Okay, y’all. This isn’t great. It’s time to hunker down, keep our hands washed and take care of one another.

We’ve also got to keep living.  So give thanks that you live in the Lowcountry and it’s springtime because you’ve got about a thousand options to keep you occupied through this that don’t involve stress-eating your stockpile of snacks or watching the news cycle.

This is our wheelhouse.  As we think of new things, we’ll add to the list.  Some things are free and some aren’t, but they’re all good.

1. Hampton Plantation.  Head up towards McClellanville to Hampton Plantation with a picnic packed.  It’s free to walk the grounds and there are hiking trails, camellia garden and a riverside overlook to enjoy.  Chris and I take the kids several times a year and we are almost always the only people there.
2. Sewee Shell Ring.  Located in Awendaw, this is an amazing look at prehistoric clam and oyster shell rings.  The boardwalk is closed (it was blow to pieces by one of our million recent hurricanes), but the woodland trails are still open.  Again, no one is ever here. Free.
3. Order vegetable seeds and plant a garden.  The thought crosses your mind every year, doesn’t it.  Now you’ve got time.
4. Center for Birds of Prey.  The campus is huge and you’ll have plenty of space to keep self-isolated.  If you haven’t been, it’s one of our favorite places to visit.  The flight demonstration is educational and fun.
5. Explore a pocket park that you’ve never been to before.  Recently, a friend brought me to a great little park near Long Point Road and I-526 called Dorothy P. Kearns Park Trail.  It’s only 0.7 miles, so you may want to walk it twice.  It hugs the Cooper River and has incredible views along the way.  Shaded by live oaks, its a great little trail and is perfect if you have young kids or just want an easy walk.The one drawback?  To get to it, you have to drive past Sky Zone and your kids are going to yell “Let’s go to Sky Zone!” as you drive by.  Free.
6. Go to the beach. 
7. Rent Kayaks or SUPs from Coastal Expeditions.  We put some proactive measures into place to make sure that our equipment is extra-sanitized.  And you barely have to talk to us to get on the water. Just call us up before you come and we’ll keep you as socially distanced as you want.  Here’s more information on what we’re doing.
8. Get that home project finished. Not glamorous, yet so satisfying.  I’ve been staining the playhouse/swingset that is nearly rotten from neglect and Chris took down the old chicken coop.
9. I’on Swamp Trail in Francis Marion National Forest.  Free. Always a favorite, this trail is just the right length (about a mile) and has so much to observe, historically and naturally. Hike it during this spring leaf out and you’ll want to get out and explore more of the forest.
10. Sewee Center Boardwalk.  Drive up to Awendaw and visit the Sewee Center (you can do the I’on Swamp or Shell Ring Trail the same day).  They have a visitor’s center with interpretive displays and a fantastic boardwalk through the woods to see Red Wolves.

Check back in.  We’ll keep adding to this list in coming days!

Wash your hands,
Coastal Expeditions