Checking out South Carolina

I have to say that we have enjoyed seeing new things in South Carolina. On July 5, we went to Congaree National Park. It was so beautiful with a very nice walking trail. Michael has the pictures on his computer, so when I see him again, I'll try to post a few. 

Victoria and I went to the Riverbanks Zoo on July 14. It is one of my favorite zoos in the U.S. It is so beautiful. I have always loved going to this zoo. 

The three of us got to go to Cypress Gardens and Charleston on July 26. I drove while Michael did homework on the way there and the way home. Yes, he has that much homework. I'm just glad he was able to take the time out to go with us. I DO have pictures of these places!

       

Cypress Gardens is a lowcountry scenic treasure. The blackwater swamp offers breathtaking views of mirrored reflections of tall cypress and tupelo trees. There were lily pads everywhere, and they were in bloom and lovely.

We took a boat out and paddled around the swamp. It was gorgeous, and we were the only ones out. We paddled under two bridges. This is the second bridge.

I turned around real quick to get a picture of my two favorite people in the boat.

Finally, we ran across an alligator sunning himself on a log. We paddled our way close to him, and he slithered off of the log and swam away. It was very cool to see an alligator in his own habitat.

There were benches and swings located all along the nature trails. This swing overlooked the swamp, and my two favorite people took a little rest.

  
We got to see two more gators. The first was completely hidden except for his head. He never moved. The second is a baby alligator. It was so cute. I got too close, and he wiggled a little bit, but other than that, he stayed pretty still, too.

There was a lot of flora and fauna at Cypress Gardens including this pineapple plant.

If you ever have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. There are 4.5 miles of walking trails, gardens, the boat ride through the swamp, an aquarium, and a butterfly garden and house. You can check out their website at www.cypressgardens.info.

We left Cypress Gardens and headed to Charleston. This was our first trip to Charleston, and I'm so glad we finally made it to the historic city. Since it was a quick trip, we didn't get to do a whole lot of deep exploring, but we saw enough to know it would be nice to go back and spend some quality time there. So, a few pictures...

          
Once we found a parking place, we walked directly for Joseph's Restaurant for lunch. (www.josephsofcharleston.com) We were all pretty hungry. Joseph's was recommended to us by a friend of mine who lived in Charleston. (Thanks, Carrie!) Victoria had penne pasta sauteed in olive oil, oven dried Roma tomatoes, spinach and grilled chicken. Michael had the turkey club on French bread. And, I had the Cranberry Bog ~ grilled chicken wrapped in a sun-dried tomato tortilla with warm spinach, feta cheese, toasted pecans, dried cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette. FABULOUS!!!


This is a church...I think St. Matthew's. There were a ton of beautiful churches in Charleston.

          

After lunch, it was time to do some exploring. We drove to the Battery which is on the Charleston Harbor. There is a beautiful park with monuments, cannons, cannonballs, and lovely trees.

    

On East Bay Street, there are some of the most beautiful homes. The soft yellow house is the Edmonston-Alston House. I don't know the name of the pink one, but it is gorgeous! There are a lot of horse-drawn carriage tours throughout the historic district of Charleston.



    
Two more lovely homes on East Bay Street.

    
We walked along East Bay Street and Charleston Harbor. Here is the view of the lovely homes and then the Charleston Harbor.

There are beautiful trees in the park on the Battery. Michael put Victoria on this lovely bough.

   

It was time to head home. Michael still had so much homework to do. As we drove down East Bay Street, I knew to look for Rainbow Row. This is it! The colorful buildings are known as Rainbow Row. Cute!

We came across the U.S. Custom House. So beautiful. I snapped this picture at a stop light.

Since I have written a novel, I will stop. Next up...our visit to the Riverbanks Zoo!

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you!