If you are hoping for a date night while on vacation, check out The Art Cafe! Hilton Head Island’s art studio is just upstairs from Rockfish, so you can have an awesome night while your kids are also enjoying themselves. Kidding Around’s Kristina reviewed both the Kids Night Out event at The Art Cafe and the Rockfish restaurant, and she was pleasantly surprised!
Date nights are hard to come by for many couples who have kids. I think a date night on vacation would be pretty awesome because you’re already in relaxation mode, away from your daily life at home and work, and have that time to focus on each other. But finding a reliable sitter while away from home? I haven’t mastered that yet – which was why I was thrilled to find The Art Cafe on Hilton Head Island because they offer the perfect solution for couples wanting to get in a date night while on vacation.
If you are planning a visit to Hilton Head, indoor activities may not have been on your to-do list. But, when it’s too hot or rainy, having a backup to the beach is always a good idea. Here’s a list of things to do indoors from KAG’s Kristina Hernandez.
When it rains, it pours on Hilton Head Island. The island usually has pretty good weather because of the Gulf Stream just outside the island that pushes storms off it inland. But other times, well, you need to find entertainment indoors because the downpours are pretty epic and there’s no way to enjoy anything outside.
But there are quite a few fun Hilton Head indoor activities and things to do if you’re on vacation and it’s raining. From painting your own pottery to playing skeeball and bowling to visiting free museums and learning about the local environment, this list has you covered!
Are you looking for a way to sneak in a trip to the South Carolina coast with the kids, while also working in some educational content? There are so many opportunities for educational things to do in Charleston, SC! We’re sharing our recent educational trip to Charleston, SC with you just in case you want to explore, learn, and expand your knowledge, too.
Charleston is so rich with opportunities for learning. You, the parent might even learn some fun things along the way.
Like did you know a famous poet called one of the barrier islands home for a short time, prior to his fame?
You might know that the Civil War started in Charleston Harbor, but did you know what started it?
Did you know that there is a certain behavior that the dolphin pods that reside in Charleston Harbor teach their young, that isn’t seen anywhere else?
See right there we covered language arts, history and science. That’s just a drop in the bucket of the things you can discover in Charleston, not to mention getting to relax in a beautiful setting.
For more things to see and do while in Charleston, check out our huge Guide To Charleston, SC.
Accommodations for this trip were generously provided by The Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant. All opinions are my own, honest and genuine.
Educational Things to Do in Charleston, SC
Here are some of the fun educational things we found in in Charleston, SC:
The Young Soldier Stationed At Fort Moultrie
Subjects: Language Arts and History
On May 26th a young man enlisted in the Army, unable to afford the last three years of university and left without options. He lied about his age and his name and after just two short years of a five year term, he “hired” someone to complete his term.
That young man’s name was Edgar Allan Poe, and evidence of his short stay on Sullivan’s Island is all around you when you visit. If you are very clever, you can slip some Poe related math into your lesson.
Poe was a huge fan of ciphers, and your kids probably will be too! The “Gold Bug” was inspired by his time on Sullivan’s Island and involves a treasure hunt.
While you’re visiting Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie, go behind the visitors’ center. There you will find a small black bench. Have a seat. That bench was placed there as a place to memorialize the history of enslaved Africans, and a place for people to reflect. When seated on “The Bench By The Road”, the first of many to have been placed since 2008, you’ll be looking out onto the water where most enslaved people entered this country.
This provides you with a great opportunity to talk to children about what it must have felt like to be brought to a foreign land, and how they would feel.
There are endless opportunities around Charleston to learn about slavery. One of my favorite “hands-on” opportunities is on Philadelphia Alley in the historic district. You and your children can stroll this brick-paved alley and find the handprints left behind by the slaves that formed the bricks at local plantations. Those bricks can also be found in the buildings at the local plantations, like Boone Hall Plantation.
The Unique Dolphins Of Charleston Harbor
Subject: Science
There are so many different things that are different ecologically in the Low Country from what we have around us in the Upstate. I love that in just a few hours we can go from a mountain ecosystem to a coastal one. This provides our children with so many opportunities to learn about the environment!
As a volunteer with a research laboratory in Florida while in college, I sat next to a Loggerhead Sea Turtle nest as it unexpectedly erupted. If I could somehow provide everyone on the planet with that magical experience I would. The next best thing is learning about them from afar, and maybe if you time your trip to the coast right, you could have a once in a lifetime sea turtle experience, too.
A more common sight off the shores of Charleston are the pods of wild dolphins that call these waters home. But these aren’t just any dolphins, they are so unique that they have been the subject of research studies. No one knows why, but the dolphins that are native to this area do something called strand-feeding.
Learning Opportunities
Read all about strand-feeding along the South Carolina Coast.
There is a good deal of eco-tours that will take you around the harbor and some will even have an ecology expert on board. We recently took an eco-tour with Sandlapper Tours and would recommend it as a safe option to learn about the ecology of the coastal waters.
Another option for aquatic study while in Charleston is a visit to the South Carolina Aquarium. You can use a virtual aquarium field trip, or go in person and then do the activities found online. The Aquarium is a great way to learn about the ecology of our state!
Home Away From Homeschool
Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant
The Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant generously provided us with a home-away-from-homeschool for this article and we loved our time there. Schoolwork is hard work, and it’s nice to have a place you feel safe to kick back and relax afterward. The hotel has an on-site restaurant, a huge outdoor pool deck, and heightened cleaning protocols.
Eliza’s Bar + Kitchenhas delicious options for any meal of the day. The kids loved having chocolate chip Belgian waffles for breakfast! My favorite was the wedge salad at dinner, make sure you get the ranch dressing. The rooms also include a properly functioning mini-fridge. Something we find essential when traveling because there are always leftovers!
For those traveling with pets, The Hotel Indigo is pet-friendly too! There are several great travel packages that include meals, pet stays, and more on the Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant website
We love staying in Mount Pleasant because it’s centrally located. The Hotel Indigo is just a short drive across the Ravenel Bridge to the downtown area, and you don’t have to pay downtown parking prices, in fact, parking here is totally free!
Travel Times to Popular Destinations from Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant :
Patriots Point – 3 minutes
The South Carolina Aquarium – 9 minutes
Sullivan’s Island – 10 minutes
Historic Charleston – 11 minutes
Isle Of Palms – 14 minutes
Folly Beach – 24 minutes
Kiawah Island – 58 minutes
Have you found an awesome way to work homeschooling or an educational aspect into a trip to Charleston? We’d love to know in the comments!
Ever have an Asian Pear? They are incredibly delicious, juicy, and a must-try fruit. Pilot Mountain Pears has acres and acres of them available for u-pick this fall in Hendersonville, NC.
I have been obsessed with Asian pears for years and get ridiculously excited whenever I see them in grocery stores or farmers’ markets. They are generally light brown in color with the texture of an apple and a crunchy but juicy center- like the kind of juicy where you bite in and the juice runs down your arm – that kind of tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear.
If you’re also a fan of Asian Pears, you might be wondering, “Is there any place with u-pick Asian Pears? Or any Asian Pear picking near me?”
Yep!
At Pilot Mountain Pears in Hendersonville, NC, and only an hour from Greenville, SC, not only can you buy these wonderful fruits but also pick them yourself. You’ll definitely want to add this orchard to your fall adventures!
About Pilot Mountain Pears
The orchard is owned and run by the Laughter (pronounced LAW-DER) family. I met Beth and her husband David and they showed me around the orchard, the little shop, and the packing barn. David really loves Asian pears and he planted about 1,000 of the trees more than a decade ago and just kept replacing the apple trees with Asian pear trees until that’s pretty much all they grow now.
The couple are both locals and have been married for 27 years. They have two grown children who help out on the farm when they are home but mostly, it’s Beth and David who are the driving force behind the orchard. They’ve done a lot on the farm in terms of making a fun u-pick experience for guests since they first opened to the public three years ago and word has spread almost solely through word of mouth about how amazing their Asian pears are.
Why Asian Pears Are So Amazing
I love apples just as much as the next person but Asian pears are on a whole other level. The Asian pears come from a tree native to East Asia and were originally eaten by the rich, noble people of China. Around 1850, the exotic fruit was brought to America by Chinese laborers. There are hundreds of varieties and you may hear them called apple pears, sand pears, Japanese pears, or Korean pears.
The pears aren’t like regular pears that are literally ripe for ten minutes and then turn to mush. Asian pears last a lot longer, especially if you refrigerate them. They are juicy and sweet and delicious and crunchy. They are usually ripe when they turn a little past light brown but can also be eaten when they have a green color to them or light brown.
U-Pick at Pilot Mountain
With 5,000 Asian pear trees at Pilot Mountain Pears, you’ll have plenty of fruit to choose from. The farm grows mostly Olympic Asian pears, which are huge.
When you arrive at the farm, you’ll see the orchard store. Park there and you can go get a wagon or bag and if you’re really brave, you can grab a pick stick (a very long stick with a metal cage at the top to pick the highest fruit on the trees – also known as long swords for kids).
Asian pears ripen on the tree
You’ll be directed where to start your picking. Once you’re done, you go back to the store, where your amazing Asian pears will be weighed and you will pay for your goodies.
They also sell fried apple pies like apple turnovers, apple slushies, and pear juice. I tried the Asian pear juice and whoa. Like, major whoa. This was the sweetest, but not too sweet, tangy, but not too tangy, most refreshing drink. You’ll want to drink it straight from the container.
The store also has really cute tumblers, hats, pottery, shirts, and other fun stuff that you’ll probably want to take home to remember your awesome experience at Pilot Mountain Pears.
Visiting Pilot Mountain Pears
The orchard opens to the public Friday, August 25th and will be open likely through the beginning of October. Hours are Fridays-Sundays from 10 am – 5 pm. Follow Pilot Mountain Pears on Facebook and check before you go to make sure they are sticking to their regular hours.
Prices for u-pick Asian pears are $1/pound. You can also purchase pre-picked pears.
Farm store
No pets are allowed in the orchard. There are porta-potties on the property.
And if you want to hang out and eat all your Asian pears, fried apple pies, or drink your slushies, there are picnic tables behind the farm store that overlook the orchard with mountains on the horizon. It’s gorgeous.
Nearby Things to Do
Making a day trip to Hendersonville is one of our most favorite activities, so we have plenty of options for a fun day trip there:
Black Bear Fall Tubing
Go tubing down a giant hill at Black Bear Snow Tubing – but without the snow (that’ll come in the winter). The tubing place is open starting September 2, 2023. Read our full review for all the details.
Hike Bearwallow Mountain
Bearwallow Mountain is easily one of our favorite family hikes because it’s not that hard and the views are unbeatable. It’s a 2-mile roundtrip hike and you get 360-degree views of the mountains. Bring up some Asian pears for a snack.
Bearwallow Mountain Summit
Play with Llamas
Ellaberry Llama Farm is super close to Pilot Mountain Pears and you can take a llama through an obstacle course or go on a hike with them. We love this farm!
No story on Hendersonville is complete without me telling you that you can play with the goats at the Carl Sandburg Home for free. It’s a beautiful place for a hike as well.
Eat at the Village Bakery
This small eatery in nearby Flat Rock has some pretty fantastic brick oven pizza and salads. They close at 5 pm so be sure to get there before closing. If they have any bread left over on their Day Old Bread shelf, grab it because it’s 50% off.
Are you looking for a South Carolina town day trip packed with Revolutionary War history? We found the perfect spot in nearby Camden, SC just 2 hours from Greenville. As South Carolina’s earliest inland town, Camden provides opportunities to learn about the American Revolution, enjoy a small-town downtown complete with unique shopping and dining, and even kayak through a state park.
A Couple Tips for Camden, SC
Parking is easy downtown. There is plenty of free street parking.
It’s a friendly town. If you have a question about what to do or eat, just ask.
Have you visited the NC Arboretum? If you’re looking for the perfect place to spend the day outdoors in Asheville, the arboretum might be just what you’re looking for!
The North Carolina Arboretum is much more than a beautiful garden. In addition to gorgeous flower beds bursting with color, you’ll also find hiking trails, an outdoor miniature train display, a cafe, a greenhouse, water features, and even rotating art exhibits. There’s something for everyone in the family at the arboretum and since it’s located in nearby Asheville, you’ve got a great day trip in the making.
Looking to make a day trip out of your trip to the North Carolina Arboretum? Check out our list of Western North Carolina Day Trip ideas to have a fun-filled day!
Visiting the North Carolina Arboretum
The North Carolina Arboretum is located just south of Asheville, NC. Their website provides directions, and they indicate that GPS should not be trusted. I have to admit not reading that little tidbit, and our GPS directions have always worked just fine. Do be aware however that the cell signal is not strong in this area.
When you arrive at the arboretum you’ll pay for parking. The parking fee is$20 per car. There is no further admission or per-person cost, which makes this a pretty affordable family day trip. Pack some snacks or a lunch and you won’t have to spend another dime.
But if you’d rather go out for lunch, there’s a cafe at the arboretum. Asheville is also just about 20 minutes away with virtually limitless dining options.
Baker Exhibit Center
The main parking lot for the North Carolina Arboretum is at the Baker Exhibit Center. This will be where you start the day. I recommend bringing any snacks, drinks, and necessary items like diaper bags with you. Depending on where you end up exploring, it can be a long walk back to the car to get a drink.
As you enter the building, you’ll find maps to the right of the door. Grab a map. They’ll show everything the arboretum offers and how to find it.
Inside this visitors center you’ll find clean restrooms and an information desk. To access the gardens you’ll climb the stairs and head to the back of the building. On your way, you’ll pass a fantastic gift shop, a greenhouse, and an art exhibit space. Often there are small plants for sale in the greenhouse and artwork on display in the exhibit space.
Quilt Garden at North Carolina Arboretum
The Gardens at the NC Arboretum
Throughout the grounds of the arboretum, you’ll find beautiful flowers and leafy plants full of color. There are gorgeous arbors and gazebos to rest under, fountains to watch, and paved pathways to wander.
One of our favorite sections of the garden is a quilt garden, named because when you climb the stone stairs beside it and look down, it does indeed look like a quilt. The flowers in this quilt pattern change. Each time we have visited the quilt garden has been different.
Bonsai Garden
Bonsai Exhibit
Another section of the garden we love to explore is the Bonsai Garden. You might not think looking at Bonsai trees would be interesting to children, but my kids really like these. Each one looks different, some are themed and a lot of them have descriptive and sometimes humorous names.
The perfectly pruned miniature trees are truly works of art. The Bonsai section of the arboretum is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily, with additional hours for special guided tours with the Curator.
Rocky Cove Railroad
The Rocky Cove Railroad runs Saturdays, and Sundays from noon to 4 pm. It’s a G-Scale model train that runs through this outdoor garden depicting Western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century when trains first arrived.
Two different trains run through the display. One of them is a Thomas train. If you have young children who love Thomas, you definitely don’t want to miss Thomas running through this little town display.
My favorite thing about this display is that all the trees throughout the display are perfectly pruned, live trees cut to fit the size of the display.
Rocky Cove Railroad
Trails to Hike
The Arboretum has many trails available for hiking and biking if you prefer your gardens to be a bit wilder. In the spring, don’t miss the hike down to the woodland garden that contains the National Native Azalea Collection where you’ll find almost every native azalea species in the United States blooming side by side.
The nature trail is another great trail any time of the year and this one doesn’t allow biking so you won’t have to watch out for riders on this trail. The nature trail is TRACK trail, part of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program where kids earn prizes for completing different trails and activities. You can grab a TRACK Trail Guide at the Baker Exhibit Center.
Trails in the arboretum connect to the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Pisgah National Forest. If you’re looking for hiking trails or bike trails in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, such as Hard Times Road, there is a free parking area at Bent Creek.
Education Center
The second building at the Arboretum is the Education Center. You’ll find scheduled educational programming here as well as a few educational exhibits. This is also where the cafe is located.
There is a lovely porch with a plethora of rocking chairs that overlook the gardens. Purchase a snack or open up the lunch you packed, this is a great spot to sit for a while and relax.
Mom Review: NC Arboretum
The NC Arboretum is a great place for the family to spend some time. We’ve brought our children a few times, including when they were quite young. There is plenty of room for little kids to run off steam, but also a lot of interesting things to see for older kids.
The train has always been a highlight and I usually save that for the end of the trip, otherwise, we’d never see the rest of the garden.
The garden paths are paved, but if you plan to walk any of the woodland trails, know that they are dirt and gravel. You’ll probably appreciate wearing sneakers. Do bring lots to drink, especially if you’re going in the summer.
Special Events
The arboretum runs several special events and exhibits throughout the year. The biggest event is undoubtedly Winter Lights. The holiday light exhibit lights up the gardens into a winter light wonderland. We have a whole Winter Lights review for you.
Did you know Wilderness at the Smokies has three waterparks plus a hotel? Sign us up! Kristina took her family to Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville, TN to experience this family-friendly resort and tells us all about it and why it’s such a perfect place for a family trip. Thanks to the Wilderness at the Smokies for providing us with media tickets.
This review was written before the massive renovations done in the fall/winter of 2023. We have not visited since then but hope to go back and update our story after.
If you are looking for a weekend trip, a few days for a family vacation, or a special getaway with a birthday kid or special occasion, the Wilderness at the Smokies resort is an excellent option. Why? Because you don’t even need to leave the property for entertainment and dining. Park the car and have a blast. And it’s all under three hours driving distance from Upstate, SC. We have all the details in our Wilderness at the Smokies review!
Have you visited South Carolina’s ACE Basin in the Lowcountry? Ever wondered what the ACE Basin is? Or maybe you just want to know more about this ecologically unique area that checks all the boxes for a fantastic weekend? Keep reading to find out what the ACE Basin is and how best to see it!
Edisto Spanish Mount Shell Midden
What is South Carolina’s ACE Basin?
Three rivers – the Ashepoo, the Combahee and the Edisto (ACE) – come together at St. Helena Sound in South Carolina’s Lowcountry to form a rich estuary. This 350,000-acre ACE Basin watershed contains one of the largest areas of undeveloped wetlands/uplands ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast and features a remarkable interlocking web of ecosystems including forested uplands, wetlands, tidal marshes, barrier islands, and peatlands.
According to The Nature Conservancy, it supports 33 types of natural plant communities and provides critical habitat for waterfowl, migratory birds and endangered species. In 2014, National Geographic featured the ACE Basin as its cover story, and The Nature Conservancy has declared the area “one of the last great places.”
From the early 1700s to the mid-1800s, much of the ACE Basin was home to large plantations that primarily grew rice. In the late 1800s, many of these plantations were purchased by wealthy sportsmen as hunting retreats, who managed the former rice fields and adjacent upland estates for a wide range of wildlife – ensuring that the region remained relatively undeveloped.
Sounds cool! But how can we see it?: How to Visit ACE Basin
The principal road through the ACE Basin is U.S. Highway 17, the ACE Basin Parkway, which skirts the north end of the protected areas connecting Charleston to Yemassee. Small communities within ACE Basin include Bennetts Point, Green Pond, Jacksonboro, Wiggins and Willtown Bluff.
There are numerous access points to the public lands of the ACE Basin including 23 boat landings, allowing visitors opportunities to experience it by land and by water!
Edisto Learning Center & Edisto Beach State Park
A good place to start is at Edisto Beach State Park. The park’s environmental education center is a “green” building with exhibits that highlight the natural history of Edisto Island and the surrounding ACE Basin. One of four oceanfront state parks in South Carolina, it features trails for hiking and biking in addition to the 1.5 miles of beach renowned for its shelling.
Edisto Beach State Park is also an excellent home base for additional ACE Basin explorations; if camping or staying at a cabin there, you are within an easy drive of the Edisto River side of the region including ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge and Botany Bay!
Dawhoo Bridge view
ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge
Driving north from Edisto Beach there is a boat ramp at the Dawhoo Bridge that offers westerly views (great for sunset viewing!) over the salt marsh and towards Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge. At just under 12,000 acres, the Refuge is key in protecting the Edisto portion of the estuary.
In addition, the Refuge office is a former rice plantation house that was built in 1828, one of only a few antebellum mansions that survived the civil war in the area; today it is protected on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can visit both Grove Plantation House and the kitchen house. The Visitor’s area inside the Plantation House has tons of information for you.
There are a variety of recreational activities such as hunting (in season), picnicking, hiking, fresh and saltwater fishing, canoeing, wildlife watching, photography, and environmental education. Special events and programs are held throughout the year for visitors to learn more about the ACE Basin and National Wildlife Refuges; see the Fish & Wildlife Service website.
Botany Bay
The 3,363 acre Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the northeast corner of Edisto Island, and is important to numerous wildlife species including the federally-threatened loggerhead sea turtle and the state-threatened least tern.
Cultural sites including the Fig Island Shell Rings, outbuildings from Bleak Hall Plantation and elements of the Alexander Bache U.S. Coast Survey Line – all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The causeway to the beach is wheelchair accessible, and the designated driving tour provides excellent viewing opportunities for the mobility impaired; for more information, please visit the SC DNR website.
Edisto River & State Parks
A great way to see the Edisto River is from kayak or canoe. For more on the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail, Edisto River Adventures tubing, and the two SC State Parks that provide access to the Edisto (Givhans Ferry and Colleton).
The blackwater river is the longest of its kind in North America and is a favorite for cooling down on hot summer days.
A portion of the headwaters of the Edisto River and ACE Basin is Four Holes Swamp, which visitors can experience through Audubon’s Beidler Forest. T
his 18,000-acre bird and wildlife sanctuary in the South Carolina Lowcountry is the world’s largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest, home to thousand-year-old trees and a wide range of wildlife.
It is a great place to visit for families, as the entire 1.75-mile trail is a boardwalk: easy to follow, and provides safe viewing of wildlife without getting muddy or wet.
Ravenel Caw Caw Interpretive Center
This nature center has over six miles of walking trails that wind through its diverse habitats, with interpretive exhibits, displays, and an assortment of programs. Boardwalks take visitors through the wetlands and rice fields dating to the eighteenth century.
Caw Caw is a birding hotspot for coastal SC, but is also important historically: it’s one of the important sites of the Stono Rebellion, a Member of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, and features thousands of naturalized tea plants from a 20th-century tea farm.
On your visit, you can expect to see American alligators, swallow-tailed kites, and bald eagles! Admission is $2/person, for more information see the Charleston County Parks website.
Bear Island Game Management Area
It was a hot day in July when we found ourselves turning off Highway 17 towards Bennetts Point a few weeks ago. Much like many of the destinations on this side of Charleston – Edisto Beach, Hunting Island, Hilton Head – there is a significant drive from the main highway to reach the ocean.
Over the next 15 miles we wound our way along live oak-shaded lanes, the giants draped in Spanish moss functioning almost as curtains to the lands beyond. After crossing the Ashepoo River we entered Bear Island Game Management Area home to countless waterfowl and protected species such as wood storks and bald eagles.
The miles of dikes on Bear Island provide plenty of wildlife viewing, hiking, biking and hunting opportunities.
ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve
Soon after passing Bear Island we arrived at the Michael D. McKenzie Field Station. Headquarters for the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), the field station serves as a community hub for coastal science, education and collaboration.
The NERR encompasses nearly 100,000 acres of ACE Basin, and is managed in a joint effort by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).
Adjacent Mosquito Creek was living up to its name, but luckily we were able to escape the insects by boarding a boat and heading out on the Ashepoo River as part of the South Carolina 7 expedition.
Viewing the ACE Basin from the water is an excellent way to not only get away from the bugs but also to get a feel for the enormity of coastline and estuary protected by the NERR and other entities.
There are numerous science, education and training programs operated by the SC DNR out of the field station including ones off and on the water; the facility contains offices, wet/dry labs, a conference room and an outdoor classroom, while science-related school groups and naturalists visit the field station for a variety of educational outdoor activities.
For more on the programs and workshops offered, please visit the ACE Basin NERR website.
Our boat tour with the SC7 team included an orientation to the ACE Basin watershed, and contained a look at the oyster reefs, plenty of wildlife viewing, and discussions of salt marsh and estuarine diversity.
For those wishing to tour the ACE Basin by boat, but looking for an option other than the NERR, a number of outfitters in Charleston, Beaufort and Colleton counties offer guided kayaking trips on the three rivers, as well as tours for those who prefer to enjoy the scenery from the comfort of a motorboat.
Islands only accessible by boat!
If traveling by water in the area, you more than likely will pass through or near the St. Helena Sound Heritage Preserve, a collection of coastal and barrier islands only accessible by boat. Otter Island is part of this Heritage Preserve, and receives special protection because of its significance for rare plants, threatened and endangered species, and as a historic site.
With developed islands to the north (Edisto) and to the south (Harbor, Fripp and Hunting), Otter Island is the only spot where wildlife species can rest, feed and reproduce without development pressures for a long stretch of coastline. Another barrier island only accessible by boat but providing ample wildlife viewing is South Fenwick Island.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area
Heading back out from Bennetts Point you’ll pass the 8,000-acre Donnelley Wildlife Management Area just as you reach ACE Basin Parkway (Highway 17). The nature trails here offer birdwatching, hiking, biking, riding and hunting opportunities; check the website for seasonal closure information, as the WMA is closed during certain hunt periods.
When should we visit ACE Basin?
As anyone who has spent time in the Lowcountry knows, each season down near the coast comes with advantages and hindrances. Summer days can be hot and buggy, especially in the marsh, however a hot August day might just be perfect for tubing the Edisto or enjoying the ocean surf.
Spring and fall offer excellent birdwatching, cooler temperatures and fewer bugs, but some areas might see closures for hunt seasons. And while winter might mean you have the trail/boardwalk to yourself, it also brings cold & unpredictable weather…
As with any trip, planning ahead can really pay off in terms of knowing what to expect and what adjustments might have to be made. Our year-round basics include protection against the weather & insects, water and snacks, and comfortable clothes & footwear.
But snakes, alligators, and spiders?!
Before we took our boys tubing on the Edisto, I asked how often they see alligators on that stretch of the river – the answer was never. However, if you are kayaking the Four Holes Swamp, chances are you might see one or two. In any case, the key is to follow the basic guidelines as you would with all animals – keep your distance and don’t feed or harass the wildlife.
For our family, the fear of encountering the animals that get all the bad press has slowly turned to hopes of catching a glimpse of one of them: a gator from a causeway as we head out to one of the barrier islands, a snake from the safety of the boardwalk at Francis Beidler Forest, or a shark feeding out beyond the break as we sit safely on the shore of Edisto Beach.
Know what to do in case you come across a venomous snake, and know how to tell the difference between the ones that can hurt you and the harmless ones that help keep the rodent population in check.
And finally, stay on the trail, be mindful of where you are stepping, and exercise caution when out in the wilderness; animals are a part of the outdoor experience, and will add so much to your ACE Basin adventure!
Something for everyone!
More than 130,000 acres of land have been protected through public/private partnerships in the heart of the ACE Basin, qualifying it as one of the most acclaimed freshwater natural areas found on the East Coast.
It is open to hiking, biking, boating, driving, riding, diving, viewing, and tasting (we enjoy stopping at local stands for fresh produce and seafood – but that’s a whole other post!)… Each time we visit, we discover another thing we love about the area, and I hope this article has inspired you to visit the ACE Basin and find something of your own to love.
When is just one apple cider donut enough? Never is the right answer. So we made the Apple Cider Donut Tour to help you taste test the best of apple cider donuts near Upstate, SC.
L-R donuts: Jeter Mountain, Grandad’s Apples N Such, Justus Orchard
Have you visited Givhans Ferry State Park or the surrounding Edisto River area? KAG contributor Liene explored the Lowcountry, including the Edisto River area and Givhans Ferry State Park, as a correspondent to the South Carolina 7 Wonders expedition. What she found is that not only is the Edisto deserving of the title 5th Wonder of South Carolina, but together with the surrounding area makes a unique destination for a family weekend in the Lowcountry!
