15 Things You Should Know About Bonnaroo

Last weekend we ended up going to Bonnaroo with Splat Hair Color. We had a great time, but the trip was so last minute we didn't have a lot of time to prepare. We learned a lot in our days there, so we figured we'd share ome of the things we learned with you! If you ever decide to go (if you haven't already been) I'm sure this list will be helpful to you in some way.
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We also created a little video of our time at Bonnaroo- we hope you will watch and enjoy!

1. It's more than just music. They have parades, a 5k run, yoga, and so many other activities. They have several workshops about a variety topics like gardening and treating women with respect. The Sketchbook Project is there too and Bonnaroo has a yearbook. There are several vendors selling goods and every kind of food you can imagine.
2. Diversity + self expression are celebrated. I was pleasantly surprised to see people of all colors and sizes and ages. People had created such amazing, elaborate costumes. Our favorite was a girl who had a skirt made of purple lights. I wish we could've gotten a picture but her top consisted of tassels covering her nipples- not really our flavor here. We joined in the fun by adding color to our hair which was so much fun. Savannah used the 10 wash dye and I used the 1 wash dye.
3. Music is playing 20+ hours of the day. So have your sleeping options planned out. We only slept a couple of hours. We definitely expected music to be playing all night but it went on until sunrise. Then we were located next to the karaoke bar that was doing karaoke until 9 am. We slept from 7 -9 am. Then, it's too hot and bright outside to sleep in the tent. We tried ear plugs but they didn't help. Maybe earplugs and noise canceling headphones? Or stay in an RV or off-site?

4. The bathroom situation is not as bad as you think. They actually have nice real bathrooms in the main area called Centeroo. And even with the bazillion people there, they were never filthy. They also have flushable port-a-potties which were really not bad at all. There are the less desirable regular port-a-potties but I noticed they emptied them several times a day. There are also shower facilities but they cost $10 except during "happy hour" when they are $5. Basically the bathroom situation is way better than I expected. Unfortunately we used the regular port-a-potties a couple of times before realizing that the flushable ones were really close to us.
5. All ages are welcome. We saw babies to older folks and everthing in between. I can't say that I'd  recommend bringing children but there were a lot more around than I expected.

6. Anything goes. We saw it all -a lot of tape covered nipples and bare booties. But we also saw really cool outfits. People danced anywhere and everywhere without a care in the world. There was definitely a sense that you wouldn't be judge for anything at Bonnaroo. That's one of the things we appreciated the most.
7. You need a clear backpack. I will say I saw a couple people inside Bonnaroo with regular backpacks. But the rule is that you can have a fanny pack, and anything larger than that has to be clear. They are supposed to search what's inside your backpack but they didn't really do this too thoroughly.
8. Riding the Ferris wheel is a must. Tickets are $6 before 7 pm and $7 after that. Riding it right as the sun was going down was pretty magical. You get a view of all of the Bonnaroo grounds.

9. Choose your shoes wisely. I made a rookie move and wore sandals- these sandals had lasted me through a weekend in the Texas heat. But you need comfort because you will be on your feet and walking around all day. Savannah bought some like these before we went and they were perfect! 
10. Do not underestimate your need for sunscreen. This is going to be a full time job if you plan on being out and about during the day. But I noticed several people with terrible sunburns. How miserable! We spent the day in the shade and didn't really get into the sun much. We even brought our own tiki umbrella from our backyard for more shade.

11. The Grove is a lovely place to relax and spend time in the shade. There were Eno hammocks everywhere. We loved this area and it was just a few steps from our camping area. Fort Houston provided artwork and sculptures for the area which gave made the area even better. During the day this place was filled will people trying to get some sleep in.

12. Drugs are everywhere. This may seem obvious and I expected it but it was more prevalent than I imagined. Someone was snorting coke 2 feet from me right out in the open. Weed was smoked more than cigarettes and honestly I got tired of the smell after a while. Even in the family camping area (where we camped) we were constantly surrounded by marijuana smoke. I'm sure we sound like prudes and I don't really care if people smoke it- but like cigarette smoke- it doesn't take long before you are tired of inhaling it.

13. Water is essential. This goes without saying you would think but most of the sick people at the festival are sick from dehydration. Drinking all day in the hot sun is a recipe for disaster. If you're gonna drink all day, then at least drink water in between. Also bring your water with you everywhere. You can bring in an empty reusable water bottle (they have water stations) or 1 sealed water bottle. A bottle of water inside the festival costs $3.
14. Dust is a way of life. If you do any research about Bonnaroo, you will find people mentioning this. A lot of people kept a bandana around their nose + mouth, and they can make great accessories too. We didn't do this but we did find ourselves coughing and Savannah had a stuffy nose.

15. Fashion is optional. Bonnaroo is the anti-Coachella. I've never been to Coachella but from what I can tell everyone wears their best and most fashionable (and a lot of times expensive) festival attire. I saw very little of this. Instead I saw a lot of #2 utilized by creative costumes and outfits. I saw very little, if any one, dressed fashionably. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air from the Instagram fashion- obsessed world.
We hope to go back next year but we will be way more prepared this time and we'll probably try to stay off site or stay in an RV. It's definitely worth checking out if you like music festivals. And even if you don't like music festivals- it's only an hour drive from Nashville so you could go for one day. The traffic isn't bad at all once the festival gets going. We came in on Friday night without any traffic at all. Thanks to Splat for sending us!!!
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Tulum, Mexico Travel Guide: 10 Most Instagrammable Spots

Let's be real for a second. If you are an influencer or simply an Instagram user who curates their feed, you likely view your world through an Instagram lens. It's kind of an eye rolling thing but it's a way of life now. Savannah and I often make a mental note and sometimes a real note if we see a place that would be a great place to take a picture. We prefer locations that are multi dimensional (i.e not a mural to stand in front of) and that have color and texture. The great thing about Tulum is that is all photogenic.

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**A friendly note about photo taking etiquette- you'll notice that a lot of the places we recommend are businesses of some sort. Please keep that in mind. I'm sure it goes without saying, but if you are going to take pictures in a restaurant or cafe- please buy something and be as respectful as possible. With that said, if you are visiting Tulum here are 10 of the places we found most IG worthy.
10. Nicte-Ha Cenote // If you read our last post about Tulum you will remember that we found out about this cenote from one of our servers. He told us there were flowers in the water so we nixed our plans for other popular cenotes to go here. It was peaceful and not crowded- we were literally the only people there the whole time we stayed. There were tons of beautiful fish and the water was crystal clear.
9. Tata Tulum // Beach side swings + pool with an ocean view + colorful animals floats = Instagrammable. Oh and they have a beach side hammock as well.
8. Estancia Jujeña // As I'm sure you know by now, we love all things boho. But we love that Estancia was a little different from the majorly boho Tulum vibes. This restaurant has more of a colorful shabby chic old world thing going for it. All the different colors, textures, and plants make it the perfect place to snap a picture. Also, they have beautiful colorful plates and cups that make a nice addition to your pictures.
7. Sugar Shack at Mateo's // Most of Tulum is muted colors which we do love, but Sugar Shack is a break from the norm with it's brightly colored exterior. These bright colors and ice cream comes make for a great set up for an IG picture.
6. Coco Tulum // This is where we stayed on our trip last year and we did not struggle to find IG worthy backgrounds here. They have an all white bar on the beach with swings which makes it a great place for a picture. They also have hammocks and jungle views that are picture worthy as well.
5. Anastasia Tulum // This is an Airbnb so you'll have to stay there in order to enjoy this Instagram delight. Our pictures from here always perform so well on our Instagram account and Airbnb reposted one from last year. That picture was one of the top 10 most liked pictures on Airbnb's entire account. Airbnb has also asked to repost another picture from this years trip. This place is IG gold. Never stayed in an Airbnb before? Click here for $40 off your first stay!
4. El Pez // This is one of our Tulum favorites. We visited twice this trip and 3 or 4 times on our last visit. The outdoor patio looks onto the ocean and it's decor is beachy + boho. They also have dishes worthy of an IG picture. Their inside is gorgeous as well.
3. Matcha Mama // This might be the most Instagrammed spot in Tulum, well at least this year. We actually couldn't take the picture we came to take because another woman was there having a full on photo shoot. I also feel like the workers expect it at this point.
2. Habitas Tulum // That first picture speaks for itself. The two palm trees with the hammock against the backdrop of the turquoise ocean- begging to be featured on Instagram. They have black hammocks everywhere which is different than the normal white hammocks you see the most in Tulum and I love the way they look against the sand. Also, the pool with the ocean view. All of these are perfect backdrops for Instagram.
1. Nomade Tulum // Every nook and cranny here is photo worthy. They have the nest (second picture) which is settled right in the jungle. Then there is the restaurant- swoon. Basically, I want to redecorate our entire home to look more like this. Who needs real chairs? We'll be sitting on poufs from now on! We have a huge picnic table outside and I told Savannah that we need to cut the legs short and just put poufs all around it. The other bonus of Nomade is that there were other people snapping pictures so we didn't feel like "those people."

Like we said before, all of Tulum is so beautiful and decorated to perfection, so this list could go on an on. We hope this helps you figure out where you want to go on your trip to Tulum!

xo, Savannah

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10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Stock Tank Pools

We are happy that our stock tank pool blog post from last year is performing so well! And the video is performing even better. Since this is our third season using the pool, we have been asked many of the same questions over and over again. We decided we would compile a list of all our answers so they'd be easily accessible by you who are considering making a stock tank pool of your own. It is important to note that we are not stock tank pool experts. We've only set up ours, so we can only speak to our personal experience.

You may also be interested in these posts!
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Let's get started!

1. Can I use a pool liner?
I'm not sure if they make pool liners to fit perfectly inside stock tank pools. My guess is probably no, but you could make another liner work. Keep in mind that stock tanks weren't originally designed to be pools, so there isn't much out there in the pool world specifically for them. Also, a pool liner is definitely not the look we were going for, so we don't use thus we don't have any experience with them.

2. Why don't you just get an above ground pool?
That is what we first considered but we really don't like the look of above ground pools. We could actually get a bigger pool for less money than the stock tank pool, but ultimately we love the look of the stock tank. It's perfect for what we need- all we really want is to be able to dip in and cool off. Also, our pool already exists so we won't be going back in time and using an above ground pool. If you don't mind the bright blue color and the size of the above ground pool, maybe that choice would be better for you. I will say that we read that above ground pools usually last about three years, but a stock tank can last well over 10 if you take care of it. Again, I'm no expert so I can't say any of this for sure. These are just the reasons behind our choice!

3. Can you make it a hot tub?
Possibly. We've explored this option but haven't been able to find a way to heat this properly and efficiently. We also aren't sure we want to turn it into a hot tub. We enjoy the break from maintaining the pool during the winter. We may try to do it this fall, but by the time summer is coming to an end, we really are ready to drain the pool. We will be sure to update this if we do try it and succeed!

4. Will chlorine cause rust?
Eventually yes. We actually have rust for the first time on our pool this season. We are exploring our options for how to fix this and will update this with our solution when we do it. Plenty of people have commented and told us that chlorine will cause rust and we shouldn't use it. The truth is the stock tank will rust with time even with regular water with no chemicals or salt in it. The goal is to catch it in the beginning and fix the problem before it spreads. Like I said, we haven't had any rust problems until this year and we aren't worried about it.

5. How long will this last?
There is no definite answer to this. I've read about people using theirs for 10+ years and we are on year 3.

6. Why don't you make it a saltwater pool?
We considered this but after researching this, we ultimately decided to use chlorine. Salt water will cause rust as well. But you could certainly make this a saltwater pool if you wanted to. Chlorine was just the best choice for us.

7. Why don't you get a poly pool?
Much like the answer to #2. We really don't like the look of the poly pools. They are about half the price but they look like large kiddie pools.

8. How much did this cost?
The stock tank was around $350 and the pump was another $100. There were a few other parts so I'd say around $500-$600.

9. Where did you buy it?
We purchased ours from our local Co-Op.

10. How big is it? How many adults fit in at one time?
Ours is an 8ft stock tank that is 2ft deep. We can fit 2 floats in there. The floats don't really move around unless there is only one in the water. We have had at least 8 adults sitting in the pool, but we usually only have 2-4 at a time. With our stock tank pool bench we can fit 16+ people either dangling their feet in the water or sitting in the pool. I mean that would be a little excessive but we could do it.


If we didn't answer a question you have, please feel free to ask us below!
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