This Halloween weekend we had a fantastic Pumpkin Patch experience at the

Hmmm...roasted marshmallows on a stick!

The 22 acres family farm is USDA licensed and very well maintained.

We paid $7 per child and $3 per adult for a tour of all farm animals and petting zoo, a comfortable hayride around the property, small pumpkins and a delicious marshmallow roast.

What kids love to do at the farm

Be a cowboy or a cowgirl. Who can resist riding on a country wagon? Not even Batman!

Giddy Up Country Wagon!

Take care of the animals. The cute little donkey was an instant hit. Other heart-breakers: Jennie, the fluffy bunny, the pony, the horse, the goats, the turkeys, the sheep and the guinea fowls.

Hello Donkey! Where is Shrek?

Mine was mesmerized by all the pumpkins. Each child got a small one to take home.

How about this mom?

The highlight of the day was the hayride on a scenic country road through the forest, around the farm and with a final stop by a beautiful pond, where we were “greeted” by King Goose.

We roasted marshmallows, made yummy s’mores and relaxed at the picnic tables.

Swan Lake wannabe

Holiday hayrides Christmas lights, campfire and roasted marshmallows!
December 1st through January 3rd

Start a new holiday tradition at Country Adventures. Enjoy a hayride with friends and family, visit the farm animals and delight yourself with plush puffs marshmallows, cider, hot cocoa and hot-dogs by the campfire.

Hayride fun at Country Adventure

Where
Country Adventures Carriage Services, Inc.
15 Country Girl Road, Blythewood, SC 29016
Phone: 803-754-4724.
Email info@countryadventures.us

Driving Directions:
From I-20 take exit 70. Take Hwy 321 north towards Winnsboro for about 6 miles, then turn right on Lorick Road. Turn right on High Valley Trail (gravel road). Country Girl Road will be on the right.

From I-77 take exit 22 Killian Road (towards Wal-Mart). When Killian Road ends, turn right onto Hwy 21, then turn right on Lorick Road. Turn right on High Valley Trail (gravel road). Country Girl Road will be on the right.

Love pottery crafts? Looking for exquisite Christmas gifts? Then drive to Seagrove, NC the pottery capital of the world!

Join the 28th Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival on November 21 and 22 at Seagrove Elementary School.

Native Americans, the First Potters(data from NC Pottery Center exhibits)

Native Americans in the Carolina have been making utilitarian and ceremonial vessels for more than 4,500 years. The first pots were carved from soapstone. About 3,000 years ago indigenous tribes across the Southeast started to transform the clay into fired pottery.

• Women were the primary potters, digging the clay, mixing it with sand, crushed rocks or mussel shells to give the vessel strength and firing it in simple pits.

Pinching, coiling and hand-working techniques were passed from generation to generation.

• The fire pit model on display at the NC Pottery Center contains vessels with surfaces textured by beating with carved paddles, impressing textiles or burnishing with a polishing stone. Vessels were warmed around the edges then gently rolled into the coals to continue hardening.

• Native Americans did not use a wheel to make pottery. Instead they created wares by a process called coiling. Pots were built from a pinched base by stacking coils one on the other, or the reverse upside-down from a large coil on the rim to the pointed bottom. The smoke created black patterns as seen on the ones in the exhibit.

The European Influence

• At the time of European settlement, the most prominent tribes were the Tuscarora in the coastal plains, the Siouan in Eastern Piedmont, the Catawba in Western Piedmont and the Cherokees in the mountains. The Cherokees and the Catawba tribes are still active potters today.

• The earliest European wheel-turned and chambered fired pottery was found at the Santa Elena archaeological site on Parris Island, a Spanish fort established in the 16th century.

• During the 1700s potters of English and German descend emigrated to North Carolina where they set up shops which produced lead-glazed earthenware.

• In 1800s they transitioned to higher fired stoneware and alkaline and salt glazes.

A taste of local flavor…

The 19th century shop on display at the Pottery Center (including the tools and glaze mill), are an exact replica of the one used by Harvey Rienhardt and Burlon Craig in Henry, NC.

• Potters referred to themselves as “turners”

• Wheels are “lathes” (pronounced “lays”)

• Kilns (pronounced “kills”) are “burned”, not fired.

The NC Pottery Center, located downtown Seagrove, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10AM to 4PM. Admission is $2 adults, free for kids 12 and under and for NCPC members. Every Saturday come enjoy Free pottery making demos with a local artist.

Just half an hour away is the NC Zoo, one of the best zoological parks in the country.

“Bebop on down to Chee-raw, South Carolina” October 16 -18 weekend at the lively annual SC Jazz Festival.

Dizzie Gillespie bepop inventor and trumpet genius

Single concert tickets are $15 ($25 for both nights) and include Main Stage events.

For more info call (843) 537.8420 ext. 12 or visit www.scjazzfestival.com

Events Schedule Highlights

Friday, October 16
• “Bepop Parade”, Friday, 4 to 6PM
Join the fun anytime and bebop from Dizzy Park down Kershaw Street to Centennial Park. Bikes, trikes, golf carts and dancing shoes are welcome.

• “Jazz at the Theatre on the Green”, 7:30 to 9:30PM featuring the Noel Friedline Quintet-Charlotte.

Saturday, October 17

Live painting demonstration

Featured work by glass artisans, jewelers, painters, photographers, fabric artists, clay artists and more.

Second Street Main Stage Concert

• Featured Concert “A Carolinas’ Tribute To Jazz Legend Dizzy Gillespie”

• The Dave Finucane Quartet, 5 to 6:15PM

• The Robert Gardiner Quintet, 6:45 to 8:15PM

Sunday, October 18
Outdoor Jazz Mass, 3PM at First United Methodist Church
Clergy, choirs and accompanists will lead worship on the church grounds amid soulful jazz tunes.

Just for kids activities on Saturday

Funny Face Painting downtown Cheraw

Art on the Green, 12 to 4PM

• “Get Dizzy” marble art
• “Salt Peanuts” musical walk
• “Bean Bag and Bebop”
• Face painting
• “Madonnari” chalk competition
• Get funny with caricature artist Bill Rabon

Juggleboy, 3 to 5PM, downtown Cheraw

Be amazed by “Juggleboy”, the number one juggler in the United States.

The show must go on downtown Cheraw!

The Greenville Zoo is not big by any means. It doesn’t boast 21st century facilities like other zoos (see North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro).

Cute baby orangutan showing off her skills

It helps that we get in for free with our Riverbanks Zoo membership. General admission is quite cheap $6 adults, $3 children 3-15 and free for kids 3 and under.

This time around Baby Bob stole my heart. Since my visit to the Como Zoo, proud home to another rambunctious youngster orangutan, I got a thing for these great auburn apes. The Orangutan Island show may have something to do with it too…

The Greenville Zoo participates in the Orangutan Species Survival Program aimed at increasing and diversifying the population of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans.

Did you know orangutans only have 2-3 offspring in their 40 – 60 years lifetime?

Things to know before you go

• The zoo is quite small, about one hour should be enough to go through it all. Be prepared for a hearty walk up and down winding pathways.

Giraffe Greetings from Greenville Zoo

• Most interesting exhibits: orangutans, giraffes, Siamang monkeys, Aldabra tortoises and reptile house to some extent. Lions, elephants, alligator are a little overrated…not much action going on.

• You can purchase drinks, hot dogs, chips, popcorn and candy at the food stand pass the Reptile House. Beware is cash only and there’s no ATM inside the zoo.

• There’s a nice play station area where you can relax in shaded Adirondack chairs gazing at the giraffes while easily keeping an eye on the kids.

• As expected toddlers love the petting zoo farm the most, especially the goats. Make sure to get food from the zoo entrance.

• You may want to start your trip at the huge playgrounds outside the zoo. They’re recently upgraded with top-notch playing equipment.
On a downside there isn’t much shade besides the shelters (always occupied) and the smell emanating from the rubber carpet can be nauseating after a while.

Meet Bubba the Aldabra tortoise.

60 years old 400 lbs Bubba enjoying a snack at Greenville Zoo

The Aldabra is bigger than the more famous Galapagos turtles and can reach over 4 feet in length and up to 700 pounds in weight!

Did you know that Aldabra can hunt too?

She collapses on birds feeding on dead fish under her.

Don’t worry Bubba is happy to just munch on grass along with his girlfriends the Bubbletes!

The elusive Axolotl…

A beautiful ghost, the Axolotl salamander

This translucent salamander lives only in the water and feeds on insects, fish and crustaceans.

Did you know at if one of its limbs is removed, the Axolotl salamander can grow it back?

How’s that for health insurance!

The Children’s Museum is finally open! Downtown Greenville is now sizzling with another fun family friendly attraction.

Lights, Camera, Action!

The museum is open Monday – Saturday 9AM to 5PM and Sunday 1 – 5PM. Admission is $12 (free for kids 1 and under).

TIP! Get in for just $2 on following Tuesdays evenings (from 5 to 7PM): September 17th, October 15th, November 19th and December 17th.

Tickets will be sold in advance on a first-come, first-served basis beginning the Monday prior to each “Two for $2 event”.

Fun things to do

Kids can be pop stars in a live recording studio, land a space shuttle airplane, race a Formula One car, climb a mind-boggling 2 stories high structure, shop in a real supermarket, play doctor, scientist, architect, environmentalist and much, much more…

Here’s an exciting sneak peak of the exhibits:

Featured on the National Register of Historic Places, the Leamington Lighthouse, is a legendary historic site on Hilton Head Island.

1881 Lighthouse belived to be haunted by light keeper's daughter ghost

It is the only historic lighthouse on Hilton Head Island and one of few surviving lighthouses in South Carolina

Historic Highlights (courtesy of Friends of the Lighthouse)

• In 1863 Union troops built the island first light, but only 6 years later the original tower was destroyed by a storm.

• In 1881 a pair of range lights was erected to guide vessels into Port Royal Sound. The front light stood 35 feet high right above the keeper’s house while the rear light was served by the 95 feet high skeleton-like tower. The cypress wood lantern and watch room were reached by climbing 112 steps.

• In 1884, a mobile front range light was constructed to track the shifting channel.

Lighthouse cistern ruin

• In the 1960s, the keeper’s dwellings were moved to Harbour Town at Sea Pines Plantation Resort.

Currently, one dwelling serves as a Bakery and Cafe, while the other is home to the Sea Pines Real Estate Company.

• In the mid 1980s the lighthouse was incorporated into the new Arthur Hills Golf Course at Palmetto Dunes Resort.

• Today the only remains are the old brick oil house and the cistern.

The Lady in Blue Ghost Story… (from “Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts”, by Terrance Zepke, 1999)

In 1898 a powerful hurricane washed over the island. Keeper Adam Fripp rushed to protect the lights.

Drenched in heavy rain, Fripp made his way to the tower and up the spiral staircase. A powerful gust of wind shattered one of the glass panes in the lantern room.

The strain of the ascent coupled with the shock of the exploding glass was more than Fripp’s heart could handle.

What was once Camp McDougal WWII, a Marines training site

His daughter Caroline noticed her father’s prolonged absence and went in search of him.

She discovered him inside the tower who, with a last breath, implored her to “keep the light burning no matter how dangerous the storm.”

Several days passed before anyone made it to the island. Caroline had managed to tend the light throughout the storm, but her sorrow and exhaustion proved too much, as she died shortly thereafter.

People say that on dark rainy nights a girl in a blue dress may be seen on the beach or near the skeleton tower signaling with her arms to “Go back… Go back”.

Avid for more ghost stories and romantic sites? Drive to Sea Pines Plantation to wander around the haunted Stoney-Baynard Ruins and 4,000 years old mystery-filled Indian Shell Ring.

Be wild, be free at the North Carolina Zoo, home to most amazing creatures you will ever see!

Gorgeous Elephant Habitat at NC Zoo

The Zoo is open daily from 9AM to 5PM (4PM November through March) and admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors and $6 children 2-12.

TIP! Save $3 with a combo ticket and get 2 tickets to either 4D Theater or the Carousel. Riverbanks Zoo members get in for half price.

Admire over 1,100 animals and 40,000 plants native to Africa and North America spread along 5 miles of shaded pathways.

Just for kids fun things to do

• Buckle up for an exhilarating safari in Kenya! In the Wild Earth Africa 4-D ride you can literally feel the elephants stomping, get showered by rhinos and tagged with a veterinary dart (Junction Plaza, $3 admission, open 10AM – 3PM daily March 1 – November 30).

• While at Junction Plaza, climb aboard the popular Carousel ($2 per ride)

• Be Spider-Man at the Garden Friends Playground, best place for young children to run wild.

• Build a fort, dig in the garden and draw with chalk at KidZone. Enjoy live animal presentations Thursday – Sunday at 1:30PM (near Garden Friends Playground. Open April 6 – November 1 from 9AM to 4:30PM).

• Feed Giraffes at the new Acacia Station (daily from 10AM to 2PM)

• See how honey is made watching a live bee hive at the Honey Bee Garden

On our second Hilton Head vacation I finally got a chance to explore the amazing Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

On the Buggy Gut swamp trail

Admission is free, however visitors need $5 all day guest pass to get inside the Sea Pines Plantation.

In less than 2 hours we came close to alligators, anhingas and blue herons, and stepped back in time along the old Lawton rice fields and the prehistoric Indian shell ring.

That’s about all the outdoor trekking my 5 year old could take…so I drove to the Harbor Town playground, her favorite spot at Sea Pines.

Fun things to do and see

• Walk or bike on the historic trails through lush maritime forests and around pristine lakes. The most popular one is the 1 mile Boggy Gut board walk that takes you along an 1840 rice fields operation. Here is a detailed map along with the preserve overview.

• Admire the abundant wildlife, plants and trees. Common reptiles: alligators, snakes (copperhead, cottonmouth, black racer, Eastern King and yellow rat) and yellow-bellied turtles. The forest is a bird paradise, home or winter rest to over 200 species. Popular plants are the cat tail, saw grass, swamp willow, duck weed and marsh perry-wart.

Cute baby alligator resting on a log at Sea Pines

• Fish at one of the several freshwater lakes inside the preserve. Only children can fish at Lake Joe. You can drive or walk to Fish Island. There are picnic tables, a shelter and restrooms. Permits can be for free obtained at the CSA Security Office. More info by phone at (843) 671-7170.

Organized “catch and release” fishing is provided by Sea Pines Plantation guides on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 AM. Fish for large mouth bass, crappie, bream and catfish with tackle provided by Shakespeare. Reservations are required, call (843) 842-1979.

Family fun fishing at Lake Joe

• Walk around a replica of a 4,000 years old Native American ceremonial site made out of oyster shells. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Indian Shell Ring remains a mystery as no signs of permanent settlements have been found to date. Experts believe the area was used only for celebrations and hunting rituals.

In the middle of a 4,000 years old shell ring replica

Tips to know before you go
• Bring a bug spray! No see ums and mosquitoes really own the place. Apply sunscreen generously every 2 hours.
• Make sure to carry water with you, there are no water fountains around (at least none that I could see / use)
• Expect the unexpected…you never know what wildlife you may encounter. Some attractions look better on paper (like the shell ring)… while pleasant surprises pop up at every corner (we ran into a Christmas Present poem, a funny buck head like tree stomp and a baby gator)

Hi there Anhinga bird!

Spend an hour with the earth and her nature
And I promise that you will surely see
The truest meaning of the season
The one best present you could receive – The Christmas Gift

Make sure to also visit the rewarding Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn plantation for nature and turtle walks, exclusive history tours and beautiful butterflies! (admission is free, donations welcome)

Hurray for the new butterfly exhibit at the Coastal Discovery Museum on the Honey Horn plantation. Children of all ages will be delighted to walk around jolly butterflies and see them emerge from chrysalises.

The outdoor garden is a shutterbugs and green thumbs mecca. There are so many beautiful flowers, plants and trees butterfly love to visit.

Entrance to the Butterfly exhibit at Coastal Discovery Museum

Through September the museum offers guided tours on Mondays at 10AM and Wednesdays at 3PM for $10 adults and $5 children 4-12 years old.

Amazing escape artists butterflies resort to all sorts of tricks to survive. Some, like the Monarch, parade bright color wings to advertise their are toxic to eat. Others, like the Viceroy, take the shortcut and just mimic butterflies who are toxic.

Most butterflies learn to blend in the surroundings resembling leaves, sticks and even bird droppings! My favorite is the Buckeye that has owl-like patterns to scare off small birds.

Butterfly Insights

The Black Swallowtail is very common in South Carolina. The large yellow striped caterpillars

Black Beauty Swalowtail, most common butterfly in the Lowcountry

The Black Swallowtail is one of the earliest butterflies to hatch (mid-March), after spending the winter as chrysalises.

Host plants: Water Hemlock, Queen Anne’s Lace, cumin, parsley, carrot, cilantro and celery.

The Giant Swallowtail when disturbed it ejects stinking chemicals to repel small predators like ants and spiders.

Host plants: Toothache and Citrus family trees.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail winters on Hilton Head as a pupa. Males often patrol the treetops and swoop down to intercept females for mating. The caterpillars change their appearance with each molt: first looking like bird droppings, then turning green and showing two large eye spots, and finally, changing brown as they start to pupate.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the state butterfly for Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina and Virgina.

The Zebra Longwing males are attracted to both adult females and those still in their chrysalis, mating with them before they emerge.

Zebra Longwing warrior

Power in the numbers! The Zebra Longwing engage in communal night roosting when you can see up to 25 individuals hanging from a tree brunch.

Unlike other butterflies, the Longwing specie can also digest pollen from flowers. The amino-acids allow them to live much longer than the average 2-3 weeks butterfly life span.

Host plants: Maypop and Yellow Passionflower.

The Gulf Fritillary – Although the larvae are solitary feeders once in adult stage they can be seen congregating in large numbers, enough to completely defoliate a plant.

Stay Out! The larvae displays bright colors to advertise its toxicity to potential predators, thus it is mainly left alone.

Host plants: Maypop and Yellow Passionflower.

The Monarch is legendary due to its North American migration that takes five

The Mighty Monarch takes 5 generations to complete the annual North American migration

During the northward migration females deposit eggs for the next generation.

The 3rd and 4th generation will reach Canada by the late spring and in fall the last generation enters a non-reproductive stage lasting several months. They will migrate south and winter in California and Mexico.

Host plants: Milkweeds.

The Butterfly Life cycle (data from exhibits)

The adult butterfly lives around 2-3 weeks although there are few like the Monarch and Zebra Longwing that live for months. Butterflies spend their time eating, looking for mates, reproducing and in the case of females, laying eggs. At this point their life cycle is complete.

Butterfly eggs are about 2 mm in size and usually hatch out within a week, although for some species it happens the next spring.

Live metarmorphosis, see caterpillars and chrysalises develop before your eyes!

The caterpillar is the only stage the butterfly grows in size. Most caterpillars grow for 2 to 4 weeks, yet some species will winter as caterpillars. Some even develop false eye spots to fend off potential predators!

The chrysalis stage can last from couple weeks to months. During metamorphosis tissues liquefy and change into the structure of an adult butterfly.

Amazing Butterfly Trivia

• A caterpillar grows 27 times larger than its original form. In human terms a 9 pound baby will end up weighing about 243 tons!
• Out of each 100 eggs laid only 2 will survive to become adult butterflies.
• Some male butterflies can detect a female up to a mile away based on pheromones emitted by her body.
• A butterfly can fly with half a wing.
• There are about 700 butterfly species in North America and about 28 thousands worldwide.
• Butterflies can see in all directions up, down, left, right, front and back all at once! They can also see in ultraviolet range light that’s invisible to humans.
• Some butterflies can drink fluids from tree sap, rotting fruit, bird droppings and even animal carcasses!

Now that you fell in love with butterflies drive to Columbia and visit Edventure children museum. It has a bigger facility featuring up to 10 species and over 200 butterflies.

Check out this list with my favorite things to do with young kids in and around Hilton Head.

Take advantage of reduced admission ($7 through November 22) and come see rats play ball at Discovery Place downtown Charlotte.

Get ready for the game!

This is serious business: there is a pre-game warm up presentation of Nacho the Rat Queen, referees, cheerleaders and non stop action basketball. The rats know their stuff!

Here’s a preview…

While at Discovery embark on an deep-ocean treasure hunt adventure courtesy of the new blockbuster exhibit SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure (free with museum admission)!

Uncover the mysteries of the world’s most-famous shipwrecks, like the SS Republic®, the greatest Civil War lost treasure (hint: 51,000 gold and silver coins are involved…)

If time permits go to Freedom Park to enjoy an outdoor oasis and the fun Charlotte Nature Museum.