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| Enter to win tea for two at the beautiful Washington Duke Inn in Durham, N.C, a Four Diamond Hotel. |
Four years ago in January, I published my very first blog post on the HinesSight Blog. I had just turned 42, my first child was about to go to kindergarten, and my baby, Liza, had just turned one.
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| A lot has happened in four years. |
Boy, time flies when you are having fun. Fast-forward four years, and I'm now older, wiser, even more silly, and my baby girl is about to start kindergarten.
A child starting kindergarten again. Wow! What's next for us?
Well, you guessed it. It's January again, and I've decided to birth another baby, but this one will hopefully, sleep through the night. My new baby is an extension of this blog that I've named #Outaboutnc. It's a social media community of people who love North Carolina, and all it has to offer in terms of travel and hospitality. Outaboutnc.com will eventually be an online travel guide sharing the best of North Carolina and you are going to help be a local guide in your hometown by tagging your social media photos #outaboutnc. We will be able to get the conversation started about all that North Carolina has to offer from the coast to the mountains, and all places in-between.
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| We have a great state to visit, and when I was in Italy and talking to bloggers from all over the world, I realized that I have the tool that can help people learn about our state. Travel guides are my favorite things to read, and any time I go to a city on vacation, I pick up a hard copy to read. |
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| Photo by Leigh Powell Hines, A North Carolina Morning on the coast. |
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| Photo by Leigh Powell Hines, A Visit to Valle Crucis, North Carolina and one of N.C's most historic general stores. |
The HinesSight Blog, as it was developed in 2011, will continue to be my creative and very Southern outlet where we will talk about some of the best hotels in the world, recipes, health, travel and lifestyle stories. My popular "Pack Your Bags" hotel features will continue to be a travel feature, as well, as exploring awesome hotel package deals. We all want a little luxury at a better price. I will continue to travel outside of North Carolina, and showcase the best in upscale family travel.
As a a writer for Visit Raleigh, Skimbaco Lifestyle, and Examiner.com, it became very clear to me as my own online publisher that I needed a new social media channel/site where I could focus on North Carolina, but still have the flexibility and creative ability not to be just travel related here. The audiences are just too diverse, and have different interests. Some of my most popular posts here on the HinesSight Blog are my parenting humor pieces and recipes. My simple baked ziti recipe is probably being made in China right now it has been pinned so many times on Pinterest. Baked Ziti, Buckyeye Brownies, my Southern Shoe Peg Corn Salad bring me more traffic than any post I've written.
In order to celebrate my HinesSight Blog 4th anniversary and my launch of #Outaboutnc, I have the pleasure of giving you the opportunity to experience one of my favorite things to do in North Carolina. The Washington Duke Inn in Durham, N.C. has partnered with me to offer the Tea for Two Giveaway.
I love traditional afternoon tea, and for me, that means great scones and lots of clotted cream. The Washington Duke Inn has a great balance of sweet and savory with its menu selection, and is probably the most like traditional afternoon tea in London. It has the best scones I've experienced thus far in North Carolina. I still have more places to. I've talked about tea at the Washington Duke Inn throughout the the past four year as being an absolute favorite experience. I'm so thrilled to share my news, and celebrate this blog's anniversary with one of my most favorite North Carolina experiences so you can share this experience, too.
Tell your friends, and enter this giveaway. The Washington Duke Inn is located on Duke University's campus, and it is a peaceful sanctuary for the upscale traveler. Under the culinary leadership of Executive Chef Jason Cunningham, the Fairview Dining Room does an exceptional job of embracing the local community with events. From special events like Valentine's Day to wine dinners, a visit to the Washington Duke is a culinary experience.
The Inn is popular, and it can be hard to get a room during Duke Basketball season, and certain Duke University parent events. If you know you want to stay at the Washington Duke Inn on a visit to North Carolina and have your dates in mind, you may want to consider the Book Early Special package. If you are coming to Durham from out of town to experience the theatre , afternoon tea, or just for a local staycation, you may want to consider the Classic Package, which includes breakast in the Fairview Dining Room or room service in your stay. Having breakfast included in the rate is always a good way to get a little more luxury at a better price. Depending on availability, rates can range from $350 to $250 per night through March, depending on demand, availability, and time selected.
We hope to see you #outaboutnc at the Washington Duke Inn, and be sure to tag your photos to be featured in our travel community. Be sure to also visit http://www.durham-nc.com/ to learn more about visiting Durham, N.C. and Duke University.
Disclosure:Washington Duke Inn is sponsoring this tea giveaway. A winner will be chosen at random on 2.15/2015 and notified. Tea reservations and the voucher will be handled by Washington Duke Inn and be subject to reservation availability.
Note: If you are having difficulty using rafflecopter, please email hinessightblog@gmail.com and ask for help. We don't want anyone to miss out.
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