It’s a little comical that I’ve created a homestead blog, yet my first posts are made while my family is away from the home. We are currently in Columbia, SC for about a week for my husband’s job. This means during the business day he is at work, and I am entertaining our two toddlers (age 1 and 3). Since “playing” in a hotel room for more than 30 minutes at a time is not exactly sustainable, I’ve put together our itinerary while we were here. It’s important to note, we are here in the middle of summer, so this itinerary is likely most relevant for those visiting in the warmer months of the year.

1. Monday
   • Saluda Shoals Playground, cost $5 per vehicle – recommend
     • Saluda Shoals had a huge playground, and both my 1 and 3 year old enjoyed immensely. As a mom, I particularly liked that the majority of the playground was covered in turf rather than mulch, as my 1 year old is still in a stage of wanting to taste everything in sight – mulch being a favorite. There was a play village, “zip-line”, music activity station, and endless equipment to climb in, on, and around – among other things. If you visit during the summer, I recommend going in the morning, as the afternoon sun in Columbia is quite hot. There was a pavilion with fans and shade, however not many of the playground equipment was shaded, so the kids were constantly in the heat and sun. There’s an indoor bathroom and water bottle station available as well. There’s also a Splash Pad at Saluda Shoals, however once kids go back to school mid-August it closes during the week – so if your kids are wanting to splash around, check the website in advance to ensure it’s going to be open.
2. Tuesday
   • Edventure, cost $13 per adult, $13 for kids over 2 – 10/10 recommend
     • Absolutely fantastic. Cannot recommend enough. The admission ticket allows you to leave and come back which was a big win, because my 1 year old needed a nap by 1130. There are boundless activities. The vet and doctor setup was the biggest hit with my Doc McStuffins-obsessed 3 year old. It would be nice if they had a multi-day pass at a discounted rate, especially for those visiting the city. Again, school-aged children were mostly back to school so it wasn’t overcrowded.
3. Wednesday
   • South Carolina State Museum (SCSM), cost ($11 for myself and my 3 year old – however this was discounted due to ongoing renovations) – recommend for older children
     • I had read online that SCSM was great for kids, and given the planetarium feature and dinosaur fossils, we decided to give it a go. While my kids did enjoy parts of the museum – such as the observatory, seeing “really old” items, fossils, etc – much of the museum was definitely geared toward older children. Had the planetarium section not been under construction, it’s possible I would have a different opinion, so if you have gone with toddlers and have other experiences, please share!
4. Thursday
   • Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, cost $24.99 adults and $21.99 kids age2+, if bought in advance online – also recommend highly
     • The kids and I had a blast at the Riverbanks Zoo. I have personally been to many great zoo’s, including The Smithsonian and The San Diego, as well as some international Zoo’s – however this was one of my favorites. One of the things I loved is there was a plethora of awesome animals, but the exhibit’s were close to each other. It made walking the park do-able, and desirable. Unlike some other zoos I have visited, Riverbanks had some indoor exhibits that also had air conditioning. A real treat in the summer heat! We also fed a giraffe! As a bonus to our visit, we happened to be there on the birthday of their male lion, Zuri, who turned 20 years old. They had a “birthday party” for him with lots of “steak!”. The park staff and exhibits offered a variety of interactive engagements for kids, and the park was clean and offered a friendly atmosphere. My kids and I also appreciated that we could leave for a mid-day nap and lunch and come back later in the afternoon without additional charge.
5. Friday
   • Congaree National Park – free – don’t recommend
     • Do recommend for older children and adults, but don’t recommend for toddlers. There is a trail called “The Boardwalk” that I had read was wheelchair/stroller accessible, so I took the stroller out rather than “hiking”. My reason for this was that my 3 year old often gets tired, so I didn’t want to have to carry the 1 year old in a carrier and the 3 year old in my arms. Unfortunately, part of the trail was flooded badly so we couldn’t complete the loop. Disclaimer being, a hurricane came through last week, so I’m not sure what “usual” conditions are like. However, the mosquitoes were absolutely atrocious. I am thankful the Visitor Center sold toxin-free insect repellant, however I could not walk slow or the mosquitoes were everywhere despite this. Ev-er-y-where! I would not do that trail again, but would consider going back when it is less humid to do a more strenuous hike.
6. Saturday
   • Charleston/Sullivans Island (Beach) – No baseline price
     • We hadn’t taken the girls to the beach in over a year, so this was a real treat. We stayed 10 minutes outside of Sullivan’s Island at the “DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Mount Pleasant” which was halfway between Sullivan’s Island and Charleston and it was perfect. I’m on a budget, but I’m also hygiene and toxin-conscious, so I do try to stay at decent hotels, and couldn’t recommend this one enough. It was half the price of all the hotels in Charleston, but didn’t lack any class for a 3-star hotel. The girls had a blast at the beach, and then we stopped at “Virginia on Kings” to grab a bite to eat in Charleston. It was Celiac friendly, and we ate delicious southern food without any issues.
7. Sunday
   • Our last day was spent west, in the Greenville area, with some cousins. We ate at “Local Cue” and again felt everything was Celiac Friendly. This place was excellent for families with kids. They had lots of games for kids (and adults!) to play during or after meals. I would recommend coming here during football season!

On our way down from Maryland, we stopped in Richmond for a night, and Durham, NC for a night. Subscribe to my email list for more information on where we went, and what we did.