Hey you guys Phoebe here from Little Grey Box with Matt behind the camera and
today we are on tour with the guys at Intrepid Travel and Travel South USA because
we are exploring the southern USA states of Tennessee, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia. Now in our last video we spent an amazing 24 hours in
Nashville so if you haven't seen that go back and watch it and then come back
right here so you are all caught up because in this video we are going to
Asheville and Charleston, woohoo!
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To help you travel well we're gonna be sharing all our experiences and travel
tips along this journey, now you guys if you don't already be sure to subscribe
and say hello in the comments below
Our day today started in Nashville where we
climbed into our Intrepid tour van and we did a bit of a road trip driving right
here to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park now I think that drive took around
four and a half hours maybe five with a couple of stops on the way it's gone
really quickly the drive is really easy if you're thinking about hiring a car
and doing a road trip yourself I would recommend we have had such a nice day
already today and it is only just the beginning and look at that picnic set up behind us
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So! The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the
US and when you tell people that they're usually like what you know I thought it
would be Grand Canyon or Yosemite, but I don't know if you noticed when we
came in we didn't have to pay an entrance fee. Back in the 1900s the
legislature of Tennessee passed a law saying that it was illegal to put any
tolls on a road that crossed over the Appalachian Mountains because that would
make it harder to get to Tennessee the other reason why this is the most
visited national park is that it is within a day's drive of about 65 percent
of the population of the US. Tonnes of different wildlife here, you have elk you
have black bears when you have a lot of trees especially deciduous trees they
kind of create their own atmosphere or their own like microclimates so when you
come out here at like early morning late evening you get these like tendrils of
fog that creep through the mountains and it gives off this really like purplish
glare to the hills in the background so that's why they're called the Great Smoky Mountains
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You guys this is beautiful Mikaela our Intrepid Tour Travel Guide and she's
gonna tell you all about our next stop.
So right now we are at Clingmans Dome
which is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park it's at
about six thousand, six hundred feet so roughly two thousand meters
we are in the greater Appalachian Mountain Range that stretches all the
way from Georgia to Maine and the mountains that you would see in Scotland and
Northern Ireland are part of this same mountain chain so it was formed before
the continents split apart so... its a pretty cool and unique area
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(drum-circle music)
All right so we had a huge travel day today, we drove a really long way and we are only just getting
taste of Asheville this evening we will be doing more tomorrow
But this is a really fitting start, every Friday night they have a drum-circle
which kicks off about 5 or 6pm right in this park in the heart of downtown Asheville
So if you are lucky enough to be here on a Friday be sure to come down here and check it out
I think it's really reflective of the vibe here in Asheville
This place is known as being the San Francisco of this region, very artsy, very hippy, very cool, very laidback
So get amongst it, BYO drum and enjoy the drum-circle
Our dinner here in Asheville is at a local Vegetarian restaurant called the Laughing Seed
now you guys their menu is chock full of vegetarian options, everythings vegetarian but they have loads of
vegan and gluten-free options too so if you do have some dietary requirements
this spot's ya jam and it's my jam and the menu looks amazing and this is what
has come out. This is my Tostada Ensalada with vegan ranch, all of this is vegan
it just looks and smells incredible, I'm so excited to eat it and because I'm an animal
and out of control, I made Matt share his burger with too, so I'm also going to have some of this...
Look at the smile on my face I'm so happy!
That is fantastic!
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Good morning you guys so we are waking up in Asheville this morning and we are
starting our day a really cool way now this is the local farmers market it is held
every Saturday from morning until noon and you won't forget where it is, it's a
market on Market Street and this is just fantastic I mean I can't tell you how
lovely the locals are it's such a distinctly welcoming inclusive community
feel here I absolutely love it there is so much beautiful fresh produce
gluten-free cakes, artisanal breads, gorgeous flowers cute dogs this is just a really good spot
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With a population of around 92,000 people, Asheville is a place that truly
embraces its Appalachian mountain heritage
there's a great art and music scene, plenty of craft breweries and great wine now this is all
set against the stunning backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We have loved our
time here and it's only been very brief and I wish we had longer but this
video is not over because we are about to jump in the van and we are going to head out to Charleston
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We have arrived in South Carolina, we are in Charleston staying at the KOA
Campground now as you can see there's a lot going on behind me we are setting up
our campground. Now the camping experience can be a typical part of an
Intrepid tour and I love it this is really fun it's nice to kind of mix it
up between lodgings and campgrounds so let me show you around a little bit then
Michaela is set up our kitchen area here so this is all under cover in case it
rains we're gonna be cooking dinner here we've got ice-cold beers great food
we're gonna have a campfire... if you are doing an Intrepid tour they
will supply the tents for you but you will need to bring the rest of your gear
if you are going to buy things from Walmart and you're only going to use it
once just make sure that you find a local charity that you can donate all of
that kind of stuff to once you are done with it
lest it goes to waste there are people who really need it could really benefit from
shelter and warmth and comfort. Here it is Michaela's been chopping wood we're
really excited we're got a delicious dinner planned, then we've got all of these
tents set up around me everyone's been putting those up... Tori who's just
scampering up in the background did an incredible job by herself and Matt and
I have set up a little love nest over here it's meant to be a four-man tent that
would be a bit of a tight fit we've got some inflatable mats for a bit of
cushioning we've got our suitcases in the middle I mean it's really the best
place to put them and then we've got our sleeping bags and our pillows all set up
it's really muggy so I have a feeling we're gonna have this open just remember
there are alligators in the south and there are alligator warning signs up
by the water so obviously you can't go swimming in there to cool down just keep that in mind
so as part of our camping experience we are of course
making our own dinner we are in team A so we are gonna cook tonight
and Team B are gonna wash up tonight and then tomorrow we'll switch roles we are
making a delicious pasta dish, it's gonna be gluten-free vegan option available
It's all happening!
(music over indistinct chatter)
Low and slow, that's the South USA way
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Founded in 1670 Charleston is South Carolina's largest
and oldest city and it's known for its beautiful cobblestone streets
horse-drawn carriages and pastel-coloured antebellum houses
it's also home to the federal stronghold of Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War rang out
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So shortly after its founding Charleston became very wealthy very quickly because of the indigo and the
rice trade later on tobacco and cotton as well, of course, this is all done
entirely because they enslaved Africans but because it grew so quickly and it
was in like a port city it accumulated a lot of wealth the wealthiest city in the
the colony by the 1700s and because of that they were the first to like bring a
lot of like culture over to the U.S. so this is the Dock Street Theatre
one of the first theatres in the Americas
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We are doing something really special this morning, we are doing a Gospel Brunch at Halls Chophouse
So something I have really been loving on this trip is trying Southern Food I mean is
legendary and I was so excited to get into the scene and you guys it has not disappointed
every meal we've had has been fantastic and this one is no exception
My food is delicious they did me up a big veggie plate they've been so accommodating of
all our dietary needs so I want to say thank you to Halls Chophouse and everybody who's helped us
food we can eat, now I've got some I've got greens here, I've never had collared greens
before I just took my first bite and they are delicious
with the fried potatoes, Matt's gone for the breakfast eye fillet mignon with a side of eggs
and I'm gonna let you in on a little secret in my handbag here
my little secret weapon
Habanera hot sauce
It's soooo good
down there is a French toast like nothing I've ever seen before
everything is tasting delicious and is washed down perfectly with a brunch Mimosa
(amazing gospel music)
(I mean! Listen to that voice!!!)
(amazing gospel music)
I am blown away you know places in Europe often throw it off as being
particularly romantic spots like Paris but I have to tell you Charleston has this
incredibly old-world elegance romantic charm to it it is absolutely beautiful
I feel like Scarlett O'Hara Debutant Ball it's so beautiful the houses everything
is so charming and lush and green and then the people are absolutely lovely it has
taken me by surprise I didn't expect it to be this amazing and while this is all part
of our Intrepid Travel tour of course but this would be a great addition to any
itinerary for a road trip through the Southern USA states I think I could
easily spend four or five days here it's absolutely beautiful but if you are
short on time two would be a good number
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Come down to East Bay Street and you'll find Rainbow Row! so this is a
beautiful collection of pastel colored antebellum houses and not only are they
beautiful and straight out of your Instagram fantasies they are full of
history and some of them I believe you can actually get into to visit but even
if you don't want to do that it is well worth coming along and strolling this
street just to soak in the history and then go for a little bit of a walk along
the water's edge as well
We are at Boone Hall Plantation a place with direct ties
to the South's history of slavery Matt and I believe it's incredibly important
to pay something like this the respect it deserves and not in any way
diminish or trivialize it. Travel has given us incredible opportunities to
learn from visiting concentration camps in Germany to the Killing Fields in Cambodia
each one has been an opportunity for us to learn to humanize
the history to better understand the struggles of others and gain a deeper
understanding and appreciation for what other people have gone through
It isn't about guilt, it isn't about shame and for us we don't mind coming here
because it's an opportunity to learn and better ourselves as humans
Boone Hall is one of America's oldest working plantations
continually growing crops for over 320 years
it features a large colonial revival plantation house and historic Avenue of the Oaks
The plantation includes a slave Street with nine Antebellum brick cabins
built between 1790 and 1810 and a slave Street such as this one is considered
be a rarity there are also guided tours that you can join and I would really
recommend that you to it's going to give you some valuable insight into the
history and help you trace the struggles of those who lived here
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After a big day of exploring we are back here at our campsite and you would just
not believe how beautiful it is here we've got some cold beers we are going
to sit around the campfire with our new friends and just enjoy our last
night here in Charleston because tomorrow we are off to Savannah but not
before we have our campfire and our last camp dinner together
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after that delicious dinner that brings this video to an end you guys I really
hope you have enjoyed it now if you don't already a be sure to subscribe and
say hey y'all in the comments below have a great weekend and I'll see you next week
Love ya!