Travel

An All-Inclusive That’s All Worth It

Puerto Vallarta’s Villa La Estancia Is A Worthwhile Retreat Article by Kellie Walton | Photography by Courtesy of Villa La Estancia If you've ever looked at all-inclusive resorts and immediately thought of swim-up bars, spring break revelry, and buffet lines, Villa La Estancia in Riviera Nayarit is the antithesis. Situated in stunning Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I whisked my mom away for a birthday trip last fall, and from the moment we arrived, it was clear this resort operates on a different...

Shopping

Beat The Heat By Exploring McKAY's

Go On A Treasure Hunt This Summer At Beloved Bellevue Staple McKAY’s Article by Lisa Valentine | Photography by Courtesy of McKAY's Whether you’re looking for the perfect beach read this summer or crossing off titles on your summer reading list, Bellevue’s mainstay, McKAY’s is a trove ofentertainment gold. The best  part about McKAY’s is not just the books, music, games and more that you walk out with, but rather the treasure hunt itself as you explore theaisles of pre-loved gems. First...

Sports + Recreation

Running Wild

The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon Is A Beloved Percy Warner Park Annual Tradition Article by Maria Dinoia | Photography by Provided If you've ever run a marathon and thought, 'You know what this needs? More hills, more roots, and a lot more soul,' then the Flying Monkey Marathon in Bellevue was made for you. Held each November in the lush, forested terrain of Percy Warner Park, the Flying Monkey has built a reputation as one of the most challenging trail marathons in the Southeast. With...

Food + Beverage

Celebrate National Grilling Month

With Bellevue's HoneyFire Barbeque and Co. Article by Maria Dinoia | Photography by Courtesy of HoneyFire Honeyfire Barbeque Co.'s Ben Claybaker built HoneyFire on a deep, genuine love of the craft of barbecuing and the belief that great barbecue has the power to bring people together. "I was born in Texas and grew up in Arkansas," says Claybaker. My hometown was 15 miles from Louisiana and 40 miles from Texas. Both sides of my family are from the South, mostly East Tennessee, Texas and...

Entertainment

Nashville's Most Un-Nashville Band

Meet Bellevue's Velvet Dogs Article by Maria Dinoia | Photography by Lisa Linn Manley In a city where every third person has a guitar pick in their pocket and a publishing deal on their mind, The Velvet Dogs are something of an anomaly. No original songs. No country. No Skynyrd, no Seger. Just a group of middle-aged guys from Bellevue who get together to play hard rock because it's what they love. And because, as band founder and bassist Ed Atlas puts it, somebody has to. "There's a law in...

Food + Beverage

Good Pours And Better Company

Southern Whiskey Society Returns For Year Four Article by Kellie Walton | Photography by Provided For the past nine years, the first Saturday of August has filled Franklin with good whiskey and even better conversation. The Southern Whiskey Society’s (SWS) Southern Food & Whiskey Experience returns to The Factory this year on August 8th. But before we get into this year’s event, let’s pour one out for how it all began.  Joseph Dulaney has lived in Bellevue since 1998. By day, he works in...

Sports + Recreation

Tee It Up Indoors At Back Nine Golf

George And Carrie Lund Have Brought The World’s Foremost Indoor Golf Experience To An Upscale Space In The Heart Of Bellevue Article by Ed Atlas | Photography by Provided Even though it’s tucked inconspicuously into a corner of a high-profile Bellevue retail corridor, the Back Nine indoor golf experience is quickly becoming a destination unto itself. The facility’s welcoming ambience and dazzling technology inspires golfers of all levels to hone their skills and immerse in a community of...

Life + Culture

Leading Ladies

The women of the Bellevue-Harpeth Chamber of Commerce supporting local businesses Article by Kellie Walton | Photography by Lindsey Baydoun Hattie DeWalt ran down to City Limits Cafe one morning because it was Coffee with a Cop day. She loves the Bellevue police officers… they're entrenched in the community the same way she is. Later that week, she learned the guy who owns City Limits had been invited to speak at Harpeth Valley Elementary School about his journey as an immigrant. He was...

Home + Design

Tradition Spins On at Carousel Farm

Article by Kellie Walton | Photography by Ed Atlas Although the name appeared on property records more than a half century ago, nobody remembers why it’s called Carousel Farm.   "We didn't name it that, and the previous owners before us didn't either," Brittany Pride says. "It's been on the paperwork since the late '50s, early '60s. If you're standing on the front porch and Google it, it does say you're at Carousel Farm. It recognizes that it's an actual place."   Brittany and her husband...

Event Planning + Services

Iroquois Spring Steeplechase 85th Anniversary

'Rite Of Spring' Through An Equestrian-Anchored, Southern Hospitality Annual Tradition Article by Jennifer Kaufman There’s something about the first Saturday in May that feels quintessentially Nashville — wide-brim hats, polished boots and the thunder of hooves rolling across Percy Warner Park.  On May 9, the Iroquois Steeplechase returns for its 85th anniversary, ushering in another unforgettable “Rite of Spring.” This year, the beloved tradition adds a new layer of energy with the debut of...