Musgrove Mill, Clinton, SC

About an hour outside of Columbia is the small town of Clinton. I have visited there many times and even have a few friends from there, yet I never knew that there was a beautiful state historic site with trails AND a waterfall. Waterfalls are scarce in the Midlands of South Carolina, so this was an exciting find for me at under an hour from Columbia!

One July afternoon, I gathered my friends from Clinton, and we explored the beautiful state historic site. During the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Musgrove Mill took place at the site in 1780, and the Patriots triumphed over the Loyalists in a surprise victory. Today, that battle is remembered throughout the park with various signs along the trails.

It was a hot and sticky South Carolina day, but Musgrove Mill was still an exciting adventure for us. The trails are wooded and provide a lot of shade, and we even dipped our feet in the river at various points during our hike to cool off a bit. We had a little one with us, so we only hiked the British Camp Trail which begins right next to the Visitor’s Center. This was an easy hike, even for the little one, and we even did a little geocashing during the trek!

After the hike, we drove to the separate entrance of Horseshoe Falls (just a few miles down the road). A short paved path leads from the parking lot to the falls. This is a short path, but it also connects to the Battlefield Trail if you are up for more hiking!

I was pleasantly surprised with Horseshoe Falls. It’s not a huge waterfall, but it is beautiful and has a pool that you can wade in right under the falls. You can also climb to the top of the waterfalls!

Horseshoe Falls provides a great recreational area for local Clinton residents, and on hot days, the pool is packed with families wading in the pool and enjoying the natural beauty! For more information, visit http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/musgrovemill/introduction.aspx. 

Murrells Inlet Boat Parade – 4th of July

Earlier this year, Coastal Living ranked Murrells Inlet as one of the best places to celebrate the 4^th of July (http://dailycatch.coastalliving.com/2015/06/30/best-beach-towns-july-fourth/), and I can tell you that I share the sentiment! The spirit of the 4^th of July is vibrant in the Inlet…combine that with the excitement of a boat parade and an amazing fireworks display…and you get a 4^th of July celebration that can’t be topped!

First, my favorite…the boat parade! For the last 32 years, Murrells Inlet has hosted an amazing boat parade that features a boat decoration competition along with a dock decoration competition. The parade begins at the Garden City Point and travels the waters to the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk and into a residential section of the marsh all the way to Morse Park Landing.

If you have the opportunity to enjoy the festivities in a boat, I would definitely recommend that. My family loves the competitive spirit of all of the boats, and it’s really fun to get to see all of the docks decorated along the route as well. If you can’t travel by boat for the parade, you can make plans to watch the boats sailing by at the Marsh Walk and Pier, Belin Methodist, or a number of parks along the marsh. Bystanders bring water guns to shoot water at the boats as they pass.

After the parade, a committee of judges ranks the top boats and docks. We have never won, but we are still learning the ropes as we have only entered the last two years. To spice up the decorations, there is a different theme every year. This year’s theme was “Red, White, and Southern” while last year’s theme was “Saluting our Founding Fathers.”

After the boat parade, we like to relax outside and wait for the 4^th of July “Salute from the Shore” flyover featuring vintage military aircraft. After a leisurely afternoon of relaxing in the sun and swimming, we enjoy a family and friends with a barbecue by the water.

Once dusk settles in, we board the boat once again to go back towards the Marsh Walk for a spectacular fireworks display. We try to get as close as we can to see and hear the magnificent fireworks. Often times, we get so close that there is smoke and other debris falling into the boat!

The 4^th of July is fun to celebrate in a lot of places, but I definitely recommend checking out Murrells Inlet at least once for the boat parade and fireworks display! 

Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve, Kershaw, SC

Last year, one of my parents’ friends gave them some really unique photographs of rare plant species. The photos looked as if they could have been taken on the moon – large craters filled with plants I had never seen before!

It took me forever to finally figure out where the photos were taken, but once I found out that they were taken at Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve, I convinced a friend to take a day trip to hike the trails to the rock and locate the plants that had been so intriguing to me in the photographs!

Just about an hour outside of Columbia is the hidden treasure of 40 Acre Rock Heritage Preserve in Kershaw, SC (which is actually in Lancaster County, not Kershaw County!). A beautiful hiking trail winds through wooded forests with streams and waterfalls, leading you to the large granite flatrock area. Contrary to its name, the rock is only fourteen acres, but it is still a beautiful site to see with rare and even endangered plant species such as elf orpine and pool sprite.

Unfortunately, some of the rock has been defaced with spray-paint, and there were some broken bottles and other litter dropped about around the rock. However, the rare combination of granite surface, mountain views, and varying plants provides for an interesting hike. Once we got to the rock, I was intrigued by the solution pools which were filled with thin red colored plants. We spent a lot of time wandering around the granite, looking in every solution pool for the different plant species.

I’ll end by letting the photos speak for themselves!

Cypress Gardens, Charleston, SC

I’ve been talking about checking out all of the hidden gems of South Carolina all summer, and one of my coworkers recently mentioned Cypress Gardens to me. I had never heard of it, and when I did a quick Google search, I became immediately fascinated with it when I found out that the swan scene from The Notebook and various scenes from The Patriot were filmed on the grounds. I had the opportunity to visit the gardens with one of my friends earlier this summer on a Sunday morning, and we had a great time!

We left Columbia around 7am, and we made it to the gardens a little after 9:00. Sunday seemed to be a great time to go (hated to miss church, but not many people were there!). While we were purchasing our tickets, the lady at the desk told us that we should definitely sign up for a boat ride. Boat rides were only $5/person, so we signed up to drift off into the 10:00 tour!

I am so glad that we were encouraged to take the boat ride – it was so much fun! You can sign up for a guided tour, or you can rent a private boat (both are very reasonable at $5/person). There are lots of alligators and other wildlife, so we opted for the guided tour to be on the safe side! Immediately upon leaving the dock, you are transported into a fantasy world of black water swamps and bald cypress trees! 

Our guide was very knowledgeable, and he told us stories about all of the movies being filmed there. The swans from The Notebook scene were brought into the swamp during the winter, and other swans were digitally edited into the scene. 

Waterlilies grow all over the swamp, and at one point, the guide picked a waterlily and passed it around for all of us to hold. We were looking for alligators during the tour, and we finally found one on the way back to the dock. It swam away before we could get too close, so I didn't get a great photo of it. 

The boat ride was about an hour and was such a magical experience. After the ride, we toured the grounds, starting at the butterfly house. There were many butterflies and other flying insects and birds. Adjacent to the butterfly house is a swamparium that contains a wide variety of amphibians, reptiles, and fish. We explored that a bit, but we were really excited to go explore the gardens.

We headed down the trail that lined the swamp. The views from the path were just as gorgeous as the views we had seen from the boat. We even spotted a baby alligator right by the path! 

Cypress Gardens was such a hidden gem. I am glad I found out about it when I did, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a new adventure outside of Charleston. For more information, visit: http://www.cypressgardens.info/.

A Birthday Day Trip to Lake Lure

One of my favorite day trips from Columbia, SC is a quick trip to the mountains to spend an afternoon on Lake Lure. Earlier this summer, my family was looking for something to do to celebrate two birthdays. After much discussion, we decided to travel to the mountains and enjoy a leisurely afternoon on Lake Lure.

Named one of the top 10 most beautiful man-made lakes in the world by National Geographic, Lake Lure boasts breathtaking views of flourishing mountain tops and granite cliffs. The lake was built in the 1920’s to generate power and for recreation. Today, there are many activities available at the lake, including a public beach, boating (kayaking, pontoon boats, and paddle boarding – no jet skis are allowed on the lake), a spa at the Inn at Lake Lure, and much more!

My favorite Lake Lure activity is taking a boat road in the reasonably priced pontoon boat tours on the lake, highlighting some of Lake Lure’s history and most notable landmarks. Note that boat rides are offered on the hour (you can check www.lakelure.com/activities to see prices and hours). If you have some extra time while you are waiting for your tour, stroll through Morse Park and across Lake Lure’s very own “Flowering Bridge.” Morse Park includes a playground, welcome center (with restrooms), and a small loop trail which allows you to walk right by the water! Take in the views of the lake and mountains while enjoying a leisurely stroll through the tiger lily lined paths. Morse Park is a popular site for weddings during the summer. On a recent summer afternoon walk, we saw wedding planners setting up for two separate ceremonies!

A short walk from the park is Lake Lure’s “Flowering Bridge.” When the bridge over the Rocky Broad River was closed in 2011, a group of locals decided to create a garden along the bridge featuring plants native to the area. Today, the bridge has a lot of character with its abundant and fragrant blooms and blossoms which attract many butterflies and birds. While crossing the bridge, you can take in even more of the breathtaking views of Lake Lure and the surrounding mountainside. Local art is also featured on the bridge, including sculptures and other reclaimed art.

Once you make your way back to the park and board the boat, relax on the hour-long tour while you take in the beautiful mountain scenery and see some of North Carolina’s finest luxury lake homes. Did you know that several popular scenes from Dirty Dancing were filmed on the lake? While on the boat tour, you will get to see the steps where Jennifer Grey’s character, “Baby,” carried a watermelon while training for her dance routine and hear many fun movie facts such as the trees and grass getting spray-painted green since the movie was filmed in October.

Scenes from Dirty Dancing were filmed in this cove.

Other highlights of the boat tour include seeing Chimney Rock from afar and learning about the history of the man-made lake. Hear how an island on the lake was once covered in snakes and how it took locals years to solve this problem with a quite innovative solution! We loved listening to all of the stories our skipper told, and he also entertained questions from everyone on the boat at the end of the tour.

After the boat ride, enjoy the recreational and shopping opportunities in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village. If you’ve worked up an appetite, feel free to check out the Lake Lure Smokehouse for an affordable barbeque sandwich or experience fine dining at the Lake Lure Inn and Spa’s Veranda Restaurant. And be sure to stop at a local produce stand for some fruits and vegetables on your way back to Columbia!

Throwback Thursday – Photos of Blue Angels in Seattle

A few weeks ago, I was visiting Seattle during the Seafair Festival.  While touring the Queen Anne neighborhood, we noticed that the Blue Angels were practicing for their Seafair show, and we decided to hurry to Kerry Park for an amazing view of the spectacle. We made it just in time and saw the jets maneuvering closely together over the Space Needle, beautiful skyline, and mountains!  Even though it was only practice, it was still a magnificent sight to see. Here are a few photos we managed to get of the practice. Can’t wait for more Seattle views when I move there this fall!

One month from today, I will be climbing the Space Needle through a walk to benefit cancer research and the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center. Please help support my climb at www.classy.org/supportmonicasclimb.