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...

View from Wayah Bald A few years ago the ladies in my family did a trip to the mountains in July and we stayed in Dillard, Georgia. It was the first time I had stayed in the area and I enjoyed my time there. We went kayaking, hiking, found a salvage yard, and visited a fun French-ish restaurant that was located adjacent to a gas station. I liked the area and wanted to return.  In the years since, I have been back to the Franklin, North Carolina area a few times. This year, we went over 4th of July weekend. We decided to go there because we thought it would be a good place to avoid the crowds that you find in many areas of the North Carolina mountains. It was a good choice. We were able to do all the things we wanted to and didn't feel that we were ever in a situation where there were too many people in close quarters.  During this visit, we hiked two short trails. I was amazed at the flowers we were able to find along the trails and roads, since it was July and many flowers ha...

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...

South Carolina State Parks Looking back over this past year and the many different state parks, it’s hard to say which park would be my favorite. There are a total of 47 state parks in South Carolina. The parks are so varied, I thought it would be best to do a list of superlatives instead. First, its probably helpful to talk about the different types of state parks we have. There are the beach parks that have beach access, camping, and they preserve the area as close as they can to its natural state. Then there are the mountain parks, which provide hiking, camping, and access to the mountains of the state. There are also many state parks that seem like their primary purpose is to provide a natural park for residents in the area to hike, camp, picnic, and have access to a lake or other body of water. Many of these parks have gathering spaces for the community to use. Finally, there are parks that preserve some part of the history of South Carolina. Many are plantation homes or sit...

2019 Hiking Week 37 Table Rock Mountain Table Rock State Park is probably one of the most distinctive state parks in South Carolina. It is named after the iconic Table Rock mountain that is located in the park. The park is popular for hiking, camping, water activities, and gathering together with friends and family. The park is 30 miles from Greenville, 30 miles from Clemson, and the closest town, Pickens, is about 12 miles away. It costs $5.00 per adult for entrance. Easter 2018 I’ve visited Table Rock many times over the years. Our family has celebrated Easter and Thanksgiving at some of their shelters. It’s a pretty large park with lots of room. This past weekend, I attended the Women’s Outdoor Weekend, hosted by Palmetto Conservation Foundation. There were around 30 ladies attending, and we had class offerings on backpacking, kayaking, hiking, camping, and wilderness survival. I signed up for one day and attended the wilderness survival classes. We went through a fir...

2019 Hiking Week 29 Most of the time, people in Columbia take I-77 North to visit Charlotte. Whether it's for a flight, a concert, or just to shop at IKEA, many drive right past the Rock Hill area. Rock Hill is home to Winthrop Univeristy and has become a suburb of Charlotte. I enjoy stopping there on my way in or out of Charlotte, or sometimes we go there just because of the good restaurants and breweries there.  Recently, we were going to be in the area so I wanted to stop by the Glencairn Gardens . They were featured in the book "Classic Carolina Roadtrips"  and I thought of how many times I had been to Rock Hill but hadn't seen these gardens. They are just outside of downtown Rock Hill. Since we visited in the middle of summer, it was pretty green but not a lot of flowers. The park is 11 acres in the middle of an older neighborhood. It has many different sections: lawn, amphitheater, ponds, waterfalls, a "victory garden" and children's...

2019 Hiking week 20 This time of year is the best time to visit Landsford Canal State Park . The park is known as a prime location to view Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies. There are only a few places where these flowers grow in the Southeast. There are three locations in South Carolina - Columbia, McCormick County, and the Catawba River near Landsford Park. These flowers like to grow in the rocks in rivers and begin blooming around mid-May.  Last year, I was able to visit the park with my mom in May. They have a short trail that leads from the parking area along the river to a viewing spot for the lilies. When we were walking along the trail, we kept looking for the flowers but didn't see them. We were worried that we were too early but once we got too the viewing deck, we were able to see tons of them. It was really surprising. It ended up raining on us but we had a good time checking out the park and the trails. The park is actually a historical site of the ...

2019 Hiking Week 19 Many of you may have already heard about the Swamp Rabbit Trail in the Greenville area. The trail is said to be 22 miles long, with other side trails and extensions either completed or planned. The Swamp Rabbit was one of the first "rails-to-trails" I had been on but I now like to use it as much as possible. Currently, the trail runs from the south end of Greenville all the way to Travelers Rest. There is another small section of the trail south of I-85 around Lake Conestee. I like the Swamp Rabbit Trail because it is mostly flat and you can bike, walk, or run quite a few miles. I have used it in the past when training for half marathons. It's so helpful that they have mile markers along the way. Also, there are usually other people on the trail, even in the middle of winter. It can get pretty busy during the warmer months with families and groups out biking and walking. I recommend getting an early start if you want to avoid the crowds. Yea...

Palmetto Trail Columbia Part 3 2019 Hiking week 3 Because of the threat of rain and colder temperatures this weekend, we decided to finish up the Capital City passage of the Palmetto Trail. This section was from the intersection of Devereaux Street and Adger Street to Fort Jackson. As I mentioned before, Devereaux goes through the Heathwood neighborhood with many old, large houses. It has a nice sidewalk on the side of the road and it slopes gently downward as you head towards Kilbourne Road. Once you cross Beltline Boulevard, you will pass Brennan Elementary school, which was pretty busy with pick up since we went by on a weekday. Gills Creek Once you reach the end of Devereaux, you cut over to Kilbourne Road. This section of Columbia was affected by the 2015 flood . You’ll see a few newer homes that have replaced the older, flood damaged homes. On Kilbourne Road, you cross over Gills Creek which was one of the creeks that flooded its banks. I like this section of the tra...

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 ...

I don't know about you but I have a bit of spring fever. My remedy: plan a vacation! I love to travel and plan trips. Day trips, weekend getaways or even longer vacations, sometimes I am just as excited planning the trip as I am going on the trip. When I'm out of town, and we're tired and hungry and looking for somewhere to eat, I'm glad I did all the prep-work. Also, it comes in handy when you're trying to plan a trip and save money. So I thought I would share some of my money-saving vacation-planning tips to help you plan your upcoming adventures, wherever they take you. Budget - Think about what you're willing to spend on and what you want to save on.  travel - I, personally, would rather drive just about any time over flying. And I love flying. But, with the time and money involved in flying, I don't see it as worth it. When driving, I can see more sights and pack more. If you're concerned about gas prices, you can consider renting a car that ge...

Asheville, North Carolina, is a great city for beer. It has recently gained popularity for its locally brewed beers and has attracted a few national breweries to the region. If you live in the South, this is a great city to tour and taste the many, varied offerings. Also, there are a few towns nearby that are worth checking out. About 30 minutes to the west is Brevard and maybe 15 minutes to the east is Black Mountain. Not to mention the many other towns worth visiting in the vicinity.  I prefer to start in Brevard and then head over to Asheville. The breweries in Brevard are open earlier so you can get the most out of a day trip. I suggest checking each place's website for hours for their tasting room as well as tour hours. I've attached my map with some places pinned on it. It helps so make a driving plan so you're not going all over town. Downtown Asheville traffic can get difficult, especially on a busy Saturday.  Be sure to have a designated driver for this!  Also...