6 Things I Never Experienced Before Charleston

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The first time I visited Charleston, I was very pregnant. We received the unexpected news that my husband’s job was being transferred to South Carolina early one Monday morning. Having never been to Charleston, we jumped in the car, and five hours later started exploring our soon-to-be community. Although living in Charleston was never a part of my bucket list, I embraced the opportunity and decided to approach our move with humor and grace (what else can you do when you’re 31 weeks pregnant).

I’ve lived in South Carolina for six months now, and my family and I have loved discovering Charleston treasures. Here are six things I never experienced before moving here.

6 things I never experienced before Charleston
Photo by Amy Eddins

Teeny, tiny frogs!

This is by far the greatest joy my son and I had this spring while walking Wannamaker trails: finding the tiniest little frogs you’ve ever seen! The size of your pinkie fingernail! Are they tree frogs? Are they babies? I’m not quite sure of the answer, but I do know they are SO cute!

Painted Rocks

This is an activity happening all over the United States (perhaps even farther?) where people paint and then hide rocks. For what purpose? To spread joy to whomever may find them. It’s like an Easter egg hunt that never stops! I had never heard of painted rocks until we came across #GooseCreekRocks. Now, I see painted, hidden rocks everywhere! And there are several rock hiding social media communities in Charleston.

6 things I never experienced before Charleston

Three Red Dots

When we first moved here, my son kept talking about red pancakes. If we were out and about, he would ask to go eat pancakes at the red pancake shop. Puzzled? I was too, until I realized he was talking about the three red dots outside all of the liquor stores! Say what? I’m still not sure why they are there. Is it a remnant from the 18th amendment? Is this common in all of the Lowcountry? I do know they don’t sell pancakes. Sorry, son. 

Jellyfish on the Beach

I know this isn’t unusual or unique to South Carolina, but for a girl that grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes, any sea creature is foreign to me, especially when they wash up on the beach. I started teaching my son not to get too close, or touch them because they might sting. Later people told me most jellyfish don’t sting. So I’m totally confused on what rules my son needs to know about the beach. Help a newbie out?

6 things I never experienced before Charleston

Hurricanes

Having lived most of my life in the Midwest, I know all about tornadoes and snow blizzards; where to take cover and when. But now that I live in hurricane territory, I needed to be educated from my more seasoned neighbors. This is what I learned; hurricanes are no joke. They are respected. They have names. And if I don’t use their proper name, I will be corrected. But the best thing I learned was the decision, whether to evacuate, or hold down the fort, must be made BEFORE you really know what direction the storm will take. Because if you wait too long, the traffic and/or the storm could stop you from leaving. Noted.

Tasting the Heat

I always thought Kansas was hot. Then I experienced Georgia summer living in “Hotlanta.” But now I would say, Charleston is a whole different category of hot. It’s the kind of heat that you can taste. The kind of heat that turned our community pool into a hot tub. Forget a heated pool, how do I get a refrigerated pool? And now that fall is here, it still feels like a Minnesota summer!

I’m looking forward to the next six months. When will the cold chill hit?

Any other transplants relate to these new experiences? What were you surprised by when you moved to Charleston?