We hit the road at 5am as we have a lot of ground to cover today. Joel drove (obviously) and the kids and I napped.
Congaree National Park
Kayak on the Cedar Creek through Congaree National Park
We booked a kayaking trip through Carolina Outdoor Adventures.
“Cedar Creek is a beautiful black-water stream running through Congaree National Park. Our trip is a 3 hour “out and back” guided trip. You will see Bald Cypress, Tupelo, Pine and Willow Oak trees along this slow-moving creek. Some of the trees in Congaree National Park are record holders!”
Isla’s review on the kayaking trip: “it was super cool. I liked all the snakes we saw. I really liked all the trees”
Caleb’s review: “It was really fun. The trees were a lot different than I expected. They were a lot skinnier.
Joel’s review: “I enjoyed learning about the floodplain and the history of the park. I think it’s wild how the water will raise 13 feet higher than it was today. Tracy was the least annoying woman on the trip.”
Tracy’s review: “It was a very unique experience to be able to kayak through the cypress trees. I loved how it was a mix of so many trees in the floodplain and how certain ones adapted to get their sun by growing taller while others wider over the creek. The cypress trees have needles like Hemlock trees. For some reason I assumed they had big leaves. The Loblolly Pines are the biggest trees and the trunks look very similar to Ponderosa Pines. It was fun kayaking amongst the trees (and watching the kids kayak around the trees). My very favourite part was the cypress knees. They look eerie and I like it for reason.”
The Campground at James Island County Park, Charleston, South Carolina
Charlestown, South Carolina
We found an amazing BBQ place called “Lewis Barbecue”. It was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025.
A Michelin Bib Gourmand is a designation from the Michelin Guide that highlights restaurants offering excellent food at good value.
It’s different from Michelin stars:
- ⭐ Michelin stars reward the highest level of culinary excellence, often with higher prices
- 🍽️ Bib Gourmand focuses on quality + affordability
Charleston is definitely a place I would like to come back to and have time to roam around looking at the interesting buildings and eat the interesting food.