The Palmetto state. One of the confederate kinds. History dating couple centuries back. We visited the capital yet again this time to take in the SC State Museum. Occupying the former digs (literally remodeled) of an erstwhile cotton mill this structure is an amazing piece of reimagination. Four floors of excitement for kids and young at heart alike. Located on the shores of the Congaree River formed when the Broad meets up with the Saluda River, this edifice is approx. 60 years old. The front of the building has a more modern planetarium that was added about a decade ago. The museum itself has different areas of interest segregated on each of its four floors. The first floor has gift shop and a diorama of some of the local geography including the swamps and the state beaches with audio guides to help understand what fauna thrives locally. The second floor is all about natural history and showcases animal kingdom that may have survived on this latitude millenia ago. There are se
Not since the poem about the mouse and a clock have I heard of Hickory. I did not see any Dickory either but plenty of docks in this part of the Carolinas that we call home. So what is this Hickory you say? Well its a type of wood that can be used to make furniture. Not sure how many of this variety grow anymore in NC but at one time it was a forest. Fast forward and this part of the foothill of the Blue Ridge mounts that rise to the east, became the city of Hickory, that also was an erstwhile hub of wooden furniture making. While that industry is not as vast today it serves as a periphery town north of the fast growing Charlotte metro area. About 60 miles due north it is fairly quiet yet historic and blessed with abundant nature and trails and docks along the Catawba river flowing through town. We went hiking along this river and take in the scenery. Below some vistas. $5M project that the city awarded to design a walking path on the river While finishing that muscle pounding even