15 easy day trips from Cola 🚗

For some Soda Citizens, the Fourth of July on a Tuesday = a 4-day weekend. Whether you’re getting a bonus office holiday or burning vacation time today, you want to make it count. Because an extra day of •freedom• needs to be cherished + celebrated. 🇺🇸

Here’s an idea for how to spend the day ➡️ Hit the road. 🚗 We found this Google doc of 15 easy, in-state day trips from Columbia posted in the private buy/sell Facebook group MICIT, and we decided to divulge its secrets upon your inbox. 📩 (Here’s the link to join MICIT, but we’ve heard they’re not accepting new members. Try Miss-IT Columbia, SC or Minted - Columbia.)

Below are my top three picks for where in S.C. to escape for a few hours on a not-so-lazy summer day with your dog/kids/wife/boyfriend. (Pro tip: If you’re really inspired, you can hit all three destinations in one day.)

Deets: Have you ever seen a piano covered in buttons? What about a hearse? A car? A coffin? A bathtub? A denim suit? Me neither.

Deets: This is literally a man’s house on a country road with some pretty wacky hedges (makes me think of S-Town). It’s also a stop on the Green Book of South Carolina.

Deets: Stock up on fresh peaches, watermelon and apple butter at the market. Pro tip: Get a scoop of their homemade ice cream before exploring the antique museum.

See the rest of the day trips here.

I will make it to McLeod Farms at some point before Summer’s end for fresh peaches + ice cream… but after a June filled with weddings + weekend road trips, I’m relieved to report that I’ll be spending the rest of the Independence Day holiday on my back porch in Shandon – enjoying this absurdly delicious watermelon cake (funfetti with cream cheese frosting) that I won in Silver Spoon Bake Shop’s Instagram giveaway.

How I keep it cool in Cola heat: water-me-lawn 🍉

– Beth