Hello and welcome, great Adventurers! Are you preparing for a last great day outside in nature before National Great Outdoors Month ends? Well, just because the national celebration month is ending it doesn’t mean you can’t keep it going! We wanted to share with you some fun ways we celebrated National Great Outdoors Month for June and ways you can keep the natural enjoyment going into July!

You know that we enjoy being out on the water; Shem Creek and our surrounding beaches are incomparable! There’s something about being out in the early hours as the sunrise glints off the waves, and the gentle coastal breeze awakens the wildlife around you. It’s not uncommon to see dolphins, turtles, alligators, seagulls, and other fascinating creatures on our assortment of tours! We highly recommend taking advantage of the scenery we’re blessed with here in South Carolina, and reconnecting with nature isn’t exclusive to one month of the year! You can enjoy and experience nature with a wide variety of activities here, and a few we’re about to list you may recognize as some of our favorites.

Explore The Beaches!

When the tides are right and the weather permits, we get excited for a truly fun adventure: Beach Drops. Cape Romain, home of Bulls Island, is one of our destinations for Beach Drops that we offer, and it all starts with a 50 minute boat tour led by one of our experienced nature guides. Our relaxing boat tour will allow you to view our saltmarsh estuary from within it, which is an experience you will never forget! It’s not uncommon for us to come across a wide variety of wildlife as well to make the experience even more memorable such as dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, bald eagles, and other rare species of birds! For all our bird watchers out there, we know that excites you! Cape Romain is home to over 293 species of birds alone, so we guarantee you’ll see some during this expedition!

Once the boat tour arrives at Bulls Island, you will be able to comb the beach shoreline for shells and other treasures at your own pace. The North Beach is perfect for any shell collectors out there, and we’re always surprised by what our guests are able to find! About a mile and a half down the beach waits Boneyard Beach, which is one of nature’s most magnificent works of art we hold dearly here in the Lowcountry.

The entire time you’re guided on this expedition, a naturalist guide will be accompanying the tour to answer any questions about beach finds, wildlife, coastal geology, and the history of the island itself! A true wildlife experience just wouldn’t be the same without some form of education, don’t you think? If this sounds like an adventure for you, the time is right! Follow the link below to see the next available spot for our Bulls Island Beach Drop, you won’t regret it:

Link: https://www.coastalexpeditions.com/product/bulls-island-beach-drop/

Take A Hike, No Really!

So maybe a beach walk isn’t your speed and you crave more of a forest or woodsy trail to explore, we’ve got you covered there too! On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays we currently offer reservations for a ferry ride over to Bulls Island on Cape Romain so that you can explore over 16 miles of hiking trails- and 7 miles of beaches if you want some options. We make sure that the roads and trails are well taken care of and tended-to, and the island itself is car free, which makes it perfect for nature exploration. Bring your binoculars, bird book, sketchbook, and camera because the scenery surrounding the trails will be noteworthy for sure!  You’ll be likely to see congregations of alligators, paddlings of ducks, or even an arribada of sea turtles on these expeditions to only name a few!

As we mentioned with the beach drop version of this expedition, the Boneyard Beach portion of Bulls Island is the real shining star here.  Essentially, Boneyard Beach is a forest that’s been stranded in the surf. For many adventurers, this destination alone is reason enough for the trip, as it’s perfect for photos, a relaxing picnic lunch, or simple wildlife exploration and curiosity.

Are you a hiker? Or are you just looking for a woodsy walk through a coastal trail? Follow the link below to learn more about our Bulls Island Ferry boat tours and boat charters for here in Charleston. We can’t wait to see you!

Link: https://www.coastalexpeditions.com/product/bulls-island-ferry/

It’s Time To Get Paddling!

Paddleboarding as an activity is becoming more and more popular as the warm weather makes its way through the Lowcountry! SUP, or stand up paddle boarding, is widely believed to have originated in Hawaii in the 18th century as Hawaiians paddled across the Pacific from island to island. The modern practice of it emerged more prominently however in the mid 20th century with ties to the growing surfing culture in the 60’s. It’s estimated that nearly 1.2 million people tried SUP as beginners in 2011, and we’re sure those numbers have grown as this is one of our most requested and popular expeditions here at Coastal Expeditions. We actually offer this expedition on alternating days between our two locations, Isle of Palms and Shem Creek.

You don’t need to worry if you’ve never been paddleboarding, either! Our guests are given techniques and plenty of time to adjust to the experience in order to have a great time on the water throughout the adventure! Once you get your sea-legs, we’ll guide you over the tides while sharing stories about our local history and lore! From the vantage point of standing on a paddle board, you’re able to see deeper into the water and get up close and personal with manatees, rays, and sometimes dolphins or turtles!

If you’d like to learn more about this paddleboard tour in either Isle of Palms or Shem Creek, follow the link below! Not only is this experience one that helps provide an up close, educational experience within our beautiful coastal community, but it’s also a fantastic way to be active and exercise while enjoying nature! We don’t think there’s a better way to enjoy National Great Outdoors Month, or any day for that matter!

Link: https://www.coastalexpeditions.com/product/paddleboard-tours-shem-creek-isle-of-palms/

Of course we had to list a few of our favorite ways to get outside and celebrate the outdoors, but Charleston has many opportunities and activities to experience nature! If you’re seeking a casual walk by the seaside, we recommend traveling down to Waterfront Park! You can often find a variety of food or treat carts, performers, and artists along the water’s edge, and it makes for a perfect day date or mini-adventure! Many tourists and locals flock to Waterfront Park as an addition to a ‘day spent in Charleston’ where you can find many taking photos by the popular Pineapple Fountain or swinging on those large relaxing bench swings on the dock.

https://www.charleston-sc.com/charleston-waterfront-park.html

Or, another popular spot nearly every Charlestonian or South Carolina coastal native has visited at least once in their lifetime is Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The historical education combined with romantic garden scenery is bound to take the cake for your Charleston trip, that is, if you don’t visit us first of course! Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is one of the oldest public tourist sites in our beautiful Lowcountry, and if you’re looking for a casual walk through gorgeous greenery this is the destination for you! We highly recommend it as an addition to your trip!

https://www.magnoliaplantation.com/

Celebrating National Great Outdoors Month shouldn’t be limited to just one month, we celebrate the beauty of South Carolina’s waters every day! You can count on everyone here at Coastal Expeditions to provide you with all the options for exploring nature and learning more about our coastal nature life. How did you get outside this past month? Did you come by and visit us for one of our paddle board tours or boat charters? What did you like most about your adventure? We’d love to know! Be sure to keep up the ‘adventuring’, y’all! We’re going to get back out on the water, see you next time!