The Fallons: Southern Getaway Part I

Last year I took a summer girls' trip with my friends Holley, Meredith and Karen to Palm Springs. This year we headed to the South which we were lucky enough to have THE Southern Belle of Santa Barbara as our tour guide and hostess. I've been to some southern states before with Holley, and honestly, she is who you want to be with while there.

This trip would mark the longest I had ever been away from my kids but I knew they were in good hands with Daddy and some help from Grandma Marilyn and Papa Ward. (Thank you!!)

We had a short layover at LAX from Santa Barbara so everyone pulled out their laptops and started working in the United Club. I am not working. I am screwing around on facebook and checking personal emails. It's a good thing I have the best boss in the whole world! (Hi Holley!)

Did I say short layover in LAX? We sat on the tarmac for 2 hours due to thunderstorms in Houston where we were connecting. Good thing I was flying with Holley which meant first class - shortest two hours of my life with all the goodies we got ;)

After a long, LONG day of travel, we arrived to Holley's parents' house in Beaufort, SC. Holley is one of the best hostesses and I know exactly where she learned it from, Colonel Proctor and Mrs. Janelle exude Southern Hospitality! Each of us were given a goodie bag of Southern gems as a welcome gift.

We were also greeted with Redneck wine glasses because that is how they drink in the South, right? Keeping it classy!

Supper (do I sound Southern yet?) was a delicious seafood gumbo. I've never had it before nor have I ever had okra. A friend of the Colonel and Janelle named Roland is the go-to guy for gumbo in the Lowcountry which is the what the area in South Carolina is called that they live in. We felt really special getting to try some.

We stayed up late on the wrap-around porch, chatting away until we realized how late it was.

The next morning we were eager to get out and experience downtown Beaufort. Janelle gave us a little walking tour around the area. The oak trees were amazing - you are going to get sick of all the oak tree pictures I took but really they were stunning!

And how cute is this little guy that came down from his porch to welcome us to Beaufort?!

See how beautiful these trees are? The streets were lined with them.

We had a lovely southern lunch complete with crab cake po' boys from Plums .

Relaxing after lunch

Beaufort is located across several Sea Islands just north of Hilton Head and south of Charleston. This is on Bay Street which is right along the river. I loved, LOVED the heat and humidity. It just feels like vacation!

The Lowcountry is known for their Tabby concrete made of lime, sand and oyster shells which we saw all over on sidewalks as well as homes (including the Proctor's home).

This is Doc.

How fabulous is his hair?!

Doc was our tour guide around the downtown area.

We saw classic Civil War era antebellum homes while listening to our tour guide tell us the history of the area as well as some fun facts. And of course, we saw more oak trees!

The Stairs That Lead To Nowhere

I should have been paying more attention to our tour guide. I even tried a google search and came up with nothing. It had something to do with being the original steps of the home that was there. This was one of those fun facts I mentioned we heard earlier. I do remember they had a list of movies filmed in the area a mile long including Forest Gump, that is a fun fact!

After our tour we headed back to Lady's Island which is where we were staying at the Proctor's home. Since we had arrived so late the night before and were downtown most of the day, I hadn't gotten a chance to take in the property that they live on. AMAZING!

During low tide you could hear popping noises of little sea creatures coming from the marsh below.

We had a lovely shrimp dinner on the screened porch. Crickets chirping, the marsh popping, balmy weather, great company, just perfect!

Later we headed out to the end of the dock during high tide to catch the beautiful lighting.

Next up, back downtown to attend the Water Festival. The Water Festival is a celebration of the natural beauty and charm of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Over the course of 10 days they have activities, concerts and performances celebrating their town.

Beaufort is a huge military town and we were honored to hear the Marine Corps band. At one point they played the songs for each of the military branches. When the US Army song was played, Colonel Proctor stood up along with several other servicemen. Not a dry eye in sight!