shop-worthy bluffton, sc!
Traveling throughout the South, it’s all too simple to lose your mooring amid the commercial thicket of the same old fast-food chains and big-box stores. But push on a few miles beyond the interstate exit, and you may discover a town that’s anchored by a distinctive “Main Street” — one with unique architecture, eclectic small businesses, and community-oriented features like a park, theater, marina or the like.
Often it thrives thanks to locals who have made diligent efforts to fight any general decline of their “Main Street” and hold on to what is distinctive and often times, irreplaceable. For the visitor reaping the rewards, this can lead to both the unexpected and the tempting. Nowhere is this more true than right here in Bluffton, SC.
Butterflies, Butterflies Everywhere!
If you have been on Hilton Head Island this September, you couldn’t have missed the seemingly millions of beautiful butterflies out and about. From the parks to the beach to driving down William Hilton Parkway, the Island has turned into a butterfly mecca.
Turtle time
Realizing my childhood dream.
If you were anything like me as a child, you, at one point, had a dream of being a marine biologist. What did that mean to me as a kid? Simply put, swimming all day long with dolphins and shouting from the bed enthusiastically “I get to go to work today” every morning when I would wake up. Unfortunately for me, the dream was shattered instantaneously when I realized that, in large part, science was the one subject you had to excel in to become a marine biologist.
Hilton Head Island Showcases Great Food Along with Fireworks This July 4th!
Fourth of July weekend, a time to grab a lawn chair, stock the cooler and sport American flag swag. Better yet, head to the coast and Hilton Head Island for Atlantic ocean breezes, amazing firework displays and of course, a medley of superlative food and feasting choices.
Family Day Strawberry Picking
Last week I took my 15 month old son, Gray, to the strawberry picking fields at Dempsey Farms on St. Helena Island, close to Beaufort, SC. About an hour’s drive from Hilton Head Island, across the marshes of the Lowcountry, St. Helena is rich in history and culture (home of the Penn Center), along with being an active farm community. I love St. Helena, the smell of the salt-air and the “getting away from it all” allow for a sense of calm.
Dempsey Farms is located on St. Helena on the right side of the road toward Hunting and Fripp Island. The land is a true “working” farm and has been in the Dempsey family for generations. The day Gray and I went, Maryann Dempsey was running the stand and gave us the low-down on the land. Two generations ago, they opened the fields to the public to “pick” and now they grow everything from cucumbers to eggplant to tomatoes (see list below) and depending on the harvest, they allow for “pickers” like myself!
When I heard about the farm, I knew I had to take Gray – what a wonderful treat, right in our backyard! Salty Island air, expansive fields and fresh off-the-vine strawberries. Look how big it is, great to let the little ones run!
Four corners gallery shows the unexpected.
Charlene Gardner started Four Corners in 2005 as a framing shop for artists and art lovers. By 2007 it was a gallery. Charlene’s curious mind and restless enthusiasm made it obvious to her that framing put her in touch with artists who weren’t showing at other galleries.
