The FreeBies

THINGS TO DO FOR FREE

• Beach- Park on the side of the beach, with the traffic flow, all wheels behind yellow line and its free. 

• Pier - Parking at the pier is not free but if you can park on the side street, then its free. You can hang out under the pier to stay out of the sun, or on the pier to catch the breeze. There's ice cream in the shop and diner if your hungry. 

• Crabbing - on the beach or near a boat landing when the tide is coming in or out. Never been, it's great fun. Google it. Best season is late summer when the crabs are big. Your children will never forget it. Especially when you cook them and they crawl out of the pot. 

• Pineapple Water Fountain - Downtown - Pineapple Water fountain is a great place to hang out and get cool. You can swing in the swings on the pier, watch the sailboats or dolphins play in the harbor or just enjoy the evening light. 

• Walk the Bridge - Park for free on the Mt. Pleasant side. It's windy so be prepared and its steep so if your out of shape beware. Bikers are a beast on the bridge, yield to them and stay right. 

• Bike the Greenway. This eleven mile path goes from the the Ashley River to the LimehouseBridge. it is paved almost all of the way. Plans are in place to double its width and add some mileage to it. Great way to enjoy the spring or fall. Several shops back up to the path so you could stop for lunch or ice cream. 

• Palmetto Hiking Trail - This trail is as long as the state is wide and goes to the base of the Smoky Mountains. It is almost 100% finished. I haven't checked in a while, but we have hiked it near Bonneau in Moncks Corner a few times. 

• Fishing - Need a license for adults. But once you have a license it only costs as much as your bait. And then you get a free dinner! The fishing is always good around here. Incoming or out going tides. Get a tides app. 

• Botany Bay Fishing - Jason's Lake. If you have a child under the age of 17 you can take them fishing at Jason's Lake and you are guaranteed to catch fish at this stocked lake with no outlet. Catch and release.

• Botany Bay - Nature Preserve near Edisto that is run by the DNR. They keep fields of grain and seed for the deer and other wildlife. It is beautiful. Great place to bike if the weather is nice. Primitive. TYOTP

• BrittleBank Park - Charleston

• Azalea Park- Summerville

• Gahagan Park - summerville

• Skate Board Park

• SandCastle Building Party

• Library

• Turtle Release - check with Aquarium

• Bird Sighting - Summerville has an array of bird statues hidden throughout the town. SEe how many you can find. 

• Sunset Watch - Try going to different places throughout the area around sunset once in a while and seeing the many different beautiful sunsets. Take a picnic. Teach your children about the sun's eliptical path. Why does it's setting position change with the seasons? 

• Piers at Shem Creek .. all the piers are free. Fishing in Shem Creek off of Public Pier.

• Swimming at Lake Moultrie at Bonneau Beach.

• Roll down the hill at Wannamaker Park in N.Charleston. Free if you have the annual pass.

• Beach Comb - Walk the beaches looking for shells and other treasures.

• Bird Watch and try to see how many kinds of birds you can identify. You can register your finds at Ebird.com You can do this at home with a bird feeder or while at the beach or parks.

• Boogie Board at the Beach. Best Waves are when the tide is coming in... or right after it begins to go out.

• History Walking Tour of Charleston Downtown. Try to discover why the houses are facing the way they are, or why they have bars at the end of their structures. or Why their kitchens are always in the back and not in the house.

• Count the Sailboats in the harbor

• Have a storytelling fest where family members take turns creating a story from your imagination based on sites around Charleston.

• Pick different time periods from Charleston's past and learn about them in stages from books, art, and history.

• See if you have any family history from S.C.? Seeing that it is one of the 13 original states the odds are pretty good.

• Volunteer at the many different places around town that need help.

• Take photos of graves for the website FINDAGRAVE and get to enjoy the beautifully kept and moss draped oak trees that line the many and large graveyards of the city.