Two years ago my family relocated to the coastal Carolinas. Living in a new area has brought many changes to my life. When I lived in OK it was quite common for me to meet several friends (eight to be exact) for lunch at least once a week at our favorite Mexican food place. I home educate my daughters, make that daughter now since my oldest has graduated from high school, so meeting my friends for lunch was the perfect way to get some much needed girl time. Since moving to a new town, I have developed only one go-out-to-lunch friendship. I am so thankful that God brought this native Carolinian into my life. Belinda has been so sweet to share her love of the Carolinas with me, teaching me all about living in the South, where the locals shop and dine, and the tricks of avoiding beach traffic. Going to lunch here isn't a quick hour but rather an afternoon as we live at the beach where getting anywhere is more time consuming. Belinda invited me to lunch and wanted to go to a town more inland in South Carolina where she had spent her childhood. My daughter was happy to work ahead in school so that she and I could both have a day off. She spent hers sleeping in while I spent mine doing something I love, exploring the new area where we live. I was excited to find Conway, SC, to be the perfect town to spend the day.
I failed to grab my camera before leaving my house but was thankful to have my birthday gift from my hubby, my new iPhone, to capture the day. The Trestle is the favorite of locals for lunch. It is actually housed in two separate building on the same side of the street, one for the cafe, the other for the bakery. They offer dine in and catering to the towns all along the coast. This photo is of the display in the window of the cafe.
The lunch menu had so many selections to chose from I finally asked Belinda what she suggested. She raved about the homemade chicken salad on homemade sourdough. I wanted to try one of the three homemade soups so I took the suggestion of the kind lady taking our order and tried the black bean sausage. The chips were a surprise and were also made in house. The entire meal was delish!
After lunch we walked around the downtown area finding many fall decorations. I just so enjoyed being outdoors in the sun. I found it so different from many of the small towns I have been in that are almost ghost towns. Almost every building was occupied by a store, salon, or other business. Each month the downtown merchants have a friendly competition to see which store front is the best decorated for the season. I didn't see any which were completed but could tell it was going to be a great competition!
Instead of the traditional parking signs I found these to be so fun! I think it is the little details that add such character to anything and these signs are a great representation of just how quaint I found this town to be.
SHOES! who can resist a great pair of shoes? We enjoyed shopping at this sweet children's specialty store. Belinda has a young child who can still wear these sizes and I just enjoyed looking at the little girls dresses that my two daughters have long outgrown.
This church and the trees on the property caught my eye. The South is famous for its large tress dripping in moss.
Conway is truly a "Mayberry" type of town. Built along the Waccamaw River it is home to Coastal Carolina University. Although WalMart, Belk, Chick Fil A, and other large businesses have moved in, the downtown area is still thriving with many of the buildings and homes on the National Register of Historic Places. Belinda and I enjoyed every minute of our day out and returned to our families ready to wear our wife/mom hats again on Friday.
Where do you and your friends enjoy meeting for lunch? I would love to hear your lunch stories!
Very cool!
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