No matter how many times you go to Washington D.C., you can never see it all. You could hang out there for weeks and weeks and just scratch the surface. It is really a problem for a completist like myself. This time, I spent almost a week here and the time whizzed by. I will say, though, this time my timing was really spot on.
About an hour east of Raleigh, North Carolina is the small town of Wilson. At first look, it didn't look like there was much going on in Wilson – but oh no, don't be fooled. Wilson has it going on! They have an entire city block with giant whirligigs. Can you even imagine? This has got to be one of the more feel-good spots that I have ever stopped at.
Every child takes field trips with their school. They go to focus on an important subject, increase their awareness of the world around them and to get the day off of school. If you don't go and see these sights with your school, many times your family vacation trips will make sure you see these sights. Well, I guess many times in my travels I am playing catch up trying to see these very same sights.
The R.J. Reynolds company is based in Winston-Salem North Carolina. It was founded by Richard Joshua Reynolds who, in 1913, had this crazy idea that he should sell packaged cigarettes. Up to this point in time, most people would roll their own cigarettes. Nobody thought there would be a market for pre-packaged cigarettes. R.J. created Camel cigarettes (they used Turkish tobacco) and within a year the company had sold 425 million packs of Camels. Yup – he became one rich dude.
Now why would I go all the way into the wilds of South Carolina? Well, for a rather unique experience of course. Way up in northwest South Carolina is a little town of Greer. It just so happens that it is the home to the Spartanburg BMW plant and …..they offer factory tours!!!!
Leaving the marshes and sea islands of southeastern South Carolina, it is time for sand, sun and the ocean. Surfside Beach is south of Myrtle Beach – in fact it is so close that it probably should be called South Myrtle Beach. I am staying at what is now called a 'Mega Resort' – Ocean Lakes Resort – a metropolis with 850 RV sites, grocery store, laundromat, wave pool and water park. One of those places where you never have to leave because all of your creature comforts are here.
Beaufort South Carolina is located on Port Royal Island, one of the largest Sea Islands along the southeast Atlantic coast of the United States. It is one of only a handful of U.S. towns that has had its entire downtown designated a historic district by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Beaufort was one of the only Southern towns chosen to be occupied by Union troops, rather than destroyed. The story of how this came about is fascinating and even more impressive than the beautiful mansions that were built by the wealthy plantation owners before the Civil War.
