s & b in tennessee

Ever since we went to Maine this past summer, we have been obsessed with all things mountain and nature related. The thought of going hiking in non-humid woods sets our heart’s aflutter, and the idea of standing on the edge of a cliff looking down at the world below makes our pulses race. We just feel at home in places like these in a way we hadn’t ever thought we would. So when we were lucky enough to be invited up to Tennessee for Lauren + Brian’s wedding this past weekend (blog post of this epic day coming on Monday!) we knew we had to take a quick side trip to the mountains. After all, to be THAT close and not see a bit of fall would be a sacrilege!

So the day after their wedding we took a quick 24 hour trip to the Smoky Mountains and IT. WAS. STUNNING! It was a whirlwind trip but we tried our best to document it all through a mix of camera and iphone pictures. And because we want to relive every moment we thought what better place than here with you guys!

We began our visit with a stop at the famous Loveless Cafe. Where there was chicken and waffles.

And grits. And hashbrown casserole. And fried green tomatoes. And sweet potatoes.

And never ending biscuits with a trio of jams that were the best thing we have tasted ever.

We may have overdone it, but we were only going to be here once and we wanted to try EVERYTHING.

There are no words for these biscuits, so you will just have to make your way up to Tennessee and try them!

And then, after shooting one of our top 10 most favorite wedding days ever, we got in the teeniest rental car you ever did see and headed to the mountains.

And for those of you who never believe us when we say we’re awkward in front of the camera, I give you Ben’s mountain portrait.

What is happening with those hands?! Ricky Bobby would be proud.

While exploring the Smokies we stayed in the town of Gatlinburg, which was totally decked out for Fall. We “ooh-ed” and “aahed” over every pumpkin, reveled in the crisp air, and constantly kept our eyes peeled for a single orange or yellow leaf . .

Our big day out in the mountains began at Crockett’s Breakfast Camp, which was every bit as rugged as it looks. ..

We binged on giant cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and mason jars filled with sweet tea until we felt like Ben looks here.

Which was straight up, time to unbutton our pants, FULL.

And then we set out for adventure in our teeny tin can car . . . .

The views were spectacular, but everything was still a bit green and not quite as autumny as we had hoped . . .

Until THIS happened.

The more East we went, the more leaves started to change, until we came across full blown roadside leaf debris!

And my little Florida heart was in heaven.

(Sidenote, Floridians have a VERY low bar about what constitutes fall).

We saw a ton of wildlife including beavers, woodpeckers, a plethora of squirrels.

But this guy was the only one who wanted to pose for a photo op . .

Can we say fall?!

(Ok..it’s not *quite* all the way there yet, but this was good enough for us!)

There were so many adorable places like this tucked into the woods . .

And more fall-filled goodness. Because the trees were YELLOW!

WHAT?! Our minds were blown.

We stopped for some mid-hike photo ops along the way. . .

And some selfies where our giant heads blocked the view . . .

And the day ended in the most perfect of ways, with the true smokiness of the Smokies covering the trees and mountain tops . . .

 

Happy Friday friends! Hope you go out and have an adventure or two this weekend, and make sure you stop by on Monday to see the awesome that was Lauren + Brian’s Tennessee wedding day!

Love + Laughs,

Sarah & Ben