Check Out Our Charming Adventures in Charleston!

April 23, 2018

When you take a trip with your sister for Spring Break it is a Chick Trip and Family Trip all mixed into one! This year, we set our sights on some southern charm and headed to Charleston, South Carolina. We loaded up our mini’s (all four of them) and pulled off a fun and memorable trip complete with loads of laughs!

What to do:

Carriage ride:

A great way to get your bearings for this quaint city is to take a carriage tour. We hopped over to Palmetto Carriage Works for a ride through Charleston‘s historical district. We absolutely loved our guide, Jim. He was knowledgeable, relevant, and funny! We would highly recommend starting your trip to Charleston with this tour to understand fun spots to visit. As women and as bloggers, we found the story about the Grimke sisters who were early advocates for abolition and women’s rights to be pertinent and interesting. It was a refreshing reminder of women in history and a great teachable moment for our young children! The streets of Charleston are lined with historical homes that make the city truly a place to visit! We got lucky with a morning ride so it wasn’t too hot or too cold.

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Fort Sumter – Patriots Point

When we arrived at our hotel, our rooms weren’t ready. In an attempt to kill some time we drove over to Patriots Point and BOY are we glad we did (literally a 12 minute drive from the historic downtown area)! We walked over to the USS Yorktown and toured the ship. Tickets were $22 for adults and $14 for kids. Definitely worth it! The boat was easy to navigate with tours that are clearly marked (audio tours are also available)! We were traveling with 4 young kids who all found the ship’s many rooms fascinating. Aboard the ship you see where crew ate, slept and lived life while on board. The top of the ship was lined with fighter jets from both the navy and marines!

This is an awesome stop for both kids and adults! We went on a simulator that showed what it would be like as a pilot of a fighter jet, this helped jump start the kids imagination when we made our way to see the jets in real life (tickets were $6 per person). I would allow about 3-4 hours to check out the ship. Next door is Fort Sumter, of you plan to do both you would be looking at a full day outing depending on the ages in your group.

Sullivan Island : Lighthouse and Beach

We had planned to stop at Sullivan Island during our planning for the trip. I should warn that we went in the month of April for Spring break and the weather didn’t quite hold up for the beach. We made a stop over at the lighthouse which we could only see as we walked past it. Not the most picturesque lighthouse, but something to see nonetheless. Just past the lighthouse was a boardwalk to the beach. The kids loved collecting shells while we basked in the spring sun. It wasn’t quite warm enough to get in the water, so keep that in mind when planning a visit in the Spring months. A quick mention, if you have young kids and your hopes of spending a day at the beach get ruined, there is a park with playgrounds just up the road that was a savior for us!

What to eat:

Basil

Situated right off King Street in Charleston Basil is a Thai restaurant that has absolutely delicious food! With a blend of vegetarians and non-vegetarians in our group this was a sure bet for dinner. Most dishes can be substituted for tofu. In general we are regulars to Thai food, but I must say the food here stood out! Their Pad Ke Mow is a must try! My kids love Panang curry…unfortunately Basil didn’t offer this but had Massuman curry which was a perfect substitution! If you like Thai, you’ll love Basil.

Basic Kitchen

While shopping with the kids, we were looking for a lunch spot. Upon a recommendation we ended up at Basic Kitchen. This place was gorgeous! It had a light and airy feel and was clean and well staffed. They offered a good selection for the kids menu which made the kids…and us happy! We tried the bbq tempeh, cauliflower wings and avocado toast…all three were so good! This is a must stop for good clean and vegetarian eats!

Mex 1

What a fun Mexican restaurant! You can’t miss it off the main road once you get onto Sullivan Island. This place offered both indoor and outdoor seating, we sat indoor since it was a tad on the chilly side the day we went. They offer an extensive menu of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. It wasn’t like most Mexican restaurants with the standard quesadillas and burritos. They had an array of salads and bowl options as well! Come on, as people who love spicy food, they even had a hot sauce bar…my favorite was the blue agave sriracha..made in Austin, of course! Over lunch we noshed on guacamole and chips, and even sipped on some Paloma’s….we even spotted a celebrity from the show Southern Charm…Austen! I would definitely recommend this place. Of course, you know the chicks at ChicksAndSalsa can’t pass up a food spot for some “chips” and salsa!

Where to stay (or not):

Hyatt Place

We waited until the last minute to book our trip so we had very few options for hotels. We ended up at the Hyatt Place which we didn’t love. When we pulled up they were not very helpful. There was no one to help with our bags or even greet us. We helped ourselves to unloading our luggage onto the cart and then again upstairs…. this made for a terrible first impression! The room easily fit 6 of us, we had two double beds and a pull out sofa bed. The pool was indoor and decently kept, the kids liked that the water was heated so they enjoyed their time! Our room stay included breakfast…we thought this would be a good perk, but the food was just OK and the dining area was very crowded.

We were grateful to have something to start to the day, but truthfully we preferred to have breakfast out of the hotel. Overall, we are grateful to have had a place to stay, but would not recommend the Hyatt place, especially if you are big on service!

All in all, the city is so unique and distinct from the Chicago and Atlanta landscape that we are used to! We loved driving on the beautiful bridges, being by the water, shopping on King Street, and of course eating in Charleston!

Another one for the books, check out our other travel posts here!

Cheers,

Rina And Sonia

Put in Bay, OH – A Hidden Gem In The Midwest

January 29, 2018

Where? That is what I said when I my Dad told me that he had a wonderful, family friendly spot for us to visit this summer. Growing up on Lake Michigan, a destination on Lake Eerie truly felt foreign to me. We had spent many holidays in Ohio but never visited this surprising gem. To get to Put In Bay, you have to get to Toledo, Ohio and then ferry over by boat to this island in the Midwest (the Ferry is $8/adult and $17/car). Not only is Put In Bay beautiful, but it is also has historical significance.

Its location in between Canada and the United states provided the British army a strategic advantage during the War of 1812 (remember learning about that?!?) In any case because of its historical significance, Put In Bay is a US National Park with a sunning International Peace Monument to commemorate the battle victory. Although the island itself is only 3.7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide we were able to have a memorable visit there because of a few things that they island has done right in attracting tourism.

Casual Atmosphere

As soon as you get off the ferry, you are offered golf carts and bikes to get around the island. These are truly the most practical ( and the most fun) way to get around. A car is truly just unnecessary, parking on the island is limited and it takes longer to get to and in your car than it would just to walk most times.

The few hotels on the island are huddled together near the downtown part of the island where all the restaurants and shopping is located. The island generally is well manicured but the downtown is immaculately clean and welcoming, especially to families. There are incredible parks, a carousel, indoor and outdoor dining, water sports, and boutique ice cream and retail parlors everywhere. Its truly just picture perfect.

Engaging Park Services

Due to the historical side of Put In Bay Island and the large international Peace Memorial Park, it is impossible not to participate in the learning that is so ingrown to the community there. The park service has a very nice free museum with a theater to make sure that everyone who visit understands that Put In Bay is more than meets the eye.

Island Life

I know, it sounds funny but truly being on a island, no matter where always kind of seems exotic. There is water EVERYWHERE and it is part of every landscape. Our favorite spot that we visited EACH day we were there was the South Bass Island Lighthouse, this tiny lighthouse is located on the edge of the island with the most stunning views and breeze. The kids and I danced in the wind for hours wishing we had a kite with us.

With the bikes we were able to explore every nook and cranny of this island and I rode with my Dad at sunrise and at sunset. It was such an amazing bonding experience. ( Be aware that in the month of June, the island experiences an infestation of May Flies, large dragonfly looking insects that are harmless but literally swarm the island for two weeks.)

All in all, Put In Bay ended up being a great little getaway in the Midwest. We stayed at the Put In Bay Resort and Conference Center. I would say it was an average hotel that has a pool, continental breakfast and spotty wifi. Although it was just fine for our visit, with the tiki bar by the pool and ashtrays everywhere, the resort had a little bit of a ‘Spring Break’ vibe that I would probably veer away from next time.

If you are looking for a quick little Midwest getaway, check out Put In Bay, you won’t regret it. To see other family friendly adventures, click here.