Last month, I sat on the beach at Tybee Island, Ga., and worked on getting a nice sunburn (mission accomplished) while squishing sand between my toes.
I wish I never had to go home.
How many times a day do silly island residents drive by that beach without giving it a second glance? If such people exist, no doubt the sun has bleached their tiny little brains, I thought.
But it made me wonder: Which North Augusta attractions might tourists have stashed in their photo albums that residents take for granted?
Armed with a stack of brochures from the Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce and the welcome center, my children and I set out for a day of sightseeing in North Augusta on the Fourth of July.
LESSON 1: If you want to get the true flavor of a city, don't do it on a holiday. Most of the shops and restaurants will be closed.
Instead of juicy SNO-CAP Drive-In hamburgers and an ice-cold jug of root beer, we took Subway sandwiches to Living History Park.
My attempt to impress history and culture on my children at the park was surpassed by 10-year-old Catie's discovery of the "zingaliciousness" of apples sandwiched between salt-and-vinegar potato chips.
Afterward, we drove out to Gurosik's Berry Plantation because Catie really wanted strawberries. Finding it closed, we ventured off the beaten path in search of a boat ramp or a park. We found neither before the McCormick County line. Oops.
LESSON 2: You can still get lost in a town you know well. Having a city map never hurts.
Luckily, I had bought one just in case we decided to stray from the beaten path. (Lesson 2B: Kids don't like to stray from the beaten path.)
"Now can we go to Pink Dipper?" they wailed as we wandered back to civilization.
Out of ideas and saving the best for last, we stopped at the ice cream parlor and bought three waffle cones, which we ate while walking down the Greeneway.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
LESSON 3: Ice cream is no match for 90-something-degree heat, even if you're strolling down a shaded path.
As bubble gum ice cream began to dye Catie's new tennis shoes pink and dribbled down 13-year-old Christopher's blue shirt, he wisely remarked, "If you're going to eat ice cream and walk down the Greeneway, you should wear a shirt the same color as your ice cream."
Like good tourists, it seemed, we didn't stop eating.
After we tried to scrub the pink goo out of our clothes and off Catie's shoes, we hoped no one would notice the dribbles as we joined my mom, my sister and her family at Ryan's for dinner. Then we all headed off to see the fireworks at the GreenJjackets game, as we'd planned all week.
The most important thing I learned was that vacation is a state of mind more than a place.
Time stands just as still while you're watching the creek trickle through Living History Park as it does when the ocean washes over your toes. Getting lost is just as exasperating and thrilling in the wilds of Edgefield County as it is in downtown Savannah during a severe thunderstorm.
OK, maybe not quite so thrilling, but close. Ignore schedules, see something new and enjoy being together -- and you have a vacation.
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
