Hyatt Place Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina

The Hyatt Place Downtown Charlotte hosted us for a wonderful visit.  We adore Charlotte, our sister city, the Queen City.  She does treat you like royalty. 

The locale is so fun!  It was a little bit of big city with small town hospitality at the Hyatt Place. 

We felt the warm welcome from the moment we drove up. 

We were thrilled with the spacious and modern look to the rooms.  This was considered a 

(2) Queen Bedroom. Look at the space! And there was this den area that was wonderful.

There was even a little room divide.  The beds were very comfortable.

We went out on the town and came back to our beautiful downtown Hyatt Place.

I have to tell you it was very fun to have the urban feel of Charlotte.

One of our boys totally took over this den area. 

The bathroom was roomy and had a nice shower and tub with 

plenty of HOT water, and LOTS of great Linens! That is a bonus 

I LOVE plenty of high cotton linens. 

Happy face here as I checked it all out. The shampoo, conditioner and lotion 

amenities are premier. 

The Hyatt Place had beautiful decor throughout the Hotel. 

We HAD to check out the rooftop restaurant and garden. This is Charlotte! 

Late on a Friday night. :) 

The new Fahrenheit Restaurant was hoping with all the Charlotte 

young professionals and more. 

We LOVED a late check out! Noon is nice!  

We took a family photo overlooking Charlotte! It was too pretty. The city is so invigorating. 

Here is the beautiful lobby of the Hyatt. LOVE it. 

Everything is elegant and very clean and neat. The staff is very accommodating and 

friendly.  They met our every need. 

The front desk was welcoming and had a cafe and snack center available any time. 

The staff helped us with directions, parking and the restaurant. 

In the morning, we had a fabulous Hot Breakfast INCLUDED in your stay! 

Mrs. Diana was INCREDIBLE

at the Breakfast. She made all of the meals and they were hot and fresh. 

She had a wonderfully welcoming and accommodating team. 

The Breakfast Restaurant was clean and neat and inviting. 

The took pictures for us. :) 

Here is my man happy with a hot breakfast! He's so cute! :)

We loved all of the cold drinks. Milk, Juices and my favorite,

Starbucks for the Win! :)

Our boys always like the cereal bar and fruit! 

Check out our view of the City of Charlotte!  We loved sitting here for breakfast and 

looking at Charlotte. EVERYthing is one block away from the Hyatt Place. 

The Time Warner Arena is across the street!  How convenient is that! 

You can walk a few blocks to the Carolina Panthers Stadium. And the 

NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum awaits just a few steps away! 

Finally, we had to bid farewell to the Queen City until next time. 

Believe me, we cannot wait to enjoy Charlotte again soon. 

After all, Charlotte's Got A Lot and we were so thankful for Charlotte

Tourism for giving us so many great ideas like CowFish and Mellow Mushroom and more, to explore this visit and in the future. Next trip to Charlotte, we had to go back to the NASCAR Hall of Fame 

Museum. 

Charlotte, we'll see you soon. Thank you Hyatt Place Downtown Charlotte. 

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hyatt Place, Charlotte, North Carolina. All opinions are my own. We LOVED our time there. 

CowFish Charlotte, North Carolina - the Original CowFish

Cowfish South Park, Charlotte, NC  is the original CowFish locale.  We loved checking out the charter restaurant recently on a visit to Charlotte.  We love the energy and hip trendy fun of South Park, Charlotte. Believe me, Charlotte's Got A Lot and we love it is a short drive from Raleigh / Durham. 

"Born of a desire to create a fun-loving environment that anyone can enjoy, The Cowfish is a come one, come all operation. Whether you've just finished a workout at the gym, or you're dressed to impress for a night out on the town, The Cowfish has an atmosphere to suit all walks of life. A bright interior featuring custom artwork and vibrant music, a 600-gallon aquarium filled with live cowfish, a sushi bar with interactive computer monitors that allow you to build your own sushi roll, and a huge 125-seat covered patio are only some of the elements that make The Cowfish a memorable experience!"

We enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere.  The CowFish is for everyone.  The college kids, the yuppies dating, the Families, like us, out for a great meal and night out with children in tow. Our boys LOVE CowFish. It is energetic and fun and the food is terrific.  Children adore it. 

This collage pretty much sums it up.  My husband and my favorite sushi, our boys favorite burger and my love. We are very happy after this amazing food. 

Here we were eager to arrive for a Friday night dinner.  CowFish was our much anticipated first stop in Charlotte.

As soon as we walked into the door, we were welcomed with the Aquarium.  The signature CowFish in the Aquarium is like the CowFish Mascot!  We always look for him and say, "Hello" right away! ) 

So, our boys' have another priority, the Parmesan Truffle Fries as an appetizer.  They do represent.

Boulder Mountain Man and I enjoy the important things in life like the Ahi Tuna Spicy Nachos!! 

This is the appetizer. It could be a meal. 

Happy, happy, happy with this delectable appetizer with fresh guacamole 

and jalapenos. 

Then, our teenagers LOVE the Onion String and Parmesan French Fries as an 

appetizer.  They shared and yes, we love it, too. 

However, my Boulder Mountain Man, loved indulging in the Ahi Tuna Nachos best! 

The Dynamic Duo is a favorite among my guys! 

This Porky's Revenge is my son's all time favorite burger! 

Smiles all around for plates of favorites.  Love this. 

Favorite!

Blackened Tuna Roll Lump crabcake mix and cream cheese inside, coated in tempura flakes. Topped with seared blackened tuna, avocado salsa and jalapeño

All the happy faces of great food and good times.  Love seeing our boys enjoying the night

out in this fabulous atmosphere. 

 And I will admit, I love that my Boulder Mountain Man loves the Nature Boy's Woo-shi Buffaloo-shi!

And then all of the plates were completely empty. :)  That's a sign of an amazing meal. That and the smiles, again!

Our Favorite Dessert is the Fresh Berry Tall Cake!  It is tall and serves, at least, four people! We enjoy endulging like this. :) Four Forks!  What could be better than a wonderfully moist Southern Lemon Pound Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream.

Thank you CowFish for hosting us and for all of the awesomeness you serve up in 

Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina! 

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by CowFish Charlotte. All opinions are our own. LOVE CowFish. 

An Evening at The Cove with Brandon Heath at Billy Graham Training Center

The Cove, a Christian conference center in Asheville, North Carolina located at the Billy Graham Training Center.  The Cove is designed to equip, encourage and   empower believers who want to grow and deepen their faith. 

The Cove is a 1,200 acre getaway in Asheville, North Carolina where gifted Christian leaders, teachers, and speakers guide people in studying God's Word. We invite you to come with a friend, spouse, or a group and discover that the greatest thing about The Cove is what you take home: life-changing truths that will produce a harvest of righteousness in you and those around you.

We love working with The Cove and were thrilled with the opportunity to work with them again recently for And Evening at The Cove with Brandon Heath.  We love the family time.  The quiet away from it all that The Cove cultivates. 

We set out on our road trip to Asheville, North Carolina.  We LOVE going to the beautiful North Carolina mountains any time we can and especially to visit The Cove. Here we go....

                                       

We made our best time driving up - we didn't even want to stop.  We had our tunes cranking on the Lexus audio system that we listened to as we drove up in the Lexus RX350 that we were reviewing.  Post coming separately.  Hint: The Lexus handles beautifully on the road and in the mountains. :)

                                       

We all LOVED the Lexus RX350. It was the perfect size for our family to have a mountain road trip. 

                                            

So, back to The Cove... we made it!  Look at the beauty as we entered the Cove Campus.  

                                                          

We love to spend every minute we can there so we took our picnic with us and ate lunch at our Inn.  They have an awesome Loft at each Inn with room to lunch, enjoy the fireplace, read and enjoy some complimentary soda, coffee, hot cocoa and hot tea. We had so much fun! 

                                                 

Look at our "Welcoming Committee...."  We love the abundance of wildlife at The Cove. 

                                                  

As we ate lunch, our boys peered over the banister to see if they could spot Brandon Heath just happening to check in.... and to our be wonderment - look who they discovered.  Brandon Heath!!!! In our Lodge/Inn.  He was wonderful about photographs.  Look how excited everyone was to meet him in real life! :)

He was gracious enough to stop and sign autographs!  Because, you know, our boys had 

all of their Brandon Heath CDs at the ready for his autograph! 

He was very gracious and kind.  And patient with a set of thirteen year old twin boy who think he is the best. And a fine, handsome husband who was so happy to meet him as well. :)

Then, he even got a picture with Mom included and I got to pose with his Guitar. :)  Seriously, isn't this epic.  And the Concert hasn't even begun, yet.

After settling into our cozy room with a fabulous view of the forest there at the Cove, we walked the short distance over the the Billy Graham Training Center to this beautiful "balcony" and view!

for a fabulous and gourmet Dinner ...the Chef at The Cove is outstanding. Thinking 5 star! 

The Concert was incredible!  We were so blessed - I Loved "Love Does!" So 

amazing and we loved all of the personal stories Brandon shared. 

and the Concert was such a blessing. We were all moved by Brandon Heath's talent and to share it in such an intimate and relaxing setting like The Cove.

We always pause for a beautiful family photo opportunity of the mountain range ....  You see how we love the beauty and serenity of The Cove.

More autograph time!  

The Cove is the perfect locale to take your teens to a Christian Concert.  The venue is small enough to truly enjoy. And get the benefit of such wonderful artists.  They typically have the performers do a signing after the concert in the Ruth's Attic Bookstore located in the same building.  You can get wonderful gifts, books, CDs, souvenirs and more. 

Brandon surprised our boys with an autographed copy  of his vintage 

vinyl record, Blue Mountain.  The boys were over the moon with excitement. 

This was so thoughtful.  

The photo is one of the hundreds on exhibit on the floor with the Bookstore. It is wonderful 

to see the progression of Billy Graham's ministry. 

The Cove is a wonderful destination for Christian Concerts, Retreats, Conferences and Getaways.  There is Leadership Training and more.  Step away from it all and enjoy the solitude of The Cove!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Cove, Billy Graham Training Center, Asheville, North Carolina.