The Power Sightseer's Guide to Goose Creek, SC

I am more of an off the beaten path girl than a tourist attraction lover.  Give me a good swamp any day and I will be happy.  That being said I discovered a nice combination of both in Goose Creek, SC.  Goose Creek is a suburb of Charleston and well worth the short drive if you are visiting the area.

Visiting Cypress Gardens in Goose Creek was an awesome day.  There are miles of trails you can explore in addition to the wonderful swamp area.  When walking the trail be sure to pay attention to the signs and watch out for local wildlife.  This little fellow was only two feet from the walking trail.  He didn't seem to mind posing for a photo though.

The swamp was really beautiful.  There are benches and swings scattered around to allow for rest and reflection.

 

There are also boats available for guided or self tours of the swamp area.

Be on the look out for the ruins and bridge that were featured in the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot.  The Notebook and other movies were also filmed in the garden.  Be sure and ask the wonderful guides to point out the locations.

Once you are through viewing the swamp and walking the trails don't miss the butterfly house and the resident guard duck.

September Show Schedule

I have found myself doing more weekend art shows and farmers markets.  It is a great outlet for my photography and the purses and bags printed with the photographs.

During September I will be doing the following shows.

September 11th - San Jacinto Art Market in Rock Wall

September 18th - Aspasians in Rock Wall

September 25th - Four Season Market in Addison

Please stop by and see me if you are in the area.  Mention my blog and receive 10% off any purchase.  You can also check out my website and I will give you the same discount if you mention you saw my blog.

The Power Sightseer's Guide to San Diego

This trip was for my grandsons, so this is the kid friendly version of San Diego.  It was an awesome trip for all involved.  We stayed at the Omni in the Gas Light Quarter.  The entire area is great and provides everything you need.  Easy walking to the train and trolley, great shipping, restaurants makes it a great place to stay.  Obviously the hotel has great views

it is also right next door to the Padre's home field.

I highly recommend the Tin Fish right next door to the hotel.  Great food and atmosphere including a great night of live music with Joe Rathburn was just what we needed to relax after a LONGGGGG day at the San Diego Zoo.   

My other recommendations for downtown eating would be Broken Yolk (awesome breakfast specials)     Mary Jane's located in the Hard Rock Hotel (vegetarian tacos - yummy) and Pink Berry.  All are an easy walk from the train or the hotel.

The zoo is very big so I suggest you take the guided tour bus when you first arrive.  The tour lasts about 35 minutes and gives you a very nice overview of the entire zoo.  The polar bear exhibit was our favorite.  The elephant area is really special also.

The only other big spending stop on our trip was Lego Land.  Great for kids, with every ride being kid friendly.  Lots of very interesting uses of legos.  Tons of fun and well work the admission price.  This year they added a water park.  The lazy river has inner-tubes with build in lego pads and floating legos for hours of fun.  When you leave Lego Land you might want to stop by Carlsbad beach.  There is a nice sandy beach with awesome smooth sandblasted rocks littering the edge.

Imperial Beach hosted a Sand Castle contest while we were there.  It was amazing.  Imperial also offered lots of great sea shell hunting.

La Jolla children's beach was an easy bus ride away for those of you traveling without a car.  The seals were fun to watch and there was a nice shallow water beach where kids could play.

My grandsons loved San Diego.  This was our second trip and they have already started planning our next.

New Website

I have been doing a lot of traveling the last few weeks.  So I have hadn't posted as much as I should, but I have some new material to work on.  I will have some new material posted soon.  I have accomplished one thing though.  I have a new website - yeah!  Come check me out at

www.paulawhatleyphotography.com

Let me know what you think.  I would love your feedback.

The Power Sightseer's Guide to St. Thomas

Before I go anywhere I consult my 1000 Places to See Before You Die book. It is a great resource for off-the-beaten-path ideas. For St Thomas the recommendations included Magens Bay Beach. I will give them that it is unspoiled. Not a big resort in sight.

 I much preferred Sapphire Beach on the other side of the island. I think the name sums it up nicely. Sapphire water, nice sand, great waves. This was an all around great beach. You can even make friends with the sunbathing iguanas.

As long as you are there take the short hop over to St John Island, it is only a ferrie ride away. Keep your eyes open for great photo opportunities along the way.

On St John I quickly abandoned the tourist shops at landing and took the local bus to the trailhead at Cinnamon Bay. Riding the local bus up provides you the easy hiking down to the beach. This is a nice walk with the opportunity to see some amazing mud nests. Keep your eyes open for glimpses of the beach as you pass openings in the flora. At the end of the trail there are some ruins of a sugar plantation. Be sure to check them out.

Your ultimate reward for the hike is Cinnamon Bay beach. It is a wonderful place to spend a afternoon after your hike. There is camping available at the beach also. When you are ready to head back to St. Thomas there is a very convenient shuttle to the landing to catch the boat.

All in all the USVI is a great place to catch a little sun, decompress and relax.

The Power Sightseer's Guide to Grand Cayman

I have been to beaches all over the world, but I have to say Grand Cayman has some of the best water I have ever seen. I was impressed with the amazing clarity and brilliant color. I am a sucker for things that are out of the normal tourist attractions. I always ask around for places the locals love. Hotel housekeeping, store clerks and taxi drivers are wonderful sources of information. One of my best finds was starfish beach close to Rum Point beach on Grand Cayman. Rum Point beach was packed with tourists but just down the road there was an amazing little beach tucked behind a housing development. You could wade out pretty far and the best part was the starfish. There were dinner plate size starfish in the most amazing color right by your feet. A little effort to find, but well worth the effort.

The island also sports a coral strewn beach on the East side with an almost continuous spray spouting forth from a blowhole. Road side signs marked the spot, but even though it was a gorgeous photo opportunity it was not ever crowded.

As you drive around the island be sure to look for iguana. The prehistoric looking creatures were prolific.
I did indulge in one decidedly touristy activity and took the redsail catamaran out to swim with the stingrays. I have to say it was a wonderful experience. By cleaning the days catch in one spot, generations of fishermen have trained the rays to hang out on a sandbar near a break in the coral reef looking for food. The huge rays have very sensitive skin on the underside of their noses and will nussle you feeling for food. Having the wild creatures swimming around you and resting your arms was an otherworldly experience.

I absolutely loved Grand Cayman. Go, you will love it too.

The Power Sightseer's Guide to Dallas Arboretum

One of the best lessons I have learned is to treat my own city as a sightseeing opportunity. Since I obviously love flowers it was only natural that I seek them out close to home. The Dallas Arboretum is a wonderful little oasis in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the big city. http://www.dallasarboretum.org/ Situated on the banks of White Rock Lake, the Arboretum is an ideal place to visit nature, have a picnic or just relax. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love living in Dallas. Periodically though I like to see a tree and hear a bird without any disruptions. The arboretum is a great little get-away.

The Water Walls area with its winding paths and beautiful water features is my favorite garden in the Arboretum. I could sit for hours with a good book and just relax. If you are looking for fun with the kids there are the Texas Town and Texas Pioneer areas. Child size houses a teepee and garden area offer limitless opportunities for imaginative play. But don't stop there, Toad Corners offers the opportunity for kids of all ages to splash about in the water spouts. You also won’t want to miss the koi ponds and other wonderful hidden spots.

Although the Arboretum is great during the spring and summer there is really no time of year when it is not wonderful. Throughout the year there are many events including the concert series held on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Dallas Blooms is held every spring and is a great time to get acquainted with the Arboretum. In the fall each year the Arboretum is transformed into a giant pumpkin patch.

Even during the winter there are many opportunities to see beautiful things.

If you live in the area I would highly recommend an annual pass. I know once you go you will want to return often.

Once you have experienced everything the Arboretum has to offer be sure to take a stroll around the lake. There are usually wonderful boats to see and the bird watching is exceptional.



Enjoy the sights no matter where you are.