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Glamour & grandeur at The Greenbrier

Glamour & grandeur at The Greenbrier

Hers is a story of continuous transformation: the only true way to survive. After more than 200 years of change, The Greenbrier Resort and Spa continues welcoming guests drawn by the luxury, relaxation, charm and beauty that defines her — while absorbing a rich history that made […]

Put this on your bucket list for a trip to Jamaica

Put this on your bucket list for a trip to Jamaica

It’s the climb: The beauty of Dunn’s River Falls makes for a memorable excursion in Jamaica. For more Caribbean travel ideas, browse our guide. While cruising in the Caribbean last spring, my family and I booked an excursion to Dunn’s River Falls on our one-day stop in Jamaica. […]

Weekender: Helen, Georgia

Weekender: Helen, Georgia

A charming Bavarian town in North Georgia lights up for the holidays

If a trip to Germany isn’t possible this season, head to Helen, a tiny town in northwest Georgia that goes big for the holidays. It’s a 3.5-hour drive from Charlotte and attracts millions of tourists who flock to find a bit of Bavaria in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Complete with buildings designed with European facades, Helen is best known for Oktoberfest events where revelers dress in lederhosen and dirndls, dance the polka, drink beer, and feast on German food. In December, this Alpine escape hosts a tree lighting, a Christmas parade, visits with Santa, and a traditional German Christkindlmarket. Spend a weekend in this charming mountain town and check off all the festivities your family would experience in the Old Country.

STAY

Most family-owned accommodations in Helen look like Swiss chalets. Helendorf Inn sits along the Chattahoochee River and is walking distance to more than 200 souvenir shops, restaurants, and Riverside Park where the town’s tree lighting takes place. Designated rooms are pet-friendly, and all rooms have a small fridge and microwave. Grab-and-go breakfast items are available in the lobby for all guests. For those craving a more secluded experience, rent a cabin in the woods surrounding Helen or in Unicoi State Park. For luxury amenities and lodging for families with teenagers, try Vallhalla Resort offering a rooftop bar, wine cellar, and spa that is located only a few minutes away from downtown Helen.

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French twist: Inside Coquette

French twist: Inside Coquette

A first look at uptown’s new French-inspired restaurant. by Krisha Chachra  |  photographs by Justin Driscoll True to its name, Charlotte’s new uptown restaurant Coquette — which in French means playful, coy woman — flirts with combining modern French cuisine, exotic spices and southern flavors. Mornings at Coquette begin with […]

Author Joy Callaway Explores Access to Nature

Author Joy Callaway Explores Access to Nature

South Charlotte resident Joy Callaway always knew she wanted to write when she grew up, but she never imagined being a full-time novelist. “My brother and I weren’t really allowed to watch TV as kids,” says Callaway. “I filled my free time with writing plays, […]

Sharing Culture, Encouraging Education

Sharing Culture, Encouraging Education

Jamaican American Cultural Association approaches 25 years of granting scholarships

South Charlotte resident Gaynor Russell moved from New York City to the Queen City over 35 years ago with her husband and infant daughter. When she did, Russell, originally from Jamaica, craved the culture and camaraderie of her homeland. “It wasn’t just the social scene and meeting other Jamaicans,” Russell explains. “I missed sharing the food, music and dancing and wanted to create a community and also give back.”

She and her husband had two more children, and she finished her undergrad degree and earned an MBA at UNC Charlotte. Although she had a career and a growing family, Russell recognized that the community was growing too. “There are many people of Jamaican and Caribbean descent in South Charlotte who are very supportive of promoting the culture, so we started a group called Friends of Jamaica.

“New people are moving here all the time,” continues Russell. “I used to know most of the Jamaican people in Charlotte, but now there are thousands.”

Friends of Jamaica evolved into the group Russell founded, the Jamaican American Cultural Association. It has three main goals: One is to share Jamaican culture. The second is to support local high school seniors with dreams of pursuing higher education — focusing on those with an African American or Afro-Caribbean background.

Lastly, Russell felt the association could help children in Jamaica by sending tablets, computers and other technological resources to Jamaican schools. Russell has made several trips to Jamaica to make deliveries to rural schools, mainly around Kingston. She and other members of JACA have a goal to donate to schools in each of Jamaica’s 14 parishes.

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Room We Love: An Indoor Garden in Myers Park

Room We Love: An Indoor Garden in Myers Park

After a successful career in fashion, Charlotte native Hadley Quisenberry left New York City in 2012 and returned home to raise a family and work alongside her mother, Lisa Britt, a longtime interior designer. Lisa Britt Designs rebranded to become West Trade Interiors, and by 2018, […]

Ode to love: An interior designer’s tribute to family

Ode to love: An interior designer’s tribute to family

After a decade working in information technology, Prajwal “Praj” Hagargi felt the call to step outside her comfort zone. Decorating and styling rooms has always been a passion of hers, so in 2016 she decided to pursue an online degree at San Francisco-based The Interior […]

The soulfulness of solo travel

The soulfulness of solo travel

It is cool to travel again — and even more cool to do it alone. Data from booking.com shows that prepandemic, only 17% of travelers were going solo. By mid-2021, that number jumped to 30%. Last year, searches for single-person flights in 2023 were up 36% over the previous year, kayak.com reported in December. And multiple reports show a majority of solo travelers are women — 84%, according to passport-photo.online.com.

What could be driving this trend? For one thing, more people who live on their own and work remotely have gotten used to solitude, which in healthy amounts, can promote self-awareness. Being aware of your personal needs and desires can result in the self-confidence required to solo travel when others can’t join you. 

Another appealing reason to explore alone is the overdose of family time during the pandemic. Rather than being a selfish response, the desire for “me” time is a completely normal reaction after prioritizing the health, safety and needs of our families for months or years on end. 

As a travel writer and consultant for more than 20 years, I hear people say that the best thing about solo travel is the freedom to make decisions without consulting anyone. Eat without worrying if the food is too spicy for your kids. Stay out exploring without hearing complaints of others being tired or bored. Making your own decisions when traveling feels like a dream come true. 

Achint Patel, a medical doctor in Charlotte, started solo traveling in 2019. “I kept telling myself I’d travel when I was with someone special. Then I realized, I am someone special,” he says.

Still, he keeps certain things to experience with loved ones. Patel has been to Paris at least five times but has never been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. “I want someone to witness my expression when I first see the view,” he says. He’s seen more than 20 countries solo, including Egypt, Portugal, Japan, Jordan and most of western Europe. “Traveling solo has given me a better understanding of who I am,” he says. “I prefer it and plan my trips spontaneously.” 

For unseasoned travelers, solo travel without planning and intention can result in high stress. Here are some important insights that’ll ease your fears and help get you out there — on your own. 

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Taking the Trip

Taking the Trip

Travel offers motivation and solace to young families facing terminal cancer By Krisha Chachra When Cissy Carroll received the news in October 2015 that she had Stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, her doctors told her there was less than a […]