Foliage in The City

Foliage is still lingering about in South Carolina.

These photos were taken on November 30 while strolling around Soda City Market in Columbia.

Foliage season is long lasting here.

The state house grounds were scenic with pops of color.

It does give me a chuckle seeing foliage harmonizing with Christmas decor as they rarely were together up north.

An extraordinary ginkgo tree.

The camera had fun with the sun on its branches. This is the same tree below weeping so gracefully.

There was enchanting color everywhere we gazed.

It seems strange to me seeing palmettos beside autumn foliage, but I am quite fond of this.

I hope you enjoyed this southern style change in the leaves.


Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Old Chicago

Old Chicago is located in the Vista of Columbia, SC.

Since it is a taproom as well as a pizzeria, we stopped in to sample a flight of brews. We tried:

Nice and Bright Gose (Palmetto Brewing Company, South Carolina)
Mama's Little Yella Pilsner (Oskars Blues Brewery, Colorado)
Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout (Terrapin Beer Co., Georgia)
Watermelon Dragonfuit Burst (Wicked Weed Brewing, North Carolina). Yes this is a sparkling one!

My favorite was the milk stout. I am really developing a taste for those chocolately, coffee like brews.

The pilsner was not for us but we did really enjoy all the others.

I also ordered a Gluten Sensitive pizza with mushrooms and spinach. I tend to order gluten free when available since my tummy has trouble breaking down white breads. This was actually the best gluten free pizza I have had in a restaurant. Impressive and delicious!

Considering how crowded the restaurant was, it must see a lot of regulars. It is a great place to grab some beer and pizza, a perfect combo.

If you go, located at:
802 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Sunday to Thursday 11am - 1am
Friday to Saturday 11am - 2am

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Lexington County Museum

The Lexington County Museum in South Carolina walks visitors through what life was like here during the colonial era to the Civil War.

Set on 7 acres, this museum features 36 historic buildings. 

These structures have been moved in from various locations throughout the county.

The post office below is also the oldest document house in the county.

The John Fox House was built in 1832. This was formerly a plantation home and is the only original structure on site.

The museum also has a well.

A kitchen.

A dairy house.

An outdoor oven.

An ash hopper and so many more everyday necessities.

The way fences used to be assembled are showcased here.

Privies. Very important.

Tools that demonstrate how work was accomplished.

Today's farmers must really appreciate recent inventions in comfort.

A vegetable garden illustrating the crops that would have been consumed.

There is also a splendid garden area that we need to revisit when the crepe myrtles are in bloom since the area is covered with these flowering beauties.

If you go:

231 Fox St, Lexington, SC 29072

Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm – 4 pm
Closed Mondays and major holidays.
$5.00 for Adults
$2.00 for Children

You may also do a self guided tour using an QR reader on your phone, free of charge. 

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Waterfall Junction

Waterfall Junction is a fun place that is part of the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens.

Here kids can learn about growing edibles in the garden.

They can learn how to identify animal tracks in the cement impressions on the walkways.

 

 

They can play in the sandboxes under awesome Terradactyl canopies.

Various areas are a splash park. Since we were here on a cool November day, this was not happening.

A pond shows aquatic wildlife.

There is a tadpole city in there.

There is an ongoing rabbit theme when you keep your eyes open.

There are tunnels and rabbit holes in the park.

There is a darling fairy garden.

I think the best part of all is the tree house section.

It starts out under the sun and leads into the woods.

This dragon topiary is quite a piece but the way the sun was hitting it, my photos did not come out great.

It looks like no one else was here by these photos but the place was alive with families. There is a large green space in the center with hula hoops, blocks and more that were being played with. 

This is an amazing place to take the kids for the day considering the gardens and the zoo are here too!

If you go, located on the Riverbanks Botanical Garden side.
1300 Botanical Pkwy
West Columbia, SC 29169
Open Daily

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val