Adventures From the Road

The hubby and I love traveling via car.  We make it a point to stop in cities that we’ve never visited before, and I definitely make it a point to check out some of the local shops wherever we are.

 Last weekend we hit the road for Little Rock, Arkansas.  With a 8 hour trip ahead of us, we settled into the car, me with magazines in hand, and the hubby with a stash of cd’s to keep him entertained.

 

When we were about an hour outside Little Rock, I began making a list of the shops I wanted to visit before we headed to the hotel, and then, we ran into this…..

A massive traffic jam created when two tracker trailers collided and burst into flames. Thankfully no one was hurt.

 

During our “layover” we took time to walk up and down the highway and even met a trucker who lives in the same small town as my mom.  It really is a small world.

After an hour and a half of sitting on the freeway, we finally made our way to Little Rock.  With only enough time to visit one shop, we headed directly to Cobblestone and Vine.

This store is listed as one of the premier home decor stores in Little Rock and trust me, it really is.  Filled with beautiful furnishings and unique gifts, this store was a shopping paradise. It really made me miss The Scarlet Tassel.

via Tobi Fairley

With a couple of purchases in my bag, we headed to our hotel, The Peabody in downtown Little Rock.  The Peabody hotel chain is one of our favorites, not only because of the great accommodations but also because of the daily duck parade.

 

If you’ve never stayed at a Peabody Hotel and seen the ducks, you’re missing a special event. The ducks hop on an elevator and make their way down to the lobby of the hotel. Once in the lobby, they march across the red carpet and jump into the large water fountain. After a brief swim, they make their way back to their little duck palace.

Here’s the view from our room, overlooking the Arkansas River. 

And, to make you feel right at home, every bathroom has a cute little bar of duck soap.

 

Since it was our first time in Little Rock, we took a drive to check out some of residential areas.  Little Rock has some of the most beautiful homes I’ve seen.  There is a mix of styles, from traditional Southern  to Tuscan inspired homes like this one. 

 Before we settled in for the night, we spent a couple of hours in the lobby bar listening to this great jazz duo.  A glass of wine and smooth jazz… a great way to end the evening.

Saturday morning, I made my way to Design Camp at the Tobi Fairley art studio and design office.  It was so awesome to meet Tobi in person and spend the day learning about design from such a talent. Tobi has such a passion for design and her spirit and enthusiasm about her business was clear in all that she shared with us.  It’s no wonder she is such a success.

I met a great group of women at the class, all of use building our design worlds in one way or another.  I look forward to getting to know each and every one of them better and hope our paths will cross again soon.

At the end of design camp, the hubby and I jumped back in the car and started the second leg of our trip.

In a few days, we’ll be making our way back to Atlanta, stopping to check our a few new sights along the way.  I’ll be sure to share any adventures we encounter on the return trip, so stay turned.

Until then….safe travels wherever you go!