BOTANY BAY BEACH

Work sent me to Charleston for training so I started Googling places worth checking out near the area. I was in a bit of a post travel depression and in need of a local pick-me-up and that’s exactly what I found about an hour away.

I got up before the birds that morning to make it to the beach before sunrise. The last leg of the drive is along an unpaved dirt road that stretches beneath a long grove of beautiful live oaks draped in Spanish moss. When I arrived at the sign-in hut, it was still about 30 minutes outside of sunrise so it was still pretty dark under the trees– too dark for me to notice how pretty a scene I was driving through. 

I think there is some other stuff to check out in Botany Bay Plantation, but I was only there for the beach. I grabbed a map at the sign-in hut but pretty much let the signs lead the way.

I didn’t time things as perfectly as I’d hoped though and as I was parking my car, the sun was knocking at the horizon. The good news; however– the lot was practically empty! I love the solitude of the early morning hours and was looking forward to having the beach mostly to myself. 

From the lot to the shore, it’s a little bit of a walk…but it’s an easy one. I can’t remember the exact distance but it’s got to be somewhere under a mile. 

I refer to places all the time as ‘hidden gems,’ but I really can’t think of a better way to describe this spot. It was breath-taking and other-worldly in the morning light. Full grown trees braving the waves of the Atlantic up against a cotton candy backdrop. It felt like being inside of a Tim Burton movie, or a Salvador Dali painting–the one with the melted clocks. So quirky but so beautifully serene. 

I walked the length of the shore for hours before others started to crowd in. The sun was high in the sky at this point and the photographic conditions were diminishing so I decided to head back for the day. 

I’ve made this trip twice now. Once in the spring of 2016, and again in the fall of 2017 almost a year after the coast was wrecked by Hurricane Matthew and only a month before it was further wrecked by Hurricane Irma. 

I’m not sure of the current state of Botany Bay but Matthew had totally changed the scene by the time of my second trip. 

I like to share this as a friendly reminder of the time we don’t necessarily have. One thing I’ve noticed living in different places is that you tend to experience less of that place than tourists do. This is because YOU LIVE THERE, so you think you have time to see things or maybe you think they’re less exciting. Whatever the reason may be, you often put the local attractions on the back burner. I’m so thankful I stumbled upon this one and made my way out there immediately. In just a year, the landscape had changed so much that had I waited, I never would’ve known the work of art that Botany Bay once was. 

This year, I encourage you to get out there and see something you’ve been meaning to see! Feed the soul! You’ll be happy you did (;