We wanted to travel to a different part of the country on this trip so we went to the Southeast1
Hilton Head
We have heard a lot about Hilton Head and it didn’t disappoint. Very beautiful with great beaches and restaurants!
Truly one of the gems in Hilton Head is Coligny Beach. You have to go there to appreciate the amenities of this beach. The entrance is amazing with the wide wooden board walk to the beach and the multiple gazebos where you can just sit and relax in the shade if the day is a little too warm. We spent the afternoon here after having an amazing brunch at Franky Bones! I had the special which was rib tips and eggs – amazing.
Sailboat excursion.
We went on this amazing sail boat ride. The boat was the Stars and Stripes which won the America’s Cup! It was a great time and we met this wonderful couple (Barry and Mary Beth) from Lake Tahoe. They drove their RV to Hilton Head as well. So of course we talked about RVs and someday we need to visit them in Lake Tahoe. After the sailboat ride, we accompanied Barry and Mary Beth to the Salty Dog Cafe for a great seafood dinner. We had a great time with them and hope to see them when we are traveling across the country!
Patti’s Beach Excursion.
Patti loves to go “off the beaten path” and walk along beaches that have been less traveled in the hopes of getting awesome shells. I always just shake my head but she knows I will definitely take her wherever she wants to go. So we went to the north side of Hilton Head and definitely visited a beach where there weren’t a lot of people, but there were lots of “live” shells….. She had a great time and that’s all that matters!
Hilton Head was a great time and we have to come back here again!
Charlotte
Another city we have never been to is Charlotte NC. We took a tour of downtown and unfortunately it was a very cold morning so we didn’t have the camera out that much. We learned why the basketball team was called “The Hornets”. In the revolutionary war, the British general who was supposed to capture and sack the city reported to his superiors on his failure to do so. He explained he had never seen a group of soldiers fight so fiercely. He said “it was like entering a hornet’s nest” so the nickname stuck to Charlotte! Even the police department is called “the Hornets”, they have a symbol of a hornet’s nest on their uniform and vehicles. The downtown is very unique where you can have a professional basketball stadium (Charlotte Hornets) in walking distance with a professional football stadium (Carolina Panthers) to a minor league baseball stadium (Charlotte Knights) to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Along with all of this, a multitude of restaurants and you have a great city to visit!
One of the highlights of this trip was a visit from Denise (Groh) Criss! Patti and I grew up with her and her entire family thru high school! Her older brother Barry was my best man at our wedding and I was very honored to return the favor at his wedding with Debra! In fact, one of my favorite deserts that Patti makes for me on special occasions – Pistachio ???????? I call it “Green Stuff” and it is amazing. Well Denise’s Mom would make this (and other great food) and we got the recipe many years ago! We have many great memories of the Groh family from church and church trips. One thing we would do as a church youth group is go to “Institute” where the kids would stay in cabins and visit with other youth groups and join in on some singing and spiritual activities. Of course we would play a lot of sports…
Denise brought us up to speed on what everyone in her family was doing (4 siblings) and her Mom. It was great to catch up with her.
While in Charlotte we stayed at a campground that had a lot of trees and was a little rough but that is OK. This is what the adventure is all about. While there, we saw a very unique “pet” that a couple had right across from us.
We have run into people with all kinds of pets but a pot belly pig was the first. They love this pig and if you look closely, they had special stairs made for their pet. They would take him out for a walk and all of the kids would come around and ask to pet the pig! A great hit in the RV park.
Mt. Airy NC
We were only a little over an hour away from Mount Airy and if it sounds familiar, it is the birth place of Andy Griffith. This was fascinating because he created Mayberry based on his hometown. We came at a great time because there was a car show happening right in downtown! So much to see, I will let the pictures below speak for themselves.
There is also a great museum that you have to check out. It takes you thru Andy’s entire career in Radio, Movies and TV. A great education on how talented he was.
Patti’s birthday!
So Patti had a great birthday. Tori didn’t forget….
And of course, I wasn’t going to be outdone….
So of course, she had a great birthday with flowers and cookies and ssshhhh, there’s more to come….
So the southeast didn’t disappoint! It was a great trip to some places we have never been to and will have to visit again!