This past July, we spent some time (read: impromptu vacation) with my brother and his family in the Charleston area of South Carolina.  Beautiful.  Hot.  Classic.  Humid.  Hot.  Very hot. But where there are cousins, there is lots of fun to be had!

On our way back from a family funeral in Virginia, my husband dropped us off at my brother’s house and we were off on a week of fun.  One of places we visited was Cypress Gardens.   This is a beautiful park-like area of swamp and gardens that was “just right” for 2 moms and five small kids to trek and paddle through.  (Uncle M did show up for a bit later on.)

 And guess what?!  I got to do something I’ve always wanted to do –  paddle through a swamp.  No, we did not see any alligators – it was way too hot.  But wow, was it eerily beautiful.  I certainly was praying they stayed buried deep in the mud.  A small boat, 2 kids, and just me against a large alligator seemed hardly fair.

There were walking trails around the swamp.  Flower gardens.  A Butterfly Garden.  A museum that detailed the history of the property and the local area.  A picnic area and playground.  Lots of turtles.  We finished up with some well-deserved and needed popsicles and a run through the misters on the lawn!  Whew!  I do highly recommend taking the time to see it.

In the spring.  In much cooler weather.  :)