The tickets we had for the Biltmore Estate permitted us a 2nd day visit so we returned the next day for another look around. This time we focused on the Garden Center. Not much was going on outside this time of year. But inside was filled with some amazing things.

The rose gardens outside were winding down for the season but we did find a few good blooms.

And we made a few new friends on the farm:

The last few days we have been in western North Carolina. This area has been in a severe drought for a while and now several fires are burning in and around the Appalachian Mountains and causing problems for a lot of people and air quality issues for all.  We figured going east might get us out of it. There are still Air Quality Alerts all the way to the ocean. And the forecast is for nice sunny days for the week. Some rain would be nice now.

Wildfires 2016

So we left Asheville NC on Wednesday morning and drove as far as Orangeburg, South Carolina, spending the night at Sweetwater Lake Campground.

Sweetwater Lake Campground

And this morning we continued our drive into Charleston, South Carolina.  We are at James Island County Park campground. They are currently having their annual Holiday Festival of Lights here and the campground was booked solid. However, they allowed us to dry camp in the overflow field behind the campground. This is not our first time here so we expected this.

James Island County Park

This Holiday Festival of Lights is one of the top holiday light shows in America. Once the sun set we enjoyed the festivities.

Awesome Sand Sculpture

Giant Greeting Cards

• Distance traveled from Asheville NC:  268 miles
• Gasoline:  $100 @ $1.93
• Lodging:  $30 at Sweetwater Lake Campground
• Lodging:  $76 at James Island Co Park, for three nights
• Admission: Included in camping fee.