Another spring trip to Kiawah brought us fun, family times once again. Our trip was beset by less than pleasant weather as we endured five cold rainy days (High 50’s). We were fortunate to have two days in the low 70’s. The unseasonably cold weather did not dampen our spirits as we squeezed time in for walking the streets of Charleston, going for walks on the beach, bike rides, and even managed to sneak in three rounds of golf. As usual I was able to spot my good gator friends on the course, notably at Cougar Point and the Oak Point golf courses through the Kiawah Golf Resort. The gators were abundant and large and definitely deterred my pursuit of a few errant shots that went into the tall grass adjacent to the water hazards. As much as it kills me to lose a Titliest golf ball, I don’t want to poke around the water’s edge with mama gator potentially lurking close by.
One of our great finds for my children during our Kiawah trip was discovery of the Night Heron nature center. The little indoor facility has a variety of live animals to observe. The animals displayed at the Nature Center are indigenous to the coastal Carolina waterway and include such critters as Alligators, snakes, turtles, birds, and many others. I took my five year old son on a rainy Kiawah day up to Night Heron and we spent a good hour walking around the facility and gift shop. He was impressed by the enclosed tank of baby alligators that seems to be more feisty that the large “mom and pop” size ones I had spotted on the golf course a few days earlier. The animal exhibits include descriptions and facts about each species as well as access to on site staff that were happy to answer any questions we could possibly have. The facility also includes several items such as fossils. Seashells,and bones for children to observe. The Night Heron Nature center is part of the Kamp Kiawah program offered to children throughout the year. The facility is adjacent to the Night Heron swimming pool area and Night Heron Park. Rain or shine, I strongly recommend a quick family trip to the center to get a better understanding of your local Kiawah island critters.
