Hey, Raleigh — Rachel here. 👋 I recently took a weekend road trip to Lake Murray in Columbia, SC (a ~4-hour drive from Raleigh). Along with some great drinks and a fabulous boat ride with the 6AM City Branded Content Studio, the main feature of the weekend was to see the Purple Martin Phenomenon on Lake Murray.

A close-up image of a Purple Martin | Photo via Visit Lake Murray

Each night from late June through the end of August, Purple Martins (a type of swallow with dark blackish-blue feathers) take flight on Lake Murray’s 12-acre Bomb Island. As the sky gets dark, 1 million+ birds return from their travels to find food throughout the day and fly spectacularly around the island.

This sanctuary provides the ideal layover for Purple Martins as they make the long journey south to their winter home in South America. It remains the largest roosting site in North America.

The Phenomenon occurs around sunset | Gif by the RALtoday team

As a person who doesn’t have the best track record with birds, even I can say this was an incredible way to experience animals thriving in their natural habitat. Plus, there are 600+ miles of coastline on the lake, which means there’s plenty to see along with the Purple Martins.

You can only see the Phenomenon by boat, and public ($99+) or private ($180+) boat tours can be booked via Visit Lake Murray. For this trip, Captain Kenny of Lake Murray Boat Rentals took us around the lake on his luxe pontoon boat ($180 for a 6-person, 2-hour tour).

Friday night sunset on Lake Murray | Photo by the RALtoday team

Lake Murray’s Bomb Island at sunset | Photo by the RALtoday team

What we tried (with pricing):

Before checking into my hotel room, I met up with the COLAtoday team + Chloe and Kayla of the Branded Content Studio at femme x Columbia, a local coworking space + social club, to work together on Friday.

Hotel Trundle offers an eclectic combination of new age and retro design | Photo by the RALtoday team

I stayed at Hotel Trundle, a whimsical boutique hotel in downtown Columbia. The central location (1224 Taylor St.) puts you close to some of the city’s best restaurants, bars + shopping — not to mention the Saturday morning Soda City Market. Bonus: Guests get to choose a welcome drink to get their getaway started properly. 🦄

Guests will find unicorns throughout the hotel, a symbol of the owner’s “unicorn opportunity” to open the hotel in 2016 | Gif by the RALtoday team

We had a nightcap at Lula Drake Wine Parlour, whose namesake has a mysterious story you’ll want to ask the bartenders about. #ProTip: Ask about food pairings and order some bites, like the Cacio e Pepe Gnudi, to enjoy with a glass of wine.

The food spread at Lula Drake | Photo by the RALtoday team

What we’re still talking about:

The Purple Martin Phenomenon, of course. #ProTip: Be sure to book a boat cruise ahead of time if you go this August. If you can’t make it for the Phenomenon, you can still go for a day cruise, sunset cruise or a booze cruise — the local experts at Visit Lake Murray can help you find the boat + tour (either public or private) that fits your party best.

What not to miss:

Schedule time before your cruise to grab dinner + drinks at Liberty on the Lake.

Gif by the RALtoday team

The 6AM City Branded Content Studio team on the boat | Photo by the RALtoday team

How you can experience this:

Book a boat cruise with Visit Lake Murray.

Gif by the RALtoday team

Things to know if you go:

Experience: A weekend road trip to Lake Murray in Columbia, SC
Price: Varies depending on weekend activities
Website: https://www.lakemurraycountry.com/
Address: 2184 North Lake Dr., Columbia, SC
Social: Facebook | Instagram Ⓟ