Soda City

Currently in: Charleston, SC
Next Up: Savannah, GA
Heading to Florida

Yesterday we were in Columbia, SC with a terrific tour guide, our niece Julie Wiemerslage.  She is a GA for the cross country and track teams at the University of South Carolina.

COLA is the abbreviation for the city of Columbia.  Hence, the nickname Soda City.  Clever.

First, we checked out the Soda City Market.  It is a farmer's market plus a venue for crafters and artists.  There were also several food trucks and other bakery booths.  All in downtown Columbia! Look hard and you can see the capitol building in this photo of Johnny and Julie.

After brunch, we decided to visit Sesquicentennial State Park, also known as "Sesqui".  What a beautiful place!  It was built in 1937 by the Conservation Corps as part of FDR's New Deal.  The name honors South Carolina's statehood.
Julie told us she runs here on a regular basis.  We hiked (let's be honest, a nature walk) around this lake.

The picnic shelters had actual fireplaces in them, and fires were burning on this chilly fall day.  I didn't snap a photo since there were a lot of kids around and I didn't want to freak anyone out.  But I had never seen this before and thought it was a great idea.

Then we saw this cool bridge.

Awww-such a cute couple

Julie did some research on turtles when she was in college, and low and behold, look who was waiting for us.  Little guys on the lower logs below.

After the great hike and excitement of the turtles, Johnny declared "we deserve a cocktail!".  Julie suggested a restaurant in the Vista area of Columbia that they are trying to gentrify.  It was an area of old warehouses, some dating from the post Civil War.  It is now a fun area of shopping and restaurants.  Given that the Gamecocks had just beaten Florida Gators at home, the place was hopping!  And fun.

Thank you Julie!