South Carolina 2019

My mom asked if I wanted to join her to visit my sister, her husband, and their dog in South Carolina while my dad was on his annual fishing trip to Canada, so of course I jumped on the opportunity.  Before long, my other sister, her husband, and their daughter joined, so I decided to take the kids too -- leaving just Adam {at home} and my dad {in Canada}.  In June, my dad ended up having emergency back surgery and wasn't medically released to go to Canada in August.  So, he decided to join us too.  All of this to explain why everyone in my family was on the trip, except Adam. :(  We missed him for sure.  It just felt weird without him.  However, having my mom with me on the flight down and my sister and brother-in-law with us on the return flight, paired with the fact that the kids are older now, didn't make it a big deal that he wasn't with us. 

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This isn't a what to see/do/eat in South Carolina, because when we go see Alicia and Brad, it's mainly about spending time together, not exploring.  Even though we love Greenville and would highly recommend it!!! {maybe someday she'll put together a travel guide for Greenville and/or South Carolina}  Until then, this is what we did when we weren't playing Jenga on the patio, eating my favorite steamed bagels, or taking family walks around their gorgeous neighborhood. 

   

 

 

 

As soon as we got settled, we headed out to El Thrifty Social Club where we all had a blast {sometimes a challenge with such a wide range in ages/love of games}  I learned to play Mexican Bowling -- so much fun!  Papa go to show the kids his love for air hockey -- they bother loved it so much we down own one!  And shuffleboard brought back memories of my first vacation to Florida. It was an incredible afternoon, even if it was a million degrees outside! :)

     

 

One day {I have no idea if these are in order, because honestly I can't remember since it's been 6 months!} they took us to Chimney Rock State Park.  Everyone except my dad {back surgery} and Cullyn {my dad's shadow} climbed to the top for the views a photo with the flag the ice cream. :)  At this time I was training for my marathon and this hike may or may not have caused me to pause training for a week!  The back of my calves would NOT move!  I hobbled around for the rest of the trip -- hahaha!!  After the hike, we ate at Old Rock Cafe at the bottom of the mountain.  My sister and the kids and I explored the creek behind the restaurant while we were waiting for a table.  It felt so good!

Another day we 'hiked' around Lake Placid.  I never feel qualified to said hike without the quotation marks, because we are not true hikers.  Both of these hikes are appropriate for children.  I walked them in sandles if I remember right. It was more about being together and seeing beautiful views than getting a workout. I just thought I should clarify that. :)

     

Another day we went putt-putt golfing at McPherson Park.  They have a bunch of putters and golfballs and you can borrow or bring your own an play for free.  Such a fun idea.  I would love to implement one in our little town!  Unfortunately, I was having an off day and didn't take first but it was still super fun. ;)

One afternoon while my niece, Oaklyn, was napping my sister and I took the kids to the backyard for a few games of tennis.  The kids had been begging all week for us to take them out there and play.  I'm so glad we did because it was such a great time even Kiko, my sisters dog, approved! :)

Thanks for hosting us Brad & Alicia.

We love getting to spend time with you in your beautiful city!

A little flashback to our first trip to Greenville in 2016.  They were just babies!!

Family Road Trip Day 4-6 | Greenville, SC

Day 4 of our road trip we got up and headed straight to Greenville, South Carolina.  It was about a 4 hour drive, but the kids did great.  We made it to Brad and Alicia's, got settled in, and then ordered some delicious steamed bagels for lunch.  After lunch, we headed to the zoo.  It was much smaller than the one in Tennessee, but also very nice!  The kids loved being able to explore this one with Auntie Esha & Uncle Brad.  Plus, each zoo had different animals. 

After the zoo we walked went back to Alicia and Brad house and Alicia read the kids an adorable new book {Mice on Main} that she got for them and gave them shirts that went along with it.  The book is written by a local author and downtown Greenville has these little metal mice along the main street that go along with the book.  I'm explaining it terribly, but it's really adorable.  If you're around Greenville, you should really check it out.  So after the book, we walked downtown and found all of the mice and explored for a while before heading to an amazing dinner on the patio of The Lazy Goat.  We spent the evening watching the sun set in mid 70 degree weather.  An outdoor wedding reception was going on just across the river, so we listened to a live band all night.  It was definitely perfection. 

Doesn't their street look like it's straight out of a movie?

After dinner we went back to the house and had a little birthday celebration that Alicia planned for Jordyn.  With the exception of me {not a night owl!} the adults stayed up and played games for a bit before calling it a night. 

The next morning we made breakfast and headed to the mountains for a picnic lunch.  It's crazy to me that this place is only 45 minutes from Brad and Alicia's house!  We ate a picnic lunch and took a short little hike.  So peaceful!  Next time we take an adult trip to visit, I really want to hike more. 

After the hike, we went back to Brad and Alicia's place and and I honestly can't remember the details of the last part of the trip.  Sad, I know!  This is why you shouldn't wait months after the vacation to blog about it {I can only imagine how spotty the New York trip details will be since that was over 4 months ago!} :(

What I do remember is savoring the time with had with Alicia and Brad.  We played soccer in the park across the street from their house {below--isn't is adorable?!} and watched the game at a sports bar downtown {my favorite part of Greenville} and soaked up as much time as possible in their gorgeous weather!  It was such a fun trip, I'm SO glad we made the drive.  It really wasn't that bad {definitely easier than the drive to Florida, obviously--it's shorter and the kids are a little older} We headed for home around nap time {after a busy morning spent wearing the kids out} which was a great move.  The kids napped for a bit, woke up, ate dinner, watched a movie and fell asleep.  Since they drive was going so well and the kiddos were sleeping, we decided not to stop in St. Louis like we had previously talked about and instead push forward.  We listened to the Cubs game until the wee hours of the morning.  It was truly a blessing from God that the game went into 13 innings and kept Adam awake until nearly 3a when we made it back home.  

The leaves were starting to turn colors our entire drive home, it was the sweetest surprise!  Perfect time of year to be in South Carolina, that's for sure!  

Since I foresee us taking many more trips to Greenville, I thought I would include a list of things we want to do next time...

Take a photo on the rocks in the river downtown

Explore the shops downtown

Go ice skating downtown {if it's winter}

Take a real hike

Extend the trip to 4 days