North America

A Tale of Two Cubas – Did We Really Have Fun Visiting There?

I want to tell you that we had a great time traveling in Cuba. I really do.

I'd like nothing more than to write a glowing summary about how much fun we had exploring the museums and forts of Havana, eating at the city's numerous restaurants, and exploring the tobacco fields during our day trip to Vinales.

And, in a way, we did enjoy the trip because of all of these things.

But I hesitate to elaborate on this further because of one very simple reason. There are two different Cubas, and only looking at the one for tourists would paint the country in the wrong lens.

If you're going to visit, you have to understand the bigger picture.

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5 Things that Make the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour Unique

Jack Daniel's is an iconic whiskey distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, that is a sort of pilgrimage site for those who love whiskey.

We made the journey to Lynchburg while attending a travel writer's conference in Huntsville, Alabama, and took a tour of the facility with whiskey tasting at the end. During which we found a number of interesting things that made this tour unique compared to other distilleries we've visited in the region.

We wanted to share those with you today.

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The Best Puerto Rican Rums to Try During Your Island Vacation

Puerto Rican rums have a bit of a cult following behind them, and there is a good reason for it- the stuff is delicious!

When we visited this tiny American island territory, we had one goal in mind and that was to try as much local rum as possible (and not just Bacardi rums, which are arguably the island's most popular for non-Puerto Ricans.)

What did we find? Well, after a distillery tour, several rum tastings, six bottles of rum consumed in a week, and another six packed to come home with us, we have the following favorites you absolutely must try and bring back home with you!

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The Perfect Christmas Dinner at La Ruta del Lechon

There's something special about being in the right place at the right time. On our recent trip to Puerto Rico, we were serendipitously in the right place at the right time on La Ruta del Lechon, an area in rural, mountainous Guavate known for its roadside restaurants that roast whole pigs.

Although these restaurants are open on weekdays, we had heard that weekends are really where it's at. On weekends the road is one giant street party with music and dancing, and it's so crowded that it's common for your car to get blocked in. Well, not only did we visit on a weekend, we visited on Christmas weekend.

Christmas day, specifically.

You see, eating lechon on Christmas is a Puerto Rican tradition and we were definitely in the right place at the right time.

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