Summerton, S.C.

(Photo by Anaylee Hough)

Reminiscing is a bittersweet feeling. With all the snow and gloom that we are getting here in the north recently, I can’t stop thinking about the sunny South. I went to South Carolina with my family to visit my great aunt, whom I’d never met before, in a small town called Summerton. My grandmother was born and raised there, and I had never been to the South before, so I was excited for a change in scenery as a girl from the city that never sleeps. 

With a population of less than 800 people and miles and miles of fields and grass, Summerton was two hours away from the airport, and was definitely different from the polluted and bustling city of New York. The country was quiet with only a handful of cars passing by. Once my family and I got to my great aunt's house, my cousin welcomed us and told us that a guy down the road had just come over and gotten a snake that was slithering around the house for her. This is when I knew I wasn’t meant to be a southern belle. 

(Photo by Anaylee Hough)

(Photo by Anaylee Hough)

One of my favorite parts of the trip was trying the breakfast food chain Waffle House for the first time. I had heard so much about the franchise and had wanted to try it for so long. I prefer pancakes over waffles, but my yearning to try Waffle House overcame that. The waffles tasted like cakes, the eggs were hot and cheesy and the sausage links were juicy. It was the perfect breakfast platter. Waffle House had a variety of different breakfast foods to eat, and it was a good amount of food for such a low price! Simply thinking about it makes my mouth water. I crave it almost all the time now. 

On the two-hour ride to Summerton, I passed by many fields with farm animals. Seeing horses on the side of the road was very amusing. My little sister and I were so excited. My grandmother told me stories about how she lived on a farm and had to cater to animals. I personally wouldn’t have the ability to live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but it seems like it would be a fun thing to experience. 

(Photo by Anaylee Hough)

(Photo by Anaylee Hough)

After leaving Summerton, the real vacation began. Another two-hour drive, and my family and I made it to Myrtle Beach. We stayed at a hotel named Caribbean Resort with an ocean view. The pool and beach were one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was the middle of September, and the area was still very much active with tourists. The weather was perfect, not too hot with a nice breeze. Since my trip was during September classes were in session. I still had assignments to do, so I was getting those done while in my bathing suit. School always comes before fun!

A couple of blocks down from the hotel was a huge ferris wheel called the SkyWheel. The ferris wheel is almost 200 feet tall, and you can definitely feel it while you're on it. It’s right by the beach, so it becomes even more intimidating at the top. I went at night, which added an extra scary feeling just seeing pure darkness below the water. There's a button in the middle of the cart that you can press at any time to get off. My aunt's fear of heights overcame her, and she ended up pressing it. It wasn’t fun for her, but I surely enjoyed it. 

South Carolina showed me a different experience that I wasn’t used to. I was able to go deep in the South, where tourism was scarce. This made the whole experience feel more authentic. I was able to meet family members that I’ve never met before that I would always hear so much about growing up. Even though I personally wouldn’t reside in the South, it definitely left an impression on me that I will always hold dearly.