We are getting ready to embark on a trip in a couple of weeks that will take us to some of our favorite places.  We will pass through Arkansas, Tennessee and will be staying with some friends in NW North Carolina.  This path includes many of the places we have on our list to consider for possible retirement spots.  We plan to do a quick stop by in Crossville, Tennessee at Fairfield Glade, then explore some areas near Boone and Newland, NC.  Our final leg takes us to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a few days.  Some of our important considerations are weather, nature, pet-friendly and golf.   We’ve spent some time with friends in NC and travelled to Chattanooga for the last 6-7 years to participate in the Skyhoundz Disc Dog World Championship, so we are somewhat familiar with the area.  One of the things that excited me about Tennessee over Arkansas, is no state income tax on earned income.  We still haven’t decided whether or not we will move year round in retirement or split between Texas and another destination.

The thing that worries me the most about making a decision is whether or not it is accessible for our grown children and what about the intangible things that are hard to quantify. You can read up on websites about all the facts but it is hard to know what it will feel like until you’ve spent some time in a place.   We have many friends and family in Texas so it will be really hard to leave them behind full time.  Actually, I’m fibbing a little, I have lots of hang ups and needs for it all to work, but it will be fun trying to check off all my boxes.

Every trip we take between now and retirement, we are hoping to stop and see what we can discover, and we are hoping we will find some gems where we didn’t expect them.  I look forward to sharing some of these experiences with you to give you a little more than the basic facts about a place.

The photo above is from Hot Springs Village, AR.  The “Village” has 9 golf courses, 11 lakes, 26 miles of nature trails and sits in the Ouachita Mountains.  It definitely checks a lot of my boxes and is only about 5 hours from Dallas.  It’s about 20 minutes from Hot Springs, which has plenty of great dining, music and historic places to visit.  You also have Little Rock only an hour away.   My parents actually retired here back in the 1990’s so we have had a chance to enjoy some of the beautiful vistas, walking trails and relaxing atmosphere.  HSV will be on my list to explore further.

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