East Coast Connections: Visiting Sisters and Cousins in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida
October 2025
In two weeks I drove 900 miles from Cornelius, NC, to Fort Lauderdale, FL, with stops along the way in Asheville, Charleston, Hilton Head Island, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Naples to visit my two sisters and a handful of cousins. Other highlights included sea turtles, tropical birds, alligators, perfect weather, and beautiful scenery.
I flew into Charlotte and out of Fort Lauderdale.
Cornelius, NC
Sister Kelly lives on Lake Norman in Cornelius, NC, near Charlotte. What a treat to sit on her deck each morning and watch the sun rise.
We explored the lake via kayak (me) and paddle board (Kelly).
Heading out for a sunset cruise on their boat
Sunset cruise on Lake Norman with sister Kelly and hubby, Captain Rob
It was the last cruise of the season, before the water level got too low to launch the boat (the dammed lake is drawn down in the winter).
The nearby town of Davidson, founded in 1837, has a nicely preserved downtown with many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
A tasty lunch at The Toastery in Davidson
Davidson College (2000 students) is highly selective, but says they admit without looking at your ability to pay, and then cover the shortfall without loans. They can do that because they have an endowment portfolio of $1.4 billion!
Hiking through a forest of pine and mixed hardwood (oak, maple, and hickory) in Lake Norman State Park. Eastern forests are beautiful, and an interesting contrast to the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Lunch with my nephew Levi and his girlfriend at his recently-purchased townhome.
Levi lives in Belmont, a cute town with a fun vibe and 264 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
Belmont Abbey was built in the late 1800s and is still home to a small community of monks.
Asheville, NC
A two-hour drive from Cornelius, Asheville is a beautiful town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its top draw is the Biltmore mansion, but I did not visit because tickets are pricey, and it only seemed worth going if I could spend the whole day there. I was more interested in seeing the town itself, and how it had fared since it was devastated by Hurricane Helene in September, 2024.
Setting up for Oktoberfest in Asheville's main square, called Pack Place
The Crossroads sculpture sits on a section of the old Buncombe Turnpike, a 75-mile toll road through the mountains, used from 1827 until 1869 to drive livestock and goods to markets.
I loved the progressive hippie vibe in Asheville. As part of Oktoberfest, craft booths were set up all over the compact, walkable downtown.
Asheville has a rich collection of Art Deco architecture from the 1920s and '30s, including the S & W Building.
Art deco lobby of the Arcade Building
Downtown Asheville is a delightful place for walking. The streets are lively with buskers, shops, and cafes.
The "Asheville Urban Trail" is a self-guided walking tour of downtown history and sights. Plaques embedded in the sidewalk tell the stories. The "Flat Iron" sculpture honors the city's 1927 Flatiron building (one of many triangular-shaped buildings worldwide that resemble old-fashioned clothing irons).
The Elder and Sage Community Garden is right in the heart of downtown Asheville.
The dome of the Basilica of St. Lawrence is reputed to be the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.
This sculpture honors Asheville's first Mountain Dance and Folk Festival held in 1927. The event still happens every August.
The boardinghouse where Thomas Wolfe grew up. He wrote about it in his book "Look Homeward, Angel."
The River Arts District (RAD) was hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September, 2024. A year later, many studios are still boarded up and fenced off, awaiting restoration.
The French Broad River rose almost 25 feet above normal during the flooding, damaging or carrying away nearly 10,000 homes and shops in the Asheville area. 80% of the buildings in the River Arts District were damaged or destroyed.
A bridge along the river trail. The bridge survived the flooding, but parts of the trail were washed away.
The arts community is working to help heal the trauma of the flooding.
"Tie a ribbon, let it go." Ritual can have the power to heal.
Studios higher on the hill were spared. The area is gentrifying, as you can see from the high-rise condos in the background, and one wonders how long the artists will be able to afford their studio rents.
The "Stay Weird" Silo is a prominent mural in the River Arts District. It made me smile to see the wise quote from Seattle's Chief Sealth.
Hilton Head Island, SC
Kelly drove us 4.5 hours in her Bronco Sport (love the color!) to our sister Susan's on Hilton Head Island.
Hilton Head Island sits in the southeast corner of South Carolina, just north of Savannah. It's shaped like a shoe! It's a popular tourist destination, and the year-round population of 38,000 can swell to 150,000 in the summer.
Crossing the Intracoastal Waterway to Hilton Head Island
Sisters! This is the first time we've ever done a reunion with just the three of us. It was pretty wonderful. (I also have two brothers. I'm the eldest.)
Hilton Head Island is an important nesting site for endangered sea turtles. Trained volunteers patrol the beach every night during nesting and hatching season. When they find a nest, they fence it off to protect it.
I got very lucky and arrived just in time to watch a Green Sea Turtle nest inventory. Here we are waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.
Three days after a hatching, Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers dig up the nest to gather data. They count the empty egg casings, stragglers that haven't emerged yet, and any turtles that have died, and collect DNA samples to track maternity and paternity. Everything is then put back in the nest hole and buried.
Diorama showing the anatomy of a sea turtle nest, and how the hatchlings dig their way to the surface. The eggs are about the size of a ping pong ball.
Sadly, not all of the turtles make it out alive.
Harvest moon rising over the dunes on Hilton Head Island
Regulations aim to protect the dunes and marshes from development pressure.
Alligator! These cold-blooded reptiles rely on external sources like the sun to get warm. They "brumate" (like hibernation) in cold weather. They very rarely bite people without cause. (They are fond of small dogs, however.)
My first bike ride in over 35 years! The long, flat beach was perfect for cruising.
In about 1965, my dad took this picture of my sisters and me at the beach. My brother asked us to recreate the photo...
Here we are 60 years later, still friends, still healthy, very lucky.
Dinner at Hudsons, a casual seafood eatery on a dock. I had coconut shrimp!
Broad Creek bisects the island and has numerous side canals.
Boardwalk trail at Shelter Cove
Hilton Head Island is a naturalist's paradise, with a variety of habitats and critters. Here, white ibis feed at the edge of a saltwater marsh.
Juvenile or female anhinga (mature males have black necks). These freshwater birds are about three feet tall and dive for fish, which they spear with their dagger-like bills. They float low in the water, with only their long necks visible, earning them the nickname "snake bird."
Hiking in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve, through a Maritime Forest (a coastal woodland that grows behind dunes or salt marshes and is adaptated to harsh conditions like salt spray, strong winds, and periodic flooding). Shrubby palmetto dot the forest floor.
The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans who developed a unique culture, language (Gullah), and traditions in the Lowcountry region of the coastal southeastern United States. The poverty among some Gullah Geechee communities is a result of a long history of systemic issues, including land loss due to gentrification and development.
Sweetgrass fanner basket used for winnowing rice. These traditional baskets are made by the Gullah people.
At Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, I learned about the first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people, founded in 1862. None of the homes are still standing, but the exhibits include photos.
At its height, Mitchelville was a thriving town of 3000 residents.
Live oaks at the Coastal Discovery Museum, a 70-acre property with a museum and trails showcasing Hilton Head Island's history, art, culture, wildlife, and environment.
Live oak are so-called because they stay green year round. Spanish moss is actually a non-parasitic epiphyte (air plant).
The coastal salt marsh ecosystem is one of the most productive on Earth and serves as a nursery for oysters, crabs, fish, and other creatures. Marshes are also nature's water filters, removing sediment and pollutants before they enter coastal waters.
A well-camouflaged tri-colored heron hunting in the salt marsh. These mainly fish-eating birds are about half the size of a great blue heron.
Dredge hauler working offshore. Every 8 to 10 years dredgers add sand to the beach to offset natural erosion.
This is called "beach renourishment."
Fresh shrimp for sale at a roadside stand
Charleston, SC
We drove two hours to Charleston to visit my niece, who goes to college there.
College of Charleston
Rainbow Row is a colorful street of beautifully-restored Georgian houses built in the 1700s and painted pastel colors in the early 1900s.
Live oaks grace Battery Park. Charleston was basically built on a swamp and the sea wants to reclaim it. The Battery seawall was erected in the late 1800s for protection against waves and tides. However, Charleston is sinking (due to groundwater extraction and natural geological processes) and the sea level is rising (13 inches in the past 100 years). Streets regularly flood during high tides or storms.
Charleston is famous for its stately antebellum (pre-Civil War) mansions. The Porcher Simonds House dates from 1856.
The Roper House is considered one of the most significant Greek Revival homes in Charleston. It was built in 1838 for (you guessed it) a cotton plantation owner.
This home was built around 1858 by Louis DeSaussure, a wealthy businessman of French Huguenot ancestry.
Downtown Charleston is an architectural delight.
Florida
I rented a car, said goodbye to sister Susan, and drove 3.5 hours south to Jacksonville, Florida, where I met my second cousin once removed, Amanda, and her husband Andrew for lunch at Grumpy's diner (tuna melt!). Young people like them give me hope for the future: they are liberal and compassionate and wonderful parents.
Tampa, FL
Another 3.5 hours got me to my first cousin Ellen's in Tampa, where we walked the beautiful 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk and happened upon a Fall Festival.
The Armature Works is a popular public hangout space at the north end of the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk was ramping up for Halloween.
We had lunch at the Columbia Cafe, founded in 1905.
The Cafe is famous for Cuban sandwiches and a chopped salad with ham, cheese, Romano, green olives, and a garlic dressing with Worcestershire. Both were delicious.
Tiki bar boats ply the river. In the background are the Moorish-inspired onion domes of the University of Tampa's Plant Hall, originally a hotel until it was repurposed in 1933.
Alas, we did not see any alligators on the Riverwalk.
But we did see one on the far side of the retention pond in Ellen's backyard! (Not visible in this photo.)
I was delighted to see a limpkin in Ellen's backyard, a new species for me. They stand over two feet tall, and their bill is adapted for removing apple snails from the shell. (photo credit HblairH, Wikipedia)
Riverview, FL
Grant's second cousin Trudy greeted me with a delicious homemade apple pie. Like me, she is a bird lover, and her home is filled with bird art.
She lives on the Alafia River near Tampa.
Trudy bought her place many years ago, when it was affordable. Surprisingly progressive taxation allows her to stay here despite rising property values and mega mansion development along the river. I loved her house and would choose it over a mansion any day.
She took me out birdwatching in her boat.
"Bird islands" in Tampa Bay are created from sediment dredged to deepen and widen boat channels, and are protected habitat for nesting birds. We chatted briefly with one of the guys on the dredger, who proudly told us they were pumping sand onto the island "for the birds."
Trudy docking the boat for our lunch stop.
Lunch at Jerry's Dockside Bar and Grill
My grouper sandwich was excellent (similar to halibut).
In the evening, brother Chip took us out on his pontoon boat on a lake where hundreds of birds fly in at dusk to roost on a small island for the night.
White ibis streaming in to the island at dusk
Around 15 species of birds share the island each night. They squawk and squabble and jockey for position, festooning the tree branches like ornaments.
Several hundred birds settle in for the night as the sun sets.
Naples, FL
Jim is my dad's first cousin. His daughter, Jill, and I are second cousins. The purple glow is from her amazing saltwater aquarium.
Jill and her husband hosted us for dinner. Next to me is Jim's girlfriend, Gloria (Jim is widowed).
I loved Corkscrew Swamp's 2.25-mile boardwalk through old growth cypress swamps and meadows.
The native sunflowers only bloom for one week a year, and this was the week!
The bees love the sunflowers too.
The large-leaved plants are called Alligator flag. They have purple flowers.
Corkscrew Swamp is home to the largest tract of virgin bald cypress in the world (never been disturbed or logged by humans).
Lily pond at the Naples Botanical Garden
Purple water lily
Lizards are everywhere in Florida.
Orchid at the Naples Botanical Garden
Dinner at Coconut Jacks in Bonita Bay
Jim and Gloria with their baskets of coconut shrimp and scallops
A line of pelicans skims the water as the sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico.
The beach isn't sand -- it's shells!
Alligator Alley, FL
Alligator Alley (aka Everglades Parkway) is an 80-mile stretch of road connecting Naples and Fort Lauderdale. I did not see any alligators (winter is the best time to see them), but this sculpture shows how big they get!
The Evergrades Elevated Boardwalk is a beautiful new facility at a rest area along Alligator Alley, with native habitat, interpretive signs, and views of the Everglades from a tower.
A viewing tower is surrounded by restored native habitat.
From the tower you can see the Everglades' river of grass stretching for miles to the south tip of mainland Florida.
A group of vultures is called a committee.
Invasive critters in the Everglades
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the trip!