Honeymoon: Town & Country

SAVOR THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS DOWN SOUTH

by Patricia Canole

Who doesn’t love nightlife, shopping and gourmet cuisine? Yet, you may also want to get back to nature to explore and unwind. Why not have both on your honeymoon? If you have only a week, spend a night or two in town before roaming off to the bucolic countryside for some great adventures.

TENNESSEE

Nashville, Tennessee

TOWN Whether you're a little bit country or more rock ‘n’ roll, you'll find plenty to do in Nashville. This country music center boasts great nightlife and amazing dining. Located in the heart of Tennessee's rolling hills, the city also offers a wealth of fun that you can enjoy with or without cowboy boots. Be sure to see a show at the Grand Ole Opry and for historians, spend a few hours and see a Nashville of yesteryear at Belle Meade Plantation. Nearby you’ll thrill at seeing the historic Ryman Auditorium. 
Where to stay: The1910 Beaux Arts-style Hermitage Hotel  (thehermitagehotel.com) is an architectural masterpiece, with Italian marble columns, intricate moldings and walnut wall panels. The staff will draw you a bath and sprinkle the floor with rose petals, it's enough to convince you that Southern hospitality is alive and well.

Blackberry Farm, Tennessee

COUNTRY About four hours east, you’ll find 850 miles of hiking trails, rushing waterfalls—and guaranteed wildlife sightings. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Southern Appalachians beckons year-round, but is at its best during autumn, where the mountains resemble a patchwork quilt of gold, green, red and yellow. 
Where to stay: The best way to take in the mist-shrouded panorama might be from a rocking chair on the terrace of Blackberry Farm (blackberryfarm.com), a 4,200-acre estate located in the town of Walland. This hotel evokes an English manor house, with guest rooms divided among a colony of cottages.Explore the countryside: You’ll find plenty of riding stables, hiking trails and later soothe those muscles at the spa.

TEXAS

San Antonio, Texas

TOWN It's no wonder San Antonio is the most-visited city in Texas: It offers visitors culture, history and entertainment. See the largest collection of Latin American folk art at one museum. For history lovers, there's the Mission Trail, including both the Alamo and hauntingly beautiful Mission Concepcion. After a day of exploring, relax at one of  the Riverwalk’s fine eateries. 
Where to stay: The Omni La Mansión del Rio (omnihotels.com), sits on the Riverwalk, and offers a taste of Spanish colonial style. Its intricate archways and tile work, Mexican and Spanish antiques and wrought iron fixtures.

Rose Hill Manor, Texas

COUNTRY Just an hour's drive from San Antonio, is Texas’ Hill Country, one of the Lone Star State's most picturesque secrets. Fields of wildflowers stretch for miles, and antiques shops and wineries dot the landscape—which seems to stretch forever beneath the warm Texas sun. 
Where to stay: After a day of exploring, the 40-acre Rose Hill Manor (rose-hill.com), just outside of Fredericksburg, is the ideal spot to unwind. Sip iced tea in a rocking chair on the country-style porch, or curl up with a book in the library with a glass of local wine.

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