Palmettos and Pine

I spent last week drifting through a childhood memory. My family and I went on vacation to Kiawah Island, South Carolina; a place my grandparents, then my parents, then all of us used to vacation every year. However, once my parents had my little brother and my grandparents moved to Florida in 2008, we stopped going and hadn’t been back since.

My grandparents first started going to Kiawah in the early 90s with some friends who had a house there. Eventually they invited my parents to come, and it became a regular spot for us (poor folk). They liked Kiawah better than places like Hilton Head because of its remoteness, lack of commercialization, and incredible golf courses for my dad. And The Notebook was filmed on Seabrook Island next door, so like, that’s my reason.

Although Kiawah is much more well-known now, it still retains a lot of its private charm. I love its empty beaches, woods-y bike paths, and historic charm. I also love its palmetto and pine needle smell. Even though I was eleven the last time I was in Kiawah, that smell is so distinct that it brought back a wash of childhood nostalgia.   

This time around, I got to enjoy South Carolina for many more reasons than I did before. I went golfing with my dad nearby at Stono Ferry, a Revolutionary War battle site. I gawked over Charleston’s historic architecture and dreamed about owning one of the antebellum mansions someday. I stumbled upon a lookout tower on the island that I always tried to find as a kid.

Although this vacation was a little boring for nine-year-old Kai, I was content to be back to this spot where time moves slowly and the only thing to worry about is sand between your toes. I don’t think we’ll keep going back to Kiawah again every year like we used to, mostly because we still have my grandparents’ house in Florida. Hopefully, however, Kiawah will still be a time capsule in another ten.