After 34 years in the South, I think it’s finally happening. This basic fall girlie might actually be (dare I say it out loud?!?) looking forward to summer. Last year, I resolved not to wish it away. This year I’m going to embrace June through August and become a tourist in my own town. I’ll call my bestest girlfriends and head to the beach on some random Friday night to experience families taking photos on the beach at Coligny before they make memories with Jevon at his Kids’ Show.
Or perhaps I’ll casually pop into Shelter Cove Harbour on a Tuesday night to hear laughter float over the water from guests enjoying margaritas at San Miguels. Maybe I’ll stay to watch Shannon Tanner sign 100 whirly-top hats before the fireworks go off at dark.
If I’m feeling really adventurous, maybe rent a bike and traverse the paths through Sea Pines, casually falling in line with a generational family of 24, headed single-file to the Salty Dog Café.
Our summer issues are generally full of enjoyable summer activities that our visitors are drawn to, and this year, I’m going to do them too.
To kick off this issue of Lowcountry activities, the CH2 crew went out on the water with Native Son Adventures owner and guide Byron Sewell. This is the second time I’ve had the pleasure of exploring local waterways with Byron and I really cannot recommend this enough. Our focus on this trip was finding sharks’ teeth at all of his secret spots, but a day with Byron can really be customized to what your family likes to do- from crabbing and tubing to trips to Daufuskie or fishing. Read all about it on page 42.
Next, we headed over to Port Royal with another longtime local, Mollie Kinard with Moore 2 Life. Our birding expedition yielded hundreds of amazing photographs and knowledge only a master naturalist could share so easily. Flip on over to page 60 if you’re into birds and such.
As everyone knows, this is the month our most famous visitors arrive, and Sea Turtle Patrol’s Amber Kuehn is a guest writer this month, sharing the story of one of her very favorite nesting loggerhead turtles, Stumpy. Yes – she’s missing a flipper. But even that doesn’t stop her from her repeat summer vacations on Hilton Head Island. Check out the story on page 56.
There’s so much good stuff in this issue – and so many extras coming your way on our social media pages – so be sure to follow along there for everything we can’t put in print. 😉
See you next month for more adventures – or maybe at San Miguel’s for that spicy margarita.
Maggie Washo, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief