Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

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...

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted about restaurants in Greenville, South Carolina! I love Greenville, it's a great town that has done an amazing job with their downtown revitalization. I remember visiting the Falls Park area back in 2000 and it was a place you probably shouldn't go at night. Now it's one of the busiest places in Greenville, day or night. The South End has many shops and restaurants that you can't go wrong with. There are many places up and down Main Street that are great to visit. If you can, check out the Greenville Drive's baseball stadium. It's a great place to catch a game. These are a few restaurants that I have either been to or have been recommended to me. The Velo Fellow - I've posted about this place before, but it's my favorite restaurant in Greenville. We went there recently on a night we were looking for some jazz. We ended up there not realizing that they were having live jazz that night. It was great, the f...

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 ...

Just wanted to let you know that I updated some of my past posts and will be working on updating more. A few that have been updated:  Savannah Restaurants Columbia Restaurants Tybee Restaurants Places are always closing, changing names or changing websites. Let me know if any links don't work or if something is out of date.  Also, I came across this great site for travel to Florida: Florida Rambler . This site has some great ideas and suggestions for experiencing the best, lesser-known parts of Florida. I hope to use their Florida Keys by mile marker this spring when we go back to Islamorada. I'm also excited about visiting Pigeon Key and seeing some of the history of the Keys. I'll let you know how it is! Hope you find an enjoyable way to make it through this winter! 

1 year! I can't believe it's been over a year since I posted last! I'd love to say it's because I've been so busy traveling and visiting new places, but sadly that's not the case. Life has just gotten in the way and I've been distracted.  I do have some places that I need to add. Some new restaurants and recommendations. But I have had this bit about the Golden Isles of Georgia that I've been working on some and I thought I'd go ahead and get it out there. This area is great if you want to plan a low-key family beach vacation. I'm sure we're all already planning those warm beach vacations.  My exciting trip for the year is another family vacation to Islamorada. I hope to try some new things while there and let you know how they go!  The Golden Isles and Amelia Island I’ve talked about Savannah, Georgia many times but about an hour’s drive south of Savannah is another good travel spot, what’s known as the Golden Isles of Georgia. These inc...

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!

Cashiers, NC Christmas tree farm “It’s the most wonderful time of the year...” Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. And for the past few years one of my favorite ways to bring in the Christmas season is to cut down a Christmas tree. I’ve grown up with Fraser firs and love the way they smell. And, luckily, I live in the south where I can drive up to Western North Carolina and have many places to choose from to cut a tree. There are tree farms all across the southern Appalachian Mountains that grow Fraser firs as well as other types of Christmas trees. To really jump into the Christmas spirit and join the masses, head out to get your tree on the day after Thanksgiving (“Black Friday”). This has been our tradition and I would rather fight the small crowds in getting a Christmas tree instead of fighting crowds at a mall. Also, you have a better chance at getting a good tree. We usually go to Cashiers or Highlands, North Carolina. There are a few places in this area ...