#57 - Go to four new craft breweries (35/101).

I enjoy going to craft breweries because they usually (1) have something delicious to taste, (2) reflect the vibe of the local environment and (3) the people watching is always on point. Here are a few craft breweries I have tried over the past months: 

From Blue Mountain Brewery in Charlottesville, VA

• Jester King Brewery (Austin, TX): On a weekend trip to Austin in June 2015, we headed to Jester King on a beautiful summer afternoon to try out some of their funky ales. There were hundreds of people at the brewery but still tons of space to hang out, multiple bars to choose from and some food venues as well. I definitely suggest checking out Jester King which also has a few other micro breweries in the vicinity. 

• Garden Grove Brewing Company (Richmond, VA): We checked out Garden Grove in October 2015, which is right in the middle of Richmond's Carytown district. Each night during the week has a different theme so since we went on a Monday night, we were there for game night. Although we did not take part in game night, it was fun to see those who gathered at Garden Grove with this intention. Fun fact - Tuesday is Blue Grass Jam, Wednesday is Trivia and Thursday is Live Entertainment. Enjoy!

• Three Taverns Brewery (Atlanta, GA): I had tried a couple Three Taverns types of beers around Atlanta but I was excited to head to the brewery to try more out. A group of us headed to Three Taverns in December 2015. Three Taverns has a small and rustic feeling tasting room but we were able to snag stools around a tree stump as we tried a variety of beers. I was glad it was not extremely busy because I think it would have been difficult to grab beers and seats but we got lucky and were able to do both! 

• Ardent Craft Ales (Richmond, VA): We met some friends at Ardent in April 2016 on a sunny Saturday afternoon. It was extremely crowded so although it took a bit of time to get our beers, there was plenty of space to sit and hang outside. I tried the Virginia Common and the IPA but I definitely want to go back to try the Saison. 

In Atlanta, I have tried out Monday Night Brewing, Orpheus, SweetWater and now Three Taverns but I will have to go check out these other ones off of this EaterAtlanta list. 

In Richmond, I have tried out Ardent, Garden Grove, Hardwood, Strangeways and Lickinghole but will have to try out these other craft breweries in the Richmond area as well. 

What craft breweries should I check out in Atlanta or Richmond?

#92 - Have a picnic (34/101).

We took advantage of a long weekend to head up to Lake Lure, NC. Although I have now spent a decent amount of time in the Lake Lure area, we still find something new to explore each trip. Now that it is springtime, there are a lot of nice nature-y and outdoorsy places to explore. This time, we hiked up to Party Rock, a 2.41 mile hike that leads to a gorgeous overlook of the entire lake. The trail is a bit uneven at times but it's quite worth the hike, the view on top of Party Rock is really incredible. We brought sandwiches, clementines, M&M's and Gatorade to have a picnic at the top and enjoyed the view while eating our sandwiches. I love sitting on top of a mountain and taking in the view below, especially seeing a familiar place from a new perspective or vantage point. I was so glad we could enjoy the gorgeous spring day and look forward to many more years of picnics to come!  

ps. Here are some picnic spots I'd love to check out from National Geographic! 

#44 - Hike a trail in a national park (33/101).

With the weather starting to get a bit nicer, we decided to take advantage while I visiting Richmond and go hiking. After stopping in Charlottesville for breakfast and sandwiches to bring on the hike, we drove up to Shenandoah National Park and did a couple hikes along Skyline Drive. We arrived and bought a Shenandoah Annual Pass so we could continue exploring the 109 mile-long road running through the Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge mountains throughout the year. It had snowed a few days before so there was a bit of snow on the ground at the higher shady places but in general, it was a gorgeous day with gorgeous views.

We stayed in the Riprap area and did the 2.2 mile Turk Mountain trail that came out over a beautiful view and then did the 3.4 mile Chimney Rock part of the Riprap trail (although we actually missing the turnaround so ended up hiking another couple miles). It was a bit slippery because of some of the snow so we found a stick I could use as a walking stick.

I loved coming to the park at this time of year (end of winter/beginning of spring) because the leaves had not grown back yet on many of the trees so the views were even better than normal the entire hikes instead of just at the summit view point. My goal is to hike each season of the year in the park because I think spring, summer, fall and winter will all offer incredible but unique viewpoints on the Shenandoah National Park. I'm excited to go back up in a few weeks and explore more of the beautiful Shenandoah National Park.