đđ» Welcome to the July 2nd issues of The Jauntâthe newsletter that strives to give you the best-curated content and our personal insight about people and places shaping travel in America.
â If you thought Memorial Day was a busy holiday for travel, just wait. July 4th is set to smash those records as the nation gears up to hit the air and roadways. Weâll give some of the best times to hit the road.
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Charleston: Where History and Local Tradition Meet
Last week, we had a chance to get back to Charleston. For a few years, we lived in Greensboro, North Carolina, and found ourselves traveling often to the Carolina coast, but the city that grabbed our hearts the most was Charleston.
Itâs hard not to fall in love with a place that is steeped in culture, history, and with such a significant food scene as Charleston. We split our time into two places, the first at Sullivanâs Island and the second part in the heart of historic Charleston.
What fascinates me with travel is the serendipity of what you will discover. Our second morning, fifty yards from the place we are staying at in Sullivanâs Island was a city gathering honoring Carolina Dayâa very special date commemorating an early victory against the British as they attempted to seize control of Charleston by attacking a coastal defense that was built out of the stateâs Palmetto tree. Experts of the day said the fort would be a âslaughter penâ but when 300 British cannons fired on it, cannonballs bounced off and deflected from the flexible and forgiving wood.
The stories of this day (the actual battle was on June 28), are the stuff of treasured legend here on Sullivanâs Island and the reason the state flag of South Carolina has a palmetto is because of the fortitude and resilience of the structure and men who gallantly held off the British Navy in the opening days of the Revolutionary War.
Even more special, my daughter got to meet a Revolutionary reenactor unit raise the âMoultrie Flag.â My father is a fifth-generation direct descendent of a Revolutionary War soldier, John Pipes Jr. (4th Regiment, New Jersey Continental Line, Maxwellâs Brigade), myself sixth-generation, and my daughter is a seventh-generation descendent.
I will always do whatever I can to keep history alive and inspire my daughter to always understand its importance in her life and knowing where she came from. Traveling is just another way to connect with the history of our past, and find a unique connection to the locals that live there or our own personal lives.
As they would say in the times of the late 1700sâHip hip, huzzah!
Our Charleston Itinerary
Here are the places we visited last week.
The Restorationâlarge, suite-style rooms in the heart of town, right off Meeting Street. Each evening at 5 pm, they have a wine and cheese hour. A rooftop pool provides a place to cool off, and the views on the seventh-floor restaurant and bar, The Watch, are some of the best in the Holy City.
The Obstinate DaugtherâWeâve been visiting the OD since the first year they opened. A local favorite on Sullivanâs Island, theyâre known for wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta dishes that play on French, Italian, and Spanish cuisine as well as plenty of samplings from the sea, like local oysters. The menu and the branding all pay homage to the townâs role in defending itself in the Revolutionary War. Hot Tip: Below the restaurant, the OD operates one of the best gelato shops in town.
Isla Surf SchoolâFolly Beach is more popular than the quieter and more local Sullivanâs Island (which we highly recommend), but there is a wonderful surf school on Folly Beach that does lessons for kids and adults. We did a 90-minute family lesson that allowed us all one-on-one time with the instructor in the water, doing our best to catch waves. In the summer, they host local kiddos for week-long surf camps.
Frannie & the FoxâThis Italian-focused, wood-fired restaurant is a newcomer that is rising in popularity on the Charleton food scene. Reservations are almost required, but we were able to sneak in right at 5 pm in the open bar seating. Housed inside the Hotel Emeline, the pizzas and wood-fired dishes like the meatballs and shrimp are tough to beat. We went with the Tallegio pizza. The courtyard is a wonderful place to be seated. The hotel itself, recently opening doors for the first time, was named one of the best new hotels in the world by the Travel+Leisureâs best new hotels in the world list.
Blue Bicycle BooksâGoing on two decades strong, the Blue Bicycle on King Street is your best resource for new and used books. The emphasis here is on local writers, and a local writer and long-time employee Jonathan Sanchez took over the shop in 1997.
HuskâPerhaps one of the most celebrated and classic-looking restaurants on Queen Street, this Charleston-staple has become a popular destination for Southern eats. The secret is that next door is their stable, a two-story brick building that houses their tavern. If you get there at 4 pm, you can get a good seat and cool off with some cocktails that will, at least momentarily, take your mind off the heat.
Hidden Alley WalkingâThe history in Charleston is palpable, and everywhere you look. Outside of Rome, itâs the second-most preserved city in the world. Strict restrictions keep houses looking like they did when they were constructed, and new updates or improvements have to fit the historical time period. One of the best and cheapest things you can do is pick an alley and explore, seeing up close the historical moments that have come to define Charleston.
And now, the best stories weâre reading about travel this weekâbeginning with a great guide to Charleston to save in your back pocket if travels take you there this year.
Insiderâs Guide to Charleston | Via: Garden & Gun
One of our favorite resources for local travel content in the American South is Garden & Gun. They recently compiled an insiderâs guide in honor of Charlestonâs 350th anniversary, which provides access to the best bites, galleries, homes and gardens, shops, and outdoor adventure this South Carolina jewel has to offer.
The Best Little Beach Town in Virginia | Via: Southern Living
Ever heard of Cape Charles, VA? No? Well, youâre not alone. This friendly town on the Chesapeake Bay feels a bit like Mayberry. Here on the southern end of Virginia's Eastern Shore, kids shuffle down the pier with fishing poles and Cokes, wispy-haired men swap stories outside the hardware store, and the whole place seems to tuck in for the night not long after the sun goes down. But Cape Charles is decidedly more cosmopolitan than Andy Griffith's stomping grounds.
đĄLocal Tip: Just east of the townâs hardware store is Hotel Cape Charles, a sleek boutique stay that offers complimentary beach cruisers for guests. Across the street is Cape Charles Distillery, where they pour elevated cocktails crafted with locally made spirits. Peach Street Books is a wonderful, light-filled 1930s building that had been a Pure Oil station and then a garage.
Family Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Motel Ownership | Via: Steamboat Pilot
Rabbit Ears Motel is a place where people stay when visiting Steamboat Springs, but for owner Greg Koehler, the downtown fixture has been home and part of his family for more than 50 years. The pink neon sign and rabbit ears are the symbols that youâre making that famous turn into downtown. âI was in high school when we moved here, and I was living here when I graduated,â said Koehler, who lived in a bedroom in the basement for several years. âI used to shovel the snow in the morning before class, then I would walk to school. I mean, we did what we needed to do to get by.â Koehler still recalls the early days when his dad, Ron, would work the front desk and his mom, Lyle, would clean rooms. Ron and Lyle had a bedroom just off the main office, the motel had a switchboard for outgoing and incoming calls and there was only one stoplight on Main Street.
Previewing the Best New and Old Eats at the Minnesota State Fair | Via: Star Tribune
In the Upper Midwest, residents take their state fairs very, very seriously. The battle for âbest fairâ rights continues annually between Iowa and Minnesota. The former has inspired books, movies, and a Broadway musical. The latter is the second-largest fair in the country, drawing more than 2 million people to the annual "Great Minnesota Get-Together.â The Star Tribune staff provide a detailed list of each of their personal recommendations for what stands to hit, and what foods you cannot miss.
When to Hit the Road for July 4th Travel | Via: USA Today
With more than 47.7 million Americans expected to travel between July 1 and 5 for Independence Day, more than 91%, or 43.6 million travelers, will be hitting the roads this year. Itâs the second-largest travel volume on record, even with commuting traffic still below pre-pandemic rates. All those vehicles mean travel volumes are expected to jump 15% over normal, according to Bob Pishue, an analyst with transportation analytics company INRIX. âSince Memorial Day, weâve continued to see growth in the amount of people who are traveling,â Pishue said. â(At) almost every metro area that we looked at, we see (traffic) increasesâ during the upcoming holiday weekend.Â
Here are the optimal times to depart and return this weekend:
Friday:
Worst time: 4-5 p.m.
Best time: Before 12 p.m.
Saturday:
Worst time: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Best time: After 2 p.m.
Sunday:
Road congestion not expected Sunday.Â
Monday:
Worst time: 4-5 p.m.
Best time: Before 1 p.m.
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