Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

I've recently been sharing some places in Savannah to friends who are visiting or thinking about visiting. I thought it would be helpful for me to share that in a new post. Some of these places I've mentioned before and some are new. It's always good to check to make sure these places are still open! Businesses are always opening and closing.  I'll group things by area.  Tybee: Favorite restaurants: North Beach Bar & Grill (casual, mostly outdoor seating), Sea Wolf (fancy hot dogs and other specials, good cocktails and wine), Raw Ingredients (down by the pier, good sushi), Mi Vida ( breakfast and lunch, healthy options), Tybean for coffee, Fannies (by the pier, we like their quesadillas), Crab Shack is an experience but kind of touristy Things to do: bike around the island, watch the sunset on the back pier (https://maps.app.goo.gl/PtbfLEqR9u3W2dmK9), check out what's going on at the Tybee   Marine Science Center (they do special walks) and Lighthouse, w...

2019 Hiking Week 41 Charles Towne Landing Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It’s been quite the year traveling all over the state and seeing all that South Carolina has to offer. We didn’t anticipate at the beginning of this year that we would visit all of the South Carolina State parks but we finished and received our certificate! We ended our state park visits with Charleston area parks. We stayed in the area and visited Edisto , Colleton, Givhan’s Ferry, and Charles Towne Landing . We had previously visited Colonial Dorchester State Park on a day trip.  Edisto Beach State Park covers a large part of Edisto Island. There is an inland section with trails, camping, a boat dock, and nature center, as well as a beach section of the park. It was pretty cold when we visited but still beautiful. Edisto is one of the barrier islands that is remote and takes awhile to get there. It’s about an hour’s drive from Charleston. We’ve stayed there a couple times and it’s one of...

Hiking 2019 Week 33 Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand area of South Carolina is probably one of the most popular parts of the state. People have been flocking to the area for over 50 years to enjoy the beaches. Even though I grew up in Florida, my family would meet other family members in the summer at Pawleys Island. I remember staying on the beach, playing putt-putt golf, and setting off fireworks. Since moving to South Carolina, my family doesn’t visit Myrtle Beach as often. Since it’s about three hours from Columbia and Charleston is only about an hour and a half, we tend to go to Isle of Palms or other Charleston beaches. But there are two state parks in the Grand Strand area and one plantation state park just south of the area. We decided to do a day trip to visit all three. Myrtle Beach State Park Our first stop was Myrtle Beach State Park . It is an oasis in the middle of all the tourist areas of Myrtle Beach. You have a glimpse of what the area must have looke...

2019 Hiking Week 30 Can you believe that in  the 14 years that I've lived in Columbia since college, I haven't been out to Dreher Island State Park? One of the villas on the lake. We recently made the trip to Dreher Island with a couple of kayaks on our car that we borrowed from some friends. After a couple of wrong turns and driving into Newberry County, we made it to the park. The park is a series of islands on the lake that are connected. There’s a large marina and boat ramp that seems to be the most popular attraction. There are also campgrounds, cabins, villas, and picnic shelters for people to reserve. They have quite a few options for cabin-like rentals in the park. There are villas, which are like larger lake houses, there are cabins, which are simple but sleep ?? People, and there are these huts that look like one room cabins with simple accommodations.  In my opinion, some of the best looking sites were the camper and tent sites at the end of the isla...

2019 Hiking Week 13 Hunting Island State Park and Sheldon Church Ruins This past weekend we were able to visit the Hunting Island State Park, outside of Beaufort, SC. On the way there, we stopped by the Sheldon Church ruins . These ruins are from a church built in 1757 but it was burned in the Revolutionary War in 1779, then, after being rebuilt, it was destroyed again during the Civil War. They are currently maintained by the Parish Church of St. Helena , which is in Beaufort. I’ve always wanted to visit these ruins. If you look up pictures, there are some beautiful images from this location. It was interesting to see the church and the grounds. There are a few tombstones from the past three centuries. The oak trees, spanish moss, and dogwoods were so pretty. You can schedule events for the location but you have to go through the St. Helena church.  After visiting Sheldon Church, we went through Beaufort and on to Hunting Island State Park . I was really im...

SC Tour - 2018 Highlight As I was thinking about this series of blog postings and what kind of places I want to share, I remembered a place we visited after Christmas in 2018. We were in Charleston for a night and on our way back, we stopped at the Audubon's Frances Biedler Forest, outside of Summerville. The forest is a little bit difficult to find, but you can follow the signs from I-26 and they will get you there. You feel like you're driving to someone's home. But the forest is part of an 18,000 acre bird and wildlife sanctuary! When you visit, you're only seeing a small fraction of the land, but it is beautiful. It reminded me of Congaree National Forest. There is a raised boardwalk that takes you less than 2 miles around and it has many interesting info signs along the way. I was particularly interested in the effects that the 2015 flood and Hurricane Hugo had on the area. The park staff were very friendly and informative. They also had some exhibits inside the...

So, I was supposed to go to Savannah the other weekend but other plans came up and I wasn't able to go. I was bummed when we had such nice weather on Sunday and I knew it would feel like spring in Savannah. It got me thinking about the city and what I would do or recommend someone to do if they were in Savannah for the weekend. I thought I would share with you my ideal itinerary. I'm giving you some "Save" options and some "Splurge" options, you could also see these as save = more family friendly options and splurge = romantic weekend options. I hope you can use these and enjoy Savannah. It's one of my favorite southern cities. First thing I would do, is check the Savannah visitor's website . See what kind of events are going on that weekend in Savannah and Tybee Island. You may want to join these events or avoid them. Also, be sure, if you're going to be spending time downtown, you may want to invest in a parking pass for the city. You can f...

Amelia Island is an island off the coast of Florida, near Jacksonville. Amelia is the island's name, Fernandina is the beach on Amelia Island. It's a historical area where many of the original settlers arrived. I've spent some time there and I really like it. It's a good mix of Florida and the southern barrier islands (like those in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina). There's a neat historic downtown area as well as a few parks. Also there's a nice beach and good walking/biking paths on the island. But keep in mind that it's a fairly large island that would take most of the day to bike from one end to another (north and south). There is a wide range of places to stay, from B&Bs to the Ritz Carlton. Below is some information that I've gathered to help you plan a vacation. Visitor website -  http://www.ameliaisland.com/ B&B's in the Historic Downtown: Fairbanks House - Higher end but historical -  http://fairbankshouse.com/ Hoyt...

So recently we were able to go to the Florida Keys again and it was just as enjoyable as before. I must say, if you have never been to the Florida Keys, or if your only experience was Key West, you really should try to make the trip. They're so unique. It just makes me happy to see the beautiful water in so many shades of blue when you cross over the bridge. We didn't get a chance this time to try many new places but we enjoyed visiting the places we have been before. Like Morada Bay Restaurant The view from our table at Morada Bay. and Islamorada Fish Company (We've been here before and it can get crowded but it's a good family place and there's a lot you can do while waiting for a table) The sunset from the docks at Islamorada Fish Company and staying at Breezy Palms . This time at Breezy Palms, we saw some manatees as well as some iguanas. Apparently iguanas aren't native to the keys and they want to get rid of them. But they are interesting to ...