Twelve Days of a Dixie Christmas #7

A Countdown to our Favorite Christmas Destination
The Christmas season is taken pretty seriously in the southeastern US, and the Richardson Tribe has a dozen suggested destinations to make your holidays more adventurous. Over the next 12 days, we will reveal each of our favorite RV camping and recreation spots until we reach our #1 Christmas Holiday Destination. Come back each day to see the places this southern family has grown to love.

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#7 - James Island Park - Charleston, South Carolina

James Island Park consists of thick forests, lush green lowlands, and thriving tidal marshes crisscrossed with smooth winding bike paths, one of which leads to a creek and fishing dock. This area is a natural host to alligators, crabs, birds, kayaks, outdoorsy types, and fishing.

Every year during the Christmas season, James Island hosts a festival of lights. This event features a three-mile driving tour displaying hundreds of decorations and millions of lights. Santa's in attendance for photos and special Christmas requests. There is a carousel, a rock climbing wall, concerts, arts and crafts, train rides, carnival rides, food, hot cocoa, and so much more, all climaxing with a fireworks extravaganza on New Years Eve!

The campground at James Island has slightly rustic full hookup sites surrounded by tropical vegetation. Everything in the park is within walking or biking distance from the
campsites. In warmer weather, the water park, a five minute walk, is a very popular in-park destination.

Of course, being this near Charleston means there are literally hundreds of great places to go and things to do. Fresh seafood abounds year round here, so finding a delicious meal is a pretty simple task. We also enjoy riding downtown to the market to browse the hand-made goods and admire the old buildings. Imagine all that gingerbread architecture decorated for Christmas. It's absolutely beautiful!

So there you have it. Our #7 favorite Christmas Holiday Destination is James Island Park in Charleston, South Carolina. Click here If you would like to see more pictures and details about this awesome destination. Come back tomorrow to discover #6.

Note: James Island offers up to 40% off on RV sites during January and February. 

Chiaha... Chia who?

Adventure Journal

Entry Date: October 2010

For 46 years, the Chiaha Festival has been taking place on the banks of the Oostanaula River in Rome, GA. The Richardson Tribe has visited the Chiaha Festival a few times, and we love it! It is so different from most of the Arts and Crafts shows we go to. On this particular weekend, we had camping plans at Desoto State Park in Fort Payne, Alabama. We knew we'd have to pack-up early enough on Sunday to swing into Ridge Ferry Park for Chiaha, and that's just what we did.

 

When we first arrived, David Bell, an old friend of ours, was performing on the stage. He is as great as ever. The kids were anxious to get into the Scout's activity tent to make some sand-art bottles like they had done the last two years. Rebecca was anxious to see the art, especially the jewelry. Being rockhounds, we always enjoy talking to the folks that make wire-wrap pendants and other types of jewelry from common gemstones.

The kids and I spent a little extra time in Mr. Hardy's hand-made knife exhibit. He explained to us how he made the knives completely by hand. Everything from forming the blade to cutting, assembling, and finishing a variety of exotic handles. It was some really cool stuff.

As I wandered through the exhibits, I took a lot of pictures of various art. But then, while I was taking pictures of some LP tanks painted pink and made to look like flying pigs, the "artist" stepped-up, and quite abruptly insisted I not take pictures of his "art" for fear someone might steal the concept. So, I have intentionally NOT shown a picture of a 5' piece of rebar sticking in the ground with a 5 gallon LP tank welded to it, with sheet metal wings, all painted pink.  Unfortunately for the "artist", you won't know who he is or what he has to offer. And PLEASE, do not steal the idea of welding wings on an LP gas tank and painting it pink. But, if you do, remember, you didn't see it here.

There is always a lot of food at Chiaha, but we couldn't feast too much. There is no ATM, and we were short on cash. We could only afford junk food. We ultimately ended-up at the playground as usual. Ridge Ferry Park has two playgrounds side-by-side. They are both fantastic. There are also some exercise stations with equipment and instructions. If I'd had the energy, I would have pulled the bikes off and gone for a ride too, but after a weekend of Desoto State Park and a few hours at the festival, we were ready to head home.