Roaming the streets of Charleston {3 Stops to Make}

While in South Carolina we had to make Charleston a priority. We took a day trip in to Charleston and wanted to see as much as we could on foot. So today I'm sharing 3 stops I recommend making while roaming the streets of Charleston...

1. Waterfront Park: Home of the Pineapple Fountain.

This is a great spot to stop especially on a hot day. You can often see dolphins on the water from here and there is a little splash park too that's great for kids! Of course you have to get a picture of yourself in front of the adorable pineapple fountain as well.

2. Husk Restaurant: Real Southern Food

There is a saying at Husk about the food that they use to cook with, "If it doesn't come from the South, it doesn't come in the door." So if you want a true southern dining experience, eat here. The menu is ever changing so I can't tell you what to get, but I'm sure anything you get will be delicious. I also loved the building. The complex dates back to the 19th century so it has a historic feel to it.

3. Rainbow Row: Home of the most adorable colored pastel houses

When you walk around Charleston, you can just feel the history. The cobblestone paths, arches and architecture all make you feel like you should be back in time. I loved it. So even if you don't have a lot of time to spend in Charleston I highly recommend making time to simply walk around the streets and admire the houses. (Having some ice cream in hand as you walk doesn't hurt a bit either.) Rainbow Row is the perfect place to do just soak in the sights. So many adorable houses in all the pastel colors your heart can imagine. I could've taken hundreds of pictures...everything is just so instagram worthy. Haha.

If we would've had more time in Charleston I would've loved to also visit...
The Battery
Sugar Bakeshop
The Gin Joint
Poogan's Porch
Magnolias
Folly Beach

Another fun Southern stop to make just outside of Charleston is a Plantation! We visited Magnolia Plantation. You can read about my experience there in this post.

Do you have any favorite spots in Charleston?

Magnolia Plantation

We wanted to visit a Southern plantation while we were on vacation in South Carolina so we chose to visit Magnolia Plantation. It is known as the last large-scale romantic garden. We started out going through their nature center, which Aiden loved and then we walked through the gardens on their self-guided tour. Despite it being hot and humid, the gardens were beautiful and full of history.

*Traveler tip-If you go, allow 45 minutes to walk through the gardens!

Up next...3 Stops to make while in Charleston!

Because family selfies on the beach are way more fun...

The title of this post says it all. Family selfies on the beach are way more fun! 

See more of our beach pictures here.

Vacation is good for the soul {Seabrook Island}

We recently got back from our family vacation to Seabrook Island in South Carolina. We had the best time. I wish I could transport myself back in time to watch Aiden running up and down the beach with the biggest grin on his little face. (But that's what pictures and videos are for, right?)

I took hundreds of pictures so I'm going to break our vacation up into a few posts. This one...devoted completely to beach pictures and mostly baby beach pictures because as stated on Aiden's hat, I have the coolest kid ever.

Most of our days were spent packing for the beach, biking to the beach, walking the beach, building sandcastles and destroying them, eating lunch on the beach then playing in the water and searching for wild life, which we actually saw a ton of! (Horseshoe crabs, Blue Crabs, Hermit Crabs, Dolphins, Jellyfish, Sand dollars...)

Aiden was happy as a clam (see what I did there?) He ran up and down the beach and hardly sat still. He was in heaven! And Drew and I got our work outs in everyday trying to keep up! Thankfully we had a few extra sets of hands since my Mother in law and one of my sister in laws vacationed with us!

Kisses that involve licking are his new "thing." Haha.

I am already missing the beach like crazy!

More vacation posts to come...

Spring Break 2016

Since my husband is a teacher, we still look forward to Spring Break in our house. This year we may not have headed somewhere warm and sunny, but we had a relaxing few days in South Bend visiting my sister and brother in law. It was nice to get a way for some delicious food, hiking and family time. We visited the South Bend Chocolate Factory, got a golden ticket to tour the factory and enjoyed plenty of samples. We tried Mexican Ice cream for the first time (yum!) and played a new (to us) game called Qwirkle. Aiden loved exploring new territory and he did great in the car too! (Tips for long car rides with toddlers coming in a future post.)

Did you get to enjoy a "Spring Break" this year?

Hiking in the Smoky Mountains

One of my favorite things to do with Drew is hike. It is something we both absolutely love doing. I think it is so important in a marriage to find something you are both passionate about and do it together. We love finding new trails to hike, we love being outside and we love that most parks don't cost you a cent to enter. While we were in the Smoky Mountains for our 1 year anniversary back in 2010 all we did was hike so we were excited to get in another trail during our most recent visit.

We researched a few trails and ended up picking the Hen Wallow Falls Trail. The morning of our hike was completely foggy and in the 40's so we bundled up and headed out. I have never hiked in the fog before and it's not something we ever could have planned, but it was absolutely mesmerizing. I felt like I was in a scene from The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in the misty mountains.

one of my favorite pictures of my husband ever

We hiked a total of about 4.4 miles and got to see the actual Hen Wallow falls. We did not see a single other person on our hike out and being on a trail that had been known to have bears on it made it a little eerie, but awesome at the same time. This turned out to be one of my favorite hikes.

If you are curious about any of the other trails we've hiked I'd love to recommend some to you if you plan on taking a trip to the Smoky Mountains. Just email me!