Destination: Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Sharon and I headed out on a road trip to see her parents on Deal Island, MD and family in Baltimore, MD. To help make the trip easier we made a stopover in Charleston S.C. to see our friends Kevin and Jason. And while there we wanted to explore Kiawah Island as we have never been there.

The drive down highway 171 was spectacular. The live oak trees had overgrown the road to form a dense tunnel with their branches from which long flowing strands of spanish moss hung from waving in the gentle breeze.

We were a little disappointed to find out it is a private gated community and the only public beach access on the island was a small county park, Beach Walker Park. The park itself was very nice and well kept, but being so used to our snow white sand and clear emerald waters, the beach was a little of a let down. But it was oil-free ;) The park was also $7 per vehicle which to me is a little steep.

After an hour or so on the beach playing with Nora and strolling for shells we needed lunch. We had passed a small shopping area, Freshfields Village, and figured it looked like a perfect place to find food. It is a nice upscale and well manicured complex with the nicest Harris Teeter grocery store I have ever seen. In our search for a restaurant we came across Ladles. Ladles is a soup and sandwich place with the emphasis on soup.

What really caught my attention was the large number of soups on the menu. I LOVE SOUP! And they had an all-you-can-eat soup and salad so I was in heaven. I had the cream of crab, tomato basil, vegetable, lobster bisque and the best of all, the unique buffalo chicken soup! They do use all natural ingredients and surprisingly 2% milk on cream-based varieties. The staff and owner were so friendly. Actually everyone we met on the island was very friendly.

Overall the experience we had on Kiawah was excellent. It is a very impressive looking place with the whole island professionally maintained and landscaped. The bike paths were immaculate and weaved through the vegetation. I really want to go stay there as a vacation place and ride bikes everywhere.

And as expected, there was not a lost shoe anywhere on the island as I am sure it would be picked up immediately. However I did find one on the road home, Lost Sole #375 :)

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