Some might say all you need to be happy is a good book and a strong cup of coffee. Perk up your morning at Books and Bean. Breakfast sandwiches, smooth coffee drinks, and inspiration await. Owner and New York Times’ best-selling author Etaf Rum curated this calm space to awaken customers’ senses with locally brewed coffees and teas, as well as a rotating wall of books for sale. She encourages you to borrow a book from the community shelf or donate one you’re ready to pass along. Not a bad way to start the day.

If you are looking for a unique and fun experience in arts and crafts, Pinspiration is the place to be. The studio's inviting atmosphere is designed to inspire creativity, and the staff is always available to help customers with their projects and provide guidance where needed. One of the best things about Pinspiration is the variety of creative options available to customers. You can either bring your idea and work on it at the studio or choose from an array of ever-changing monthly project menus based on the most popular social media projects and current craft trends.

Pop into this Nashville boutique and give your wardrobe an update. The storefront window is filled with just a sampling of the bright prints of tops and dresses that you’ll find inside. They’ll style you with on-trend accessories to give you the complete look. Fair warning: when you wear your new outfit from Painted Teacher, be prepared to answer, “Where did you get that?!?”

Shopping is cardio. So you’re sure to work up an appetite. Luckily, the Nashville Exchange has a delicious, hearty menu. Fried chicken salad sandwich with homemade chips, anyone? Locals love the crab cake sandwich and salad bar. There are also wraps, salads, and soup/salad/sandwich combos to satiate everyone in your group. This warm restaurant will have you wanting to stay a while and make it the lunch spot on every Nashville shopping trip.

Y’all will be coming back to Girls Round Here. Specializing in Southern chic, this store carries more than 80 lifestyle apparel brands, including their own clothing line. Check out the cheeky, sometimes sassy, country girl t-shirts to make you laugh and make your gift-giving easy. They can put a monogram on just about anything. Not just for the gals, guys can find a new shirt, add to their camo gear, or top it off with something from their hat collection. Be sure to pay a visit to this fun shop.

Located in the heart of the historic district of downtown Spring Hope, Antique and Art Market specializes in North Carolina antiques, pottery, country collectibles, and country store items. Their large inventory means bargain hunters don’t have to hunt too hard. Furniture, glassware, rugs, even fine art come to the market from estate sales. A great place to find those brass candlesticks you remember from your grandmother’s mantle or a unique bowl thrown by a local potter for your entryway.

Grandma had it. Mom threw it out. Now you can buy it back. Scavengers Antiques is your next stop to find the unexpected. A gnome village in a baking dish. A 100-year-old dresser distressed and painted turquoise. Antique toys and children’s books. Each booth has its own personality and treasures to find.

The more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. EAT DESSERT. That’s the feeling here at Michael’s Showside Grill. Take their advice. Though it’s a full service grill, you’ll be tempted to skip the meal and go straight to dessert. Chocolate mousse pie, oreo cheesecake, blackberry cobbler. . . drooling yet? Before entering a sugar coma, load up on their fresh seafood or burger of the day. Think hard about coming back Friday and Saturday nights. You can say it’s for the live music, though we all know it’s for the coconut creme pie.

Ease into the morning with fresh-brewed, single origin coffee prepared by hand right here in Rocky Mount. The Larema menu includes all your favorites from easy-going drip coffees to rocket-charged espressos to calm-me-down herbal teas. You can even order up some homemade toast topped with local jams, butter, chick peas or avocado.

Treasure hunters, this one’s for you. This open air flea market has just about everything you never knew you wanted. Golf clubs, bicycles, vintage typewriters, toys, clothes. . .all available to seasoned and novice bargainers. With plenty of parking and food vendors on site, plan to stay a while. What will you find?

On your mark, get set, SHOP. If you are looking for that perfect antique hutch for your kitchen or a rocker for your front porch, Bulluck’s Furniture is the place to be. You can find deals here every day. But come the new year, get ready for extreme shopping. Every January to March, thousands of people flock to Downtown Rocky Mount to embark upon the ultimate treasure hunt. All 80,000 square feet of the historic Phipps Warehouse is filled with high-end furniture, lighting and decorative accessories marked at 60-90% off retail. So bring your design ideas and a car with massive amounts of trunk space.

Great. Bar. Food. Other than that, all you need to know is they have a pooch-friendly outdoor patio, enormous menu with all your favorites from wings to quesadillas to burgers, and live music on Thursday nights. Locals love it and return on the regular for the everybody-knows-your-name staff and reasonable prices. Have an onion ring for me.