Family Vacation 2021, Part 3 - Congaree National Park & Charleston, South Carolina

The last part of our trip took us to a state we had never been to before - South Carolina!

After leaving the Smokies, we made our way east toward South Carolina. Our target was to make Columbia for lunch. I found a list on Tripadvisor of the 10 Best BBQ Restaurants in Columbia. The number one spot was Midwood Smokehouse - so that is where we had to go! It was AMAZING!!!! We both got the Carolina Pork sandwiches (when in Rome, right?) and sweet potato fries. It was probably the best meal we had the entire trip. They had great service and a kid's menu too (bonus!)

Truly Delicious - Midwood Smokehouse

From Columbia, we made the half-hour trip to Congaree National Park. Never heard of it? It's ok, we hadn't either until planning this trip. Congaree preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States, according to it's Wikipedia page. It is one of the least visited national parks with only 145,929 visitors annually. However, we were told they have seen an uptick in visitors since the pandemic began.

Due to the swamp-like conditions, Congaree is known for their mosquitos. In fact, they even have a "Mosquito Meter," which tracks just how bad the mosquitos are in the park during your visit. We lucked out and it was between a 1 and a 2, All Clear to Mild. THANK GOD!

We stopped at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center to get Henry's passport book stamped, then headed to the main trail. The Boardwalk Loop Trail, which is 2.6 miles long, is literally a boardwalk through a section of the park. The trail has benches along the way and is both wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Pro Tip: Wear a hat!! There are bugs everywhere and my biggest fear was one getting in my hair. Fortunately, my handsome hubby gave up his hat so I could wear it.

We saw all things of things on our walk - different tree species including loblolly pines, oaks, maples and holly, snakes, salamanders, and a TON of Eastern Tent caterpillars. We even saw an owl! It was neat to see the different biosphere, but it sure was hot and humid. By the time we finished the loop, we were ready for some cold water and A/C! Plus, we still had a two-hour drive to Charleston.

We hit Charleston right at about peak traffic time. It was not too terrible since we were heading into the city and everyone else was headed out. But it was slow moving. We made it to our hotel - we stayed at the Holiday Inn Charleston-Riverview - which has a lovely view of the Ashley River. We checked into our hotel, changed into some fresh clothes, and then made our way to grab some dinner. Since we were on the coast, we wanted to find a restaurant on the water. We found Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar. There was about a 45-minute wait, but we just sat outside until it was our turn. We met a nice couple from Michigan while we were waiting; so chatting with them passed the time quickly!

The view from our hotel room

Dinner was scrumptious! We were craving some delicious seafood, and we got just that!

Afterward dinner, we walked over to the famous Charleston Pineapple Fountain and Waterfront Park (literally 0.1 miles away from the restaurant). The sun was just setting so the sky was a beautiful pink, blue and purple. We found a bench swing and just sat, watching the water for a bit before deciding to try and get some ice cream. Spoiler alert, the ice cream shop was closed, so we went back to our room empty-handed.

The next morning we got up and found a donut shop - Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts. Due to COVID restrictions, there was no place to eat them, so Drew had the idea to just pull the tailgate down and eat them there. It felt a little redneck in such a fancy southern town, and we did get a few stares. But what else were we supposed to do!? The donuts were ok; they seem to have a different consistency compared to donuts we've eaten in the Midwest. Lots of different flavors, so that was fun to choose from. Their maple bacon was pretty good.

After breakfast, we drove by Charleston's most photographed spots - Rainbow Row. These Georgian houses were built around 1740 and eventually became run-down and "slum." However, in the 1930s, Dorothy Porcher Legge and her husband Judge Lionel Legge purchased a section of houses and painted in pastel pink in hopes of making the area look nicer, according to the Charleston.com website. The trend caught on among the neighbors and before long 13 homes were painted in the famous pastel colors. Cool to say we drove by, but nothing more came of it.

We next headed to Philadelphia Alley, another Charleston gem. The charming little alley is located between Queen Street and Cumberland Street - it is a little difficult to find and not well marked. According to the history plaque located in the center of the alleyway...

Francis Kinloch created this passage in 1776. Known as Kinloch’s court, it led to a row of rental tenements behind his home. These buildings and most of the neighborhood were destroyed in the fire of 1796.

In 1801 William Johnson, a Revolutionary War veteran, purchased Kinloch’s land, but the area remained derelict for years. After another fire in 1810, the City of Philadelphia graciously sent financial aid to help rebuild. The court was reopened as a street in 1811 and, with William Johnson’s help, renamed to honor the generosity of Philadelphia’s citizens.

There is a lot of history behind the alleyway. You can learn more by visiting the Charleston County Public Library's "A Short History of Philadelphia Alley."

Next on our to-do list, we headed toward Patriots Point Navel & Maritime Museum. While I have had the privilege to tour warships before, Drew and Henry had not. So, we had to go check it out! The museum is in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, according to its Wikipedia page. It's home to three museums, including USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier; USS Laffey, a destroyer, and USS Clamagore, a submarine. Unfortunately, the submarine was closed, but we were able to walk around and explore the other two. If you have any interest in military history, or want to take a trip back in time, I highly recommend you visit! Tickets are $27 a person; kids 6 to 11 are $16 a person; and kids 6 and under are free. They do offer a military discount as well.

A fun little nugget we discovered during our tour was that the museum is a Hillyard customer! It is always fun to spot the Checkerboard while we are out and about! (For those of you who do not know, Drew and I both work at Hillyard!)

It was time for lunch, so we headed to Folly Beach. Our goal was to find a little bar and grill on the beach. Unfortunately, I guess Panama City Beach has spoiled us, because Folly Beach did NOT have any places to sit, eat and watch the water. We drove up and down the little strip before settling on a little outdoor restaurant called Loggerhead's Beach Grill. Drew got shrimp and I got the flounder. It was tasty. I also got a virgin Pina colada. I needed to feel like I was in Florida!

We found a little beach public access point and loaded our stuff down to the beach. Just an FYI, the beach access is free, but you do have to pay for parking. And while you can never go wrong with going to the beach, PCB has really spoiled me. Nothing can compare to that sugar-white sand and emerald-colored warm Gulf water. The sand is more of a dirty brown and of course, going in April, the water was super cold. It was also crazy windy. Not a lot of people though, so it felt like we had the beach to ourselves. Henry had a freaking blast. It was so fun to watch him running around, chasing the seagulls. It is fair to say he is his mother's son and will be a beach lover. Despite the clouds and wind, we may have gotten a little sunburned. Oops. We spent several hours out there; me watching Henry play and Drew fished. It was a nice day but time to head back to the hotel and cleanup for dinner.

For dinner we ate at a little café called Ye Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Sandwich Café, which was just a few blocks from our hotel. Service was a little slow, but they were jam-packed. Food was ok, but if we are ever in town again, I would not go back. We were sunburned and tired, so we headed back to the hotel for an early night.

Our last day in Charleston started out with a beautiful sunrise over the river. The view was from our hotel was gorgeous. We loaded up the truck and headed toward our next donut destination - BKeDSHoP. Their yeast-raised brioche doughnuts are delicious, but still odd compared to those in the Midwest. In our opinion, these were way better than the donuts we had the day before. Parking was a little annoying though as its right across from a college campus parking lot, and they have a very ticket-friendly meter-maid.

The last destination on our list was The Angel Oak in Johns Island, South Carolina. The tree is thought to be one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi River, according to Atlas Obscura. It stands 65 feet tall, is 28 feet in circumference, and the largest branch reaches 187 feet. It is a beautiful tree and another famously photographed spot in the area. Admission is free but they do have visiting hours since the tree is fenced in. We snapped a few pictures before it was time to get on the road to head home.

While the trip home was uneventful, I do want to give a shoutout to another donut shop we discovered along the way home. We stayed the night in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and in the morning, we stopped at Whistle Stop Donuts for breakfast. They were SO delicious! If you are ever in the area, this is a must!

Other than some extremely swollen feet when we got home, it was another unforgettable trip. We love to be able to take these family trips together and make these memories exploring our country. We are already tossing around ideas for our next trip! Come back soon to see where we head to next!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Lauren

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