I love family and I love to travel so when these two things combine, it’s always a treat! This year for the Dixon family vacation we focused on finding a place that had fun activities for all ages, from Kaitlyn (10), to all the teenagers, to the adults. It was an extra special year because we also were kicking off the celebration of Mema and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary!
We also wanted a place to stay together, because with extended family travel, I feel some of the best bonding and conversations happen in the in between times: coffee in the morning, down time in the afternoon, or game playing at night. The Montage Palmetto Bluff checked all our boxes and had a home available that could fit us all. With that, we were pumped to spend 5 days exploring the beautiful low country of South Carolina.
Arrival day went smoothly because they were able to accommodate us for a 2:00 check-in. The house we stayed at was is Moreland Village and our jaws dropped when we entered; it must have been brand new!
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We filtered into our rooms to unpack before heading to our 5:00 dinner reservation at Buffalo’s, an onsite restaurant in Wilson Village. It is an upscale casual spot with a variety of offerings, a good kid menu, and a great atmosphere for conversation. I had the Thai mussels and a few helpings of the complimentary bread- delicious!
After dinner we stopped by the recreation area to pick up bikes for the week and part of our crew biked the few (flat) miles back to the house. We changed into bathing suits and headed back out for our first adventure, a full moon kayak tour.
The full moon kayaking tour is only offered (you guessed it) when there is a full moon and ours was almost cancelled due to rain that moved through, but they made it happen and I’m so glad! It was so peaceful and gorgeous out on the water at night. It was a gentle kayak ride, and though we only saw glimpses of the moon, it was still one of Hailey’s favorite highlights of the trip.
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Being that we didn’t make it home and into bed until close to midnight, the next morning was a slow one. We let the kids sleep in while the adults made coffee and chatted on the screened in porch. I took the opportunity to sneak away to the spa. I had booked a facial to address some dermatitis I’ve been experiencing on my face and arrived early to enjoy the amenities. Sauna, cold plunge, and a shower later, I was already feeling pampered, even before my hydrafacial (which was wonderfully effective).
We ate lunch at the house and spent the day picking up our golf cart rentals, swimming, getting ice cream in Wilson Village, and then getting ready for the Oyster Roast. This was an event I was most looking forward to and it came through with flying colors. What a special night!
The edge of the river and marsh was adorned with twinkly lights and had a four story treehouse . Ray Ray, the oyster queen, was personable as could be and made it an interactive event, allowing my nieces and nephews shuck and try oysters for the first time. The late afternoon rain had moved through, making for a clear and comfortable evening, and the food was delicious.
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The next day was shooting club today. Only a couple miles away, the Palmetto Shooting Club was the origin of our interest in staying at The Montage. Our group had shot shotguns together in Vermejo and everyone had enjoyed it so much that it was at the top of the wish list to do again.
We had two activities planned: five stand shotguns and clays, followed by a sportsman experience that included rifles, ax throwing, slingshots, and archery. It was a hot day, but we had shaded spaces and excellent, hands-on guides to help us through it all.
As expected, everyone absolutely loved the experience. Shotguns were a big hit for the big kids and Hailey and Kaitlyn loved the rifles because there were multiple targets and the guns were lighter and on a tabletop. We ate a picnic lunch between events and it was the highlight of the trip for many!
That night we had a family dinner at The Octagon, a restaurant in the main inn. The server was very nice but the food left a lot to be desired. I was actually quite surprised about that, but the “crispy Brussels” were still partially raw and the shrimp and grits I ordered was super sausage-heavy and had a lot of chewy parts. I don’t like to leave negative reviews, but just a heads up if you’re heading that way- opt for Buffalo’s or The River House (which I heard great things about but didn’t have the opportunity to try).
After dinner David, Hailey, Kaitlyn, and I took off exploring on bikes. There are a lot of trails and we took one randomly to bike through some of the residential villages. It was all so beautiful and time flew by. As the sun was starting to set we decided we should probably make our way home. We were crossing a bridge when we saw an alligator swimming- it ended up passing directly underneath us! It was both exhilarating and slightly terrifying, but a fun memory.
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The next morning we were all up early for a fishing adventure! We split onto two flat boat for the four hour tour. The morning was absolutely beautiful. We kicked things off by throwing out a net to capture bait fish and to the kids’ delight also pulled in a cannonball jellyfish. They don’t sting so we got to hold it.
We fished a few different spots throughout the morning and joked that we should have called it going sharking instead of fishing because that’s all we caught: a shovelhead shark, a black tip shark, and another type I can’t recall. They were all fairly small and we threw them all back but it made for such a fun morning. To just be out on the water was wonderful and the kids really enjoyed it.
We all came back with our fish stories (the other boat had a fish on the hook and a dolphin came and ate it right off the line!). It was Memorial Day and we all felt like moving our bodies so we did a family Murph. It was slightly modified but we ran, squatted, did push ups and sit ups as a reminder of what the day is about, paying respect to the men and women who died for our freedom.
That afternoon we showered up, ate chili and snacks at the house, and had a photographer come for family pictures. They offer a service where they provide a complimentary photographer, then you just purchase the pictures you want. I think Mema has some great pictures to pick from for the Christmas card!
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The last day was wonderfully relaxing. We took our time getting moving in the morning and hit up the pool closest to us in Moreland Village. We swam laps, played monkey in the middle, and had hand stand contests. We took turns going on golf cart rides. We grabbed lunch at the nearby Cantina.
Mid-afternoon we rode bikes back to the main inn to return them and embark on our last adventure of the trip- a boat ride to Shark Tooth Island! It’s a 4-hour river cruise with a stop at Shark Tooth Island where you can hunt for shells, shark teeth and other ocean treasures. Our guide was full of fun tidbits and stories about the area and we even saw a large pod of dolphins swimming right near our boat.
We arrived to Shark Tooth Island early evening and the temperature was perfect. We wandered up and down the small beach searching for shark teeth and we all had success. It was Kaitlyn’s favorite adventure of the trip!
Watching the sunset as we cruised back to base was the perfect cherry on top of our adventurous and relaxing vacation. We all went our own ways the next morning with happy hearts. Thank you Mema and Grandpa for an incredible and memory-filled family getaway!
