Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

Meet 2025 Sweet Grown Alabama Ambassador, Black Adventure Crew! This adventurous family is passionate about exploring the great outdoors and showcasing the beauty of Alabama’s natural spaces. From hiking scenic trails to discovering hidden gems, they inspire others to embrace adventure while supporting local farms and businesses along the way. Follow along as they share their journey of outdoor fun, community connections and the joys of experiencing Alabama to the fullest! Read more about the Black Adventure Crew to get to know them better.

1. Who is the Black Adventure Crew?

The Black Adventure Crew is my family (me, my husband and our three boys) exploring the outdoors and embracing adventure together. We love hiking, camping, paddling and just being outside. More than that, we love serving as representation and inspiration to other families. We also love traveling to places that people might not typically think of for family trips and sharing those experiences. At the end of the day, it’s all about making memories and encouraging more families to step outside and create their own. 

2. How did you begin your social media/influencer journey?

Honestly, I wasn’t looking for it...it kind of found me. On January 1, 2020, I was literally just washing dishes when I heard this quiet whisper: "Black Adventure Crew." And I knew in that moment what I needed to do. It felt like a calling to start sharing our lived experiences in a way that would inspire other Black families. I dropped the dishes, hoped on Instagram to check for the name, claimed it and the rest is history.

Once I got started I quickly realized that just sharing wasn’t enough. I wanted to create real opportunities and build a community. That’s when Black Kids Adventures, Inc. was born. Through the nonprofit, we get to put action behind our words and create spaces for black families to connect, explore and feel like they belong in the outdoors.

3. What is your family's all-time favorite meal?

If you ask my kids, they’ll scream pizza without hesitation. However as a family, we’re big on ramen and seafood boils too.

4. What drives you to promote your local community and local products?

Even though I’m from Chicago, Alabama has been home since college, and over the years I’ve truly grown to love it. And when you love something, you want to share it. There are so many incredible places, restaurants and small businesses that deserve more shine. I love being able to showcase them!

I also think people don’t always realize just how much adventure is right here in their own backyard. You don’t have to go far to find something amazing to do, eat or experience. And beyond that, supporting local means supporting our own communities keeping small businesses thriving, creating opportunities and making sure the places we love stick around for future generations.

5. Where is your favorite spot in Alabama?

That answer probably depends on the day, but if I had to choose one, I’d say DeSoto State Park. In 2015, George and I took a trip there to see the falls, and that was the moment we realized, wait… Alabama has all this? That trip was the spark. It inspired us to start exploring more, and honestly, it led us to the work we do now with Black Adventure Crew and Black Kids Adventures. So DeSoto will always have a special place in my heart