I never need an excuse to head out to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. It's one of my favorite places in the Lowcountry. But a couple of weeks ago, I had an extra reason to be out there. In a week or so more, I'll have yet another. You see the the azaleas are blooming, and sometime soon, they'll be at their peak. In my opinion, there is simply no better time to visit Magnolia Plantation. It has an awe-inspiring beauty in the spring.
Most Charlestonians know at this point that summer brings with it a little heat and humidity. If you are traveling to town, you probably came here hoping for warmth, so, no surprises there either. There are certain days within the summer months that the heat gives us a great excuse to go live in the water. Shoot, I'd be happy to live in the water with or without an excuse. Thankfully Charleston has some great options for that...the beach, the Intracoastal, the estuaries, and creeks.
If you are looking for some fun in the water that may be outside your normal box of thought, a Charleston waterpark is a mighty decent place to spend a day with friends or family. I recently had the opportunity to visit Whirlin' Waters with a close friend and her kids (my godchildren). During our time we lived it up in the wave pool, conquered some water sliding fears, noshed on some tasty pizza, and remembered that at any age, water slides can make you scream like a kid.
Since I was a young girl, the carriage horses were one of my favorite parts of Charleston. Hearing the clop, clop, clop of the hooves and looking up to see a beautiful carriage pass by really set the historical scene that Charleston is so fondly known for. In a city as perfectly preserved as Charleston, horse-drawn carriages seem such a natural and perfect fit.
Our Traveling Ink team had the pleasure of attending the Cork Shuckin’ Festival at the Irvin House Vineyards and Firefly Distillery on Saturday, February 8th. The weather was good, the music was great, and the food was impeccable.
A falcon swoops out of the sky and dashes its prey to the ground. It hovers over its prize, furtively peering around. All of a sudden, another body zips past and up into the sky, banking sharply 180 degrees and soaring away into some nearby trees.
Well, actually, it IS a bird... a turkey vulture chick to be exact. On a trip out to the Center for the Birds of Prey in Awendaw, SC this past Saturday, I found out that September is Vulture Awareness Month, and these intriguing avians are being spotlighted for their unique contributions to our world. For example, did you know that a vulture’s digestive system is so acidic it can digest and kill bacteria as dangerous as anthrax? Vultures may seem like dirty, creepy birds, but they actually keep the environment much healthier by cleaning up rotting road-side fare that might otherwise spread disease, and, let’s be honest, put a damper on nature’s aesthetics. Another fun fact: vultures nest on the ground. So if you happen to find one of the adorable fuzz-balls pictured above, please leave it where you found it—it hasn’t fallen out of a tree! Many a baby vulture has been brought to the Center because a well-intentioned person stole it right out of its own bed.
