November 11, 2019

THINGS TO SEE IN OCONEE COUNTY, South Carolina: the “LAND BESIDE WATER”

“How did they do that?” When we visit a place, a theme or question about the place usually pops into my mind. I know, weird.  In Oconee County, South Carolina, the question was, “how did they do that?”    Oconee County is the westernmost county in South Carolina and couldn’t be more different from how you picture the coastal areas in the state. The Cherokee word, “Ae-quo-nee,” means “land beside water.” Here, three huge man-made lakes (Keowee, Jocassee, and Lake Hartwell) dot the hills. Oconee County is also home to 67 summits, ridges, ranges and mountain trails.      Picture 90,000 acres of protected forests, historical sites, hikes, fishing and small southern towns….

September 30, 2019

3 HAUNTED SITES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, South Carolina

The low country of  South Carolina is one of those places where you walk through time. Different periods of American history are stacked one on another everywhere you turn. Paranormal activity is reported throughout this beautiful state, including hauntings at a fort and two sets of church ruins we visited.    OLD SHELDON CHURCH in YEMASSEE, South Carolina   The Old Sheldon Church Ruins is an historic site 17 miles north of Beaufort, South Carolina in Yemassee, SC.   The church was originally known was Prince William’s Parish Church and was built between 1745 and 1753.  The church was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The church was rebuilt…

August 19, 2019

Botany Bay PLANTATION on EDISTO ISLAND, South Carolina

He was shriveled, smiling and a 94-year-old volunteer. He sat on a stool by a makeshift information cart with maps of Botany Bay. He and his wife met at Valpariso and now he “catches the fish and she cooks them up.”   I was alone. He told me, “This is too beautiful a place to not bring someone with you.”  He was right-Botany Bay Plantation and Edisto Island ARE gorgeous and somewhat exotic.       At the southernmost tip of Edisto Island, you will find the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage and Wildlife Management Area and the secluded Botany Bay Beach.     The approach to Botany Bay Plantation is…

June 10, 2019

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PAT CONROY’S DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, South Carolina

If you know the books or movies entitled, “The Great Santini” and “The Prince of Tides,” you know of author Pat Conroy. After graduating from college at The Citadel, he took a job in 1969 teaching in a one-room schoolhouse on the isolated island of Daufuskie. Daufuskie is a small island about three miles off the South Carolina mainland and, to this day, there are no bridges to the island. It is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina.     A young white man, Conroy was enraged by the substandard education being given the native children on the island. He spent a year teaching the students about the wider world…

June 3, 2019

QUIRKY, ARTSY AND HISTORIC OLD BLUFFTON, South Carolina

Do you love quirky little towns? Do you love the low country of South Carolina? Do you love communities with festivals and events all year round? If so, get yourself to Old Bluffton, South Carolina! Bluffton has been called the “last true coastal village of the south.”*     Bluffton was named the #5 “Happiest Seaside Towns” by Coastal Living Magazine. Bluffton, originally a resort area during the summer for inland planters, it was a ferry stop between Savannah and Beaufort, SC. It is only a 12-minute drive from Hilton Head!           The arts community and historic preservation communities are alive and well in Bluffton. Shops and galleries give…

May 20, 2019

THE HEART OF THE LOWCOUNTRY: BEAUFORT, South Carolina

As seniors, we have won the right to stroll. To stroll for hours. To stroll slowly. Strolling through the heart of the low country means walking Beaufort, South Carolina and there couldn’t be a nicer place for it.  I took my time walking the historic district “out” to The Point and had strolled my way around old Beaufort in one afternoon!     Using Beaufort as my headquarters, I explored a few of the 200 islands in Beaufort County, SC. By doing so, the diversity of the county struck me as unique in all of America.     HISTORY     Beaufort County was the site of the second landing…

May 13, 2019

REDCLIFFE PLANTATION STATE HISTORIC SITE IN South Carolina: A SCANDALOUS HISTORY

Not all southern plantations look like Tara or Twelve Oaks but all have histories that span generations. That is the case with Redcliffe Plantation in Beech Island, South Carolina. We spent an entire afternoon learning about the history of the plantation as well as the families and slaves who lived there.  The interpretative history tours at Redcliffe are superb. We learned a great deal!      Our visit to Redcliffe Plantation took us well beyond the romance of the age and any idealized version of plantation life. The documented history of the plantation and what happened there is a stark and very real view into a plantation run by a…

April 29, 2019

DISCOVER THE DONNELLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ON US 17 IN South Carolina

“Your best chance to see alligators is on the causeway because the water is low”, she said. ” The birds and gators have been really active.” The three carloads of strangers who were bunched into the office of the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area  (DWMA) got excited at that news. “If you hike the trails, be sure to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes,” she added.   “As in Diamondback Rattlers?”, asked one young man. I decided right then to stick to the DWMA Driving Tour!       South Carolina’s ACE BASIN     The ACE Basin in South Carolina consists of approximately 1,000,000 acres of diverse wildlife habitats that include…

May 30, 2018

TAKE BACK ROADS TO EXPLORE AMERICA!

Take Back Roads to Explore America!   The Traveling Seniors ALWAYS travel back roads. Why?  Exploring America and her inspiring people is most rewarding along back roads and scenic byways!   Backroads vacations are so easy in retirement travel!  The pavement is smooth, traffic is sparse and the scenery is breathtaking. We can drive at our own pace. We can pull off the road to take photos or a break at almost any time. Backroads adventures are just waiting for you!   HOW TO FIND BACKROADS   One way to find byways is to visit scenicbyways.info. On that site, search by state or follow the dots on the map provided….