Boone Hall Plantation

On down to South Carolina to go see my Dad's family! We had a really great time and got to do some fun things! So something I had never done was go to Charleston. Which is really terrible since I lived in Myrtle Beach for 2 years. But anyway we got to go on a girl's outing and we had a great time!

First we stopped by Charleston's Cafe for breakfast. GO. It is delicious. My little sister, Ashlee, had the strawberry pancakes. Go devour them now. We were all chowing down on her plate...what little she left anyway! (All of it was great...but those pancakes...we talked about those the rest of my trip home!)

Next stop on our big adventure was Boone Hall Plantation. It was amazing. I could have stayed there the rest of the day! You may have previously seen Boone Hall Plantation in movies like The Notebook. Or those who may know some good ol southern movies that are a little older like Queen or the series North and South. Actually I believe they are closed this month because the show Army Wives is filming there.

Anyway, you can learn all kinds of things about Boone Hall here with good ol wikipedia.  (STOP SOPA!)
This WONDERFUL performer taught us so many things about the Lowcountry Gullah culture brought in by slaves. It was really insightful and I really learned a lot. Not only that but she is a fantastic presenter. If you go to Boone Hall, make sure the first thing you see is this presentation. It gives a lot of insight and history into the rest of the tour.

Of course, we had to take pictures by the oak trees. The pictures don't do them justice. They are BEAUTIFUL.

Here in Charleston, they are known for their famous sweet grass baskets. They are crazy expensive, but they are all hand made and beautiful. One day I will own one. I will say they are cheaper here at Boone Hall than they are in downtown Charleston. (just as a side note for anyone wanting one). The woman making the baskets here, told me it takes her anywhere from 10-15 hours to make one medium sized basket!! 

Boone Hall Plantation. Surprisingly small on the inside...though we weren't allowed upstairs. Or allowed to take pictures...I hate when that happens. It was decorated beautifully for Christmas though!

Look HOW HUGE those trunks are!!

They had a beautiful garden! I can't believe these flowers were blooming in the cold! And although it wasn't below freezing...it was still pretty cold.

Out by the waterway was my favorite spot. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We took a truck tour of the rest of Boone Hall Plantation. It is HUGE. They plant TONS of crops all through the year. People in the area (and from out of town) can come and harvest all they want. The rest is harvested and given to food banks and area shelters in need. Here in this picture is a photo of the corn maze they had last year in commemoration of the Boeing plane for Halloween. Crazy right? Can you imagine trying to get through this thing in the dark??

LOVE THOSE TREES!!!

After Boone Hall Planation, we went to downtown Charleston. We had a great time! We got to visit the flea markets...so many cool things! Definitely go there with some cash! We went on a carriage ride through historic downtown Charleston and got to see lots of historic homes. It got dark before we got to the Battery, but that is on the list for next time!! It was such a GREAT trip. Of course, we weren't finished though. After Charleston, we went to James Island County Park for their Christmas Festival of Lights drive through show! Look at some of the cool displays!

This is kind of blurry, but this is a display of the bridge connecting Mt. Pleasant and Charleston. A Charleston Landmark.

Who doesn't love a unicorn? Or a gingerbread house/man.

The South Carolina palm tree and crescent moon.

Good ol U.S. of A.

It would just not be Christmas in SC if we didn't have a sand sculpture of an underwater Santa. Seriously I don't know how people have the patience to do these things (nor the talent...I'd get about almost done and knock something unfixable off)

I had a GREAT Charleston Girl's Day!!! A HUGE thanks to Kim for making that happen! I LOVED IT!

Don't think the fun stopped there (well on that day it did...that was a action packed full day)! Still more to come!!!