Oh Edisto, where to start? I guess a little background? We live in Charlotte, my bro and his family live in Atlanta and my parents live about an hour or so east of Atlanta. That puts us about 4 hours from family, which isn’t terrible, but isn’t ideal (for me at least who would be a big fan of weekly Sunday night dinners). We decided another family trip was in order, after all we had such a blast together in Hilton Head Island in 2012 and in 2014.
When we checked out spots that would be drivable for all, we ended up near Charleston, SC. Charleston is one of my most favorite places in the world, but being that we were really hoping for beach front, we ventured just slightly outside of it to Edisto Island. And beachfront we found!
I used VRBO to find this awesome beachfront house, perfect for the variety of schedules we were all on.
I’ve never stayed in a place like this; from the living room it felt like you were in the middle of the ocean.
It was perfect for our group of 6 adults, Hailey (3), Kaitlyn (1) and my sweet niece Kyla (2).
It felt like one of those classic family vacations. There aren’t many provided activities on the small island, but luckily when you have kids, the days fill themselves. After all it takes half the morning just to get everyone sunscreened up and ready to go.
Then we filled the time by taking walks (and even one run!) on the beach
building castles,
playing games,
searching for shells and jumping endlessly into the Atlantic waves.
Our tailgating tent and mom’s baby pool provided the perfect base camp.
It was the ideal family vacation with young kids- no schedule, no rules, just relaxing and keeping up with the girls.
And the dinner views? They just…
didn’t…
get old.
I went down Wednesday with the girls and Koda, but David wasn’t able to join us until Friday. A good friend of mine hooked David up with a rental car so we’d at least be able to drive home together. This situation required me to go pick him up about 45 minutes away in Charleston. Oh darn, twist my arm.
We were able to grab a nice lunch together at Fleet Landing on the water, which was a rare treat.
It was easy to relax and enjoy, as there is no better feeling than knowing your babies are with family, who loves them as much as you do. Nana was in super high demand all vacation long. Lucky for us, she didn’t seem to mind.
The days passed at a great pace, and for the first time in a long time, I really felt disconnected. In fact, I don’t even have as many pictures as I had hoped to get (my family beach picture never happened- wahhhh), but that just goes to show how wonderful it was to put the electronics away for the most part and just enjoy my people.
and my pup.
And though Kaitlyn didn’t sleep solidly through the night once and Hailey ended up sick on the last night (had to include some of the nitty-gritty of traveling with little kids!), I’m pretty certain the warm memories will tide me over until next time, and to me, that is proof of a great vacation!
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
This looks like the perfect vacation! What a great spot for your group.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
So glad you loved Edisto! Looked like a perfect vacation. We were at HHI last week and were debating between HHI and Edisto! 🙂 Isn’t VRBO the best thing EVER??
Kelli says
Looks like fun! Thanks for the link to that website! I had never heard of it before.
Love, love, love that picture of you and David!
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
Looks like the perfect family getaway! Happy to hear you had a great time.
Brynn says
i keep hearing great things about VRBO, I need to check it out! What a gorgeous spot for a family vacation. My family lives four hours away and while I love that they’re within driving distance, it would be great to have them even closer.
Caitlin says
Beautiful! I really need to make it down to Edisto!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Summers by the shore are the best! What a fun family vacation!
Cindy says
Looks like a wonderful time with your family! What a beautiful place.
Taylor says
That’s a great picture of you and your husband!! Looks like so much fun 🙂
Sarah says
Looks like a wonderful family vacation!! I also love Isle of Palms, it’s a neat little island right outside of Charleston!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
Ugh this makes me so excited for our first real family vacation and nostalgic for all of the beach vacations I took as a kid! Glad you had such an amazing time!!
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
That looks like the PERFECT family vacation!
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
I have heard that Charleston is a beautiful place to visit, and hopefully one day I will make my way out there! Your house you rented is gorgeous and looked quite accommodating. Much better than staying in a hotel! Both girls look so old in these pictures- they are aging right before my eyes! Also, the selfie of you and David is adorable and you two are one of the sweetest married couples.
Colette says
What a wonderful trip! I love the picture of your mom with all the girls – she looks so happy! We used VRBO for our family vacation to Mexico this March, and it was the best! I can’t wait to find another trip to use VRBO! Glad your vacation was a success:)
Caitlin says
Loved seeing ya’ll had a nice vacation!! I live in SC so its fun to see Edisto featured 🙂 Ok so really random but I would personally love reading a blog post about what “essentials” are needed for summer beach vacation with a preschooler and toddler! Or is it toddler and infant? Ah who knows- but would love to read what you recommend (plus we’re planning our first beach trip with a baby & I am first time mom clueless!) Glad you all had a nice time!
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Caitlin! I’m certainly no expert on the matter with one trip under my belt, but I was over packed outfits! My musts are: sunscreen (a lot), hats, pajamas (one short/light pair and one warmer pair because inside the house can get cold at night), towels, beach toys (we actually bought cheap ones there to avoid having to pack them), sippy cups, a baby pool (this was great for the beach to have under our tent) and a movie- for the afternoon when the kiddos are exhausted 🙂 Hope you have a fabulous time!!