Over the summer, I traveled to different parts of Tennessee with my boyfriend’s mom to pick him up from Lincoln Tech. Lincoln Tech is in Nashville, so that’s where we started our trip. We got there late at night, and then we picked him up in the morning and got him all packed up. Before leaving to head to Sevierville, we went antiquing at a little shop nearby. I found some really old newspapers, dolls, and even some signed records of Elvis Presley, which I thought was cool. Overall, I would say Nashville is a very busy, hectic place with a ton of traffic. I enjoyed being there for a couple of days, but I would be okay with not going again and going somewhere else in Tennessee. After we were done in Nashville, we went on to get some lunch from Cookout and then headed to Sevierville to our hotel. 

The next day, we went shopping in some little stores on the strip in Sevierville. We went to some beach-like stores, some clothing stores, and even a metal-making store, where I bought a nice keychain for my dad. Then, we headed to get some lunch at The Old Mill Restaurant, which was a country-style place. I got chicken and dumplings, collard greens, and mashed potatoes. It was so good, and the service was very good. After that, we decided to head back to the hotel and go swimming in the pool. We spent a couple more days in Sevierville, and we went to a pirate dinner show one of the nights, which was cool. Sevierville is a tourist place, but it is nothing like Nashville. It is a lot more lowkey and easy to get around. Although it does get busy, you can still make the best of it and it is still enjoyable. If I were to stay in Tennessee, I would stay in Sevierville. 

The last place we went to was Gatlinburg. We decided to take a drive to Gatlinburg and go to Ripley’s Aquarium and do some shopping. I had never been to the aquarium, so my boyfriend’s mom decided to buy the whole package so I could get the full experience. It was so cool getting to see all the animals, and some of my favorites were the seahorses and the sharks. My dad and his friend fish every year at the beach for sharks, so I’m used to being close to sharks. I thought it was cool being able to walk through and have the sharks swimming on top of me. After the aquarium, we went shopping, and then we stopped at a milkshake spot, called The Crazy Mason. I got the banana pudding one, and it was incredible. I have never had anything like that, so I was very happy to see how they had decorated the milkshake. I even got to keep the cup!

Out of these three places, I would go back to Sevierville and Gatlinburg again. I liked Nashville, but it was just too crowded and chaotic for me to enjoy myself. Sevierville is more lowkey and a better place to stay for a week, and Gatlinburg is a good place to spend a day and do some shopping and exploring.

Included below is a map of the places I went to in Tennessee.

Over the past summer, I went to the beach with my family, and we went to a seafood restaurant called Lou Lou’s Waterfront Restaurant in Supply, North Carolina. The building was on the sound, and it had the most gorgeous view of the sunset over the water. They had plenty of seating inside and outside so plenty of people could eat there. Also, the decor on the inside really brought it all together. They had fake fish hanging from the ceiling, fake nets, and some really pretty artwork of Holden Beach all around the restaurant. Outside of the restaurant, they had hanging lights, painted patio tables, and plenty of bench seating so you could look at the water while you waited for a table. One of my favorite things they had were these blue turtles on the outside of the building underneath their sign. For me, it really pulled it all together. 

Now, let’s discuss the service. It was a pleasant experience, and the service was amazing considering how busy they were. They were always on top of things, and we never had to wait for anything for more than two minutes. The waitress we had was super nice, she was quick with our orders and was also engaging in conversations with us throughout the night. Even though she had a bunch of other tables to take care of, I could tell that she was putting in effort to make conversation with every table she had. My dad even asked the manager to come out so we could tell them how impressed we were with her service, and the manager was extremely pleased. With the service alone, I would definitely go back to this restaurant. 

Next, I want to talk about the food itself. I can’t say enough about the food we got. For the appetizer, we got hush puppies and some steamed shrimp to share with the table. I have never had such crunchy, buttery hushpuppies. They were absolutely incredible. I am a shrimp lover, so I was excited when my dad ordered the steamed shrimp. They were spicy and juicy, and we were all fighting over who was going to get the last one. For my entree, I ordered crab legs with corn, coleslaw, and french fries. The french fries were good, but there wasn’t anything special about them. I didn’t try the coleslaw, but my dad said it was pretty good, but a little too peppery for him. The corn was so buttery and crunchy, and I even asked my mom if I could have hers because she didn’t want it. It was too good to let it be thrown away. Lastly were the crab legs. These were so, so good. The shell was so easy to break apart, and the crab meat was so tender. That was definitely my favorite item from the night. 

Overall, I would rate this restaurant a 10/10. Everything about it was incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We have gone back a couple more times since that night, and I can say the experience is just as good every time. This restaurant is the definition of what a good restaurant should be.