With a long weekend to waste and flights out of Nashville to anywhere exotic out of my budget, I googled “things to do in Tennessee” and started conjuring up Pinterest board thoughts of log cabins, scenic mountain drives and more American junk food than a pair of elasticated waist jeans could handle. It was decided, we were going to do a Tennessee road trip. Starting with going east from Clarksville, not wanted to drive too far on the first leg and coming across a discount code that offered $35 off our first Airbnb booking, we decided to stop in Cookeville on the i40 about halfway towards the Smoky Mountains.
We got really lucky with this place. The cost for one night including all the charges (cleaning & service fees) came to $79, so we only ended up paying $44 after using the link above (or enter the code ‘NADIAE84′ when you download the Airbnb app’. You wouldn’t even get a room in a Motel 6 for that! Nor would you get any of the extras. The lodge was really spacious for two people (I only ever search ‘entire home’ on Airbnb), with the bedroom upstairs in a kind of open mezzanine level looking down over the living area. Everything was so thoughtfully designed, I couldn’t get enough of the cute little touches like the light fittings and door knobs. Plus we probably stumbled upon one of the best Airbnb ‘superhosts’ out there…
Arriving in the evening, our host Leslie (the lodge is a guesthouse on their property – between the family house and the barn, but completely private) greeted us and had the fire lit so the cabin was nice and cosy. She told us to give her a twenty minute heads up in the morning if we wanted fresh biscuits for breakfast. Well, I can tell you the thought of scones warm from the oven with homemade jam and a nice cup of tea was the first thing on my mind when I woke up. It certainly didn’t disappoint!
What did I tell you? Pinterest heaven! Appetite satisfied, I took a few quick pics outside, waved ‘bye to the adorable bleating baby goats and we got on the road again.
Next stop; Falls Creek Falls, about an hour away.
Lazy people (like me) can view the falls in all their glory just steps from the car park. Quite literally an awesome view, it was difficult to photograph the scale of this beauty! Plus, I’m still getting to grips with my new toy, a Sony A6000 and the different kind of lenses. You might be persuaded to hike down to the foot of the falls, and some people may ignore the signs not to veer off the trail for a closer look. But scaredy cats can keep high for a nice vantage point for photos, that was my excuse anyway.
Come back for the next post, where we travel on to the Smoky Mountains and I realise it’s not at all what I was expecting.
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