I’m trying something new at Hi Friends It’s Laura – a post-trip “trip report” post. Shorter than an itinerary or trip guide, longer than an Instagram story. I’m borrowing this idea from my friend Rachel at Roam Where, who has been sending out weekly trip report dispatches during her three months in Asia.
When I finish a trip, I have all of these ideas for Pinterest-worthy, SEO-optimized itineraries and top five secret things to do in each place. But then the day job kicks in, and before you know it I’m seven hours into back-to-back Zoom calls and the singular last thing I want to do is get back in front of a screen to write. When I do finally sit down to work on the blog, my posts are often multi-page missives that, with the exception of a dogs in trees post, don’t seem to be read.
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
May I present to you, then, a quick look at my trip last weekend to Congaree National Park and its neighboring city, Columbia, South Carolina.
Congaree National Park & Columbia, South Carolina
Length of stay: 2 nights
Where we stayed: Springhill Suites Downtown/The Vista, Columbia, SC
National park sites visited: 1, Congaree National Park
National park passport stamps acquired: 1, Congaree National Park Harry Hampton Visitor Center
Why I visited: I had to visit Atlanta for work, so I flew in early to meet up with my sister, who lives there. Hi Friends It’s Julia has long wanted to visit Congaree, so we finally made the 3.5 hour drive there.
Highlights: Kayaking with Carolina Outdoor Adventures down the Cedar Creek in the park, barbecue at Railroad BBQ in Columbia on the way home, a delicious salad and pork chop at Bourbon in Columbia, spending time with the sis
Lowlights: Not getting lottery tickets to see the synchronous fireflies in the park, service at the rooftop bar, our hotel location (we would have stayed closer to Main Street instead of the Riverwalk)
What we did: “hiked” in Congaree – it’s a very, very, very flat park so even the hikes were walks in the woods. Over three days, we did most of the boardwalk trail, the Firefly trail, and Part of the Sims and Weston Lake loop.
Pet a lot of very good dogs. I’d say Congaree is the second most dog-friendly national park I’ve been to. It’s almost entirely dog-friendly.
Kayaked down the Cedar Creek with COA and saw barred owls, lots of snakes, turtles, and a water moccasin.
Ate at Bourbon, which I really liked and my sister did not.
Had cocktails and food but lousy service at Hendrix.
Wandered around the Soda City Farmer’s Market.
What we didn’t do: any walking tours, museum tours, tour of the State Capitol, Riverwalk
Approximate trip cost (for two): Airfare: $0, Hotel: $300, Kayaking: $160, Food: $250, Gas: $60, Entrance fee: $0 = $770, or $335 each.
I acknowledge Columbia, SC and Congaree National Park are on the ancestral lands of the Catawba and Congaree Tribes.
Check out MY GUIDE TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK. Want to read more about my LOVE OF NATIONAL PARKS ? all of my Parks posts are here.
If you visit Congaree National Park or find this information helpful, please let me know. Follow me on IG: @HiFriendsItsLaura and Threads @HiFriendsItsLaura
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