Hi friends, thanks for coming to check an another blog post of mine. Today’s post is a personal one. Something I thought that would brighten the cold winter days. I am also organizing our 2021 photos for photo albums and prints-something I do every year, so I thought I would put this amazing trip photos together for you. Disclamer, some of these were not edited since last April- so it was a good excuse too:)
After being stuck at home for most of 2020, I finally gave up and arranged a trip to Charleston with kids for the spring break of 2021. Having an architecture degree from Istanbul/Turkey, I am always fascinated with old building details, history… So Charleston was on top of my “places to visit in USA” list . I was just not sure how it would happen with kids, but since it’s close to the ocean, i decided to take a chance:)
So let’s get into details of what we did:
DAY 1:
We arrived in town around 1 pm of day 1. The very 1st photo is the house we stayed. We had a small space AirBNB above the garage of this house and it was the cutest; kids loved it! After traveling for so long, we just took the day easy and head to Sullivan Island for some beach time and dinner. This is the day with least photos, so enjoy:)
DAY 2:
A long awaited day for me: CHARLESTON DOWNTOWN! From my researches, I thought visiting the town and learning about it’s history would be easier in a carriage ride with kids. And it was! Despite kids being a bit bored and asking the horses to go faster :))) We took an hour long carriage ride around the historic Charleston and most these photos below are taken from the carriage. With only having one lens, and two toddlers to control, I am pretty proud how they turned out. Learned so much and loved Charleston Downtown!
DAY 2 AFTERNOON:
After walking and shopping around Charleston in the morning, we turned back home for lunch and some rest. Then around 4 pm, he headed back to downtown. First stop was the famous Pineapple Fountain:) We truly enjoyed French Quarters, especially ice-cream shops lol. Don’t forget, I am still traveling with two toddlers and they lead the way- if I want a happy trip:)
After some icecream we started walking around. OMG I WAS IN HEAVEN: all the architecture, the details, weather, happy kids! We had the BEST time just walking around and goofing. I let them explore while I also did some exploration. I took an absurd amount of photos and here below are some of the best ones:)
And some cell phone photos from Day 2…
DAY 3: SAVANNAH AND HILTON HEAD
We got up early and drove to Savannah for a daily trip and we stoped by Hilton Head on the way back. In order to be able to see Savannah in a faster way, I got tickets for Hop On-Off Trolley rides and kids loved it! We got off, walked around and ate lunch at Forstyh Park- it was amazing! I again took an absurd amount of photos from the Trolley and here are just a very few of them:
We easily spent 2 hours at Forstyh Park with lunch, walking around, playground and just staring at every amazing tree. I also loved how green Savannah downtown is! I definitely need to go back to explore more!
We were at Hilton Head around 4pm… Perfect time for an ice-cream and beach time before dinner. It was sure a long day but I loved every minute of it! I also loved the quiet car drive back to Airbnb since kids fell asleep in the car minutes after leaving Hilton Head at 8pm:)
DAY 4: MAGNOLIA PLANTATION
When I looked at the things to do in Charleston, Magnolia Plantation immediately grabbed my attention! 1- It’s easy to visit with kids 2-An old plantation full of history! 3- Alligators sighting tours? yes please!!! So after a cute breakfast in Charleston downtown, we headed up there. We again took a trolley tour around the plantation with kids and it was so easy. We saw all the wild life, (see if you can spot an alligator friend resting on the 2nd photo) and also the housing of slaves. The guide told us all about how they lived, what they did, how it ended… it was eye-opening, even my 7 year old son was interested; I highly recommend!
Even I expected it to be beautiful, the landscape in here was beyond my expectations. We easily spent 4 hours with the trolley ride and walking around all the small gardens of the plantation before going to petting zoo part of it. With the petting zoo and lunch it was a fun 6 hr trip-well worth the money! I highly recommend Magnolia Plantation to anyone; it’s a must-see!
We ended Day 4 at the beach in the afternoon and here are some cell phone photos from Day 3 and 4:)
DAY 5: ANGEL OAK TREE AND FOLLY BEACH
This was our last day in Charleston and I decided to take the kids to the beach at Folly Island. But first on the way, we stopped by Angel Oak Tree, which is considered Charleston’s oldest live oak tree, estimated to be 400-500 years old! Kids were absolutely amazed, so glad we visited. Afterwards, we spent a few hours on the beach before starting to drive back to Columbus.
I hope you enjoyed this little trip of ours. Since we go to Turkey every summer, I consider that our beach vacation and plan to do more of this kind touristic visits with kids once in a while. Next on the list is Gatlinburg and Michigan State, so I will take all the suggestions:)
