Welcome to the Carolinas

(Technically this is from just as we crossed into North Carolina, but we missed the sign so deal with it)

Finally.  If I talked to you about the route we were taking before I left for this trip, I probably mentioned that I was excited to see the Carolina's.  Thanks to Pat Conroy's books Beach Music and South of Broad, I had a totally romantic vision of Charleston with its beautiful homes and amazing food.  It did not disappoint.
The hotel we stayed in was unremarkable, but as soon as we got to downtown I couldn't take my eyes off of the houses.  They are just stunning.  Em and I ate at the famous Magnolia's off of East Bay Street and it was super delicious.  Then we grabbed drinks at Cypress (Thanks for the recommendations Kate!) and walked back down Bay Street.  We heard some live music at a bar and decided to drop in.  Mind you, this was a Monday night so we were not expecting anything to be going on downtown.  We had some yummy daiquiris that came out of slurpee machines and chatted with a few fellow tourists.  

Smilin' with our slurpee daiquiris

The next morning we went to the Charleston City Market, which incidentally is known for the buying and selling of slaves back in the day (insert awkward tension).  Now, they just sell things to decorate your kitchen with and shirts and other knick knacks.  We found this really cool booth from this company called Rewined.  They are based out of Charleston and they take recycled wine and beer bottles and make "wine scented" soy wax candles.  The girl at the booth was also from California and loved us.  She even gave us a free candle :)  We found some other cool gifts, which I won't mention because I don't want to ruin the surprise.  

So then we drove through downtown as I gawked at all of the beautiful homes around the Charleston harbor.  Em and I decided we needed to knock on the doors of these houses to see if any of the families had any bachelors that were rebellious enough to marry California liberals.  We didn't follow through, but that's probably for the best because my Dad says those families are all inbred because they try to keep their old money in the family.  Who knows?

So then we decided to make our way out to Myrtle Beach, SC.  I had heard that Myrtle Beach had a lot of golf courses, Hooters restaurants, and mini golf courses, but decided to keep an open mind.  Turns out the description was pretty accurate.  Myrtle Beach has a lot of hotels and chain restaurants and mini golf courses.  Like, the most intense mini golf courses I've ever seen. I was too intimidated/tired to try any of them, in case you were wondering.  However, the beach was cool because it wasn't too crowded and the water was warm.  

This is the castle that Emily built.  She got really sad after I told her it looked like a boob.

The next day we hauled out of Myrtle Beach because it was pouring and because it was Myrtle Beach.  We stopped in this magical place known as South of the Border.  If you've ever driven through the Carolina's and crossed between North and South, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  For those of you who don't, it's basically a giant kitschy rest stop with ridiculous Mexico themed sculptures and souvenirs.  It was awesome.  

Then we drove through this super darling town called Wilmington.  This place is literally where they go to film for Small Town, USA  type shoots.  It is where they filmed Dawson's Creek.  Visit if you can.

See what I mean? It's lovely.

So FINALLY, we got to our end destination of Morehead City, North Carolina.  It is not really notable but we visited the nearby town of Beauford, which is beautiful.  This harbor town has the kind of houses you dream about.

These photos are not edited you guys.  This place was gorgeous.

Long story short, Em and I picked up some ice cream (which we got for a discount thanks to a gentleman with no teeth) and went back to the hotel to watch Downton Abbey.  I'm hooked.  Stay tuned to hear about our Ferry/Outer Banks adventures.

-KR