Sabbatical – Carolinas 2024

The Carolinas were a treat!

We flew into Charleston and our path was through the center-ish of South Carolina before we ultimately ran into Charlotte, North Carolina. After Charlotte we headed to Appalachia. So, ultimately, we didn’t actually see that much of the Carolinas. The parts we did see were quite wonderful and we’re all excited to go back and see more.

Our time started in Charleston, South Carolina. I think the only way I can describe the actual downtown tourist area of Charleston is “weird”. It’s like higher end art shops, clothing shops, and, other similar type shops. People just kind of walk around. It’s these narrow-ish colonial streets with colonial buildings but higher end shops. It was just strange probably because we don’t really shop. The permanent city market was pretty interesting but was geared toward tourists.

The beaches outside of Charleston, Sulliavan Beach and Folly Beach, were fantastic and we had a fabulous time. Of all the beaches we went to on the sabbatical, these two beach areas were the best. They were clean, warm, and, the prettiest.

From Charleston we headed toward Charlotte, NC stopping at Congaree National Park along the way. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk the entire path in Conagree because of flooding but we were able to get a substantially different view than the last time I was there since the flooding on and around the boardwalk made for some very beautiful scenery. Once again, this area was neon green just like the rest of the Carolinas and Appalachia.

Charlotte was so much fun. It’s a biggish city with lots of amenities but it’s super easy to get around. There were an immense amount of things to do for the family. I loved bringing my family to the places I’ve been: Noble Smoke, Latta Nature Preserve, Tony’s Pizza and others while experiencing new places like the UNC Botanical Garden, Mint Museum, and, Daniel Stowe Museum.

We visited Chimney Rock which is a bit outside Charlotte. When thinking about categories, I’m not sure if it’s a ‘Carolinas’ or ‘Appalachia’ category since it’s the foothills. Either way, it was a lot of fun to visit and had a lot of things to do – like hike, activities, and, animal viewing. I deeply appreciated the elevator that brought us from the parking lot up to the top of the mountain. America :).

Enjoy the photos!
Chris W.

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