Stop #1 - Fox & Fig ~ Savannah, GA
First we met my college BFF and college roomie Jenn for delicious brunch at plant-based Fox and Fig Cafe in the quaint area of downtown Savannah. I haven't seen her in so long so it was a real treat to catch up <3 This cafe has so many delicious options ranging from pancakes and waffles, to smoked shroom mac n cheese bowls, to eggless quiche, to a full ranged of baked goods to burgers, along with coffee and beers and so much more. Everything is homemade and completely plant-based. They have outdoor seating and are dog friendly. I enjoyed the smokey mac n shrooms bowl, Josh got the eggless quiche and Jenn got a fox burger. Josh also grabbed a cookie to go and everything was fantastic!
Stop #2 - Fern, Flavors from the Garden ~ Charlotte, NC
Delivery, Delivery!! We had been planning on seeing a couple of our favorite humans Cody & Kea in Charlotte during our road trip and in the midst of the planning process had been in communication with them about a very special dog. Blue had been in and out of the shelter system in Gainesville Fl for years... and was a favorite of Cody's when he had worked at Alachua County Animal Services. It took some teamwork of a bunch of great volunteers and staff but we were lucky to play a small role in uniting Blue with Cody and Kea (AKA his NEW family!) who now lived in Charlotte but knew that he was meant to be with them. The timing was perfect and we were traveling dogless so we felt honored to be able to make the delivery of a very special dog with two very special people that we love so dearly.
We all shared some crabless wontons and enjoyed a couple of seitan steaks from Vegetarian restaurant Fern, Flavors from the Garden in Charlotte. A little tough (like real steak I suppose..) but still delicious! They have a variety of options on their fully vegetarian menu, many of which are vegan or can be made vegan. A really nice place with fine outdoor seating and of course also dog friendly.
Stop #3 - Artisen VEGAN Gelato ~ Matthews, NC
Now, this place knocked our socks off. So glad Cody and Kea recommended we all go here. The whole place is vegan and they have a TON of gelato flavors! They even have gelato cakes. Seriously - I got a cup of Key Lime Pie and Mint Chocolate. They literally had every flavor under the sun and all these dense and creamy plant-based gelato flavors are absolutely to die for. They'll let you sample all of them if you want. They're also dog-friendly and welcomed Blue right into the place! As you can see he enjoyed the experience just as much as we did :) If you're ever in the Charlotte area you've got to go here!
Stop #4 - Rocky Knob Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway, VA
We had to squeeze in some camping of course, so we pitched a tent out in the wilderness in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains at Rocky Knob Campground in Virginia. The weather was perfect, the campground was quiet and clean and we enjoyed a nice hike in the morning. Virginia is for lovers and we really enjoyed exploring the rustic and peaceful feel of being in the mountains which we had missed so much since our last trip. We also explored the area further and stopped at Mabry Mill which was a beautiful picturesque scene.
Stop #5 - Downtown Roanoke ~ Roanoke, VA
The only time I had ever heard of the town of Roanoke was from a season of American Horror Story, so I honestly didn't know that there was such an adorable and hoppin' little downtown area! We stopped to explore some of the local shops, an outdoor artisan market and of course scouted the area for vegan eats. Disappointed to find that an entirely vegan sub shop called Zeze's had recently closed down, we found the Roanoke Co-op which had a bunch of vegan sandwiches and snacks so we grabbed some lunch for the road and continued on our road trippin' journey.
Stop # 6 - Luray Caverns ~ Luray, Virginia
SO COOL. Okay, so we wanted to explore somewhere new while in Virginia and unique. In our mountain exploring we have already done a lot of waterfall hikes before but never explored underground caverns so we made a point to stop at these gorgeous caverns just a few hours outside of DC. The visit was so worth every penny and I highly recommend that anyone who is ever in this area check out Luray caverns! Our tour guide was so informative and great, the group was small and the caverns themselves absolutely did not disappoint. The tour was about an hour long and allows the chance to explore and view all the caverns and their aw-stricken beauty. Naturally formed under the ground, the land above also contains the home with the world's first air conditioning where the home would have vents that allowed cavern air (which is much cooler, being in the 50's-60's) to flow into the house. The caverns are all 100% natural but have clearly human-created pathways, lighting and railings to make it tourist-friendly. This just makes it easier to view and appreciate the caverns without touching or destroying them while walking through. Seriously, mind-blowing. The site also has a toy museum, a historical museum with ancient artifacts, zip-lining, a garden maze and a cafe. Here are a bunch of photos which honestly do no justice to the caverns.. these were taken on an iphone and I have some photos on my camera I haven't gotten to go through yet, but you seriously have to see them in person to fully appreciate the natural beauty.
Stop # 8 - Good ole' Jersey!
Finally we made it to my best gal Kelly's home in South Jersey where she and her husband Mark kindly hosted us for most of our trip. Brody and Scrapple made sure we enjoyed the most hospitable stay possible. People tend to think of Josh and I as Floridians now, but many forget that we both lived most of our lives in New Jersey and both met at Rutgers. We didn't move to Gainesville until after we got married in June of 2014. I'm a Jersey girl at heart and even if you take the girl out of Jersey you can never take the Jersey out of the girl!
Stop # 9 - Monarch Diner ~ Glassboro, NJ
How could we NOT stop at a diner that 1. has a full vegan menu, and 2. is named after my favorite species? Going here to meet my dear friend Karlee to catch up was no mistake... (or should I say with vegan human, no "missed steak")... because we thoroughly enjoyed the fully loaded vegan fries which included chunks of delicious seitan on them, and my out-of-this-world Beyond "meatball" sub with marinara and homemade cheese sauce plus a side of home-fries. Highly highly recommend this place for any vegans in South Jersey!
Stop # 10 - Cape May Point ~ Cape May, NJ
My Heart. I grew up spending weekends and summers of most of my childhood in Cape May. Josh and I spent our last year living in NJ living in good ole' Cape May, while he worked on an oyster farm and I assisted with field work research to help protect Piping Plovers and monarch butterflies. The long drive down there was beautiful enough as we finally got a little taste of fall with the changing leaves on some of my favorite back roads.
We stopped by to visit our old neighbors and then did a little exploring on my old stomping grounds at Cape May Point where I would catch and tag monarchs and lead shorebird tours for the public. A monarch sign I painted still exists in the triangle garden at the point, a monarch hot spot! There's so much magic in Cape May that you'll never fully understand unless you've been here. The magic in the summer time when it's filled with beach-going tourists is far different than the magic in the fall when birders and nature enthusiasts from all over the world come travel far and wide to see the annual bird and monarch migration pass through the small town of Cape May. We got in a full jam packed day of Cape May exploring and I am so thankful we did because touching ground with the nature trails at the point and seeing the lighthouse again made my heart very very full <3 I also was greatful to be able to grab an XL $1 vegan pumpkin spice coffee at WAWA. Still waiting for a Wawa to be built in Gainesville..
Stop # 11 - Philly! ~ Philadelphia, PA
A trip to NJ would not feel complete if I couldn't see two of my best high school pals. I honestly did not have a ton of true friends in high school and the people I still keep in touch with to this day is limited. These two gems, Lauren and Heather were my best friends from art class and our friendships stuck for years after, even as we moved all over the country and all went to different colleges. We all prepared ourselves for prospective art careers in high school (ironically, I was the only one of us that didn't pursue an art related college path) yet we all wound up being creative professionals to this day which is really crazy. With such diverse schedules, we STILL found a way to all reunite in the parking lot of Heather's work early in the morning where we reminisced on old times, caught up with what we've all been doing these days and shared in a magical moment of all being together even if it was for less than an hour. I then went back to Lauren's place in Philly where we walked her dogs and she had prepared a DELICIOUS home cooked vegan breakfast for Josh and I, and we continued catching up on life. A nice and intimate visit to what had always been the "city" for me when I lived in Jersey was really nice and refreshing, and we left right before Lauren had to start her work day and continued road trippin' our way back into Jersey and up the state.
Stop # 12 - South Jerz again
Alisha had been a family friend that was always a part of my life since I was a kid. Life-guarding my childhood pool parties, giving me reptile veterinary advice and medical care for all my exotic pets through college, and constantly being a big supporter of my art, she's always been a friend and part of my family. She was off from work and gave us some time to catch up and I loved getting to hang out with her and her daughter Lilly who was an infant last time I saw her.
Stop # 13 - Boardwalk Shreddin' ~ Belmar Beach, NJ
Met up with our good friend and one of Josh's besties Dan at the beach! The boys enjoyed skim boarding in the water and then the three of us long-boarded along the boardwalk. Josh and Dan go back to freshman year of college where they had always hung out at Belmar so I know this visit really meant a lot to them both to relive some old memories and I enjoyed sharing it with them! Dan just got back from living in Australia and was leaving for California just days after our visit with him, so it was kind of mean-to-be that we caught him while we were all in Jersey!
Stop # 14 - Rutgers and Seed Burger ~ New Brunswick, NJ
Another meaningful town for us! The Brunz is where Josh and I first met and fell in love and shared plenty of good times in the first few years of our relationship while we were both at Rutgers University. We stopped to visit our old campus, and went into downtown New Brunswick which has wayyy more vegan restaurants and hoppin' places than it did when we went there. We got delicious burgers at a new place called Seed Burger right on Easton Ave.! You can pick from a ton of plant-based burgers and mix and match them too. I got a homemade black bean patty and a buffalo chik'n patty. They have a few others including the Beyond and the Impossible Burgers. Their curly fries with cheese sauce are outstanding! If you're in the Brunz you've gotta check this place out. A bunch of Josh's best friends came to meet us for dinner and we all enjoyed some vegan eats and hung out at a nearby bar afterwards.
Stop # 15 - Mt. Tammany ~ Warren, NJ
The next day we hit up Mt. Tammany hiking trail in northern New Jersey. How stupid I feel for never knowing about or exploring any of New Jersey's mountains in my 24 years of living there. New Jersey may be small but Southern Jersey where I lived most of my life is very different from North Jersey. Mt. Tammany is part of the Appalaichan trail and includes a gorgeous view of the Delaware water gap. Josh's best friends Taylor and Elliot and my soul sister Kim joined us for this strenuous hike. It was so amazing spending time with them all and enjoying such a beautiful trail in nature. Highly recommend this hike - it is a bit challenging but the view is so worth it, and the hike down includes a gorgeous swimming area and waterfall trail. Kim brought us some vegan egg, cheese and hashbrown bagel breakfast sandwiches from some local joint near her in Medford, NJ and HOT DAYM they were seriously sooo good. What a great way to start the day! <3
Stop # 16 - Leona and 3 Brothers ~ Lynbrook, NY
Later that night we spent some time with some family and spent our last night at Kelly's. We packed up the next day, grabbed some smoothies and pretzels from the Philly Pretzel Factory (Josh's favorite!) and headed for New York. After a long day of traffic hurdles (expected of course) we made it to his grandma's home in Long Island. We were SO excited to go to what is literally my absolute favorite restaurant I've ever been to. Leona and 3 Brothers Restaurant is an authentic Italian eatery with an almost entirely vegan menu and one page in the back of non-vegan options. Our favorite thing on the menu so far is seitan parmesan so we ordered that again, which came with a side of penne pasta that we got with vodka sauce, and I got their special of almond cheese ravioli with both alfredo sauce and vodka sauce for dipping in. We shared the fried mac n cheese bites as an appetizer and got a chocolate peanut butter bomb for dessert. Seriously, some of the best food I have ever had, I recommend this place times a million... definitely worth checking out next time you're in Long Island! They also have two other New York restaurants we haven't been to, 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe, and 3 Brothers Vegan Cafe.
Stop # 17 - Sunken Meadow State Park ~ Kings Park, NY
We needed to get back out into nature and decided to explore some hiking trails and gorgeous beaches in Long island at Sunkey Meadow State Park. The trails went through a variety of habitats including wetlands, beaches, and forested mountain trails. We spent a few hours exploring this beautiful area. It was windy and a bit cold but a much appreciated break from Florida weather.
Stop # 18 - Sagamore Hill ~ Cove Neck, NY
We hit up a little farm stand on our way back to get some locally brewed apple cider and fresh picked apples. A little taste of fall that we really have been missing in Florida! We then visited Theodore Roosevelt's house at Sagamore Hill National Historic site which included a hiking trail behind his home and a pathway to the beach. The farm area in front of his home was jam-packed with milkweed that just had gone to seed, but I bet during the summer this is a hot spot for monarchs! We only saw one monarch while we were there, but I bet a little earlier in the season there are tons that pass through as they migrate.
Stop # 19 - Witches Brew Coffee House ~ West Hempstead, NY
OK - so Leona and 3 Brothers might be my favorite restaurant but the Witches Brew is by far my favorite cafe. As a witchy gal myself, I totally fell in love with the gothic and magikal atmosphere of this all vegetarian and vegan cafe that has a full menu of food, about 10 pages of creatively flavored coffees and teas, and an entire display of freshly baked desserts, 2 shelves of which are fully vegan! It's Halloween year-round at this place and a stop you absolutely cannot pass up if you're in the area. Josh and I shared a Tempeh Reuben, I absolutely fell in love with my "Halloween" flavored latte, and we thoroughly enjoyed the apple crumble cheesecake and apple cider doughnuts!
Stop # 20 - Champs Diner ~ Brooklyn, NY
On our way out of New York the next day we stopped at an all vegan diner in Brooklyn called Champs! This place is INCREDIBLE and the food was outstanding, oh my gosh. Josh got a loaded breakfast plate with vegan eggs (best tofu scramble I've EVER had), pancakes, sausage and home fries. I got a loaded mac n cheese bowl and a birthday cake/cookie dough milkshake to go. If you're in Brooklyn YOU MUST GO HERE.
Stop # 21 - #Pironeandonly Wedding ~ Parsippiny, NJ
And the reason we road tripped our way up to NJ in the first place.. Josh's best friend Shannon was getting married! Shannon and Chris' wedding was beautiful in every way and Josh really enjoyed the time he got to spend with his best friends from high school that he doesn't see very often. The night was amazing, and we joined in for the after party for a couple hours before we had to get to bed to arise for another long morning of driving the next day.
Stop # 22 - Washington DC
Our last day of road tripping was a straight drive through back down to Florida because I had to prepare for an art exhibition the next day (and had been prepping my labels and art inventory on my laptop all week long while we traveled!). Since we traveled up with a rescue dog in tow to give him his happy tail ending, we obviously had to balance the trip out and rescue a dog on our way down as well. We made a pit stop in DC to snag a dog from the rescue we foster with, Plenty of Pit Bulls, who had been adopted a few years ago and was now unwanted by her owner and not in the best care. Preventing sweet Tilly's potential fate at being dumped at a local shelter we picked her up and got her reunited with her previous foster mom in Jacksonville where she now is getting healed back to good health and on a road of recovery to a loving forever home. Our drive back was otherwise uneventful besides a few stops at South of the Border and Taco Bell with sweet Tilly.
Home Sweet Home!
We finally made it home just a little past midnight (we are great at making good time while driving) to give the Prius a much needed rest after a long week of taking us all over the place, ranging from Florida, to the mountains, to New York beaches, to so many cities, the southern-most and northern-most points of New Jersey and every point in between. I got up early the next week to get right back to work after a nice vacation to finish preparations for my current art exhibit at Satchel's Pizza in Gainesville! A great local joint for regular and vegan pizza, calzones and salads in a fun atmosphere. My art will be displayed and for sale there until November 2 so make sure if you get to Satchel's this month you check it out :)
We absolutely love to travel and road trips are totally our thing. We really missed having our dogs with us on this trip (we usually travel with them) but were so happy to have been able to help a couple of dogs in need throughout our trip! Reminiscing on this road trip makes me realize that we seriously covered a LOT of territory in just 9 days and saw so many people and did so many things. Our trips and travel are never uneventful and we always pack in as much as humanly possible. You only live once.. only so much time to do and see everything! Thanks for reading :)
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