For spring break this year, my family and I decided to take a little road trip out to Gatlinburg Tennessee…a city that we have passed through multiple times but have never actually stopped and stayed. My family and I love road trips (we’ve visited all 50 states!), so we knew that this trip would be a blast! As a Margaritaville University Ambassador, we are given so many amazing perks, one of which is lodging discounts at several Margaritaville locations around the world! When I saw there was a Margaritaville Resort in Gatlinburg I just knew we had to stay there.

After hours on the road driving from our home in New York to Gatlinburg, we finally arrived at our hotel where we were greeted by the infamous giant blue flip flop that is seen in almost every Margaritaville Resort! I walked into the lobby of our hotel to check in while listening to Jimmy Buffett play in the background, setting the mood for the entire trip. After settling into our room, my mom and I decided to walk around the hotel and have a photoshoot using some of the amazing Margaritaville University products I have been gifted throughout the last few semesters of college! I was able to meet so many of the amazing employees working at the hotel and even gave them a few Marg U goodie bags!

During our stay, I knew we had to stop in at the St. Somewhere Spa to get a treatment. I was not sure what treatment I wanted, but the amazing spa technicians sat down with me and helped me decide! I ultimately chose the St. Somewhere facial which was an hour facial that left me feeling the most relaxed I have ever felt in my life (being an engineering student in college stresses me out most of the time so I needed this)! Margaritaville Resort Gatlinburg is right in the heart of town so everything you need is just a few steps away! There are so many attractions, restaurants and shops at your disposal so you will never run out of things to do. Right outside the lobby of the hotel is a back entrance to the LandShark Bar & Grill, a great place to stop for some delicious burgers and nachos! The hotel also has an amazing indoor and outdoor pool, multiple outdoor fire pits, corn hole, and even live music on select nights!

Another great perk of being a MargU Ambassador is that we get complimentary meals at select Margaritaville restaurants in exchange for photos and videos of our experience while dining there! While there is not a Margaritaville restaurant in Gatlinburg (although the hotel and town itself does have multiple dining options), there is one located on the Island at Pigeon Forge, just a town away. After a fun day at Dollywood, we decided to eat at the Margaritaville restaurant in Pigeon Forge. Our go-to meal is the Volcano Nachos as a starter (life hack from our amazing waiters in Pigeon Forge: get the jerk chicken as a topping on the nachos. It is a game changer), a Cheeseburger in Paradise, and finally we end the night with a slice of key lime pie. Every time we eat at a Margaritaville restaurant we have the best time, but I have to say this was probably the most fun I have ever had while eating dinner. Lastly, we ended the night with a shopping spree inside the Margaritaville shop attached to the restaurant so that we could take that tropical feeling back home to New York!

And just like that, the trip was over! I had such an amazing time in Gatlinburg, and I cannot wait to go back and visit! I want to say a huge thank you to all the Margaritaville team members who helped make this trip one my family and I will never forget! Fins Up!

Meghan Harston is a Margaritaville college ambassador at Manhattan College. Learn more about Margaritaville University.