Good morning, Palmetto Parents!

As my boys headed back to school this week, I definitely experienced the full spectrum of emotions. There was excitement, a little overwhelm as we gathered supplies and packed lunches each morning, a bit of sadness as I dropped them both off together for the first time and came home to a quiet house, and even some relief to have a little time to myself. Parenting truly is a whirlwind of emotions!

Coming up this week, we're excited to share details about Pine Trace Park's first birthday celebration (more on that in the Events section). And don't forget that this Thursday is Third Thursday in downtown Summerville! This month's theme is Summer Nights in Summerville, and you can expect crafts, food vendors, live music, and plenty of community fun from 5:30–8:30pm.

You'll also want to mark your calendars for the annual Sweet Tea Festival, happening on Saturday, September 19. We'll have more to share about that event in the coming weeks.

We hope you all have a wonderful week and find plenty of ways to stay cool as these summer temperatures continue!

If Francis Beidler Forest was a hit when we wrote about it a couple of weeks ago, this is the next one on that list — and it's a little closer to home.

Old Santee Canal Park is at 900 Stony Landing Road in Moncks Corner, roughly half an hour from downtown Summerville. There are more than six miles of trails, four of them elevated boardwalk running out over the backwaters of Biggin Creek. Under a cypress canopy it stays noticeably cooler than open ground, and a boardwalk means no roots, no mud, and no wrestling a stroller through sand.

The park exists because this is where the first true canal in America was dug, which is a hard sell to a four-year-old right up until you're standing on a bridge over a swamp looking for turtles. There's an Interpretive Center with the canal's history and a gift shop, and it's indoors and air conditioned, which in August is the real headline. The Stony Landing House, built in 1843, sits on the property too.

Admission is $5 per person, $3 for seniors, AAA members, and military, and free for kids 6 and under. With our two, that makes it a $10 morning. The park is open daily, 9am to 5pm.

Two important notes: This is a swamp in August, so go close to opening and bring bug spray — the shade handles the heat and does nothing whatsoever about the mosquitoes. And they do rent canoes out of the Interpretive Center, but I couldn't find current rates posted anywhere, so call 843-899-5200 first if that's the part your kids are excited about. They just updated the canoe shed this summer so it can be a great experience for everyone!

This one is on our list for a Saturday soon. If you beat us there, tell me how it went!

Being a mom doesn't mean your fitness has to wait! FIT4MOM makes it easy and fun to move your body with your little ones right alongside you.

Classes now run four days a week — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday — with three formats to choose from. Stroller Strides blends cardio and strength for a full-body workout you can do stroller-side. Stroller Barre brings barre-inspired toning and balance. And the newest class, Strides 360, focuses on endurance and agility to take things up a notch.

Want to try it with zero risk? Next Wednesday, 8/19 at 9:30am, FIT4MOM is hosting a super-fun 2000s Throwback class — a combo of all three formats. It's completely free and open to all, so it's the perfect time to give FIT4MOM a try! You'll also connect with wonderful local community partners who've donated great prizes to give away. Register here.

It's been so fun to watch this community grow, and it's such a great inspiration to get your body moving. Honestly, it's the only thing that's kept me motivated to work out during this pregnancy!

Grab a friend, bring the kids, and come find your village.

It's hard to believe, but Pine Trace Park is turning one. The county cut the ribbon on Dorchester's newest park last August, and this weekend it hits its first birthday which is a milestone worth celebrating, because for our family, Pine Trace has honestly been one of the best things to happen to Summerville in the past year!

We most often go for the playground. The shaded, inclusive play area has been our go-to for playdates on more mornings than we can count. But we’ve also used the park for much more. We've used the pavilions for potluck get-togethers with other families — there's something so easy about telling everyone "just meet us at the park" and letting the kids run while the grown-ups actually get to talk. We've rented a kayak for $5 and paddled around the pond, which feels like a small adventure without ever leaving town. We’ve gone fishing on the pond. And our dog has even had some outings there at the fenced in dog park near the entrance!

Part of what makes it all work is how genuinely welcoming the space is. There's easy access to clean bathrooms and water, and if you ever need a hand with anything, there's always staff around who are happy to help. As anyone hauling a diaper bag, a cooler, and a couple of small humans knows, those little logistics are the difference between a great morning and a rough one — and Pine Trace gets them right.

And we still haven’t done it all! Those roughly five miles of wooded trails are still mostly waiting on us, and exploring more of them is high on our list for this fall when the weather finally turns. That's the thing about a 306-acre park — a year in, and we feel like we've still only scratched the surface.

If there's one practical takeaway from our first year here, it's this: we have absolutely gotten our money's worth out of the Dorchester County Parks annual pass, especially now that it covers both Pine Trace and Ashley River Park. Between the two parks and all the programming they run, it's paid for itself many times over. (If you'd rather just go for the day, admission is $2 per person for ages 3 and up.)

So how to celebrate it’s first birthday? Head out to the park tomorrow, August 15th between 10am-2pm for a super special celebration hosted by Dorchester County Parks! Go to the Honeycup Shelter (right next to the kids’ park). The first 100 guests will be treated to free ice cream! There will be birthday themes crafts and games and activities for kids of all ages.

You'll find the park at 303 Chandler Creek Road, just off Miles Jamison Road. Here's to a wonderful first year, Pine Trace — and to all the fun times still ahead of us!

When Daniel and I first moved to Summerville, the restaurant scene looked very different than it does today. There weren't nearly as many options, and Low Country Fish Camp quickly became one of our go-to spots whether we were celebrating date night or taking out-of-town guests somewhere that really captured the flavors of the Lowcountry.

Over the years, Summerville has welcomed dozens of wonderful new restaurants, but recently we looked at each other and said, "We really need to go back."

For Daniel, the Shrimp & Grits are still some of the best he's ever had. Made with stone-ground grits, a rich tasso cream sauce, and pepper jack cheese, it's the dish he compares every other shrimp and grits to. I almost always order the grilled shrimp, and I honestly can't remember ever having a bad meal there.

One thing we especially love is the atmosphere. Most of the seating is outdoors beneath large covered porches, giving the restaurant a relaxed feel that's kid-friendly. It's easy to enjoy a meal while the kids stay entertained by the open-air setting.

The kids' menu is well done, too. There’s kid favorites like chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and pasta, along with options that let little ones branch out, including fried shrimp and fried flounder. In fact, I still remember introducing our oldest to his very first fried fish here and watching him happily devour it.

Beyond the shrimp and grits, the menu is packed with Lowcountry favorites. Fried seafood platters, po' boys, grouper bites, buffalo shrimp, shrimp-and-grits spring rolls, fresh salads topped with seafood, and seasonal seafood specials all make appearances throughout the year. If you're craving classic Southern seafood done well, this is one of the best places in town to satisfy it.

Low Country Fish Camp opened on Central Avenue with the goal of serving fresh seafood in a laid-back setting that celebrates Lowcountry cooking. Its popularity has grown so much that the owners have since expanded with a second concept, Low Country Public House, just down the road.

You'll find Low Country Fish Camp at 903 Central Avenue in Summerville. They're open Tuesday from 11am–8pm, Wednesday through Saturday from 11am–9pm, and Sunday from 11am–3pm (closed Mondays). If you're looking for a restaurant that feels quintessentially Lowcountry—and one that's just as good for a date night as it is for dinner with the kids—this longtime local favorite is well worth a visit.

I came across this poem by Rachel Beachy this week, and it made me smile because of how relatable it was.

As both of my boys started school this year, I wasn't prepared for just how quiet the house would feel. There are things I enjoy about having a little uninterrupted time like drinking my coffee while it's still hot, running errands more quickly, actually finishing a thought. But even in those moments, I find myself wondering what they're doing.

Are they making a new friend? Did they eat enough lunch? Are they remembering to use their manners? Are they having fun?

It's funny how motherhood works. Even when they're exactly where they're supposed to be, they're never very far from our minds.

Reading this poem also reminded me that these school years are full of little moments that become memories. Packing lunches, hearing about recess on the drive home, watching backpacks slowly get dirtier as the year goes on… none of them feel extraordinary in the moment, but together they become the story of a childhood.

So if you're sending little ones off this year, whether it's for the first time or the fifteenth, I hope this encourages you like it encouraged me. It's okay to enjoy the quiet house for a few hours. It's okay to miss them, too. Those two feelings can exist at the same time. And if you find yourself smiling because something reminds you of them while they're away... I have a feeling you're in pretty good company!

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

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