Congaree National Park

We went on a little day trip adventure to Congaree National Park over the weekend. It was very hot and muggy, but the shade of the very tall canopy made it tolerable. Congaree is protected because it holds the largest forest of  old growth bottomland hardwood trees in the country. We decided to do the 2.4 mile boardwalk trail. This national park is filled with poisonous bugs and snakes, not to mention the alligators, so staying on a somewhat elevated trail seemed wise.

Water Moccasins sunning on logs.

This park is actually not a swamp, but an old growth forest floodplain that floods about ten times a year. Most of it was dry while we were there.  We saw snakes, frogs,  a few birds and hundreds of spiders and bugs. We didn't see any of the larger mammals or reptiles since we were probably to loud for them to stick around.

Overall, it was a nice hike in a completely different environment than we usually visit. I will say that Grandma wasn't the hugest fan of the park and was pretty sure she was going to die from the heat or snakes ~ LOL. Dear husband stayed with her and they hiked at a slower pace and even found a short cut back to the car. 

We went into the city of Columbia, SC for lunch. We found a cool noodle shop and had a delightful lunch. We then visited the South Carolina State Museum which was pretty good. It is laid out in a way that didn't have the greatest flow and we felt like we missed some things, but it was large and had a little bit of something for everyone. They call themselves four museums in one. They have a natural science floor, cultural history floor, technology floor and a small art museum. I liked the face jugs and one room school house the best. Somehow, I missed getting pictures of either of those things. 

Of course, the skeleton and dinosaur room was a huge hit. Elijah spent a bit of time reading up in the science section. 

 We really did have a lovely day and enjoyed exploring a new place. More adventures await right around the corner. 

Blessings, Dawn