January is "Be A Tourist In Your Own Town" Month

Charleston is bursting at the seams with things to see and do, "its where history lives". That's what so appealing about it, the way Charleston has preserved its heritage. Even though fall has settled in on the Holy City and winter will be slipping in from behind, January is an ideal time for residents to get reaquainted with their local favorites, and at discounted prices. Its time to Be A Tourist In Your Own Town.

Be A Tourist In Your Own Town is free one-time admission to 28 area attractions and discounts at 22 restaurants during the month of January 2011. The program is designed for South Carolina residents of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. You can buy individual passes for $20 or family passes for $50. The family pass is good for four people of any age. The odd thing about the family pass is the four people don't even have to be related to each other, but they do have to be locals. The only other catch is all four must also be present to take advantage of the program. You can purchase your pass at official Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, North Charleston, or Kiawah Island Visitor Centers.

So, take advantage of this yearly opportunity to re-visit your favorites such as Cypress Gardens where January is the peak of the camellia bloom and winter-nesting bald eagles are often sighted overhead. How about taking another walk in the gardens of Magnolia Plantation, stroll the grounds of Middleton Place, and tour Drayton Hall. You would normally associate bisan with the west, but when you visit the natural habitat zoo at Charles Towne Landing you will learn they were indigenous to South Carolina at one time. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, The Powder Magazine, Charleston Tea Plantation, and The Center for Birds of Prey are all on the list including some you may not yet had the opportunity to visit.

How about picking one restuarant a week to dine at such as Blu Restaurant & Bar, Bocci's Italian Restaurant, Tommy Condon's Irish Pub, 82 Queen, or Southend Brewery and Smokehouse to name a few and enjoy the savings. For complete list of restaurants and attractions click here. It's an exceptional value for newer residents who want to get acquainted with Charleston's and it's history. See you around town.

Cypress Gardens In Berkeley County, SC-Nature And A Movie

When I moved to the Summerville area of South Carolina and first heard the name Cypress Gardens mentioned as a place to visit, Florida automatically came to mind. Little did I know, at the time, there was a Cypress Gardens right here in the surrounding area of Charleston. So, I checked it out. No glass bottom boats will you find there and if you are also thinking the Florida connection, I have come to learn the Cypress Gardens of Florida is now closed, but the Cypress Gardens of South Carolina, is alive and doing great.

Spring is an ideal time to visit Cypress Gardens with its beautiful azaleas in bloom along with a host of other wildflowers common to the area. Birds and butterflies too numerous to mention in a blog also begin to make their presense known as the weather begins to warm in the month of March and continuing on into April when the azaleas are at their peek and the dogwoods abundant with color. Every month from there on out will bring its own steady procession of plants in bloom and new arrivals of the bird kingdom as well as butterflies and a host of other wildlife, including the earth-shaking bellowings of the territorial, breeding alligator in June.

Cypress Gardens is composed of approximately 80 acres of open swamp filled with bald cypress and water tupelo trees and 3.5 miles of beautiful nature trails for you to explore. Flat-bottom boats that hold 4-6 people are provided for your use to be paddled along a marked route through the shallow swamp. You can listen to a guide tell about the swamps history and its aquatic residents. A large greenhouse called the Butterfly House filled with flowering plants, live butterflies, birds, a pond, an arthropod exhibit, and an observation beehive is located on sight along with the Swamparium, an aquarium/reptile center, with tanks and terrariums featuring fish, amphibians, and reptiles (including venomous snakes) native to the swamp and nearby waterways. As you leisurely walk the trails you will find interpretive and plant identification signs all along their route widing around the black water swamp.

Cypress Gardens has been featured in numerous national magazines. It has hosted over 16 major movies and television series. While taking the guided tour through the swamp I learned various swamp scenes in the movie, "The Patriot", were filmed there. Other notable movies were "North and South", "Cold Mountain", and "The Notebook". On the humerous side, who would have thought "Swamp Thing" was also filmed in its swamp. Go figure. Engage yourself in a challenge. Visit Cypress Gardens and then rent the movies out to see if you can identify those particular scenes.

Beautiful Cypress Gardens in Berkeley County, South Carolina is worth your time and be sure to bring your camera. Check upcoming events, admission, and directions. Located at 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd., Moncks Corner, SC 29461. Phone: 843-553-0515.-Vacation Rick Travel