Cypress Gardens – Moncks Corner, SC

I was excited to find that these enchanting gardens were the site where the rowboat scene was filmed in the Notebook! Admission is inexpensive, and you can choose to add on a guided boat tour through the swamp, or paddle your own boat. We chose to paddle our own little rowboat, and really enjoyed the chance to navigate through the flora a fauna unique to the swamp. The Gardens also also has a butterfly house and reptile exhibit that we enjoyed walking through. We wondered through the outdoor gardens and down the swamp paths until the gardens closed for the evening, and enjoyed every minute of it! TIP – If you’re there around Halloween they ofer a spooky boat tour that looks like so much fun!!

The Beaches – Charleston, SC

While SC has a lot of great beaches to offer, we spent most of our time there enjoying the ones nearest to us in Charleston. We enjoyed the fact that several of Charleston’s beaches had set dog friendly hours, and would try to go during those times as Ares loves to play in the water and chase his ball across the sand. There are three main beaches that the locals recommended to us;

1. Isle of Palms – A quieter spot the Folly Beach, we enjoyed this beach as a great spot to watch the sunset, they also are very dog friendly, and Ares loved playing in the ocean during the set dog accessible hours.

2. Folly Beach – One of the most popular Charleston beaches, and near the heart Downtown, this beach stayed busy the whole three months we were there.

3.Sullivan’s Island – I enjoyed the long marsh boardwalks that you had to meander down to get to this beach. I think it was a little less busy due to the walk it took to access it, and we enjoyed this!

Pretty Place – Cleveland, SC

Right on the NC and SC border this spot is one of the most stunning sunrise locations we’ve ever seen!! Part of a YMCA camp this chapel is open to visitors free of charge during the hours listed on their website. Be aware, it has gained a lot of popularity through social media and even at sunrise on a weekday it was crowded with probably a hundred folks. Even as busy as it was, the chapel was large enough that we could find a open spot, and we appreciated that everyone was respectful of the awe inspiring setting, and took turns heading to the cross at the front of the chapel for photos. TIP – If you can make the drive here in the fall, the colors of the changing leaves, and the windy mountain roads add an even more magical touch to this already beautiful spot.