Summer 2020 isn’t cancelled if you are willing to adapt. With a little creativity (and a lot of flexibility) one can still go out, explore, and relax. This past weekend I took a trip to visit a dear friend in one of my favorite US destinations: Charleston, South Carolina.
The number of businesses that are closed remains high, understandably, so we designed a weekend (mask included) to enjoy beautiful sunsets, sand and saltwater–lots of it! It was a very relaxed way to enjoy great company and a change of scenery. To my surprise, and contrary to what the media shows, beaches were not packed and everyone kept ample distance. Charleston is a mask-required city, with a hefty fine for those choosing not to wear one, so I packed a few, grabbed a beach towel, my trusty Nikon, and made the best of takeout by the water.
Thursday night included a stop by Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. and a sunset picnic at Pitt Street in Mount Pleasant. We wrapped up the night at the Mount Pleasant Pier to snap some pictures of the iconic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge on its 15th birthday, happy birthday bridge!
Friday allowed for a visit to the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve where the drive from the entrance of the park to the boardwalk that leads to shore took over 30 minutes. That was 30 minutes of beautiful tree-lined dirt road. The park offers a pamphlet for a self-guided drive-through tour. After a walk at Botany Bay, a driftwood beach like I’d never seen before, we went for a drive around Edisto Island. We ended the day watching the sun go down at Edisto Beach with takeout from The Waterfront Restaurant, just five minutes from the beach.
Saturday was spent on the water. We rented a speedboat and cruised around the Ashley River and into the open ocean. To add some spontaneity to the day, we ran out of gas and were stuck in a surprisingly (and luckily) very pretty spot. We waited about an hour and a half for help to arrive with just enough gas to return to the marina. I got to drive the boat, jump off into the river (crossed two things off the bucket list), and saw tons of dolphins throughout the day. Despite running out of gas, it was truly a fantastic day (with great weather too). This I hope to do every summer from now on–so much fun and SO relaxing!
Sunday was our beach day and, after almost 15 years, I can finally say I’ve been to Folly Beach! To my surprise, the ever-popular beach had few visitors (the fact that the city has reduced parking to limit visitors helped) and we were able to get a good spot to spend the day at. While at Folly I got to try a pineapple dole whip float from The Pineapple Hut and, holy tropics! it was SO, SO good! Highly recommend it and I hope they’re still around next time I’m in town.
There you have it… a weekend full of summer fun all while keeping social distance (and peace of mind). Summer 2020 isn’t cancelled, so get creative, plan responsibly, and have fun!
diamonds & baguettes 