Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

Since the South Carolina State Parks have reopened on May 1, the parks have a limited number of visitors they can have there at one time. So far, each weekend, about 10 or more parks reach their capacity by noon. I've been keeping an eye on the parks to see which ones are the most popular and fill up the fastest. I thought I would share with you some of the fun but lesser known parks. Just be sure to check the state park facebook page to see the latest announcements. First, though, I should tell you the parks that are busiest and have the most restrictions. Edisto Beach State Park is only open to campers and those staying overnight (until May 11). No day visitors. Jones Gap State Park has a lot of restrictions on visitors. On the weekends, you have to purchase a parking pass before arriving. Other popular parks that are filling up on the weekends before noon: Paris Mountain, Caesars Head, Keowee-Toxaway, Table Rock, Kings Mountain, Landsford Canal, and Musgrove Mill. Basicall...

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...

Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site 2019 Hiking Week 15 This weekend was full of adventures. First, my husband took me on a surprise road trip and we visited the Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site . It’s between Summerville and North Charleston. It was a pretty neat park. It was a 1697 settlement by congregationalists from Massachusetts on the Ashley River. The park is $2.00 per person to enter and you pay using the envelope system, so be sure to bring exact cash.    Once you park, there is an informational sign with a self-guided tour that starts by the river and winds its way around the settlement.  Tabby Fort There’s a fort that is built out of oyster tabby. It was originally built as a back up storage for Charleston’s gunpowder. There are also archaeology sites, tombstones, and a large bell tower from the former Anglican church. The settlement was abandoned in the revolutionary war and it didn’t recover. It’s a beautiful place on the ...

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...

In 2019 I decided I wanted to up our amount of hiking and being outdoors. I'm always inspired this time of year to get outside. There's something about hiking when it's cold and dry and the trees are bare of leaves. I think it comes from hiking with my parents often in the winter. They usually do a Christmas Day hike which I'd love to join them for one year. I've thought about getting park passes, like the South Carolina State Parks Pass, but before I commit the money to that, I thought we'd see how much we might need it. Most parks are pretty cheap to get in ($5 or less) and there are many of places we can go for free. I also got one of the SC Park Passports where you get it stamped at each park and when you get them all stamped, you are an Ultimate Outsider. Fun. Besides SC State Parks, I love that we have the Palmetto Trail . One day it will go from Oconee to the beach. It comes right through Columbia. It's not 100% complete now but there are a lot of ...

Fall! Time for cooler weather, Oktoberfests, Fall festivals, and other great outdoor and free activities. This list just covers October and November, I'll be working on another one just for all the holiday events (though some are mentioned in here). Go enjoy the great weather and fun events! Events in bold indicate Columbia-area events. Late September/Early October  - MOJA Arts Festival -  http://www.mojafestival.com/home/ Charleston area a festival for African-American and Caribbean art some events are free, some have a charge October  Early October - Congaree Bluegrass Festival -  http://www.cityofcayce-sc.gov/cbf/  free admission, free parking Saturday, 11 am - 6 pm bluegrass music, historical tours, food vendors, games for kids bring lawn chairs, but no outside food or coolers. Also, bring a canned good to donate to a local food pantry. - Carolina Foothills Heritage Fair -  http://www.carolinafoothillsheritagefair.org/ $5 adul...

Well, it's one of my favorite times of the year in Columbia. Football season, fall and...the Greek Festival! If you live in the area and haven't been, you need to make it a point to go. It's a great festival with lots of great food and some real friendly people. Now, disclaimer, it gets crowded! They usually take up one block with booths, games, entertainment stages, and food vendors so every free space there is can be filled with people. I recommend going during one of the off-times. Like take a late lunch or an early dinner. Or even an early lunch. They're open from 10 am - 10 pm Thursday through Saturday. They also have Sunday hours. But while you're there, try and make it a point to tour their church. It was just built in the last couple of years and they are always working on adding new artwork. It's beautiful. You can sit there and study all of the Greek Ikons and learn about the history of each painting. Greek Festivals are great family activities and I ...

A follow up to my post for April and May free events. It's been fun finding free things to do around the state. The weather has been great and summer is when it seems everyone is outside. And there's always great events during 4th of July! Some of my resources for finding events: Columbia's Free Times SCiway and local visitors bureau websites (great resources!) June June 1 - Williamston Parkfest -  http://www.williamstonsc.us/festivals.html#parkfest 11 am - 7:30 pm between Anderson and Greenville, off of I-85 family event with music, food, emergency personnel visits, farmers market June 1 - Sweetgrass Festival -  http://www.sweetgrassfestival.org 12 pm - 8 pm Mt Pleasant, under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge (free parking) celebrating Gullah Geechee culture; arts and crafts, music, food, demonstrations, water slide June 1-2 - Old Depot Arts & Crafts -  http://www.olddepot.org/index.php?page=arts-crafts-show 10 am - 5 pm Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm S...

I wanted to share with you my list of free events coming up in South Carolina. This isn't an exhaustive list and I'm mostly focusing on the midlands area but I wanted to have a central place to list all these. It's a great time to be outside and there are lots of festivals going on. Feel free to share your own! Thursday, April 18 - Sunday, April 21 - Spring Plant and Flower Festival at the State Farmers Market 8 am - 6 pm Thursday thru Saturday, 12 - 5 pm Sunday Lexington County you can stock up on your plants for spring and Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer any questions there's also a restaurant on the premises if you want a bite to eat There's an Upstate one as well, May 2-5 in Greenville  Friday, April 19 - Sunday, April 28 - ArtFields -  http://www.artfieldssc.org/ Lake City, near Florence various free events, live music, dancing, food, art Friday, April 19 - Saturday, April 20 - South Carolina BBQ and Shag Festival -  h...

I will hopefully be checking out some of these restaurants soon but I thought I'd share this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/dining/southern-farmers-vanquish-the-cliches.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all   Good article and good recommendations for Southern restaurants and Southern farmers.  Happy New Year!

I'm going to keep a running list of Charleston restaurants I've been to and recommend. I'll try and put websites up whenever possible.  Cane Rhum Bar & Caribbean Kitchen:  http://eatdrinkcane.com/ Cane is one of our favorite places in Charleston. You feel like you're in the tropics whenever you go. They are only open for dinner time. The food is small enough portions that you can try a few different items and not fill up too much. I recommend the "Taste of Cane to Share".  Poe's :  http://www.poestavern. com/    It is my favorite burger joint. It has been crowded the last few times I've tried to go. It is probably better to go during 'off-times' to beat crowds.  Fleet Landing:   http://www. fleetlanding.net/   If you're downtown and want some seafood (and a more Charleston experience), this is my new favorite place. It is an old storage building on the water but the inside is nice and has great views and good food (I li...

My favorite things to do in Charleston: Free: The Garden/Cemetery walk :  http://www.gardenvisit. com/garden/gateway_walk_ charleston  Pretty much you just look in this area and there is a path that leads through all these cemeteries and gardens. There are gates and you can usually figure out where they are, if you find one. Hopefully the map helps.  Charleston Tea Plantation :  http://www. charlestonteaplantation.com/   The tour is short and free, but they also have a nice area by the visitors center that has benches and is a good place to relax. I'd have lunch there sometime, I think they'd be ok with that. They also have other tours you can do and pay for.  Angel Oak: on the way to the Tea Plantation, really pretty, large oak tree.  http://www.angeloaktree. org/  another place you could do a picnic. Firefly Vodka : I think it's near the Tea Plantation. I think they also do wine.  http://www.fireflyvodka. com/  (w...