Downtown Los Angeles Graffiti Mural Tour

From ghost to food tours, I am a big fan of traveling with a guide to maximize my exploration. It's a great way to see sights that you may not otherwise know about. That was exactly the case during my recent LA Art Tours Downtown Los Angeles Graffiti Mural Tour. For years I've seen art on the side of buildings in LA, but I didn't know much about it. I decided to find a tour that provided an insight to the beautiful images. After seeing reviews highly recommending LA Art Tours, I knew it was the company to go with.

I'm so glad I selected LA ART Tours because the afternoon was even better than I had anticipated.

Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, our amazing guide, Shandu One, walked the group through the streets and alleys of the DTLA Arts District, shedding light on the history of graffiti, pointing out a variety of art pieces, and explaining the techniques used to create the pieces. As a pioneer of graffiti art, Shandu One is a wonderful source of knowledge and did a great job showing us the sights and answering questions. Tour guides' personalities play a large part in the experience and his connection to the neighborhood and friendly demeanor added to the appeal of the tour.

It was really interesting to hear how kids in the 80s were turning from gangs and drugs and starting the LA graffiti scene. It's an entire culture with rules of respect. For example, they get permission to create their murals and know better than to paint over peers' work.

How incredible are these pieces? It's hard to believe that they were created with bottles of spray paint!

Check out the detail up close vs. a few dozen feet away. The first mural just looked like faded lines (in the lip area), but when I backed up I was blown away by the bigger picture. We learned that painting on these metal doors are especially hard due to the curves, making the impact that much greater to the audience.

A week after the tour I had out-of-town visitors and took them to see some of the murals and a pair of the angel wings that everyone loves posing with, thanks to the info provided by Shandu One. It was a hit. This tour is perfect for locals and visitors alike!

The Graffiti Mural tour is a very affordable $12. Can't beat that for over two hours! LA Art Tours also offers a Brewery Art Complex Tour, Alley Adventure Graffiti Bike Tour, and more. Check out the calendar to select a tour and purchase tickets.

The Youngfield, A Perfect Denver-Area Airbnb

If you're like me, when traveling you may debate on what type of property to stay in - hotel or Airbnb. Hotels can be so expensive, but you have an idea what you're getting. However, if you find a good Airbnb, you're experience is much more cozy, and usually at a fraction of the price.

When I visited Denver in the fall, I reached out to a friend, Jason, who has a Denver-area Airbnb. The Youngfield in Denver West-Golden is perfectly located - just 10 miles from Downtown Denver, 10 from Red Rocks Amphitheater, 30 from Boulder, and under 70 from Estes Park (home to the Stanley Hotel and entrance to the Rocky Mountains), it's right in the middle of many things visitors will have on their itineraries.

In addition to being centrally located, the private suite is incredibly nice, reasonably priced, and has a five-star rating! Ratings are everything in my book. If someone has a sub-par experience, they don't hold back. So the fact that Jason has 163 reviews that have earned him five stars for all six Airbnb categories (including accuracy, communication, location, cleanliness, check in, and value) really shows what a gem his property is. And shows that my review isn't biased, since we're friends.

Upon arrival I quickly discovered why the coveted perfect rating is in place. Jason has taken every opportunity to provide comfort and a real sense of home to his visitors. From a bed that may literally be made of clouds (OK, it's actually an organic, latex queen), to a fridge stocked with fresh fruits, chocolate croissants, and a plethora of other options, and a bathroom with every supply you could imagine, there was not a thing that we wanted for during our stay. In fact, I have home envy! It was nicer that any apartment I've ever lived in, and with more amenities.

Here are just a few of the many features of The Youngfield:

• In-suite washer and dryer
• Roku - Netflix, SlingTV, etc.
• Free WiFi
• Microwave
• Keurig coffee maker with a variety of organic coffee K-cups
• Pull out sofa bed (in addition to main bed)
• Backyard hot tub
• Whisper quiet fan with remote

While staying at The Youngfield, Jason is very friendly and happy to have conversations with you and provide area recommendations, but if you like to keep to yourself, no worries. The garden-level suite is attached to the main home, but there's a private entrance so you can come and go as you please.

If you travel to the Denver area, I highly recommend The Youngfield. The price is well under most hotel rooms and much nicer, and you're sure to love the suite and location. To be quite honest, I'm not sure of any other Airbnb will compare after this experience.

Visit The Youngfield Airbnb listing for more info and to book your stay!

Ole Smoky Moonshine, Deliciously Authentic

Bold, yet subtle. Prominent, yet unassuming. Old, yet new.

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine is full of wonderful juxtapositions that have catapulted the brand into the position of an industry leader while remaining true to their Appalachian roots.

All around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, you'll see people carrying newly purchased products in Ole Smoky logo-clad gift bags. And upon entering their flagship store, The Holler, you're immediately overcome by the sheer amount of moonshine choices, beautifully stacked in rows across every wall. You know that Ole Smoky has something special before you've even tasted a drop.

I stopped by the Ole Smoky Distillery and spent time with Johnny, one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys I've had the pleasure of meeting. He took me behind the scenes to see how their moonshine is made, talked about his family history (his nephew started the company based off century-old family recipes), and took some shots with us while explaining just how special the brand is to the history of alcohol. And indeed, it is special.

Moonshine became legal in Tennessee in 2009. By 2010, Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine was in business as the first federally licensed moonshine distillery in East Tennessee. In the beginning, the family made and sold moonshine to keep themselves afloat, as many early Smoky settlers did. Generations later, when Ole Smoky opened shop, seven employees sold product out of a store window. Seven years later, it has expanded into three locations with two distilleries, and they sell their moonshine jars in 50 states and over 50 countries. A feat that's wildly incredible! Adding to the list, news just broke last week that they have partnered with Yee-Haw Brewing Co. and Music City Roots to open an entertainment complex in Nashville within the next year. I imagine the venture to be huge.

Exponential growth sometimes leads to the sacrifice of product, but that's far from the case for the world's most visited distillery. As I learned firsthand, their creative concoctions are ever-growing (they've even added whiskey to their product list) and the flavors are delicious. In fact, Ole Smoky is so proud of their variety they let the customers try before they buy. For $5, visitors can sample 13 flavors. If patrons buy anything, that $5 goes toward the purchase. Can't beat that!

I partook in a sampling and was amazed at the smoothness and variety. From straight-to-the-point, 128 proof Blue Flame to 35 proof coffee-flavored Mountain Java cream liqueur moonshine, Ole Smoky has you covered whether you want a stiff drink or something to sip on. No matter what I tried, I was pleased to find that all of the shots were smooth. I imagined I'd be choking down burning liquid, but it was quite the opposite. I savored each shot and able to really appreciate the flavors. That being said, the Blue Flame was presented in a thimble-sized shot glass, so when you drink the harder stuff don't forget it's moonshine. As Johnny explained, "You don't go lookin' for the moonshine, it will find you."

What may have surprised me the most was the Ole Smoky Whiskey. I am not a fan of whiskey at all so when I saw two flavors in the tasting lineup I was hesitant to try, but ended up loving their varieties. In fact, I took a bottle of the Salty Caramel home with me it was so good. I recently spotted Caramel Apple on the Ole Smoky site and I really want to try it but it's only offered at the distillery. Seems like a great excuse for a return trip!

Between the moonshine, moonshine-soaked fruit, and whiskey, there are just about 40 flavors to choose from and I can confidently say there's something for everyone who enjoys alcohol. From now on, any time I attend a gathering I'll be bringing the Ole Smoky. Consider picking up a bottle if you're attending a New Year's Eve party. You'll quickly become everyone's favorite guest.

To locate a store selling Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine in your area, check out the Get a Jar feature on the Ole Smoky site.

Disclaimer: I was hosted at Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed here are accurate and my own, and not influenced by the company in any way.

Ghost and Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg Thrills

As a self-proclaimed ghost tour aficionado, I make it a point to book one in every city I visit. My most recent was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While researching the best options in the area, I came across Ghost & Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg and knew this was the tour for me! It not only looked legit, but had equipment that I thought was a fun touch. That equipment lead to a haunting experience.

Ghost tours are a great way to get history of the location you're visiting, see the area at a slower pace, and have a little fun while hearing ghost stories. I've taken several ghost tours all over the country. Whether you're a believer or skeptic, in my opinion, there is something for everyone. I took the tour with my dad who doesn't get into ghost stories, but throughout the night I saw him snapping pictures and he couldn't come up with logical answers to a few questions.

Our night started with an explanation of what to expect, along with an introduction to several "ghost hunting" instruments. As soon as our guide showed us a spirit/ghost box I was excited because I had never seen one before. Essentially they pick up what a ghost is saying and it displays on the box. As we were embarking on the tour ours popped up with "blog" which freaked me out! That's not a common word for a ghost to know - especially the ones who have been gone for centuries!

So here's where the skeptical part creeps in, because even if you believe, you have to be discerning. Did they program the spirit box for me, knowing that I'd see it? As our guide explained how each worked, we would request to use the item. When we got to the box, I asked to use it. There were four boxes and seven guests. So my thinking is that if it was programmed for me, so I'd read blog, how would they know which box to give me? They couldn't anticipate that I'd even request to use that item. Some of us were getting overlapping words. So maybe they all said blog? I did something I normally don't and announced that I was doing a blog review. I think if any other guest saw blog pop up they'd have said. Also, only three words appear at a time on the box. Sometimes the words don't change, sometimes they pop up so fast it's hard to catch them, and sometimes words repeat. My dad is the one who pointed out blog and I saw it but new words popped up so fast I didn't get a picture of the screen. The photo above is a log of words that came up during the tour, illustrating the word blog. If they were tricking me, they probably would have programmed the word to pop up several times to ensure I'd see it.

The box itself can be pretty creepy! We were all getting words like death, beware, etc. So maybe they are words that the company programmed? But then again, we experienced something that made us think it could be real. We kept getting Robert. That's my grandpa's name but it's also pretty common so no big deal. Then we got Robert, console, and funeral. We were going to my grandpa's sister's funeral in a few days. Weird. I had also seen Nana around the other three words and told my dad that the word didn't fit. That surprised him because, unknown to me, they all used to call his grandma Nana. Goosebumps!

In addition to the freaky box, the tour itself was great. Our guide was wonderful. She interacted with guests as they read messages from their boxes and asked questions, did a fantastic job of telling us stories all night, and at each stop along the way showed us photos with strange orbs, lights, and even faces(!) taken by previous tour guests.

Added scary bonus: we saw a wild bear while walking around! Our guide had warned us they often look for food late at night and we may see them in certain areas. But then it happened and we were all a bit unsure of how to react to a 300+ lb wild bear. It was about 50 yards from us and could care less that we were in the area, but the rest of the night we made sure to be aware of our surroundings.

So if you hadn't gathered yet, I highly recommend this ghost tour. Days after, we found ourselves still talking about the experience. We really enjoyed the tour - even my dad the skeptic!

To book a tour with Ghost & Haunt Tours of Gatlinburg, head on over to their site. If you book online and use code ghost2off, you'll save $2.