Kiawah Island - South Carolina

We packed our bags and headed South for the Fourth of July this year!  We have never been to South Carolina, so it was a treat to visit another state that we have never experienced.  The weather in Iowa was so rainy in June, so we were all looking forward to some much desired sunshine!  As the vacation approached the weather throughout the US was stormy and they were predicting a hurricane to hit off the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina around the same time we were there...really?!?!  Didn't I just say that the weather here was rainy enough?!  Either way...we were going!

Luggage?!  Check!

These girls are seasoned travelers!

A little in-flight reading!

The clouds above Hurricane Arthur

Our home for the week

We arrived in Charleston and loaded up the family roadsters and headed towards Kiawah Island.  Arriving at the island about an hour later, the scenery was beautiful!  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was blown away.  The island was beautiful and the homes were magnificent -- talk about some amazing real estate!  As you can tell by the home we rented, these homes weren't your every day house!

The island is decent sized, so you see quite a bit of traffic, but it is also very bike friendly.  So, we did a fair amount of our getting around by the rental bikes that we had for the week!  Lila enjoyed being pulled in the trailer!

The princess in her chariot!

We didn't waste any time getting ourselves acquainted and, most importantly, found the beach!  What a beautiful beach...it was equal parts clean, white sand, and then as you got closer to the tide the sand became packed down and hard enough that you could ride your bike right on the beach!

Hello sand, sun, & fun!

Happy to be on vacation together!

The real estate is incredible!

Posing at the end of the boardwalk

The day of the 4th we went to one of the resorts on the island to enjoy lunch and some of the activities they had going on for the kids.  One of those activities was hair braiding!  Each of the girls got their hair braided and were pretty excited to show off their new do's!

Braided beauty

Little Firecrackers!

At the resort we had the vantage point to be able to watch two firework shows, which was a huge treat!  I am a sucker for the Fourth and for the fireworks -- it is the one time a year that I really reflect on how lucky we are to live here and for the freedoms we have.  It wasn't too shabby to watch from the beautiful displays from the beach!

Happy Birthday, America!

For the next few days we took the vacation word seriously!  We spent a majority of the time at the water, spending time as a family, and enjoying the warm weather that South Carolina was experiencing!

Breakfast at the market

I love this picture -- she's looking out watching the world unfold in front of her...

Dads & Daughters

My everything!

Hand in hand

Dinner at the Atlantic Room

Kiawah sunset

Family

Clam diggers

Buddies

Boogie board!

Catching some sun

During our final full day we decided to go back to Charleston to spend some time.  Charleston is famous for many things, one being the plantation homes that are in the area.  Another thing they are famous for is the Angel Oak tree.  The Angel Oak tree is one of the longest living trees of its kind, believed to be 1500 years old.  The tree is 65 feet tall, but what is most impressive is the branches that sprawl well over 100 ft and wind down to the ground . 

The Angel Oak

Angle after angle

The tree goes in so many directions

Snapping a picture

Branches

After visiting the Angel Oak we stopped at the Magnolia Plantation.  The plantation was founded in 1676 and was home to the Drayton family.  It was pretty amazing to take a step back in time and listen to the tour guide explain what it was like to live on the plantation back in those times.  The plantation was in the business of rice and employed many slaves & house staff to keep the business running.  

Slave cabins

The plantation is the most visited plantation in Charleston because of it's history and the vast amount of gardens that are maintained on the property!  The home has been passed down through the Drayton family for generations leading to today.

The Magnolia house

The kids favorite part of the whole tour was the stop at the zoo that is on the property.  They loved seeing animals that are generally wild be so domesticated!  You don't see kids hugging on a deer in Iowa!

Why, hello!

Oh, Deer!

Not impressed!

The next day we were headed home.  We all really enjoyed South Carolina and Kiawah Island -- all of us saying we would go back.  We can all scratch another state off of our list and put all the fun times in our memory banks!