Maggie McKneely

From the Mission, Zach took us through Old Town Scottsdale and gave us a brief history of the city, including the story of Winfield Scott and his intrepid wife, Helen, and how they came to found a community in the isolated Arizona desert in the 1800s. I’ve always thought that if a Thai restaurant can’t make Pad Thai, then it must be a failure of a Thai restaurant. Zach, however, told us that to truly measure the worth of a Thai restaurant, you have to try the Tom Ka Gai soup, a coconut-based ginger soup, with lemongrass, mushrooms, and other Thai spices. Arizona Food Tours was an excellent way to get to try some of the best food that Scottsdale has to offer and learn a lot about the community along the way.

You’ll receive two 24″ Landmass Goods scratch-off travel maps—one of the United States, and one of the world (and they’re pretty cool looking This Giveaway is open only to individuals who are permanent legal residents of the United States of America, Canada, & the United Kingdom. Winner notification: Winner be will be chosen at random on 11/23/2020 at 5pm Central Standard Time. By entering the sweepstakes, you agree to sign up to receive newsletters and special offers from Global Debauchery, The Bucket List Project, Pink Caddy Travelogue, and Landmass Goods.

’s Bunion is one of the best hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a great choice for a day-hike from Pigeon Forge. Once you complete the relatively easy 1.3-mile hike to Grotto Falls, you’ll be surprised to find that you can actually walk behind the falls. Along the Cades Cove loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you’ll find a little gravel road that leads to a large parking area at the trailhead for Abram Falls. At 6,643ft, Clingmans Dome is the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains, yet the hike to the top is one of the easiest in the park and very family-friendly, making it one of the best hikes near Pigeon Forge.

Offered on Friday and Saturday evenings after the distillery has closed to the public, the mixology tour is designed for small groups, parties, special celebrations, or for people who just prefer feeling like VIPs (*raises hand*). After the tour, it was back to cocktail mixing, this time using Sevier Distilling Co.’s Tennekeela and Tennodka, their own riffs of tequila and vodka. Sevier Distilling Co. is the real-deal: they’re producers of small-batch, high-quality products, the staff truly cares that every guest has a great time, and the site is modern and immaculate. While I have no doubt their free daily tour is worth doing, the mixology class was the perfect way to get a more intimate look inside the distillery, get to know the staff, and spend a Friday evening out on the town with some actual education thrown in.