Last weekend I surprised Lin with a little surprise trip to OKC for the night for his birthday!! It has been a REALLY stressful month for us and I knew it would be nice to just escape even if for only 24 hours. I was so delighted to partner with The Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel and it ended up working out rather nicely because as much as we did not plan to spend too much time in the hotel, Lin actually came down with a horrible upset stomach virus. Ohhh our luck!! I tell ya…we are definitely being tested right now.

Anyway..so thankful for our suite with a full bedroom and living room and TWO full restrooms. I mean how perfect for a girls trip to a Thunder basketball game or concert. Every tried doing your hair and makeup with 3 other girls in one bathroom?!!

They don't say Paris is a good idea for no reason but when you can’t get to Paris for the weekend..you can find little glimpses of it wherever you might be! And today I am sharing some wonderful places that remind me of France in Bentonville Arkansas. I will be sharing my experience at the 21C for bit so if you are in a hurry and just needing some “Frenchie” recommendations…scroll down! And stay tuned for more Francophile Guides that I will be putting together on my travels.

I mean once a Francophile, always a Francophile.

It was my 3rd visit to Bentonville this year but somehow I never manage to get bored. There's always so much to see, so much to do and new places to discover that honestly, I don't think I will ever be bored. Bentonville is a wonderfully charming, relaxing and interesting city which I’d strongly recommend you visit! And make sure to book your stay at 21C Museum Hotel.

So as the title says, I went to Oklahoma City for a total of 48 hours (give or take) Would I recommend you do the same? No - because you absolutely need longer in this fun fun city! LOL! But in all seriousness…yes, get in that car and do a long weekend here my dears, It is growing at such a rapid pace and there is just so much to do! If a petit romantic weekend away is something you want to surprise the other half with - or if you just fancy a completely magical break away solo/with friends - then read on as this post’s a must read.

I’ll begin by saying Oklahoma City is always a glorious weekend escape! Less than two hours from Tulsa via the good ol’ turnpike, and about 3 hours from Dallas, 7 hours from Houston, well, you get my drift! You will be transported somewhere very pretty with a lot going on. It’s a thriving city with a great selection of FUN!

It was such a fun time and one of my all time favorite press trips!

Yes, I know, I’ve been traveling an awful lot recently, I can barely keep up myself.

But when the invitation arrives in my inbox to spend a weekend in Bentonville, discovering their music scene, how can I possibly say no?! I am a girl who loves a good road trip and some good music.

I have visited Bentonville numerous times but this city is rapidly changing every month and now, with my photographer’s eye, I couldn’t wait to return to see the city in all its glory - from the quaint square, the great food and drink scene, the exploding music scene and its many museums. A weekend in Bentonville is a great idea and couldn’t be easier to do, especially for those of living in Oklahoma and Texas! I mean it’s a quick one hour and forty five minute drive for me which is so easy breezy. And it’s only five hours from the BIG D!

I know so many of you have been so eager for this travel guide to be published and I am so thrilled to finally share all of my favorite Houston gems with you today! Considering just how close and accessible Houston is to Tulsa and of course Lin’s family living there, I have spent my last seven Thanksgiving holidays there and have yet to share. (well there have been a few things here and there) But it was time to really put a good itinerary together for you! And while this one is a bit long and picture heavy, I promise that you will get so much out of it for your Houston travels so bookmark this one! We have grown to love this picturesque and interesting city very much. In fact every time I visit The Magnolia City, I enjoy it more and more. As a creature of habit, I do tend to visit a lot of the same places because I love them, but always add something new to my trip each time. And thanks to my friend Karen who lives there, she is always keeping me in the loop of the newest and greatest! But I definitely have my Houston staples as I like to call them! Each and every one is highly Instagrammable too!

Every time I visit Boston, I enjoy it more and more. As a creature of habit, I do tend to visit a lot of the same places because I love them, but always add something new to my trip each time.

Lin and I have family there so this is our third trip to New England and we look forward to it every year. If you are looking for a guide to Boston’s most “Instagrammable” places, you can find it here. It’s still one of my most read travel guides to date. We decided to travel Maine’s coast prior to our Boston trip and I highly recommend everyone seeing this part of the world! Read my 7 day Maine itinerary before you plan! Cape Liz and Kennebunkport are must sees!

There are so many areas in Boston but we really wanted to explore The Seaport District this go around and of course I wanted to spend some time in The lovely North End too. I just have so many favorites there so it’s hard to not just spend all of my time there.

The final hotel on our Maine coastal fall road-trip proved to be quite something!

T H E P L A C E T O S T A Y

The Grand Hotel in Kennebunk, Maine, sits prominently on Chase Hill, just steps away from bustling, downtown Kennebunkport. Featuring classic New England architecture and elegantly appointed decor, the hotel offers views of lively Dock Square and Lower Village. It’s the most perfect ideal spot to enjoy everything the town has to offer. There’s just no denying it! Grand Hotel has that warm beautiful boutique feel and the location is just superb!

On November 1st Lin and I landed in Bangor Maine to travel the coast down to Boston. This trip had been on my bucket list as long as I can remember and I am so happy that we followed through. Maine’s Route 1 road trip is as quintessential New England as the West Coast’s Route 1 drive is classic California. While this itinerary starts from Bangor Maine and heads down the coast to Kennebunkport, it can certainly be enjoyed in the opposite direction too. There are two ways to go about this ride: Make a lot of stops on the way up and then power home. Or, pick a few pit stops for the way up, and save a few for the way back. There are so many various options.

A lot of planning went into my itinerary and I really hope you enjoy seeing Maine’s beautiful coast through my eyes—the must-see’s and must-do’s and the amazing culinary scene…OMG. This was such an incredible 7 days and I will forever remember every second of Maine’s endless cute towns and all the lobster rolls!

Memphis is somewhere that I really wanted to spend some time exploring. I had been there once before when I was 17 but that doesn’t even count. And Lin had never been before and I had a feeling he would really enjoy the rich history. I also really wanted to see one of my favorite Frenchie bands Phoenix play as they booked a stop in Memphis for Mempho Fest, a two day music festival. Being such a music lover since as long as I can remember, I just had to experience one of the most musically charged cities in the country. Being a foodie too I also needed to get my hands on some of this Memphis style BBQ! So when I reached out to the lovely Memphis Travel team to experience all that Memphis has to offer-well we made it happen! This post was in collaboration with them and I hope that it will make you consider exploring more of our beautiful world here in The U.S.!