When planning my birthday trip this year I was in search of a destination that would make for a short weekend getaway and offer great hiking and lots to see and do. After some research I landed on Gatlinburg, a mountain town in eastern Tennessee. Known as the Gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it would also allow us the opportunity to check another national park off our bucket list. While this is a great road trip destination from many major cities, since we were limited on time we decided to fly into Knoxville and make the short hour drive to Gatlinburg.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This time of year seems to fly by and the month of December is always a race to squeeze in all the twinkling lights, hot chocolate, Christmas music and festive fun that one person can manage. That's why I was so excited for the opportunity to head down to Hamilton County, Indiana for a weekend packed full of holiday magic. Read on to discover all my suggestions for exploring Carmel and Noblesville. 

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Visit Hamilton County. The itinerary was created by me based on personal research and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Between the Blue Ridge Parkway, bustling craft beer scene, and beautiful fall colors, a trip to Asheville, North Carolina during October has been on my bucket list for quite some time. With some extra flight credits to use (thanks COVID-19) we decided to book a long weekend getaway to explore this amazing city. And I have to say this is one destination that, leading up to our trip, everyone I talked to had nothing but amazing things to say. 

We flew in on Friday evening (arrived around 5:30 p.m.) and flew out on Monday morning so it was a quick trip to try and pack in as much adventure, food and beer as possible. Below I'm sharing my full itinerary breakdown. You may also like these other Asheville posts: 

• Where to eat and drink in Asheville
• Best Blue Ridge Parkway stops