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Travel Guide to Charleston, South Carolina | Travel Blogger

November 19, 2019

Oh my, there is so much to say about how much I loved Charleston!! The scenery, the architecture, the food, the culture, all of it was so amazing!! I have always wanted to see trees with the Spanish Moss, and it was my absolute favorite!!! The first three days that I was there, I was at The Rise Business Conference (watch for future posts about that!), and I was so antsy to see the area! On the last day of the conference, we walked around for lunch, and I saw my first tree with Spanish Moss, and I couldn’t wait to start exploring the next day!!

Usually, when I travel, I am so bad at getting a plan and an itinerary, I know if I planned more I would be able to see a lot more of the area. I started organizing the places I wanted to see in Apple Maps during the breaks in the conference. You can create Collections in the app and then have all of the spots pinpointed on the map. It was super helpful to plan the activities based on the locations. I usually fly by the seat of my pants and probably waste time driving all over the place to see the things that I want.

Once the conference was over, we only had two full days, and I definitely could have done at least two more! We visited in November, so it got dark at 5:20 so that limited our day. I wish I could travel all day in the golden hour! I always plan the things that I am most excited about in the early morning or right before sunset. The weather in November is perfect, it was not too hot, and adding a jacket at night made it just right with the temperature.

We rented a car for these two days, which I think is a must! All of the plantations and sites were a bit spaced out. Driving around was super easy to navigate and way easy to drive downtown.

Day 1

First stop, Magnolia Plantation. Since we had a time limit, we didn’t spend much time at each location. We could have spent several more hours here. We walked through the gardens, and it took us about an hour and a half to get through. The Camellia Trees were starting to bloom, and they were so beautiful. I love flowering trees, and these were some of my favorites!! And the Spanish Moss on the trees along the river?? Oh my, so dreamy!! I was dying to do a photo session. I need a cute couple or family to always travel with me!! Any takers?! Your cheeks would hurt by the end of the day!

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Kiawah Island. My mom is a travel agent and a golfer, so she wanted to tour the 2021 PGA golf course, The Ocean Course. The drive to the golf course was so incredible, and the homes were all so beautiful! Before you get to all of the golf courses, there is an access point to the beach. Kiawah Beachwalker Park is the perfect place to get to the beach, and you could stroll all day looking at the various golf courses and homes.

On the way back to the city, we stopped at Angel Oak Tree, and it was so neat!! It is such an enormous, beautiful tree. We got there right before it closed, and with the thick tree canopy, I would have tried to get there a bit earlier to have a little more light.

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We ended the day with a walk along the Battery, one of my favorite things to do is to take a long walk along the ocean, whether on the beach, boardwalk or pier, I love it! We had beautiful views of the harbor and the cool old mansions on Battery Street.

We picked up our car on this day, so we had a late start to our day, I would have loved to go to the Charleston Tea Plantation, it looks pretty picturesque too! If we would have started earlier, we could have stopped and had a quick tour.

For dinner, we went to a little southern bbq place on the side of the road. It was a fun environment!

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Day 2
We started the day at Cypress Gardens, and we arrived right when it opened, which is what I would recommend. I just loved visiting Cypress Gardens, and it was such an excellent experience. It was probably my favorite thing in Charleston and on the top of the list of favorite things that I have done while traveling! We did a self-guided boat tour, which was free after paying the admission of $10 per person to get in. It was so unbelievable and peaceful!! I highly recommend going and paddling around on your own. Arrows lined the path, and there was no way to get lost!! We paddled around for 45-60 minutes. We were the first ones out on the boats, and it was so peaceful! Paddling through the trees was soooo magical!!! We saw turtles, beautiful birds, and ALLIGATORS!! At first, I was a bit terrified, but they were sunning themselves on the logs, and didn’t even care that we got close in the boats! The baby alligators, on the other hand, scared the crap out of us!! After we boated around, we walked all around the swamp on the boardwalks, and we spooked several babies back into the water. We may have screamed and jumped a bit!! If we had had more time, I would have gone around again. And then probably another time! I could have spent an entire day there. They also have a little aquarium and butterfly garden to visit. I can not wait to come back with Cole. It was seriously my favorite. It will probably be the first thing that I do on my next trip to Charleston!!
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Boone Hall Plantation. I think the primary draw for this plantation is the Oak covered driveway. It is so amazing!! Eighty-eight beautiful giant oak trees line the long driveway, and they originated in the 1700s! It takes 150 years for the trees to start canopying, Spanish Moss draped over all of the branches, and it was breathtaking. I wanted to bring some home in my suitcase for my wreath making! One of my favorite things was watching the women weave the baskets. I would have loved to take a Sweetgrass Basket weaving class! I wanted to buy one of the baskets. I thought they would be cheaper at the market, so I waited, but I shouldn’t have. The ones at the plantation were $80-$150, the ones in the market were $150-$600. You could easily spend a half-day here to learn all about it, but once again, with limited time, we just walked around the property a bit and did the house tour. I can only imagine how dreamy a wedding would be here!! Hollywood loves this plantation, several movies and shows took place on the grounds, the most popular ones are The Notebook, North and South, and a few other films.
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We ended our day walking around Rainbow Row, which is a must! It was so fun to walk around the bright colored homes! There were so many beautiful window boxes and cobblestone streets! We got to the City Market right as it was closing, so most of the vendors were gone, but we got a little taste of it.
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The Food
We had a lot of yummy Southern food!! I love Shrimp and Grits. I had that a few times, and now I have some more ideas for when I make it back at home.

Lunch
Goat. Sheep. Cow. I loooove Charcuterie boards, and this is their specialty!! If you are like me, you will enjoy this place!! I loved seeing the way that they plated their board! It was a favorite, and the ambiance was perfect!

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Dinner
Revival
An upscale modern take on southern food. We started with William Deas She Crab soup, and it was so rich and buttery, the crab in it was so fresh and fabulous, I love crab!! They had a delicious version of Shrimp and Grits, with forbidden black rice grits served over cherry tomato gravy.

The Darling Oyster Bar
Cute restaurant on King Street, we had to wait over an hour to be seated. It wasn’t my favorite, but I don’t think I am an Oyster connoisseur. I got their shrimp and grits, and that was good, but the Brussel sprouts stayed on the stove way too long. The Clam Chowder was inedible and very disappointing and if you love a good clam chowder don’t have high expectations.

Tattooed Moose
Traditional southern BBQ on the side of the road. Pretty good BBQ, delicious fries, and cornbread!

Filed Under: UncategorizedTagged With: Boone Hall Plantation, Boone Hall Plantation Wedding, Charleston, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston South Carolina, Charleston Travel Guide, Charleston Wedding Photographer, Cypress Gardens, Cypress Gardens Wedding, Magnolia Plantation, Magnolia Plantation Wedding, Rainbow Row Wedding, Travel Guide, Travel Photographer, Two Days in Charleston

The Kite Family | Cache Valley Family Photographer

November 6, 2019

Cache Valley Utah

 Family photo sessions are some of my favorite sessions as a photographer! I just love the Kite family!  I enjoy doing their family photos every year. We have grown so close, and  I love seeing their cute kids grow and see their fun personalities come out.  Lizzy always has the cutest style! I always look forward to their shoots, because I know that she will dress her family so cute, and have the perfect paring of colors and outfits. The colors she choose for this fall setting was perfect. I was obsessed with all their outfits! We did these photos at the end of August and I love when the green grass turns to yellow, it is my favorite. The grass does such a good job making the colors and outfits pop.

Northern Utah is one of the most beautiful locations for family photo sessions in Utah. I love Cache Valley and all the different scenery and seasons that this area has to offer. Every single photo session in that area produces the most beautiful images! I am always so happy with how all my photo sessions turn out there! I am so lucky to be a Cache Valley Family Photographer!

My 2020 schedule is filling up fast! You can visit my website or email me to hold your spot today at jessica@jessicasphoto.com.

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Filed Under: Family Photography, UncategorizedTagged With: Best Cache Valley Family Photographer, Best Utah Family Photographer, Best Utah Photographer, Cache Valley Family Photographer, Cache Valley Photographer, Fall Family Photos, family photographer, utah family photographer, Utah Photographer

Modern Maternity Session | Cache Valley Photographer

September 24, 2019

I loved everything about this shoot, when I finished I knew it would be one of my favorites!  Lexie and Landon are getting ready to welcome little boy number three into their family, I am soooo happy for them!  They have the cutest little boys, and can’t wait to meet their new little one. If you know Lexie, you know that she is incredibly talented, she is the florist and owner behind Carpe Diem Design, she creates the most stunning weddings, they are all so beautiful and unique!  She is a pro gardener and she harvests a lot of her flowers from what she grows in her yard.  I love Lexie’s modern style, her linen dresses are always some of my favorites, she got this beautiful one at Dillard’s from the Bryn Walker line, the color is so perfect

This shoot took place in August, when the greens were slowly transitioning into yellows and tans.  It is my favorite season when time begins to slow down a bit after a busy summer, the air gets a little crisper, harvesting begins and the days get a little shorter.  During the last few weeks I have been able to start wearing sweaters, I love being able to layer again!

This summer has been one of the craziest summers, and the craziness will continue into the fall.  I get home a bit earlier from shoots, so it seems to make life a little less stressful.  I was on the road a lot with shoots, I am so lucky to be able to photograph in so many unique and beautiful areas.  But there is nothing like coming home and having shoots in my favorite little valley.  I am so lucky to be able to call Cache Valley home.  This is one of my favorite places in the valley, I have been shooting at this location for over 9 years, and it never disappoints!  9 years ago I needed to find a spot for a shoot, and I couldn’t decide and I didn’t have time to go look around before the shoot.  Cole kindly went and scouted around and sent me photos of this spot and I knew it would be perfect!

My fall schedule is almost full to the brim, but I can fit a few more sessions in October, email me fast to hold your spot! jessica@jessicasphoto.com

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Filed Under: UncategorizedTagged With: Best Utah Family Photographer, Best Utah Photographer, Cache Valley Family Photographer, Cache Valley Maternity Photographer, Cache Valley Photographer, Fall Family Photos, family photographer, Logan Utah Family Photographer, Logan Utah Family Session, Logan Utah Photographer, Maternity Session, Mount Sterling Maternity Photos, Northern Utah Family Photographer, Utah Photographer

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Welcome

Hi, I’m Jessica! I am very passionate about photography, everything that I do revolves around my camera and creating exceptional photos for you to remember every stage of life. I have been a professional photographer for over 15 years, and I still get excited about every shoot. I love being creative and going on adventures, and I try to bring that experience into my shoots, by exploring the mountains, chasing the light, and helping you relax in front of the camera! Thanks for stopping by, let’s work together!

e: jessica@jessicasphoto.com

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