Early Mornings & Tropical Storms

Happy Friday friends!
Grab your iced coffees and settle in for story time.
I've got a good one.

My final tale in this mini-series of Charleston area adventures brings us to Folly Beach and Botany Bay.

With a cameo from Tropical Storm Ana.

My luck with the weather down near the ocean is never good this time of year: Exhibit A.

Let's be honest.
I was so bummed that this tropical storm had plans to just sit and churn over the exact area we planned to explore - for the exact 3 days we were there.

We pulled up to the hotel at the height of the storm and I unloaded all of our stuff in hurricane force winds and a soaking rain. Only to find out we couldn't check into our room for a couple hours. Frustrated and uncomfortably wet, me and my electricuted style hair crawled to the nearest chair and just sat there staring at the radar on my phone. Business professionals attending a conference at the hotel walked by, and gave me the funniest looks - probably wondering if they should throw me money.

Feeling completely clueless as to what to do next, I decided we can either sit at this hotel and pout, or make lemonade out of these lemons.

And you know what happened?

THIS.
YOU GUYS.


The Weather Channel featured a photo my mom took of me dancing on the beach at Botany Bay.
I've been a huge fan of the weather channel since I was a little girl. I've loved storms since I can remember and was on the news for spotting my first tornado at age 6. This was a dream come true for me.

So here's how it happened.

The sun started to poke through the clouds on our drive to Botany Bay.. so I began to feel hopeful.
Then we pulled up to the head of the trail and saw this.

A fierce wall cloud from Ana's hurricane formation, rushing in towards us. Illuminated perfectly by the position of the sun... I was in storm chaser heaven.
So I ran to the water to meet this storm front and DANCED.

"The Earth has music for those who listen"


I honestly couldn't contain my excitement as I saw this huge wall cloud moving in towards us.
This time around, I loved the rain and my messy hair! ;)

I ran, climbed trees, collected shells, did cartwheels...pretty much felt 8 years old all over again.

You know what's cool about being in this right place at the right time...half the sky was clear blue while the other half was a hurricane. So glad I took photos to help visualize it, because it's really indescribable.

After this evening at Botany Bay I felt silly for pouting in the hotel lobby. I think a life lesson I pulled from this is to remember that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is a hard lesson that will help you evolve. Other times it's to direct you into absolutely beautiful moments that you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams.

That night I was too excited to fall asleep. After a day playing in a hurricane at the beach and knowing we were getting up at 5:00AM to catch a sunrise.... I was restless to say the least.

This sunrise was special though. You see, at Folly Beach there is a massive boardwalk that photographers line up at to take photos of the early morning sun poking through the wooden beams, as angry waves crash up against them. It's truly something else. And I was ready to join the club.

5:00AM. Alarm goes off. I throw the blankets off, run a tooth brush over my teeth and grab my camera gear then excitedly yell: READY!

First thing I do when we step outside is look up at the sky. I can see stars!
YES.

We begin our 20 minute drive to Folly Beach. As the sky starts to emit a faint blue glow, I begin to see a wall of clouds.
NO.

We get to the beach minutes before the projected sunrise. With my boots laced tight and my eyes tired and puffy, I run through the sand to the pier, only to find photographers already lined up in the best spots.
Damn it.

But then I look up and realize...that wall of clouds was actually another one of Ana's hurricane bands...and it was moving directly towards the sun.

So, I never got my prized sunrise shot.
Better luck next time.
Once we realized the party was crashed, we packed up my camera and decided to drag my feet walk to my favorite Folly Beach breakfast joint: Lost Dog Cafe.

By the time we were done the sun came out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
But of course.
So with bellies full of Lox and Coffee, we decided to take the long way back to our car.
You know, there's something so rejuvenating and peaceful about walking through neighborhoods early in the morning before anyone's awake. Laughing at trashed balconies from parties the night before.
House cats strolling down the street without any worry of cars.
It was kinda-sorta the highlight of my day and pulled me out of my funk.


We were trekking 3 hours home that morning so before we trapped ourselves in a car, we decided to skim the beach and take some photos anyway despite our ruined sunrise.

It turned out to be such a lovely morning. I remember taking deep breaths and sipping my hot coffee while walking alone around the belly of this pier. I think my life lesson from this trip is to have no expectations.
Life will handle the rest.

I hope this mini-series inspired you to get out there and explore.
No matter where you live (or what the weathers like) there's something new to be found.


Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
How fun it would be to share an icy cold beverage and swap adventure stories...
;)

A Tea Party & A Giant Tree

When I'm not doing serious things like discussing finances with Mitch or trying to pretend like I know what I'm doing at work, I really strive to live a life of imagination.

 I look at everything as whimsical, new, and exciting; I like to bring fantasies to life.

So naturally I'm always on the prowl for a new place to explore.
A place that will make me not believe my eyes...


And I found one.

The Angel Oak Tree.

This massive tree is located on Johns Island in Coastal South Carolina.
She's free to come see, so it's an awesome site to visit if you ever find yourself in the Charleston area.

Walking up to this tree will literally stop you in your tracks. Take your breath away.
She'll leave you standing with a wide open mouth, to just gaze at such a massive plant.

Let's be honest, I had such a hard time not climbing those soft, green, mossy branches. How perfect would it be to take a nap on one? They were calling my name...

I also went into a day dream where one day I own a home with a tree like this and it will be filled with cats.
Sigh.


I wanted to keep my 'Stephy in Wonderland' high going, so next up we went somewhere very unique...

The only tea plantation in America!!
How cool is that.

I've loved tea since I was a little girl so this was really a dream come true for me.
A bird could've shit on my head and I would still leave this place dancing.

Charleston Tea Plantation.

Another free activity in close proximity to Charleston!

This place has free entry into their factory where you can get a tour and learn how tea is made.
A man started this tea plantation when he was only 23 years old.
#WhatamIdoingwithmylife

The only part that costs money is the Trolley Tour that takes you to every nook and cranny in the plantation.
It's $10 per person and worth every penny.

You get to see everything there is at the plantation - hear all the history, fun facts, test some body products made from their tea leaves, tour a greenhouse, and have the friendliest, jolly trolley driver who holds each lady's hand as she exits.
:)

So after about an hour in the gift shop, $40 worth of tea, and taking way too many photos of mating lizards.... we finally dragged ourselves back to the car.

But it is without hesitation that I say I will be returning to this classic Southern fairytale every time I'm in Charleston.

Exploring the Lowcountry: Boone Hall Plantation

....also known as Allie's house in The Notebook.

My mom was in town all last week and we had SO much fun. We were exploring non-stop. My body is sore, I have about 700 photos to go through & edit, and I crossed a ton of things off of my bucket list.

Success.

It was a real treat to have my mom in town for mother's day weekend; I hadn't seen her since last August. She's my only parent and my best friend. Her and I have one of those soul connections, where no matter how long you haven't seen each other, as soon as you reunite, it's as if no time has passed at all...

The day after she arrived we woke up early and headed down to good ol' Charleston.
Even though there was a hurricane brewing right over the area.

Good thing I love storms.

So Boone Hall Plantation.
My favorite SC plantation thus far.

Sure I may be a little bias because it's so neat to see where The Notebook was filmed.

But it's fun to step back in time and see the 'Old South'

There are so many striking features of this place. The Avenue of Oaks that you first drive down to reach the plantation is the first sight that will make your jaw drop.

Another one is the line of old slave homes along the edge of the road as you near the main house.

It's so surreal. My first reaction to these homes was to turn a blind eye and pretend like that time in history never happened. It's horrendous. But of course you can't deny history, so I went inside every single one and read the story of the people who inhabited them.

Heavy energy.
If you ever visit Boone Hall, I highly suggest taking the time to read the stories in each one of these slave homes. It's very informative and eye opening. It only further encourages me to teach my future family to not see physical appearances; but to see souls.

As you can tell our trip was soggy.
The heavy wind and misty rain never stopped.

But - because we don't care about muddy shoes and crazy hair - we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
Just the way I like it.

Of course as soon as we had enough and left, the sun came out.
But we had dinner reservations at Poogan's Porch downtown Charleston so we had to hit the road!

Since I just ate at Husk last month, and they are right next door to each other, I'll compare the two.

Husk has a cooler style, Poogan's has better food.
Husk has a more Old South feel with a modern flare, Poogan's is straight old South.

I can't recommend just one because it depends what you're going for.
If you're looking for an experience = Husk
If you're looking to eat divine Southern Soul food = Poogan's

And of course each comes fully equipped with a front porch swing and haint blue ceiling ;)
(if you're not sure what I'm talking about, see #7 here.)
They are both some of Charleston's most popular restaurants, so reservations will definitely be required.

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Up next I'll share our adventures at the oldest Oak tree East of the Mississippi and I went back HERE during the height of tropical storm Ana.... can't wait to share those photos.

Until then, follow me on Instagram @freespiritfun1 where I post every day!

Exploring the SC Coast - Folly Beach & Botany Bay

South Carolina has some of the most interesting coastline I've ever seen.
Rocky shores, white sand beaches, and even dead trees.
It's wild.

Last weekend when we were down in Charleston we decided to drive to Folly Beach and then on to Botany Bay; a secret little gem tucked away in the jungle. It's one of those places where you start to drive down an unpaved road and question whether or not you should keep going...

Let's start with Folly Beach.
This place is more public and well-known than Botany Bay. But still a peaceful retreat to explore and get some quality beach time in.

Look at those storm clouds moving out.
Hello Heaven.

 A walk along this beach will provide plenty of views of cute beach front homes, shrimp boats, weddings, and lots of purple starfish.

Parking was free right along the beach. It was great.

So after sitting in the back of my SUV and having cupcakes for lunch, we made the split decision to drive an hour down to Edisto Island and check out Botany Bay.
The best trips are always unplanned.

I found this wonderland by following a lot of talented photographers on Instagram that are based out of SC.
The sunrise photos they take on this beach are phenomenal.

We were here as the sun was setting so the lighting for photos wasn't the best.
Either way,  check this place out.....

Chock-full of dead trees and seashells, this place was like stepping back in the dinosaur age.

Land before time style.

One of my favorite things about this beach was that all who wandered here seemed to leave their mark by hanging one of the thousands of shells on the dead palms.
So of course I had to join in.

To get to this beach you have to drive down a long unpaved road. Then you drive up to what seems to be someone's private small farm, but there's a parking area to walk to the beach. You will walk about a quarter mile through a couple of marshes and finally reach the ocean.
The walk itself was beautiful...

Word on the street is there are more of these 'dead trees' beaches here in SC.
I can't wait to track them down and share them with you!

My mom is coming down next week for a long Mother's day weekend... I think her and I are going back to the Lowcountry to possibly stay at a cute bed & breakfast right on the ocean.
Maybe explore some plantations and new beaches.. I can't wait! Stay tuned for that.

Oh and guess what?
WE'RE MOVING!
Come mid-June we will be renting a not-even-built-yet 2 bedroom apartment!!
Bring on the hardwood floors.

Although we often talk about getting up and moving to a different part of the country again, our new apartment is still in the same town.
Because, well....

Dining in Charleston

I'm back from Charleston!

The trip was awesome. Got to catch up with friends, try out lots of new restaurants, and the weather was just perfect:

I say that in the most sarcastic tone possible. At least the weather part. Our friends from NH came down hoping to escape the cold but all they got was rain. Heavy, non-stop, pouring down rain.
Every. Single. Day.

"You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather"
So what's there to do in the South when it's raining outside?
Eat.

Hush puppies for the win!
Which brings me to the point of this post. If you ever plan on visiting Charleston in the future, bookmark this page. I'm going to let you in on the best food & drinks downtown Charleston has to offer!

So you're in Charleston. You wake up to the sun shining (use your imagination) and you're ready to start the day with some delicious iced coffee.
First stop:

The Pinterest-famous Sugar Bakeshop!

This small business is awesome. When you walk in you will be greeted by the most beautiful mint green decorations, staff all wearing big smiles, and sweets on sweets on sweets!

Real talk, we may or may not have gotten one of everything.
Gotta love using vacation as an excuse to eat whatever you want :)

But let's talk caffeine. Their iced coffee is super strong and they use frozen coffee cubes for ice...

I mean, it's no coconut coffee but it definitely hit the spot ;-)

This little sweet-shop is located in a packed residential area, so snagging a spot in front of the store is not likely to happen. So to ensure you don't drive around the block 15 times like we did, park at the Charleston Visitors Center garage a few blocks up the road. It's a short walk and parking is only $2 an hour!

 Lunch time.
If you're looking to grab a light, organic snack paired with a classic Southern iced tea, my favorite place is East Bay Meeting House.  A small restaurant in the heart of downtown with a relaxed environment.
Never had food or a drink I didn't like here! Their tomato bisque is delicious.

To access this place on busy East Bay St., park just a block up the road in the East Bay parking garage. It's only $2/hour as well.

Now for dinner.
My friend Shane recommended we check out a great restaurant that he's seen on TV called Husk. This place requires reservations and is usually booked months in advance. So while we didn't make it for dinner, we had a delicious lunch our last day in Charleston.
PS. we made our reservations last month and just barely got in for lunch. That's how good this place is.
Plan ahead!

Husk is classic, old-time Southern both inside and out. You can swing on the front porch while you wait for your table and the inside is like you're walking into someone's home.
I will definitely be returning next time I'm in town.

FYI: There is a parking garage right across the street from Husk, so parking is a breeze.

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I'm not big on nightlife, but we did go out Friday night and found a really great bar. It's called the Gin Joint and the drinks were the best! They take pride in the quality of their drinks and put real effort into them. No pre-made sour mix here. For people like me who don't have a go-to drink, they have a section on their menu that just lists descriptive words like 'Fruity, Fizzy, Sour, Strong' etc, and they have you pick 2 words from the list then they make a surprise drink for you --How clever!
I can't wait to bring more friends and family here!

And of course what's a trip to the lowcountry without exploring new areas...

On Saturday evening Mitch and I set out to do what we do best - explore wild places. We found the coolest 'Secret beach' and I can't wait to share. It's truly like nothing we've ever seen.

More on that later this week - Stay tuned!