I’m hopping on today with a long-overdue travel blog! I have been scrambling to find the time to write, but with a full-time bakery and brittle business, as well as being a full-time mom, it’s been super tough! Today, I am making the decision to put a few things on hold in order to work on this blog during naptime. I do plan to write an updated recap of everything we’ve been up to in the past month in the near future!
Back in June, we took our very first family vacation to Wild Dunes Resort. I was a bit nervous since our toddler had never stayed at a hotel before, but it ended up being one of the best times, and we made some of the most special memories. If you’re ever worried about the stress of a vacation, just do it! It wasn’t as stressful as I had imagined it to be in my mind, and he thrived completely out of his element and routine. I left wanting to plan more trips! The Sweetgrass Inn at Wild Dunes Resort was so kid-friendly and a great spot for family travels.
We were about five minutes away from Sweet Grass Inn at Wild Dunes Resort when we got a text that our room was ready early. We decided to hurry up and get a meal and some coffee in us before heading to the room. We stopped at Five Loaves Cafe to grab sandwiches and salads, and the food was so good! I rarely order kid’s meals since my son always wants what is on my plate, so we split a turkey club sandwich. Â
It is a MUST to always stop at Brown Fox Coffee Co on our way to Isle of Palms. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve probably seen my posts about it. I had their iced chai latte, and it was so good! It was perfect with my chai brittle on the side for my post-lunch sweet treat.  I have a little coffee lover on my hands.
We checked into the Sweetgrass Inn at 3 pm! Luckily, it’s only a 3 hours drive from Charlotte, and since we left during my son’s naptime, he slept the entire drive.Â
The view from our room was stunning! I absolutely love this resort, and it’s perfect for families! We headed straight to the beach and pool. There are so many different restaurants, sweet shops, pizza places, and activities to do. Next time, I want to spend an entire week there with my family.
This little guy LOVES the beach! The beach is a quick walk from the pool. You can also rent beach chairs for the day through the resort.
 He kept chasing the seagulls and picking up every large seashell he could find. The splash pad is where we spent most of the time. He could not get enough, and he met little friends while playing.
For our first night, we had dinner at the Oystercatcher down near the lobby. I remember the food being amazing the last time we stayed, but it was even more amazing this time! I could eat there for every meal!
 We started with house salads that had sweet baby gem, radicchio, apple vinaigrette, and fresh strawberries.Â
We had the best appetizers! We had roasted broccoli, which was flavorful, and thick bread with mozzarella, prosciutto, and pesto balsamic olive oil glaze. Again, we hardly ever order kids’ meals for our toddler, and we share everything we get with him. He was a big big fan of the roasted broccoli and bread.
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We both ordered the beef coulotte with duchess potato and cucumber. Everything was outstanding!Â
After dinner, we did bathtime, went on a night walk around the resort in the cute back neighborhoods, and then headed to bed! The hotel provided a pack-and-play, but our son was NOT having it. He ended up sleeping in the middle of our giant king-size bed, but he slept an entire 12 hours straight. It’s the small things like his sleep that had me stressing before we got there, but we just went with the flow, and it all worked out in the end. Sometimes you just have to deviate.Â
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We woke up early, got dressed, and headed down to the Hudson Market to grab a quick breakfast before heading out on bikes before it got too hot outside. We shared some yummy breakfast sandwiches and grabbed our oat milk lattes for the morning!
The bike shop is steps away from the resort. This is a MUST!! Kyle and I biked for hours the last time we stayed here, and we ended up doing that again with our little guy. He was LOVING it! He was giggling and enjoying the entire ride. We did this for over an hour before it got too hot outside. Luckily, the Wild Dunes Resort area has so many shaded pathways. This was such a fun memory!
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There are so many nooks and crannies that lead to the beach, so you could ride and explore all day on the bikes if you wanted to.
After riding bikes, we got cleaned up and headed down to the pool just in time for lunch and splash pad fun! We grabbed lunch at the Laughing Gull, which is a bar and restaurant located next to the pool. They offer the most delicious & perfect poolside bites to eat, like fresh salad, burgers, seafood, and THE BEST SWEET POTATO fries!Â
We ordered the wedge salad with grilled chicken, a burger, and sweet potato fries with a mango surfer mocktail! We also stopped into the Hudson Market for sparkling water and a few snack bars to bring to the pool with us.
We decided not to stress about putting our little guy down for his nap in the hotel room and instead opted for a LONG two-hour walk while he slept. It worked out perfectly because after he got tired from an afternoon at the pool, he fell right asleep in the stroller. This allowed us to enjoy a two-hour walk through the stunning neighborhoods of Isle of Palms.
It was BACK TO THE POOL as soon as he woke up. We could tell he was hungry, and since our dinner reservation wasn’t for a few more hours, we stopped at the Tacos & Tequila airstream by the pool. He had some beef tacos, rice, corn, and guacamole. Everything was so good! I snuck some bites in too.
 It was back to the splash pad for two hours straight.
Bug’s had his VERY FIRST ice cream cone after playing at the pool. There’s a dessert, candy, and ice cream shop next to the pool called The Sweet Shoppe! The ice cream was so good, and he loved every minute of it. This is was summer dreams are made of!
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After getting all cleaned off from the pool, ice cream, and sandy beach, we headed to dinner at Coastal Provisions located in the Boardwalk Hotel at Wild Dunes Resort. I was so excited because this was my third time eating there, and the food has always been spectacular!
 We ordered a bunch of veggie sides like roasted carrots, asparagus, and salads. I went with the “fresh from the boat,” which was snapper with corn creme fraiche English & field peas, heirloom cherry tomatoes, pearl onion, butter beans, and vinaigrette. Kyle had the filet mignon, and he said it was one of the best steaks he’s ever eaten.
Wow, everything was so fresh and flavorful, and there weren’t many bites left over!  Getting all the night zoomies out on the boardwalk!  We were up at 5 am for sunrise views!  We grabbed complimentary coffee down in the lobby and walked down to the beach to play in the water and watch the sunrise. There’s nothing more beautiful than a morning sunrise on the beach. It’s my favorite part about visiting the ocean.   The skies did not disappoint.Â
Once the sun was up, we headed back to our room to pack up, which was so sad because we did not want to leave!
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We made one last stop to have breakfast at Woody’s Eatery before leaving Wild Dunes Resort.
  We ordered eggs, grits, french toast, hashbrowns, and oatmeal! Someone was a big fan of the French toast!
We stopped at the OwlBear Cafe on the way home, and luckily my son fell asleep again for the entire drive back, which was the cherry on top of this PERFECT family getaway!
Milena says
It looks like you had amazing time as family! The Isle of Palms looks amazing, I would love to visit it one day! This year I am finally going to US after so many years of having it on my bucket list! I will visit NY during Christmas period 🙂 And hopefully in a year or two I will be able to do a road trip and visit Disney which you recommend so much 🙂
Sending you a lot of kisses from Barcelona!
Taralynn McNitt says
OMG NEW YORK AT CHRISTMAS! ahhh you’re going to love it!!! Disney will be so fun too! Excited for you!
Bonnie says
Your photos and write-up convinced me we needed to book a stay there! So I hopped on their site but wildly out of our budget, but still gorgeous and will keep my eye out for any big promotions! The pool area looks wonderful!
Continued good luck with Little Brittle – you are doing an amazing job on all fronts! Make sure to continue to carve some time out for YOU, however that looks. Don’t lose too much mental peace in the rush, the excitement, the stress, your business, your blog/social media, the mommy, wife, friend or daughter time, home care, gardening – you are balancing so much and looks like you’re acing it all…but when you feel you need more sleep or quiet time to BE, listen to that voice. We’re all pulling for you to grow your business and also care how YOU are doing. Love how your garden restores you. that is important.
Taralynn McNitt says
DO IT!! I love this place!! I would book a trip in the off-season around September!
& Thank you for those sweet words and a good reminder indeed! xo
Ashley says
This post made my day, Taralynn! Looks like you all had a wonderful time at Wild Dunes. Such beautiful pictures (they should be in magazines!) and it is so precious seeing you guys bike with your little guy! All the food looks amazing too, and of course the coffee! 🙂
Hope you’re having a fantastic week so far, friend!!
Make Life Marvelous
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks so much, Ashley!!
Jen says
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying your summer. That resort looks AMAZING! What beautiful pictures of your beautiful family. Have a wonderful rest of your summer.
Taralynn McNitt says
Aww thank you, jen!!
Roseann says
This place looks so nice. I’ll have to check it out!
I’m so glad to see a new blog up from you. I always look forward to them.
Taralynn McNitt says
Aww thank you!!
Kristina says
Hi Taralynn! Your vacation looks amazing!
I have a son around your son’s age (born last July) and I was curious if you have any shoe brands you’d recommend for him as I haven’t found any we love yet.
Thank you for sharing your life with us 🙂 You have a beautiful fam!
Taralynn McNitt says
Aww thank you, Kristina!
I buy him shoes from Walmart, old navy, h&m, and a few from Carters!
Mary Cannavo says
I love your travel blogs, especially the places to eat.
Your son is adorable
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you:)
Anonymous says
Where do you get your shorts