Girl Who Travels

Travel Date: March 2026

The car is packed, the playlist is set, and we are officially hitting the road! Today marks day one of our two-week journey across the United States to visit a mix of iconic landmarks and off-the-beaten-path gems. We’re traveling from Williamsburg, Virginia, all the way to the Grand Canyon before swinging back via a southern route through New Orleans and Atlanta.

But before the trip could truly begin, we had to make one essential stop: brunch at Kuba Kuba in Richmond’s Fan District. It’s one of my favorite spots, thanks to the incredible food and vibrant atmosphere. I always recommend the café con leche—get it sweetened; it’s a delightful sip that warms both body and soul. Enjoying that creamy, bold coffee while mapping out the next few hours of driving was when the reality of the trip finally sank in.

With brunch finished and our cups empty, we pointed the car toward Knoxville. The transition from the coastal plains to the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is always a highlight of this drive. As you round the corner on I-64 and see that first peak emerging over the horizon, it still takes my breath away.

As the sun began to dip over the Appalachian foothills and we crossed into Tennessee, I had only one thing on my mind: a childhood favorite, Piccadilly in Kingsport. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Piccadilly isn’t the pinnacle of fine dining—it’s a classic cafeteria—but it was a staple of my youth. As we cruised down the highway, I could already see myself sliding that plastic tray along the metal rails, selecting my roast beef, beets, mashed potatoes, and a roll. Unfortunately, the road trip had other plans. When I plugged the address into the GPS, I found that my beloved childhood haunt was permanently closed.

It’s a strange feeling when a physical landmark of your past simply vanishes. Even though my palate has evolved, that spot held a genuine place in my heart. It was a stark reminder of how much things change, even when you’re trying to recapture a little piece of the way things were. With my nostalgia-fueled dinner plans thwarted, we had to pivot—but that’s the nature of a road trip, isn’t it?

As we soldiered onward, we kept noticing signs for “Prison and Distillery Tours.” What an odd combination! A little research revealed the signs were for the Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. As the first maximum-security prison in Tennessee, it was known for over a century as “the end of the line.” After it closed, it was repurposed as a tourist destination, and today, a distillery operates on the grounds specializing in “End of the Line” moonshine and whiskey. It was fascinating to learn about—the kind of discovery you’d never make if you just flew from city to city.

Our last stop before a quick dinner and bed was a destination familiar to many: Buc-ee’s in Sevierville, TN. I’d never been before, but I’d heard the legends of endless gas pumps and beaver-branded everything. It definitely lived up to the hype, though the coffee didn’t quite pass muster. It was no match for my morning café con leche.

Tomorrow will bring another day of driving, this time on toward Memphis, TN!