Sometimes you just need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life! Step away from busyness and spend time relaxing with loved ones. It does the soul so much good! And friends, last week was just that!
Before I start sharing, I'm going to warn you that this is my longest blog post to date!! And it has more images than anything I've ever posted! I blame that on all of the gorgeous sunsets and southern charm we experienced while on vacation! ;) It's a long one but a fun one!
Last week my hubby and I vacationed with my family on Kiawah Island, and it is one of my new favorite places! The thing about Kiawah is that it is so different from other beaches. We’ve been to Destin, Myrtle Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and a few other beaches…and Kiawah is just unique! The reason being that it is so peaceful and there isn’t a whole lot on the island. Some of you might be thinking…'that sounds so boring' and honestly, for some, it definitely could be! For us, it was perfect, though! Because there wasn’t a whole lot to do, we weren't visiting museums, running to the outlets, playing putt putt, etcetera, etcetera. We actually were able to take time to relax and REST! And it was just what I needed to recharge after a busy couple of months!!
One of our first nights in Kiawah, we ate at Red's Ice House, which is at the Bohicket Marina! This place was so much fun, and the sunset over the marina was gorgeous! We sat out on the patio, so we were able to watch the sun drop below the marsh! And as always do when I'm out and about during golden hour, I took a ton of photos, because I just couldn't resist photographing that golden glow!!
Every day we rode bikes and went to the beach! We ate out at a few different restaurants in the area (The Fat Hen, King Street Grille, and La Tela Pizzeria) and then cooked a few meals at home, as well! It was glorious! I read books…took a nap every. single. day. and truly enjoyed the fact that we didn’t have to BE anywhere or DO anything! We spent six days in Kiawah, and then headed to Charleston for the last leg of the trip to celebrate our 1st marriage anniversary!! YAY!
One of our last nights in Kiawah, Robert and I went out for ice cream, and we saw this!!! My sweet husband, knowing me so well, pulled over so that I could jump out of the car and grab a few shots!!
I just love it when birds fly into my frame a the exact right moment! It made the shot!!
We spent six days in Kiawah, and then left for Charleston for the last leg of our trip to celebrate our 1st anniversary!! YAY! On our way from Kiawah to Charleston, we stopped on John’s Island to visit the Angel Oak! And boy, was this tree magnificent!!! I have never seen such an amazing tree in my entire life! This tree is believed to be at least 400 years old!!! After so many years it is still standing and healthy…and HUGE! There were a few different supports around the tree, but one of the guides there explained that they weren’t actually needed. The tree supports its own weight, but the man made supports are required for safety reasons. There were so many people visiting the Angel Oak and I'm shocked I actually snapped a shot without a person in it!
As you can see from the image on the right, the tree's limbs actually go INTO the ground in some places and then pop out again a few feet from that spot!
Now onto Charleston!!! One of my favorite cities of all time! I think the reason I love this city so much is because of southern charm, history, and it's romantic! All things southern and romantic...that's my love language! ;)
On our first day we took a carriage tour to get a feel for the city! Our horse’s name was Earl…and he had the BEST personality!! The tour was an hour long, and he guided us through the busy Charleston streets around cars, bikes, and pedestrians! It was very impressive! As we wrapped up our tour and got close to his ‘neck of the woods’, Earl started trotting and showing off all of his little tricks! It was too cute!
This is the Calhoun Mansion where part of The Notebook was filmed!! While they used Boone Hall Plantation as the exterior of Ali's house in the film, the inside of this house (specifically the backside of these doors) was used for the interior scenes!
After our tour we browsed the Market & King Street shops!
We loved walking around the quaint streets full of colorful buildings & beautiful window boxes! We wandered down so many streets and alleys, and every single one was beautiful in it’s own regard! SO much charm. SO MUCH!
Our second day in Charleston started off at Boone Hall Plantation! (Side note: I am a HUGE fan of The Notebook, so I convinced Robert to take me to a few of the locations where they filmed the movie! Boone Hall Plantation was one of them!!)
As you pull on the plantation property, you are greeted by an incredible Oak lined drive complete with a canopy of Spanish Moss. It absolutely took my breath away! And I told Robert that the drive up to my dream home will need to be just like that…life goals, y’all! ;)
We arrived at the plantation about an hour after it opened, and Robert bless his heart, was patient as I took several shots of the drive before it got too busy! And then, he offered to take a few of me in my sunhat in front of the drive!! Y’all, I married a keeper!!! And I have to say, he’s quite the photographer! That being said, it is like pulling teeth to get HIM in front of my lens! Which is why you might notice the lack of ‘Robert’ images in this blog post! But I promise, he was with me the whole time!! ;)
Boone Hall Plantation is a little ways outside of Charleston, so we grabbed lunch and headed back into the Historic District later that afternoon!
Does anyone recognize this movie theatre?! AHH...I was totally loving all of The Notebook 'spots'!
Every street corner and alley way had some kind of charm!
We wandered around the city for a while as we made our way to Rainbow Row!
A sun hat, seersucker, and Rainbow Row! Just a few of my favorite things! ;)
Window boxes and colorful homes! I'm in love!
Finally, we ended our day by the water...and then with ice cream on Market street...per my request! ;)
Robert and I love to travel and need some suggestions! Do you have any cities that are on your bucket list? Or a city that you keep visiting over and over because you love it so much?! Please share with us in a comment below!! Happy Friday, friends!! xo!