Southeast

 

 

The Final Leg

We’re an hour from home. I’m feeling bittersweet about our return. I’m excited to be home. To have space to move around again. For the kids to run and bellow to their hearts content in the basement, to have a dishwasher again, and the sanctuary of my Peacock Den. But I will miss these days of exploring, of taking long hikes, of the togetherness…

Chimney Rock

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Biltmore Estate

Click the image below to view the full-size slide gallery and captions.Botanical images from the conservatoryBuilt in 1895, the Biltmore Estate is quite possibly the grandest of all homes in the United States. The house has 250 rooms, 35 bedrooms, 65 fireplaces, 43...

WNC Nature Center

In Asheville, we visited the Western North Carolina Nature Center, which featured animals from the surrounding region. There were the typical deer, birds of prey, otters, and bobcats – all of which were very active. Most exciting were the grey and red wolves and...

Lake Lure

Click the image below to view the full-size slide gallery and captions.Lake Lure is the place John and I fell in love some 19 years ago... and now Lake Lure is where we have created new memories with our children. Twenty-five miles from Asheville, Lake Lure is...

Hitching Post Campground

Click the image below to view the full-size slide gallery and captions.We arrived at our campsite a day early and content that we would finally be able to set up camp in the daylight. That is, until we met Glen. Glen is the owner of the campground and a delightfully...

Lake Lure, NC

Every great trip must end with a bang, and this was no exception.  When John and I lived in Charlotte, we frequented this Appalachian area and were excited to show the kids some of our old stomping grounds. We stayed in Lake Lure where we spent most of our time, and...

North Georgia Mountains

When planning a trip, no matter how long, sometimes you hit it out of the park, but others it’s a hit and a miss. This stop of our Southeast Adventure was more of a miss.

Jekyll Island, GA

Jekyll Island was a fun place to hunker down for a week. Our campsite was centrally located to beaches and walking paths, which made for fun mid-day adventures.

Savannah

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Charleston

Charleston

A creepy provost dungeon, block after block of beautifully preserved historical buildings, ice cream on the pier as a dolphin played in the water, and a conversation that would forever ingrain itself in my memory. This is Charleston with kids.

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Festival of Lights

Festival of Lights

Who says you need snow to have a magical holiday? This Lowcountry annual tradition, the Holiday Festival of Lights, was truly a sight to behold. Located on James Island, the Charleston County Parks & Rec puts on this amazing festival every year.

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McLeod Plantation

McLeod Plantation

“It may be called a plantation,” our guide, Jeff began, “but in reality, it was a slave labor camp and should be regarded as such.” Jeff skipped the white-washed history that often romanticizes the antebellum period in the south. Instead he gave us the stark realities of what life was like for the enslaved and how their ancestors live today.

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Edisto Beach, SC

Edisto Beach, SC

“Porter, are these barnacles?” I ask my animal-obsessed boy.

“The white and grey ones are, but the black things you see there are clams…”

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Edisto Island State Park, SC

Edisto Island State Park, SC

Edisto Island burst forth with an enchanted forest of palm-fronds and live oak trees draped in Spanish moss. Nearby was a beach filled with oyster shells. The campground was very secluded, and provided a great home base to enjoy the low-country while still being able to take a couple day trips to nearby Charleston.

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En route

En route

Two days and 20,000 steps, we were packed at last with a ten-hour drive ahead. We drove through the inky skies illuminated by a few bright stars leading the way. The smooth black road sprawled ahead with its ghostly white lines marking the passage of time.

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