florida

A Family-Friendly Weekend in Williamsburg

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