Road trip to Charleston

Today we ventured out to Charleston, SC to visit the SC aquarium as well as the sea turtle hospital that is also located there. What a great road trip! After about a 2.5 hour drive, we got there and laid witness to an absolutely breathtaking port. We went in and got some lunch and then explored the 1st floor for about 30 minutes (we could barely pull Kyleigh from the touch tank) and then waited for our hospital guide. I wondered how much our extra 30 bucks on top of admission would be worth it to see this, but we ended up getting so much more than we bargained for. Who knew below this aquarium busting with people were 8 sick sea turtles, most of them hit by boats, 2 of which were over 320 pounds! Being a proud biology nerd myself, I was completely in awe of being in the presence of these beautiful creatures. Our guide was great and took us turtle to turtle telling us their story and letting us take the time to spend with them. Reece, who we thought would love this most of all, was a little scared of these giants, but Kyleigh was ready to jump right in with them! I was so proud of her as I watched her listen and learn and take it all in as I was. I could tell it had the same impact on her as it did for me. We learned at the end that every penny of the tour money goes to help the turtles, which made me even more happy that we did it, although I have to say that the experience was priceless. The rest of the aquarium was great as well. Reece found some smaller turtles that she was very excited over and Kyleigh was thrilled to watch a live diving show where they feed the fish in what they boast is the largest tank in North America. Coming home with two very tired kids, I am humbled to have been in the presence of just a taste of what nature has to offer, and I find I have fallen in love with her all over again! Here are a few pictures from our fun day!