Totality!: Congaree National Park and Newberry, SC, for the Great American Eclipse

A reasonably close by total solar eclipse?  Well, that is a definite reason for a E and K road trip!  We took off for upstate South Carolina, visiting Congaree National Park along the way.

Congaree National Park was a great destination.  E quickly gave it five stars for a wonderfully easy-and-interesting hike along its boardwalk, affording outstanding glimpses of old cypress trees, cypress "knees," golden orb spiders, and other natural delights.  K finds "swamps" fascinating, and this was no exception.  There's a small visitor's center, decked out for the eclipse on our visit, with interpretive exhibits that highlight the conservation of the area in particular.  From the center, it's easy to catch a brief interpretive hike that will get you started with a rich experience on the boardwalk.  This is another fine park site for Every Kid in a Park--the boardwalk loop trail is easy to take with kids, and the Junior Ranger badge tasks are accessible and interesting.  

As the highlight of our trip, we enjoyed totality for the 2017 Great American Eclipse in the small South Carolina town of Newberry for Newberry Eclipse Fest.  Newberry itself is a nifty treasure of a town--and truly extremely friendly.  The residents did a fabulous job making sure everything was prepared and safe for a ton of visitors, and they set a great tone in being exceedingly welcoming to visitors.  We met great people from Maryland, New Jersey, and South Carolina; supported a fundraiser lemonade stand; spent a ton of time in festival bounce houses (well, E did); got a book signed by an astronaut; and generally hung out in a great, safe atmosphere.  We'd highly recommend your any day visit to Newberry--they have a beautiful opera house that hosts an impressive performance series spanning bluegrass to contemporary "circus-style" acrobatics.  They are also delightfully close to various National Park Service sites and other natural and cultural treasures, including being about a half-hour from Ninety Six National Historic Site (a Revolutionary War site) and locally-recommended Musgrove Mill State Historic Site (also a Revolutionary War site).  Really, Newberry is not that far from Greenville, SC, either.  In short, Newberry fully impressed us, and we will be back. (For photos of the eclipse in Newberry, click here and check out their Facebook pages for both the town and the Eclipse Fest.)

If you go out Eclipse-ing in 2024 (or at any other point), E and I would highly recommend heading for totality.  We'd been told our hometown Roanoke, VA, would be much darker than it really was, and we were so pleased with our decision to "move to totality."  Definitely consider planning to be at a well-interpreted National Park Service site and/or in a small town, and keep a special eye to where the NASA folks are--they, unsurprisingly, know what they are doing when it comes to celestial events.  Book early and take more than one set of eclipse glasses per person--you can share them or have a spare if you get a scratch.  Expect lots of roller-coaster style screaming during totality--it really is spectacular and awe-inspiring, creating diamonds in the sky.  Do bring a generous spirit for crowds, a full tank of gas, food and drinks you can keep with you in your car, and similar "think ahead" travel provisions.  Trust us, it will all be worth it.

Upstate Carolinas: More than Just Driving Through

It may be common in our social circle to travel to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and to Atlanta, Georgia, as well as to have a layover flying in Charlotte, North Carolina.  However, we don't hear friends talking fondly of the drive through the broader nearby region--and that's really a mistake. On a recent surprise destination trip for G to Babyland General Hospital (the home of Cabbage Patch Dolls), we decided to do some exploring.

On the way south, Kim took Nana Lana, along with us, to Charlotte's Billy Graham Library.  Kim, Justin, and E had been a few years ago, but we figured Nana would particularly enjoy this site and that it would make a lovely stop again.  The Library makes an interesting (and free admission!) stopover easily accessible from the interstate system for anyone interested in recent movements in Christianity and/or recent American history.  The museum includes significant biography of Billy Graham and pictures of Graham meeting with various world leaders, although we've been disappointed twice not to see a picture of Graham and Pope John Paul II.  Do expect the site to encourage conversion to Christianity.  Kim, a "Heinz 57" Christian of multiple denominational backgrounds, does feel comfortable being from a non-Southern Baptist denomination there.  There's a gift shop as well as lovely, compact grounds to explore, including a simple grave site memorial to Ruth Graham, Billy's wife, which you see G admiring above.

On the way back north, we stopped to explore Greenville's much-photographed Falls Park on the Reedy, a truly lovely serpentine urban park showcasing the natural beauty apparent in the city.  We found a small, free parking lot right at the beautifully-engineered Liberty Bridge, affording awesome views of the falls. Yes, Kim and G climbed out on them--and you can, too, especially if you wear non-slip water shoes (slippery river rocks) and clothes you are comfortable getting wet.  Open 7 AM - 9 PM daily, the park has winding paths, manicured green spaces fitting for a picnic, and attractive benches as well as inventive seating like porch swings.  If you take time to do a little research in advance, you can also easily connect to restaurants and accessibility features like elevators.

Simply put: Don't let the interstate system numb you from the beauty and culture around you.  Stop driving every now and then.  You might even find less-unique but still fun and value-laden shopping stops like the Gaffney Outlet Marketplace, which we "found" twice on this trip as well.

Ghost Walk in the Carolinas: Ocean Isle Beach Date

For this year's beach date, J and K hopped an island or so over on the Brunswick coast, leaving Holden Beach for a short time at Ocean Isle Beach.  The main attraction?  Ocean Isle Beach Ghost Walk, a summer activity available two evenings a week at present.

OIB Ghost Walk is a small operation with owner-storytellers who recount ghostly experiences had by individuals they've met personally.  The owners are also educators by day, so they carefully analyze the stories as they craft them from sources for recounting on the tour.  This gives the tour a special first-hand feel and an openness to questions, discussions, and deeper connections to local history that's not characteristic of all ghost walks.  Quite honestly, we really admired them for their zeal for their community and their scholarship.  Our favorite tales included connections to WWII submarines off the North Carolina coast and an absolutely fascinating story from Hickory Hall Mansion in Calabash.  The tour is also a great deal--just $10 per person, and a small book of stories is also available for purchase.  What's this?  Clearly, it's part of a non-existent military training mission. Take the tour to learn more.

Ocean Isle itself was a pleasant visit.  The character of the beach put us in the mind of Wrightsville--a little more bustling than Holden but not approaching Myrtle in its busy-ness.  On the tour, you'll be outside--and you'll get to step a bit on both sand and streets.  Dress comfortably.  There are no gimmicky sound effects and no visually scary moments; this is a fine tour for interested older kids. You'll meet the walk very near the place that emergency vehicles can enter the beach near the pier just over the bridge on the island.  We arrived early, and we asked some local business folks if we were at the right place--they didn't know, but we were.  Then, the tour operators reassuringly arrived in OIB Ghost Walk T-shirts.

If you go, consider also visiting the Museum of Coastal Carolina, a history/science museum started by local volunteers that has evolved into a facility broader in scope than most similar local museums. We haven't been yet, but there's at least one story from the museum on the ghost walk, so visiting would tie nicely to the ghost walk experience.  The museum is very near the pier where you can meet your ghost walk crew, as are several beachwear/surf wear shops, restaurants, and a well-tended modest putt-putt course. We ate at Provision Company, famous for bad parking, good food and great views, before leaving Holden.  "Pro Co" is a fine place with kids, but the atmosphere is currently lost on our young ones, so we find it better for a date.

A Real Castle in the Sand: Myrtle Beach's Hidden Gem, Atalaya

For this year's "Myrtle date," Justin and Kim went to Huntington Beach State Park to see Atalaya, an historic homesite.  Both of us had seen small features about Atataya in older tourist literature (from before the Grand Strand had more "whiz bang" attractions), and both of us had attempted to research Atalaya online.  Justin had heard it was "ruins;" Kim had heard it was a "castle."  Neither was exactly true, and we were most pleasantly surprised.  Here's a highly-recommended Myrtle Date for those with an interest in history and the more peaceful side of the Grand Strand. 

Within Huntington Beach State Park, Atalaya sits near the shore of Huntington Beach, reasonably near the south end of Myrtle Beach.  It is a piece of 20th century Moorish architecture created by the philanthropic Huntington family as a winter retreat.  A quick tour informs you of the Huntingtons generosity--and their sense of social justice.  Thinking about the time period in which the estate was built creates a sense of the surreal:  Atalaya is nearing 100 years old and was build during a time when most of this section of the Grand Strand was full of run-down plantations.  It's also an interesting site for art.  Anne Huntington was a sculptress, and she kept live animals on the grounds (including bears!) as subjects, bringing them down with her from New York.  At the site, expect walkable brick grounds that are decently preserved but essentially unfurnished.  Be fascinated with the architectural details, including a large clothes drying "room" and a small but well-designed guttering system near the walks.  There's also a one-room interpretive exhibit.

We recommend touring the site on your own--after engaging the volunteers that staff Atalaya in good conversation, of course.  You'll pay a small fee to enter the park (about $5 per adult) and add on admission to the home (about $2 per adult).  If you are very interested in the Huntingtons, spring for the add-on audio tour--it features Anne Huntington's voice.  Consider contacting the park before you go; while it is difficult to find some of the information about the site online, they do "ghost walks" at night and have other fun options in the park including alligator talks.  Parking for Atalaya is plentiful and close to the shore as well, so walk out to the beach.  A beach house for changing is very nearby, and there are many fine spots for a picnic.  The park gift shop is nearby and boasts a solid selection of souvenir Christmas ornaments, some postcards, and some gear you might need in the park. 

If you go, consider tagging on a trip to Brookgreen Gardens, another site with Huntington family connections, particularly if you are in the area in the off season.   The gardens are essentially across the street, and they feature many seasonal events.  Justin recommends reading The Remarkable Huntingtons, Archer and Anna: Chronicle of a Marriage by Mary Mitchell and Albert Goodrich for good background, as the role of the Huntington marriage is important to both sites and to understanding the family (the book is generally cheaper on site than at Amazon).  If you're looking for more time on site, there's an annual arts and crafts festival at Atalaya in September.   Be mindful of how close you are to Market Common, Coastal Grand Mall, and Broadway at the Beach--it's pretty easy to tag on a part-day trip to Atalaya with another attraction, too.  If you are at any area within the Brunswick Beaches and/or the Grand Strand, Atalaya is driveable adventure. 

Relevant Twitter Handles:
@SC_state_parks
@Brookgreensc

Pirates Meet Ghosts of the Swamps: Pirates Voyage and Myrtle Beach Ghost Walk

Even though we've only done so twice, we've decided we have a new tradition: a Myrtle Beach date for our anniversary treat.  We had a stunning experience again this year at Pirates' Voyage, a dinner show that is pure fun.  The pirates better fit the beach than the Dixie Stampede formerly on the site, and this year, the show was even more impressive to us.  We had excellent front row seats without paying for preferred seating (our best explanation is that we booked early).  This year, however, there was no American Express discount.  We continue recommend being there when the doors open, enjoying the preshow and taking time in the gift shop before the show when it is substantially less crowded.  

The presentation of the Pirates' Voyage show is so dynamic that our thoughts always turn into "How'd they do that?" questions.  How'd they find a cast that could do acrobatics and swimming?  How'd they figure out how they were going to make all this food service happen simultaneously?  It's all very fun to think about, in large part because the show is so seamless.  Don't go looking for plot or the same kind of fun you'd have seeing a great work of literature on stage--but do go looking for all-out enjoyment and spectacle.  We go as a couple, and we're confident the show's tons of fun for most elementary-aged kids. 

We've also developed a preference for the earliest show, affording us an opportunity to enjoy Barefoot Landing at night afterwards, a throwback to Kim's childhood.  This year, Justin surprised Kim with ghost walk tickets to the Myrtle Beach Ghost Walk with Ghosts and Legends.  We'd always said we'd go sometime--and Justin, seeing a sign in the window indicating "last season," rightly felt we'd better step on it.  Our tour was a charming walk with a fabulously knowledgeable, passionate, and confident guide in Penelope the Pirate, one of the best guides we've seen on any ghost tour.  There was an unexpected and pleasant side trip to the House of Blues, and a good bit of North Myrtle Beach-area history was included.  If you follow this blog, you know we do ghost tours to hear local stories and get a flavor for local cultures--and this tour definitely delivered!   We also recommend the Ghosts and Legends show (presented every 30 minutes in their building) and suggest anyone who likes books of local legends stop in their gift shop. 

More good news: the business is for sale. We're among the hopefuls that it's not really the last season! For info, give them a call or try a google search for the listing.  We wish the original owners good luck as they drive their DeLorean cross country raising funds for health research. 

For more of our recommendations in Myrtle, see another Myrtle Date here and a family spring break trip here.  We did not go to Alligator Adventure as we'd initially planned, largely because we had a very unresponsive customer service experience with them ordering tickets as gifts this spring.  We'll think about it for next time but did not have good success purchasing tickets through their online interface or trying to contact the business via email, social media, or phone. 

Myrtle Date 2011

Again this year, we were blessed with a trip to Holden Beach, NC, in mid-summer. Holden is an excellent beach for relaxation--and it's close enough to Myrtle Beach, SC, when relaxation isn't in order. Our beach house check-in time was a late 4:00, so we went to Myrtle on our way south. We also came back as "just a couple" for an anniversary date.

The best part this year? Pirates' Voyage, the new Dolly Parton Dinner Attraction that replaced the Myrtle location of Dixie Stampede. It was lots of good fun with the same tasty food you've heard about from Dixie Stampede fans. Most importantly, the wonderful creamy veggie soup is still served! The show included tumbling, juggling, diving, sea lions... more than we expected in some ways, but we missed the blacklight skeletons featured in the YouTube promo. Watching everything come together organizationally was a special pleasure for Kim.

We enjoyed a lunch at Planet Hollywood. The service was less than spectacular (but still friendly) and the esprit de corps was not as "cool" as Hard Rock. However, the food--right down to Elijah's kids' meal--was spectacularly presented, and we liked the memorabilia displays, especially the spinning aircrafts near the bar/hostess stand. While this location is the only one with which we are familiar, the restaurant chain's publicity materials lead us to think this one is more casual than some.

For shopping, it was Barefoot for us--including the inexpensive jewelry store Black Market Minerals for some good deals.

If you go, use your American Express to book advance tix to Pirates' Voyage, saving money and time. Arrive when you can get in (about 60-90 min. before your show), visiting the gift shop right away when it's at its least crowded. Eating at Planet Hollywood? Head to nearby Broadway at the Beach (a place deserving of a visit of its own, anyway) in search of coupons. We wound up with $10 off lunch thanks to a retro wear store's giveaway. Barefoot Landing is also worth its own visit--especially if you take in Alligator Adventure. We really love the seaside atmosphere of Barefoot. Use the blog search tags South Carolina and North Carolina to find more of our impressions of the area.

Relevant Twitter Handles:
@PiratesVoyage
@BroadwayatBeach
@BarefootLanding

Relevant Websites:
Pirates' Voyage

Low-Key Grand Strand

For this spring break, we decided to head to the shore. We visited Myrtle Beach in its less-crowded days. While we typically spend about a day at Myrtle in the mid-summer, it's usually hot and bumper-to-bumper, so we don't stay long. The quieter days allowed us to take better advantage of some jewels we missed.

Brookgreen Gardens was one of the highlights of the trip, with Kim remembering how boring she'd thought the gardens would have been as a child--and how fun they were on this trip! The gardens include a nifty history, a varied collection of interesting sculptures, and beautifully-tended plants. There's a children's garden section that is particularly whimsical, and there's a small zoo included with your admission price. The zoo features native animals and farm animals, and it's one of the most naturalistic animal exhibits we've seen. We were particularly impressed by the aviary atop a wetland, affording a real South Carolina lowcountry experience.

New to us this year was the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, a "cleaned up" area stretching by landmarks such as the former location of the Pavilion Amusement Park and the fabulous Gay Dolphin Gift Shop. It still has the "look" of yesteryear in some details, but the overall feel is that of a new boardwalk that makes for a good night walk. And yes, the Gay Dolphin sells the items it always has, including bike license plates that are guaranteed to feature your name!

We also had two great meals at the oceanfrot Sea Captain's House, having a nice sit-down breakfast with an ocean view and returning for a dinner. Dinner was magical--and not just because of the yummy crab cakes! The dinner atmosphere was casual upscale without being pretentious, and while waiting, it was pleasant to hang out around the building, being able to wait on a patch of land near the sand dunes if you wished. It put us in the mind of what Martha's Vinyard must be like. We had Elijah with us, and we still got prime seats inside, looking out upon the ocean. What good service!

If you go, know that we enjoyed staying at the Sea Mist, a hotel Kim remembered staying at in childhood, and we got a great three-day deal. The resort is about to undergo renovations, so if you are nostalgic for the Sea Mist of the 80s, go while you can. Justin recommends Captain Hook's Mini Golf, two eighteen-hole courses he'd wanted to play for years, and Kim recommends a ride on Family Kingdom's Swamp Fox coaster, a rough wooden coaster with no shoulder harnesses. Air time!

Relevant Links:
Brookgreen Gardens
Sea Mist Resort
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Sea Captain's House

Myrtle Date

We found ourselves with two relatively rainy days on our recent trip to Holden Beach, NC, providing the perfect excuse to take in some of the busy, bustling south. Kim grew up vacationing in Myrtle, so a quick trip in is always somewhat nostalgic. It was too hot and rainy to play putt putt next year, but we did make it to fun at Ripley's Aquarium. Kim's a Facebook fan of the Aquarium and received a free ticket during a recent giveaway, and Elijah seemed to appreciate the "moving sidewalk" tunnel that allows visitors to stand under sharks and other sealife. If you go, visit early before the crowds hit and tote your young child along! Afterwards, lunch is fun at Hard Rock Cafe, Johnny Rockets, or one of the other "fun chains" at Broadway at the Beach.

We also snuck in a lunch date at Barefoot Landing, visiting the House of Blues this year. The House of Blues complex is larger than we expected and full of simple, eye-catching folk art. The spirit of the place is more subdued than Hard Rock, and on the day of our visit, the staff had less enthusiasm. It made for a yummy lunch of interesting calamari and a burger, though, and we'd love to go back for their inexpensive, big brunch. For shopping, Kim can't miss the reasonably-priced jewelry at Black Market Minerals, Justin finds Ghosts and Legends a wonderful stop, and both of us enjoy Christmas Mouse. We also recommend Alligator Adventure for folks of all ages.

On the way back to Holden from either complex, a stop in Calabash for dinner is worthwhile. Some folks find it to be a culinary delight; we find it to be a simple "have to do" to claim having been to the beach. Justin prefers Coleman's due to a simple boat display inside, an object of fascination when he was a child. Don't miss Callahan's, a gift shop that is the best place for Christmas ornaments in the region! They have decreased their Dept 56 selection in recent years much to our disappointment, but in 2010, we found the shop reorganized and more shoppable in several areas, including jewelry. Go and enjoy it!

Sorry--no pictures on this blog post. We tried a new camera and were less than successful. Better luck next time!