Edisto State Park, Nov. 7-11 2019

Tammy and I met friends and family at Edisto State Park over Veteran’s Day weekend. The park is located on Edisto Island, which is south of Charleston S. C. It is one of four SC State Parks located on the ocean. 

The park contains 1255 acres, 4 miles of ADA accessible hiking and biking trails and 1.5 miles of beach access. 

There are 2 campgrounds in the state park. They have  one on the oceanfront and the other near the salt marsh. A total of 112 RV campsites with water and electric with 20/30/50 service. Spacious sites with hard packed sand, fire pit and picnic table. They have several sites that will accommodate rigs up to 40 feet. 

We camped in the oceanfront area. The bathhouse was in good condition and kept clean by the volunteer staff everyday. I love camping in state parks, you always see a variety of people and campers.  There were Tiffin motorhomes, 5th wheels, travel trailers and a bunch of small teardrop trailers. We camped on site 71, which was located in the shady area. If we come back again in the fall, we will go to the other end of the campground which had no trees.  It would have been warmer there in the direct sun. 

On Friday we explored the local area before our friends arrived.  Edisto Island is not very commercial, there is only one grocery store, a couple beach shops, and a ABC Store. These were located on the main road at the oceanfront area. At the other end of the island they do have a golf course and resort hotel.  I really liked the laid back community feel. Most of the homes on the island are rentals.  

We also visited Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area.  I will have pictures and write up in the future!

The rest of the  weekend was filled with good food and good times with family and friends, walking on the beach looking for shells. Tammy and Tina spent time gathering small oyster shells to make christmas (shell) trees. Besides the regular variety of shells, we found some Lettered Olive shells, which is the South Carolina State Shell  They are pretty cool looking.  

We live in a beach town in N.C. and when we are not on a road trip, we are on the beach enjoying the fun and sun. We are able to drive out on a section of Carolina Beach and really enjoy the convenience of it, but it is really crowded with people. And when we camp at other beaches that are kind of out of the way of the main stream, it sure is fun!

We enjoyed our stay at Edisto Beach and look forward to returning sometime.  This is a campground that I would recommend to fellow RV’s that enjoy camping near the beach. 

The state park is located at 8377 State Cabin Rd., Edisto Island, S.C.  843-869-2156

Thanks for visiting our site and please check back soon for more updates of our travels seeking fun and sun!

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Cape Fear Kite Festival at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

Tammy and I went to the annual Kite Festival at Ft Fisher today and we enjoyed a beautiful morning watching grown folks fly kites. The weather was great, sunny with a good breeze blowing off the beach. This was organized as a “fun fly” without competitions or rules other than safety to unofficially wrap up the kite-flying year.

This year we were able to walk among the flyers and had the chance to talk with a couple  from Maryland that had come in for the weekend to fly their kites.  They travel up and down the east coast attending numerous kite festivals during the year.

With the good weather today, when we left about 11:30am the beach area was getting pretty crowed with spectators and parking had overflowed out of the parking lot.

I enjoyed being on the beach with Tammy and was able to take photos with my camera and take some videos with the go pro.  Hopefully I will get good enough with the editing process to post some stuff to YouTube!

The festival is in it’s 12th year and is always held on the first weekend of November, so mark your calendar and join Tammy and I next year.

Thanks for visiting our site, and come back again!

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Hammocks Beach State Park

Tammy and I hit the road to check out a campground in Swansboro NC, and took advantage of stopping by and checking out Hammocks Beach State Park which is off Highway 24 near Swansboro.

The state park is unique that the visitors center, kayak launching area and dock for ferry boat is the only thing on the mainland.  The main attraction is the three primitive  islands (Bear, Huggins and Jones) that are located off the mainland with one side facing the Atlantic ocean and the other being in the marsh lands. Bear Island is about 2.5 miles from the ferry dock and has primitive backpack camping, a designated swimming area, bird nesting areas, picnic shelters bathhouse and a concession stand which is open Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Bear Island contains 892 acres bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and by salt marshes, estuarine creeks and the Intracoastal Waterway to the north.  It has about 4 miles of white sandy beaches, shrub thickets and maritime forest.  Early in the twentieth century, Dr. William Sharpe, a neurosurgeon from New York, came to Bear Island to hunt.  He fell in love with the area and brought it after his retirement.  He intended to give the land to John Hurst who was his long time hunting guide.  Hurst persuaded him to donate it to the North Carolina Teachers’ Association, which was an organization of African American teachers.  In 1950 the group attempted to develop the Island, but limited funds and the island’s remoteness rendered their efforts unsuccessful.  In 1961 the association donated the island to the state of North Carolina for a park.

Huggins Park is located east of Bear Island, at the mouth of Bogue Inlet and is visible from downtown Swansboro. The island consists of 115 acres of upland area and 96 acres of lowland marsh.  It is home to a maritime swamp-forest and is listed as a “Globally Rare and Significant Area.”  It is ric in North Carolina’s  coastal history being a American Indian fishing and hunting ground to being home to a Confederate six-cannon battery from 1861-62.

Jones Island has 23 acres, located along the mouth of the White Oak River and is visible from the Swansboro Highway 24 bridge.  It is a unique coastal fringe evergreen forest island containing a small wetland area. The eastern painted bunting, a considerable rare breeding bird for North Carolina is known to nest there.

We took a few minutes to visit the Visitors Center and browse the exhibits and informationthey had on the islands about the local birds and sea shells that are found in the area.

Checking out the displays

The Visitors Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is at the kayak launch looking toward one of the islands.

 

Most of your state parks have hiking trails, well this one has kayaking trails instead.  They have marked trails though the marshy wetlands.  Two lead to Bear Island,  one takes you to the east side of the island and the second branches off the first and follows the island along the sound front to the ferry basin.  The third takes you around Huggins Island.

If you like backpack camping along with canoeing or kayaking, this would be a good state park for you.  The wind was blowing hard the day we were there and it was cold.  This definitely would be a warm, calm day adventure place.

So if you are ever in North Carolina around the Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune, or Swansboro areas be sure to check this state park out.

Oh, the campground we went to look at was a bust, we’ll be in the Myrtle Beach SC area for Easter.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back!