Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees?  What is down those roads behind the exit signs?  Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.  So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant.  On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path.  Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in North Carolina.

Largest Chest of Drawers – High Point, NC

High Point is known as the “furniture capital of the world”, so it only makes sense to have two of the largest pieces of furniture in the world.  Standing two stories tall and built by the chamber of commerce in the 1920’s, this realistic piece of kitsch served as the visitor center for High Point up until 1996.  In 96, the chest was renovated and moved into the lobby of the new visitor’s center and an addition was made – a pair of socks were hung from one of the drawers to illustrate that high point is also the “hosiery capital of the world”.  High point has no shortage of things to represent.  Recently, a new chest of drawers was erected nearby, only this time they built it 80 feet tall and attached it to a furniture store.  But c’mon can we get an 80 foot bed to take an 80 foot nap in, all this giant furniture shopping as tuckered us out.

World’s Largest Ten Commandments – Murphy, NC

If you did have access to satellite photos as they made their pass of North Carolina, you would be able to read the ten commandments from outer space.  Built in 1945, Fields of the Wood is not only famous for its 300 foot tribute to Moses’ “do not do” list.  It also has stones scribed with 29 of the most important teachings of the bible along the 350 step walkway up to the top of the commandment mount.  At the top of the hill stands a towering open bible, known as “The World’s Largest Testament.”  There is also a replica of Jesus’ tomb and a 115 foot cross.  Christian or not, it is a spectacle to check out.

Belhaven Memorial Museum – Bellhaven, NC

Every small town has their eccentrics – some small towns just have their local crazies.  Belhaven was home to an eccentric that was borderline crazy.  There were so many oddities found in the home of Mrs. Eva Blount Way that they dedicated a museum to them.  The museum is a dank house with no air conditioner – hand written descriptions of the exhibits line the glass cases.  The exhibits that decorated the late Mrs. Way domicile include three jars filled with freakish prenatal babies, large pickled tumors – some up to ten pounds, a one-eyed pig, a two-headed cat, some mummified squirrels, a dress worn by a seven-hundred pound woman, ingrown toenails and cataracts but the topper are the fleas dressed up as a bride and groom that can be seen under a magnifying glass.             

Our next adventure takes us even further north as we head into Virginia.

Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees?  What is down those roads behind the exit signs?  Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.  So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant. 

On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path.  Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in the Panhandle of Florida.

The Panhandle is mostly rural communities with more southern hospitality than freaky hotspots, but two cities along Highway 10, on the coast, are pretty eccentric.  So here is a guide to those two cities – make it fun – create your own scavenger hunt or if your going to be in one of these towns, just plot your path to catch a quick peek of each of these pieces of awkward Americana.

Panama City

Just outside of Panama is the little town of Chipley, where a monument stands to commemorate a bleak time in the town’s history – a time during the great depression when the whole town survived off of eating Opossum.  There is a bronze plaque, there is a sense of survival and it has been said that whenever an Opossum is hit by a car, they face the direction of Chipley before they die. 

Down in the heart of Panama City Beach stands a ship on the land.  A restaurant made into a 200 foot replica of Sir Francis Drake’s Spanish Galleon, The Golden Hind.  Patrons to this stately pirate ode are encouraged to slur their speech and talk in pirate slang.

King Neptune is for sale, off of Hwy 98, there is a statue that was originally a Viking but transformed into the Emperor of the sea.  Towering at three stories, this concrete monstrosity’s owners have moved out and left him alone and for sale.  Perfect for any garden or lawn, and your neighbors will love him.     

Pensacola

Right outside of Pensacola is Gulf Breeze, the home of Shoreline Park and the UFO Mecca of the world.  Bring a beach chair, some binoculars and mingle with the locals – they will clue you in on the countless sightings of strange phenomena from aliens in the woods to portals of time to men without faces.  Bring a cooler and make it a night out – literally.

Pensacola also has sites of valid national history.  The scaled-down Vietnam Wall Memorial and Park have everything that the Washington site has with bonuses.  Beautiful grounds host the wall that list all 58,217 names of the fallen and missing soldiers in Southeast Asia.  There is also an actual helicopter used in Vietnam.  Stroll the park and check out the other monuments to WWII and Korean War Veterans.

Also in Pensacola is the National Museum of Naval Aviation.  Here is everything and anything related to Naval Aviation.  An indoor Aircraft Carrier, a replica of a WWII pacific island airbase, an IMAX exhibit that allows you to dogfight and dive bomb, a replica of “The Fatboy” nuclear bomb, a gallery of cockpits where you can sit in a dozen different hot-bird seats.  Perhaps the most impressive exhibit is the actual NC-4 which was the first plane to succeed in a transatlantic flight in 1919.  There is a day’s worth of fun here – so get out of the Florida Sun and enjoy a part of history that is actually exciting.         

Our next adventure takes us North to North Carolina.  Looking for lore, we head into the area of oddities and highlight some of the state’s hidden treasures along the roadside.

Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees?  What is down those roads behind the exit signs?  Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.  So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant. 

On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path.  Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in Southern Florida.

House of Refuge – Stuart, FL

Built in 1876, this was a sanctuary for shipwreck sailors off the Florida coast.  Originally one of ten safe-havens, this is the only one still standing.  Even after being directly in the path of two hurricanes in 2004 and access to the museum being washed away, the structure still stands firm.  Made up to look like the lodgers had just stepped away, they have kept the authenticity alive with original furniture and nostalgic photos.

Solomon’s Castle – Ona, FL

In the heart of the Central Florida Swamp stands an awkward site.  At 12,000 square feet and three stories tall towers a castle built by an artist of unusual tastes.  It is hard to miss this monstrosity with its exterior consisting of aluminum printing plates shining in the Florida sun and its walkways constructed of concrete painted to look like brick.  The castle houses sculptures always made by Solomon which includes a canon made to shoot toilet plungers to ward off invaders.  Outside the castle, there is “the boat in the moat” which is a 60 foot replica of a 16^th Century Portuguese Galleon that Solomon has converted into a restaurant.  This is a site that you can not miss if you are heading south into Florida.

Everglades Wonder Garden – Bonita Springs, FL

If you have to see an alligator farm while you are in Florida, do not fall for the “Good-Looking Sign” Trap.  Many farms have great marketing techniques but there are no teeth to their bite.  They are all show and no tell.  This family owned gator farm has been around since 1936 and it is aged and rustic and just feels dangerous to be inside.  But isn’t that what you came to see – danger – up close and personal.  Founded by the Piper brothers after they retired from bootlegging, the place hasn’t changed in 70 years – from the wildlife exhibits to the creaking bridges that carry you over the gators at feeding time.  Enter at your own risk and enjoy a genuine piece of Americana.

Coral Castle – Homestead, FL

Okay, so it is not really a castle.  It is more like a structure of “WOW!”  You may say what is the big whoop about a compound made of rock.  The big whoop is…this structure was constructed of 2.2 million pounds of Coral Rock by one man.  One man excavated, carved and erected tons and tons of rock without a crane, sculpting tools or even architectural experience.  Around 1930, the super-secretive, aging Latvian immigrant, Ed Leedskavin had his heart broken by his sixteen year old sweetheart, a day before they were to be married.  So as the ultimate act of unrequited love, Ed made some tools out of wrecked cars and went to work building this lumpy work of art.  He worked by lantern light to shroud his techniques from prying eyes.  Taking twenty years to finish his ode to lost love, he died alone in 1951 and the Coral Castle became a tourist attraction in 1953.  To this day no one really knows how this uneducated, undersized man was able to complete this feat that often caused him to somehow move stones weighing as much as nine tons.  This is a rough and rocky love story that has to be felt and seen to be believed.           

Our next adventure takes us even deeper in Florida Lore as we head into the Panhandle with the conclusion of the oddities that the sunshine state has to offer along its roadsides.

Written by Derrick Bracey

Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees?  What is down those roads behind the exit signs?  Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.  So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant.  On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path.  Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in Northern Florida.

Ruins of Bongoland – Port Orange, Fl

Named after Bongo the baboon that lived their when Bongoland was a functioning theme park.  Preceding Disney World, Bongoland was built between 1948 and 1952.  Now, the site has become Sugar Mill Gardens, a botanical garden.  12 acres of lush greenery but the remnants of day’s past still linger.  There are five lichen covered dinosaurs still standing.  Constructed of concrete on wire, the dinosaurs are a real oddity among the present tourist monsters that roam the lands of Florida.

Wat Florida Dhammaram

Located just outside the heart of commercialism, in Orlando, is a real temple and monastery, practicing Theravada Buddhism.  Statues and shrines adorn the facility and the monks welcome you to come and take tours.  You may soak up the culture as you learn from the monks.  You are even invited to attend chanting and meditation sessions.  Just remember to take your shoes off at the door.

Mount Dora Ghost Walk and Marionette Show – Mount Dora, Fl

Okay, what does a jail cell, a ventriloquist, a moonshine still and guys throwing fake bones at one another have in common?  You guessed it!  This tour!  It is possibly as weird as ghost tours get.  Leading you through the life of the deranged Dr. Nutter and his bone saws – you will visit the aforementioned jail cell, a theater, some bars and a hotel.  There are puppets and guys dressed in Victorian clothes, capped off with a bunch of tour guides have an old-fashioned sword fight with some leg bones.  You gotta see this.

Spook Hill – Lake Wales, Fl

There is a legend that involves Native Americans and an alligator and revenge curses and horses running out of breath while walking downhill.  Where whatever the convoluted myth is, the results are the same.  Gravity is defied on fifth street in Lake Wales.  You can put your car in neutral at the base of this legendary hill and something will pull it to the top.  Curse or not, it is amazing.    

Our next adventure takes us even further south as we head into Southern Florida and even more attractions that the sunshine state has to offer.

Written by Derrick Bracey

Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees?  What is down those roads behind the exit signs?  Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.  So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant.  On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path.  Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in South Carolina and Georgia.

UFO Welcome Center – Bowman, SC

Yes, that is right!  A welcome center for the extra-terrestrial.  More like a galvanized fence with the words, “Welcome” spray-painted on the side and a towering re-creation of a space saucer made from aluminum.  It is cheesy and it is picture worthy.

Bee City – Cottageville, SC

Come see what the buzz is about.  It is real working beehives set up to look like a miniature town.  Complete with streets, stores, houses and a church.  Bee City also has a petting zoo for the kids.

Edventure, Eddie the World’s biggest Kid – Columbia, SC

Eddie may not be a real roadside attraction in that he is actually in a museum in Columbia, but he is an oddity all the same.  Eddie is 40 feet high and you are allowed to climb inside Eddie and take a trip through his brain, heart and stomach before sliding out on his intestines.  Where else in the world can you be lunch for a forty foot kid named Ed.

Kingdom of Oyotunji African Village – Sheldon, SC

We shouldn’t even call this one a South Carolina attraction, being that they call themselves a separate country with their own religion.  Founded in 1970, this 27 acre slab of land has statues and sculptures, made of crumbling concrete, paying homage to African Culture.  Tribal drums can be heard into the night, forcing them to move from their original location due to complaining neighbors.  But now, they have a palace, equipped with a courtyard that houses the tombs of some of their deceased founders.  It is a site to see, with its 4×8 plywood sign leading the way into this other world that may just look like the rest of the world with a few decrepit shacks, some people in dashikis and some overgrown, moss covered monuments.  But how are you ever going to discover your country if you don’t step outside of it sometimes.

Join us on our next adventure into the roadside attractions of Georgia in part two of our series.

Written by Derrick Bracey

The Art of Turning Your Family Vacation into an Adventure

There are a couple of ways that families set off on a vacation.  Some look it like another form of work – the drudgery of loading up bags or packing up a car and driving or flying long distances with one clear–cut focus…your destination.  Perhaps, there is more to a vacation than the finality of a destination.  Perhaps, the vacation’s success lies not in getting there, but more, how you got there or as the saying goes….in the journey.

Buy a Map

Yes they still sell them.  I realize in the days of navigational devices and mapquest, maps have gone the way of the dinosaurs.  Use the internet to research locations along your route that could be fun or educational – every state has them, then buy a map and some crayons and mark up a path with dotted lines.  Color code a legend where each family member has their own color to illustrate their part of the path that detours to a locale of their interest.  This is your vacation, make that map evidence of your journeys.

Get Some Costumes

Okay, do not get too crazy with this one.  It is hard to steer a car with Mickey Mouse gloves and it is hard to see the road through a gorilla mask but there are little things you can do, to help bond your family.  If your kids are young, where pirate hats – let them where eye patches.  Talk in pirate talk.  If the kids are older – go out and pick out the most outrageous hats you can get away with to wear on the trip.  Bring binoculars or some telescopes to see the sights from the car window.  Dress up and make it a theme by reading factual books about pirates or cowboys or period fashions or whatever your kids are into.  Share their interests and be amazed by what they may share with you.  You may actually learn what is going on with your teenagers.

Adopt an A.K.A.

Go by assumed names while on vacations.  Who is to say you can not be someone else for a week.  If you want to be, Fellow Axlberry, and your daughter wants to be, Mazzy Heatherborn, for a week – go for it.  Create histories for your characters, make them original or be someone real and research their historical relevance to your trip – just have fun with it.  It is your vacation!  It is your time!  Do not feel bound by modern conventions to do what everyone else does.  Cookies that were made with molds may look great, but remember the messiest cookies taste best.   

This is not a guideline on how you should spend your week in the summer.  It is not an instruction booklet that you should follow by the numbers.  It is a call to use your imagination.  Do not be scared to make a fool out of yourself.  Let yourself go.  Remember that this is not only their childhood; it is a chance for you to have your second childhood.  Good times are contagious, so spread them around wherever and whenever you can.  Litter laughter down the highway on your journey to make your destinations, their smiles.   

Written by Derrick Bracey 

Packing the Essential Entertainment for a Road Trip or Monster Vacation.

First, you get all the boring stuff in the car, bags full of clothes and toiletries.  You hide them back in the dark trunk with all the other unfun stuff, the spare tire and the jack. Then, it is time for the important stuff.  The stuff you will keep in a bag up front with you.  The stuff that makes you happy.  The fun stuff that makes the time fly by.  If you are having trouble filling up that bag o’ fun with some good entertainment, I have put together a little guide of road-related content.  A list of books, music and movies that will add to the lore of the road and maybe inspire you to create your own stories.      

The Books

There are really too many great books that deal with traveling.  So due to time and space, I could only list the essentials or in other words, five of my favorites.

1. “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream” by Hunter S. Thompson – Thompson in a Cadillac from L.A. to Las Vegas and up and down the strip, looking for the American dream, an American Classic.
2. “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac – A time capsule of what the sixties meant to personal freedom.
3. “Road Fever” by Tim Cahill – This one has a breakneck pace and can only be described as Travel/Adventure.
4. “Survivor” by Chuck Palahniuk – As strange as it gets, from traveling in a car to a limo to a moving house to a doomed airplane – a great trip.
5. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss – A kids classic, that parents can learn from too.  

The Music

Whether you are still on CD’s or have moved on to MP3’s and IPOD’s.  These are must have songs for any road trip.

1. “Truckin” by The Grateful Dead – A great ode to America through the windshield on an interstate.
2. “Tangled Up and Blue” by Bob Dylan – It is not on a journey on the road, it is an existential journey of who we are.
3. “Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin – The title says it all.
4. The Weight” by The Band – Not so much for the traveling content but more because it is a great song to sing along to in the car.
5. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson – Okay it is cheesy but just roll with it.

Bonus Track – “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp – Pop this one in on the way back.

 The Movies

What traveler does not have a portable DVD player for the road?  I have mixed in some kids movies because nothing calms the kids in the backseat faster than a good flick and the hum of your wheels on the asphalt.  Again, we come to the problem of so many great road movies so let’s just go with some double features.

1. “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Easy Rider” – Relive the gangster days or see America on the back of a hog in the sixties.
2. “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Fandango” – One is a dysfunctional family on the road, and the other are some dysfunctional friends on the road.
3. “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Cannonball Run” – What says road movie more than Burt Reynolds’ mustache.
4. “True Romance” and “Away We Go” – One is a misfit couple just trying to stay alive while being chased by killer drug dealers, the other is a young couple just trying to find their place in the world before they bring a life into it.
5. “Cars” and “Finding Nemo” – Two Pixar movies full of journeys and self evaluation.
6. “Ice Age 1 and 2” – They are moving the whole time in both movies and they are both great.
7. “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” -  Watch it twice if you want a double feature because it is that good and “Big Top Pee Wee” is that bad.
8. “Before Sunrise” and “After Sunset” – Two films that show the arc of two people and how significant chance encounters can be while traveling.

There you go!  That should get you started.  So get your motor running by picking up these vacation essentials and I’ll see you on the road.

 Written by Derrick Bracey

A few pointers for parents who need a breather from your kids.

Taking a weekend away from your kids is not a crime. As a matter of fact, it can be a necessity.  Parents can sometimes get consumed in the schedules. The week to week barrage of work, school functions, homework and extracurricular activities can turn you into role models, taxi drivers and guidance councilors. Parents need the time away from being parents to realize that they are still a couple. Back before you were parents, your time felt limitless – days and days were spent falling in love. A weekend away from the kids can recall those days in a finite way. If done in the right away, you can not only spend two days that can strengthen a relationship. You can build a foundation for a relationship that is built to last.

Set the Guidelines

En route to your destination set the groundwork for the weekend. It is okay to talk about your kids but let’s not overdo it. If you are taking a Peak-End in a city that can be kid friendly, scout a few spots that your kids may enjoy and plan a future family weekend but let that be it. Both parties should agree to spend the weekend free of all tensions and let’s face it sometimes your kids and their futures are full of tension. You are parents and the kids being in your conversations are inevitable but just remember you talked about other topics when you were just two people getting to know each other and this is a chance of rediscovery.

Do Not Spend the Whole Weekend in Bed

I know the temptation is to spend the whole weekend rekindling that fire that may be missing in working parents’ lives. Resist temptations, go on dates. While you are in another town, actually go out and see the town. Eat in a restaurant you would never take your kids. See sites that your kids would not be interested in. Dive into the arts of any given area. Go see a jazz band play. Drink lattes at night in a street-side café. Make sure you hold hands. Steal kisses in a taxi ride. Drink drinks with silly names in oversized cups, if that is your thing. Wake up late, without an alarm, in each other’s arms. Be silly and laugh at one another. There was a reason you guys are together before the kids, here is your chance to remember.

A Peak-End is yours

From Friday to Sunday, you are free to write your own romantic story. Even if you can not get out of town for the weekend, get a hotel room in town and go do things you haven’t done before. See places in your town you have never seen. My recommendation is to take a Peak-End for each season, one every three months. If that is not possible, then do it whenever you can. You will be surprised about how much it reinvigorates you as a couple as well as parents. Happy parents make happy kids and who doesn’t like to smile.     

Written by Derrick Bracey

The South Carolina Coast has been fertile ground to grow the legend of pirates.  With a rich trade history, these colorful characters roamed up and down the beaches of South Carolina snatching riches and looking for the perfect place to hide their booty.  There was no shortage of hiding places with the coast’s inlets, inland rivers and marshes – who knows how many Dead Man Chests, are yet to be discovered.  The pirates that plundered the South Carolina surf were as varied as the treasures they stole.  Here is a brief history of the scoundrels that preyed on the shores of the Carolinas.

John Rackham a.k.a. “Calico Jack” – Anne Bonny – Mary Read

Nicknamed after the Indian cloth that he commonly wore, Calico was a pirate that paid his dues by quartermastering on others ships until he earned his own vessel. Calico was a terror to Jamaica.  After loosing his first ship to a naval confrontation, Calico escaped to the island of Provindence and met a female pirate, Anne Bonny.  Bonny was married to a retired pirate but Calico and Anne could not be stopped.  They fell in love, stole a ship and resumed their lives as pirates.  For years, the two rampaged through the Carribean, only to seek safe haven in South Carolina – where the governor of the time was sympathetic to pirates. 

In the Carolinas, they picked up another female pirate, Mary Read, who joined their leagues and excelled as a duelist.  Known for her courage, she once killed a rival pirate for challenging a young man who was her love interest.  Calico, Bonny and Read were successful privateers until the Jamaican Governor once again set his sights on Calico Jack, sending a fleet to capture their sloop.  Calico Jack was hung in Jamaica.  Mary Read died with her unborn child in a Jamaican prison of a fever.  The history of Anne Bonny is unknown.  Some say she was ransomed back to the Carolinas.  Some say her wealthy family came for her.  Others say that she escaped with the help of other pirates.  The truth is no one knows.          

Bartholomew Roberts a.k.a. Black Bart

Black Bart had been a sailor from a young age and after a ship where he was a mate was captured by pirates, he decided to join them.  Quickly rising in the ranks, Bart became an unrivaled privateer.  Accumulating 51 million pounds of treasure over his career – his skill as a navigator and an intimidator were unprecedented.  Spanish trade routes to the Carolinas had to be adjusted to avoid Roberts. 

Perhaps it was his greed that ended Black Bart’s dominance, leaving the Carolinas to Pillage the African coast; Bart was out-maneuvered by the Royal Navy and killed by cannon fire.  He was so loved by his crew that they threw him overboard to allow his dead body to escape seizure.

Stede Bonnet a.k.a. “The Gentleman Pirate”

Said to have become a pirate to get away from his wife’s nagging.  Being from a wealthy background, Bonnet was an inexperienced pirate but made several successful raids on merchant ships, always retaining his manners from his fine upbringing which garnered him the name, “The Gentleman Pirate.”  He trolled primarily off the Carolina coast but perhaps his claim to infamy was his feud with Blackbeard. 

Blackbeard befriended the young pirate and even brought Bonnet on board his own ship long enough for Blackbeard’s crew to steal Bonnet blind.  After Blackbeard left Bonnet with an empty ship, he swore to get revenge on Blackbeard but South Carolina’s military ships got to him first and Bonnet was tried and hanged in Charleston.  His body was left dangling at White Point for four days as an example of what happens to pirates on the Carolina coast.

Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard

Beginning as a sea merchant, Teach became a privateer during the Queen Anne War.  Having a taste for the taking, Teach took to pirating after the war, outfitting his ship with 40 cannons and manning the vessel with an experienced crew.  Teach’s warship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, was built for combat and Teach made himself into a persona that inspired fear. 

Dressing all in black with a long black, braided beard filled with colorful ribbons and burning match cord.  Armed to the teeth with daggers, cutlasses and pistols – He had transferred himself into Blackbeard.  Blackbeard spent his life robbing merchant and naval ships.  He was one of the most colorful and satisfied pirates.  He treated it like a career by having quite a successful life on the land, bribing officials to allow his lavish existence, but always returning to the sea to make his living. 

Blackbeard’s long run came to an end when he was ambushed by a small naval ship lead by Lieutenant Maynard of Virginia while anchored in a North Carolina inlet.  The two crews engaged in hand-to-hand combat and Blackbeard was stabbed approximately 25 times and shot at least 5 times.  He was beheaded and Maynard hung his head from the bow as a trophy.  Members from both crews have said that once Blackbeard’s headless body was thrown overboard that it swam around the ship 3 times before finally sinking down into the abyss.

Believe the legends or not, the pirates that pillaged the shores of the Carolinas were real.  So do your homework, unroll the map and grab your metal detectors.  Because who knows what you might find when you let the legends take you on an adventure of your own.       

Authored by Derrick Bracey

The Grand Strand of South Carolina has always been known for its miles of beach, stretching down the coast.  Thousands of tourists come to the beautiful beaches of the Carolinas to put their toes in the ocean and spend their days lounging in the sun and playing in the sands.  What few of these tourists know about the Grand Strand is that there is another side, a darker side.  There is a rich history of ghosts and legends, here in the Grand Strand.  A storied past of spirits, from the forgotten to the forlorn to the lonely to the specters intend on saving the living.  When the sun goes down and the moon comes out to shine through the branches of the Spanish Oaks, dripping moss, ghosts are all too common in the Low country – You never know what you are going to see along the Southern Atlantic.

The Gray Man

During any Hurricane Season in Pawley’s Island, you may see a smoky gray figure wandering around the beaches as the rough tides roll in.  To locals, he is known as The Gray Man.  The lore says, The Gray Man was a young man during the Nineteenth Century.  He was riding his horse on the coastline when a storm arose, knocking him from his saddle and killing him instantly.  Since then, the figure has been seen numerous times during storm seasons.  He is thought to be a warning.  If he appears and walks away from you, you too should leave – evacuate.  If he is seen standing, holding guard before the winds whisk him away, then you are safe to stay.  Over two hundred years, The Gray Man has become a staple of the Grand Strand lore.

The Stone Crab Boy

By the Old Pier in Myrtle Beach, you may catch a glimpse of one of the most disturbing paranormal sites of the Grand Strand.  The Stone Crab Boy is a phenomenon whose origins have only been speculated on.  The origins, often debated, claim that a mother and son were splashing in the ocean when the undertow grew severe and the two tried to make it to the shore.  The mother arrived safe on the shore, but the boy was bitten by a Stone Crab and fell beneath the surface.  The waves were too loud to hear the boy’s screams as he struggled to keep his head above the surf that eventually took the young man’s life.  Now, from time to time, he can be seen standing in the tides with a stone stare or silently screaming into the oncoming waves.    

Lighthouse Annie

North Island off the coast of Myrtle Beach is an obscure place.  The lighthouse is closed to the public and that may not be a bad thing.  Since the mid-nineteenth century, this lighthouse has been haunted by its original inhibitors.  The lighthouse’s first attendee and his daughter capsized in their boat just off the coast, near the lighthouse, killing them both.  The father can be heard dwelling up and down the stairs looking for his daughter and his daughter, Annie, has been seen around the coast of North Island.  Many boaters have looked out on the bow of their boat and seen the ghostly figure of young Annie standing as still as the night shaking her head “no”.  It has been said that Annie is a sign of disaster and boaters should head to shore immediately or risk their fate at the peril of rough seas.

Alice Flagg

Alice has dealt the chills to many locals and tourists alike, since her death in 1849.  Alice was in love with a suitor that was beneath her family status of South Carolina aristocrats at the Hermitage of Murrells Inlet.  Her mother and brother forbade her to see him but Alice persisted and the two were engaged only to be separated once again by her family.  Soon Alice fell sick and while caring for Alice, her brother found Alice’s engagement ring around her neck and threw it into the marsh, never to be found again.  Alice soon succumbed to her illness and died.  She was buried at the All Saints Church in Pawley’s Island under a stone that simply reads, “Alice”.  The legend goes that if you walk around Alice’s grave backwards 13 times, you will feel Alice tug at any rings that you have on your fingers.  There have been countless accounts of this event, but don’t believe them.  Come and see for yourself.

The Grand Strand is an endless supply of fun and sun but the excitement doesn’t stop there.  You ghost hunters and shadow dwellers have more than a handful of locations to visit and sites to see here on the coast. 

Authored by Derrick Bracey