Here’s Our Best & Worst Things From South Carolina

Shae and I recently finished spending five weeks in South Carolina, the first state on our 5 year, 50 state road trip.

Here’s a list of all our favorite (and not so favorite) things from our time in the Palmetto State.

Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At

Stephen – It’d have to be the Hampton Inn Columbia I-26/Harbison Blvd. Nice rooms, great amenities, friendly staff and right next to Harbison Lake meant we had a great stay.

Shae – Oooh tough call… I loved the staff at the Hyatt Place Columbia/Harbison. But for me, Airbnb has to be my favorite accommodation. I LOVED our stay with Joe and Cameron in Myrtle Beach.

Favorite Meal

Stephen – My whole hog BBQ at Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston. Honorable mentions go to Big Billy’s Burger Joint in North Charleston and Lizard’s Thicket in Columbia as they were both delicious too.

Shae – Oh man, I just don’t know if I can do this 49 more times! Um… I really loved Big Billy’s Burger Joint because everything I tasted was incredible (and how can you go wrong with adult milkshakes!?). Service was good. For me an honorable mention goes out to Rodney Scott’s BBQ because the food was good but the company was great!

Most Disappointing Meal

Stephen – In terms of food, Jestine’s in downtown Charleston. In terms of service, Pawley’s in Columbia.

Shae – Probably Jestine’s for me too. Because so many people had suggested it I think I had really high expectations.

Favorite Free Activity

Stephen – It’s a tie. I really enjoyed Falls Park On The Reedy in Greenville, but it was also a huge amount of fun watching Truffles play on the deserted beach on Hilton Head Island.

Shae – Awww… Truffles on the beach was amazingly cute. I think I have to go with the hunt for the Mice on Main in Greenville. I love a good scavenger hunt and downtown Greenville is really nice. Oh, but our hike at Table Rock State Park right on the last day was super fantastic too, as was the company that day!

Favorite Paid Activity

Stephen – Definitely Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. It’s an excellent zoo and getting to feed giraffes for an extra $2 was awesome.

Shae – Ugh… too. many. good. options. I too LOVED the Riverbanks Zoo. But I think I’ll go with the Historic Homes tours we did in Columbia. They really have stuck with me. I think about them, and our guides John and Cyndy, almost every day.

Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity

Stephen – On Truffles’s behalf, I’d probably say that her favorite activity would’ve been the hike at Table Rock State Park. For me personally though, it was going for a drink at the pet-friendly RJ Rockers Brewing Company.

Shae – The hikes were so great. And RJ Rockers was a really fun night. I also loved the 2nd Sunday on King Street in Charleston where Truffles was fawned over. It was a beautiful day in downtown Charleston and we were introduced to Byrd’s Cookies.

Least Favorite Activity

Stephen – Being outside during our first week or two of being in South Carolina as it was below freezing temperatures.

Shae – The Mirror Maze in Myrtle Beach. Kind of small and lame. We were in there with some folks who had undertaken some pharmacological help to make their maze experience better, so it was kind of loud and smelly. It was short. And hubs cheated without telling me.

Favorite Hike

Stephen – We met up with friends to go hiking at Table Rock State Park on our final day in South Carolina. With small waterfalls and cascading streams, it was a beautiful setting for a hike.

Shae – Yeah I think Table Rock was the only hike we actually did in South Carolina – we’ve remedied that in Georgia. But despite being the only one, it was my favorite. It was beautiful and it was nice having fun friends long in Bryn and Zak.

Favorite Quirky Thing We Did

Stephen – We did a bunch of random things in South Carolina, but the kazoo factory was surprisingly fun.

Shae – I second Kazoobie Kazoo’s wholeheartedly with an honorable mention for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium because it was just really weird.

Favorite Memory

Stephen – Having a snooze in the sun on the boardwalk at Congaree National Park.

Shae – My favorite memories are hanging with the new and old friends we made. Lunch with Sandra and Monroe in Columbia, Kristie and Daryl in Charleston with dinner, drinks and ghosties, coffee with Amanda in Summerville, Hallie and Nathan at his studio in Greenville, and Bryn and Zak at Table Rock State Park on our final day – those are my favorite memories.

Funniest Moment

Stephen – Me being asked for ID when ordering a beer at Socastee Station whereas Shae wasn’t.

Shae – When Truffles and Cameron shared secret puppy message about bedtime. Truffles ran in under the bed and Cameron stood facing the wall since she couldn’t get in the closet… it’s not doing it justice, here is my original post about it from Facebook:

I get up with my phone and start to put my computer away. I don’t say anything. Truffles looks up at me and then at Cameron.

I teased Stephen and said “she’s sending secret puppy language signals that they have to get into the bedroom quick before I come and shut them out.”

At the moment I finish saying that and step towards hubs for a goodnight kiss, Truffie takes off down the hall with Cameron close behind. Truffles is then under the bed and Cameron is facing away from me near the closet like I won’t notice her since she can’t hide under the bed too.

These two and their shenanigans!!

Truffles is now laying next to Stephen on the couch resigned to her fate but Cameron is laying outside my bedroom door, occasionally whining softly…

I also just loved that the dog that wasn’t mine was sad that I’d gone to bed and wanted to snuggle me!

Thing We Most Regretted

Stephen – Doing the Wall of Flame challenge at Pepper Palace. It was fun and we’ve been tempted to do the challenge at other Pepper Palace locations we’ve seen since. However, the after effects of the challenge put us off. I’ll leave it at that.

Shae – Not dog-napping Cameron. Just kidding! Um… not hiking more. We saw a lot of cities in South Carolina and I think if I did it again, despite being a city girl, I’d definitely see more of the outside… when it’s warmer.

Something We Missed And Want To See

Stephen – Two things. I’d like to go back to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens when it’s in full bloom as there wasn’t much to see when we visited.

I also want to return to Table Rock State Park and hike to the top of Table Rock. It’s apparently a very strenuous hike, so we’d probably need to be in better shape before returning.

Shae – I’d like to visit Firefly Distillery that makes flavored alcohol and Boone Plantation where they host Wine Under the Oaks in December.

Our Biggest Surprise

Stephen – How many great dog parks there are. South Carolina seems to have an abundance of them, most of which included a separate area for small dogs.

Shae – That they make mini amps for electric kazoos. That was a surprising and fun fact I would never have known without a trip to South Carolina.

My South Carolina Drinking Game Would Be…

Stephen – Take a drink when you see something with Palmetto in its name. Beware though – you’d be wasted as everything in South Carolina seems to be called Palmetto something.

Shae – For me it’d be to take a drink when you see a Confederate Flag. Enough drinks to be fun, but not as many as you might expect! Although you might want some stipulations – is it just real flags or flags on people, buildings and vehicles, because that might significantly alter your count.

Summary Of South Carolina In 10 Words Or Less

Stephen – Great to visit but wouldn’t want to settle there. Sorry!

Shae – Low Country, Up State, Palmetto Trees, Great Escape… and Cameron.