Who else loves a fun beach weekend trip? I know I sure do! My best friend, Autumn and I packed up our bags and headed south to Daytona Beach, FL for a fun girls trip. 

Where to Stay

Luckily, my parent's live right near Daytona Beach, FL so I don't ever have to pay for a hotel or Airbnb! Thanks, mom & dad!

Airbnb - can't go wrong with a unique Airbnb

If you've never used Airbnb before, you can use my link, https://www.airbnb.com/c/abigailw436?currency=USD   This link will give you $40 off your next home booking AND $15 to use toward an experience that is worth $50 or more.

Where to Eat

Cocina 214 - located right on the beach which was definitely so much fun! Autumn and I both got the street tacos. They were hella delicious!! We even tried parking on the beach the next day in front of them so we could walk up but it was slammed pack by the time we already got there. 

Caribbean Jack's - such a cool local seafood restaurant. It is apart of a local marina and truly beautiful. The food was pretty good, I got the mahi-mahi with a side of steamed veggies. I think that the atmosphere made the place really fun. A ton of locals were at the bar... even a man with his pet parrot, Chewy. See the photo below!

Where to Drink

Coyette Ugly - Autumn freaked out when she saw this bar. She is a huge fan of the movie! It actually turned out to be really really fun. I definitely wanna go back next time I go home. You'll leave feeling super empowered if you're a woman ;).

Landshark - Yes, like the beer. We noticed this place whenever we had dinner at Cocina 214. It's in the same parking lot. We got there close to closing but it seemed like a cool place to go if you just wanted to hang out and relax by the beach.

What to Do

Hamburger Mary's - Going here was one of my biggest highlights of the trip. I'm a H U G E fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and I have been dying to go to a drag show. This one was so much fun!! 

The best part of it all was being able to give my sisters best friend, who is fighting 3 different forms of cancer at 20 years old, (*please pray hard for her*) a really fun night.

Beach - I mean....this is pretty obvious. Go to the BEACH! Daytona is pretty cool because you can actually pay to drive your car onto the beach. I do this every time we go; you don't have to worry about dragging all of your stuff down and packing it all backup. You just go to your trunk and BAM. THERE IT IS!

MOM MOMENT: Please don't forget to wear your sunscreen when you're at the beach :)

Where to Shop

Outlet Mall - not much to say here other than it's your typical outlet mall. I ran into H&M and found this dress for $30 plus some super cute Rolling Stones graphic t-shirts. I'm linking all of my outfits below.

         

       

         

       

     

        

Story Time

If you follow me on Instagram @abigailgwfn, you would already know that Autumn and I had a day of bad luck when we were on the way home from this trip. My sweet little red convertible, that I have had since I was 18, died on us going down the interstate about 2 1/2 hours away from home. Eric ended up coming to our rescue, thank GOD! 

I am SO excited for today's post because I was given the opportunity to stay at the new Crowne Plaza in North Augusta, SC. My 25th birthday was this past Friday so I figured this would be a great way to spend my birthday! The area that it is in is a huge development for North Augusta and I'm so happy to see our area growing!

LOCATION

The North Augusta Crowne Plaza is located right in downtown North Augusta, SC. It is also literally right across the bridge from downtown Augusta, GA (here is a link for my Augusta, GA travel guide). Eric and I went downtown after dinner and the Uber was only $6 so super close!

THE ROOM

Eric and I got a room on the third floor facing SRP Park (a local baseball stadium). The room's aesthetics were absolutely beautiful which makes my blogger heart v'happy. Eric and I have been dying to get a new king size bed so anytime we have the opportunity to sleep in one, we both get super excited. Luckily, this one was insanely comfortable and so were the pillows. Eric even made a comment that he should've looked to see what brand it was which says something cause he's a picky man!

AMENITIES

The Crowne Plaza has a variety of amenities. They have a full service restaurant, Salt + Marrow, which was delish! Eric and I both got steaks for dinner and it was really good! Eric said it was probably the best steak he had ever had. Plus the spicy margarita was definitely my favorite drink!

They also have an AMAZING rooftop bar, Jackson's Bluff. The drinks were sooo delish and the view was so nice! I'm personally so excited that we finally have a rooftop bar on the river. Eric and I spend 90% of our summer on the river during the spring and summer.


 They also offer a 24-hour fitness center which is great. Eric and I didn't use this since it was just for the night but I did peek my head in it and it looks so v'nice. PLUS they have a pool! Which is gonna be amazing during the spring and summer!

WOULD I GO BACK?

Absolutely! I would recommend this hotel to anyone that was planning on coming into town. I loved being able to spend my 25th birthday with Crowne Plaza and they definitely made my day so special! Thank you, Crowne Plaza for accommodating our stay. Crowne Plaza did provide us with a complimentary stay but all opinions are my own. Check out the hotel here!

Dress is c/o Swank

I'm all about a good weekend trip. 9 times out of 10 I will always choose to make a trip for the weekend. I try to save my longer vacations for the holidays. Plus ya girl can't handle being away from her sweet pups for too long.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

Mural on Broad Street

Where to Stay

The Partridge Inn - a gorgeous local inn that is really close to downtown Augusta. They have an amazing rooftop bar and so many Instagram worthy spots.

Airbnb - you can find some super cute places to stay through this service!

Where to Eat

Augusta Essentials 

Farmhaus Burger - one of my all time favorite restaurants. Eric and I eat here at least once a week. I love their grilled cheeses with a side of their gluten fries and a yummy hard cider. It's located downtown AUG. 

Nacho Mama - my favorite place to get margs + cheese dip. It's downtown AUG and such a chill place to eat at. Eric kills the burritos and I take down the nachos. 

Sole - this is my go to place for sushi. Plus on Wednesday's they have BOGO sushi rolls. It's downtown AUG.

The Southern Salad - this is my favorite lunch spots. They've got some of the yummiest salads and the best sweet teas. It's located in downtown AUG. Secret: they have the cutest garden in the back with the pettiest mural

Paige Salad at The Southern Salad

Honorable Mentions

Craft & Vine - they've got some great tapas plates + super fun champagne flutes. A very Instagram worthy place filled with delicious food. It's located in downtown AUG. 

Bodega Ultima - this use to be one of my favorite places to go to for brunch before my celiac diagnosis. Definitely try their frozen coffee and avocado toast. It's located in Surrey Center.

New Moon Cafe - one of my favorite places to grab a coffee from. They've got gluten free options as well. It's located downtown AUG.

Humanitree - an all vegan restaurant that has super delicious food options + juices. Located downtown AUG.

Sconyer's - one of the best BBQ places in Augusta. It's rated one of the best BBQ places in the South and v'delicious. Plus gluten free!

Where to Drink

Garden City Social - located in Downtown AUG, it's one of our newest a coolest bars. It's setup like you were going to the park. 

Stillwater - a local bar that is right next to Nacho Mama in downtown AUG. They usually always have a live band playing. 

Behind The Southern Salad

What to Do

Augusta Greenjackets - they've just built their new stadium right across the river in N. Augusta, SC. It's so pretty and they are building some new restaurants and shops opening up around it in the near future.

Augusta Candle Co. - you get to make customized candles! I haven't had a chance to go yet but I have several friends who have and I've heard nothing but great things about it! 

Westbou Gallery - I haven't had a chance to scroll through this art gallery but it's on my to do list. If you love art then definitely take time to scroll through

Where to Shop

Surrey Center - one of my favorite places to go for shopping. A few of my favorite stores are Swank, Soho and Fabri'k. You can also find some super delicious restaurants, a lot of the ones I mentioned below are located in Surrey Center.

Land of Thee - one of my all time favorite places to get local graphic t-shirts from! It's located in Kruhu in downtown Augusta.

The Augusta Market - every Saturday from March through November you can shop local and regional vendors. They usually have live music and it's right on the Riverwalk. 

The Garden City is one of my favorite places! I love witnessing downtown Augusta grow. I love being able to support all of the local businesses downtown. I've just named a few of my favorite places and things to do BUT what is some of your favorite places here in Augusta?