The Local Behind Living & Local
When asked how Hope would describe Auburn she said, “It is like if a comfort food was a town. It is like fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, the epitome of the South and comfort food, and it will never disappoint.”
Although many people might not know the name Hope Nunnelley, over 9,165 people know the social media influencer account Living & Local. Hope Nunnelley is the creator of Living & Local, a travel blog featuring activities, places to stay, trendy restaurants, and more.
Hope is from small town Fredericksburg, Texas, and she enjoyed showcasing her special hometown. Since Fredericksburg is one of the top weekend destination towns in Texas, she received many requests for suggestions, and Living & Local was born. She wanted to have a platform where she could house all of the information and send her friends links on what to do.
Hope’s social media presence began to grow as followers wanted to travel less like a tourist and more like a local. She wrote about her small town, at first and then started to give recommendations for places all over the United States. Now, the blog follows her no matter where she is traveling or living.
“My goal with Living & Local is to provide resources for travelers to find hidden gems wherever they're exploring," Hope said. "Each community is unique and I want to help that shine through (beyond your typical tourist attractions)."
After Hope's husband landed his dream job with Auburn Athletics in 2017, the couple decided to make Auburn-Opelika home. Only having visited Alabama twice before, Hope quickly fell in love with the community. Sharing all of the unique places and spaces Auburn-Opelika had to offer on her social platforms became a no-brainer. The vibrant culinary scene instantly stuck out for her as a self-proclaimed foodie. Much of her content revolves around sharing recommendations for food and cocktails, often designing itineraries around meal times.
She thought this would be an excellent opportunity to grow Living & Local and share her journey moving to Auburn.
She quickly fell in love with Auburn once she realized how much great food Auburn has to offer. When she travels, Hope says she loves to plan her itineraries around food. When she realized how many great food options Auburn has, she instantly fell in love.
To Hope, what makes Auburn so special is the community.
According to Hope, the perfect day in Auburn would start off with brunch at Lucy’s followed by a walk through Auburn’s campus and some shopping downtown. She would then want to play a short round of golf at RTJ at Grand National. Then to start off the evening, she would want to have drinks on top of the Laurel Hotel and Spa with a progressive dinner afterwards. She and her husband love to do progressive dinner dates that start at Hamilton’s where they get the fried green tomatoes and grilled shrimp appetizer. Then they would head over to The Depot for the blue crab dip. The couple ends their night with the delicious peanut butter pie at Acre.
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