Good Morning, Palmetto Parents!

We’re still waiting for our baby boy’s arrival and enjoying all things fall and Halloween in the meantime!

Even though we’ve been pretty intentional about not overloading our schedule or going overboard on the extra sugar, I can already tell our boys are going to need a bit of a reset after all the Halloween excitement. This week’s to-do article shares a great local trail where you can get outside, enjoy some fresh air, and slow things down a little as a family!

If you want to take your kids trick-or-treating on Saturday but would rather skip the nighttime or neighborhood festivities, you can stop by the Dorchester County libraries for a non-edible Halloween surprise. And one of our favorite town traditions, trick-or-treating at the farmers market and throughout downtown Summerville, is happening on Halloween itself this year!

One more sweet treat to keep in mind: Bruster’s Ice Cream in Summerville is giving away free kids’ cones or cups to children who show up in costume tomorrow. A pretty fun excuse to get one more use out of those Halloween costumes!

Free Family Photos at Azalea Park

One of our favorite fall traditions is getting a family photo at Ernest Govan’s (The Dream Maker Agent) Fall Pictures in the Park. Just show up at Azalea Park anytime between 9:30–11am on Saturday, November 7th for a free family photo. No appointment, no fuss, just a sweet keepsake to mark the season.

This is all thanks to Ernest Govan, The Dream Maker Agent, who loves investing in local families and helping them find their dream homes. If you come, bring some school supplies or cash to donate to local teachers. See you at the park!

If you've ever been to Summerville Medical Center, you've driven right past the Oakbrook Nature Trail. It sits just off Springview Lane, across the street from the hospital, and it's one of those places that's easy to miss unless someone tells you about it.

The trail is a short loop of about six-tenths of a mile (Visit Summerville lists it at 3,600 feet) through a twelve-acre tract that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has designated as a conservation area. It's mostly gravel, and in three spots the gravel gives way to wooden boardwalks that cross wetland areas. The Town of Summerville opened it in July 2014. It's listed as free and open dawn to dusk, and dogs are allowed.

The size is exactly why it's on my list for little kids. Our 2-year-old is not walking three miles, and honestly, at this point in my pregnancy, neither am I. A loop this short is something the boys can actually finish on their own feet, and the boardwalks give them something to aim for: walk to the next bridge, listen to your footsteps change on the wood, peek over the side for water. Visit Summerville says the trail is home to whitetail deer, turkeys, and "a bevy of our reptilian friends," so it's worth going slow and keeping your eyes open.

We haven't taken the boys yet, but my plan for a cool morning is a little scavenger hunt. Give each kid a paper bag and a short list before you start: an acorn, a pinecone, a leaf that's started to change color, something smooth, and something bumpy. It stretches a ten-minute walk into a good half hour, and the bag of treasures makes it an exciting outing for them.

A few things to know before you go. Reviewers on SC Trails say the only parking is a small area right by the trailhead, and one said it fits just a few cars, so a weekday morning may be easier than a Saturday. This is a nature trail, not a park, and I didn't see restrooms or a playground mentioned in any listing, so take care of potty breaks first.

Summerville’s newest coworking space is finally here, and it’s directly in the center of downtown Summerville!

Hey guys, Daniel here! I’m Courtney’s husband (who writes this newsletter!) My brother and I recently opened Hutchinson Yard in downtown Summerville, and we’re so excited to fill the space with some long term members.

Here's what's available now: a mix of sitting and standing desks, bar stool seating along the front windows overlooking Hutchinson Square, a private conference room for calls and client meetings, a coffee setup, two 125-year-old original bank vaults, and more!

Memberships are first come, first serve, and spots are filling up. Hutchinson Yard is membership based, and is an excellent way to get out of the house if you find yourself tired or distracted from your home office, or maybe you just want an excuse to work in the heart of downtown Summerville every so often. (Your company might give you a stipend for a membership based coworking space, too! Many remote companies do.)

If you’re interested in becoming a member, please fill out the form at hutchinsonyard.com and we’ll be in touch.

And for the month of November, get $100 off your first month by using code PALMETTOPARENTS100.

See you there!

Coastal Carolina Fair
October 29–November 8
Exchange Park, 9850 Highway 78, Ladson
Admission: $16.50 adults/teens, $7.75 kids 6–12, free for 5 and under | Unlimited ride wristbands $37.25

The Coastal Carolina Fair is back for its 69th year, and it’s one of the biggest family traditions in the Lowcountry. This year’s theme celebrates America’s 250th birthday, and you’ll find all the classics: amusement rides, live entertainment (concerts are free with gate admission), games, fair food, farm animals in the barn, and arts and crafts exhibits. There’s a ton of special events and you can see what is featured each day here.

Here’s our best piece of advice: go sooner rather than later, and aim for a weekday afternoon if you can. After talking with staff at the fair, we learned that attendance is significantly lower in the earlier days of the run than in the later days. So if a quieter visit sounds good, don’t wait until the final weekend. The hours change daily, so check here for the full schedule and if you can, plan to go on a weekday!

Trunk or Treat at Sip N’ Slide Play Cafe
Friday, October 30 | 4-6 PM
Sip N’ Slide Play Cafe, 977 Royle Rd, Ste D, Ladson

Looking for a lower-key Halloween option for the little ones? Sip N’ Slide is hosting a free Trunk or Treat and Halloween party. Bring your little boo for an evening of spooky fun, a costume contest, adorable crafts, festive treats, and picture-perfect moments, with a face painter and photographer onsite. It’s a great fit for younger kids who want the costumes-and-candy fun in a contained, welcoming spot.

And right next door, Hive Athletics is throwing a spook-tacular Halloween party of their own for tweens. Come dressed in your favorite costume and celebrate with music, treats, and games. Two festive stops in one trip, which is always a win with little ones in tow.

We went to El Rodeo back in June of 2025 when they first opened, and while we remembered having a good experience, nothing about it stood out as out of the ordinary. We went back this week mostly out of convenience, it fit nicely with a few other errands we had to run, and at 39 weeks pregnant, let’s just say the motivation to cook has officially left the building. What we didn’t expect was to leave as full-on converts.

I keep seeing people online recommend El Rodeo as one of the top Mexican spots in Summerville, and now I get it. The servers greeted us quickly, and the chips were unbelievable. Our family went through three baskets before the food even arrived. (And let’s be real, a Mexican place without free chips is not the place for growing families and pregnant women.)

The food took slightly longer than some of our other favorite Mexican places in town, but it was well worth the wait. Daniel got the al pastor tacos and savored every bite. I got the chicken and shrimp fajitas, and they are now officially my favorite fajitas in Summerville. The boys had their classic enchiladas with rice and beans and were perfectly happy. We’re already planning to make this a more regular stop.

El Rodeo is somewhat tucked away near the intersection of Old Trolley and Bacons Bridge, so it’s easy to drive right past. But if you want a casual, delicious dinner, keep it on your list. El Rodeo is at 1001 Bacons Bridge Rd, Summerville. Hours are Monday–Thursday 11am–9pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–10pm, and closed on Sunday.

For a little over two and a half years, our youngest has been the baby of the family. He's the one we still call "the baby" without even thinking about it. Any day now, that changes.

Most of the advice I've read about bringing home a new baby is about the oldest child, the one who's used to being the only one. This time around, I keep thinking about the one in the middle. My 4-year-old already knows what it's like to share us with a younger sibling. My 2-year-old has never had to.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a helpful page on preparing your family for a new baby, and one part stuck with me. It says regression is common in preschoolers when a sibling arrives. That was a good reminder for me. When you're exhausted with a newborn, it's really easy to expect the 2-year-old to suddenly act like a big kid. But he isn't a big kid. He's 2. He's just not the smallest anymore.

So this is what we're hoping to do, knowing full well that newborn life rarely goes to plan. We want to protect a little one-on-one time with him, even if it's just ten minutes of books while the baby sleeps. We want to give him a real job, like bringing a diaper or picking out the baby's socks, so he feels like part of the team. If he wants to be carried a little more or snuggled a little longer, we're going to let him. He'll always be my baby in some way. He's just about to be a big brother, too.

I'd love to hear from you: if you've gone from two kids to three, how did your middle child handle it? What helped?

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

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