Frugal Foodie Mama: blogger retreat

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Drink Like a Local in Charlottesville, Virginia with Cville Hop On Tours

Offering guided winery, brewery, cidery, & distillery tours, Cville Hop On Tours takes the guesswork out of planning your next boozy tour of the Charlottesville, Virginia area...

Offering guided winery, brewery, cidery, & distillery tours, Cville Hop On Tours takes the guesswork out of planning your next boozy tour of the Charlottesville, Virginia area.
This post was created in partnership with Visit Charlottesville & Cville Hop On Tours. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.
This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.


Oops, I did it again... ;) I planned, hosted, & attended my second ever local bloggers retreat in Charlottesville, Virginia last month. Some of you all may recall my first Sip, Dine, & Shine retreat in Charles Town, West Virginia back in 2016. This year's venue may have changed, but it was awesome to get the ole gang back together again (Erin from Delightful E Made, Brianne from Cupcakes & Kale Chips, & Karyn from Pint Sized Baker). Nicole from Mediavine & Or Whatever You Do joined us as well on this year's retreat, and boy we were glad to have her!

We all stayed in a restored 1790 cabin tucked away at the end of a long gravel driveway about 45 minutes outside of Charlottesville. And while we certainly loved the seclusion & peacefulness of our rental home, it definitely made us all appreciate the fact that we had decided to book a winery tour with Cville Hop On Tours even more! It was definitely a much better choice than trying to pile all of us into one of our cars & winging it on our own to try & explore the local winery scene. ;)

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Hillbrook Inn & Spa- A European Style Country Inn in the West Virginia Hills

Enjoy a taste of European charm & elegance with a side of country hospitality at the Hillbrook Inn & Spa, a bed & breakfast tucked into the hills of eastern West Virginia...



Enjoy a taste of European charm & elegance with a side of country hospitality at the Hillbrook Inn & Spa, a bed & breakfast tucked into the hills of eastern West Virginia.


The Hillbrook Inn & Spa graciously provided the accommodations for our blogger retreat. All opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.








If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I attended & hosted my first ever blogger retreat earlier this month. Yes, folks- I planned and hosted a local blogger retreat! :)





The idea had been nagging at me for well over a year, and when an idea nags at me that long I know it is the universe trying to tell me something. So I listened, and in February I got in touch with my fellow food blogger friend, Karyn from Pint Sized Baker and brought her on board with the retreat planning. After a few months of legwork and networking and emails, Sip, Dine, & Shine 2016 had become a reality. 





We chose the Harpers Ferry area of West Virginia as it was an easy drive for all those invited. That was one thing I really wanted in a blogger retreat- no plane tickets, no travel hassles, no added expenses, no fuss. 





Just a little getaway with a few like-minded (& very talented) food bloggers in a laid back, country setting where we could sip on wine, chat all things blogging (and all things not blogging as well), and return home & to our blogs rejuvenated, inspired, and ready to shine.