Here are our favorite moments from the outdoor winter garden featuring flowering and fragrant plants from Asia.

Serene pond by the Camellia Walk

An exquisite mosaic featuring all four seasons in the middle of the Sun Garden.

Taking a moment to enjoy all the beautiful flowers.

A symphony of colors…here’s some variegated azalea

How sweet it is…a cinnamon plant!

A staple of every winter garden, Crimson Candles camellia

Eyes of a dragon from the Top of the World!

Slow growing conifers from Siberia to Korea.

Here come the Japanese standouts: Andromeda, Acuba, Plum Yew and Witch Hazel

Cute little bridge

The setting is sublime, the colors extreme. What are you waiting for?

We like seeing (most of) them. It sure entertains the dogs and the cat.

Here are my favorite encounters I was able to catch on camera.

I shot this video last weekend…two fawns suckling from their mother

Admission is free. The greenhouse is open daily 10AM to 3PM (1-4PM on Sunday) while the outdoor gardens are open during daylight hours. Below are highlights from the Tropical Room inside the McMillan Greenhouse.

Surprise, surprise is a cocoa tree! Who knew the cocoa beans can get so big?! Nearby was another favorite of mine, the coffee tree. Yummy!

Meet “Bella” the wonderfully large, smelly, and rare Titan Arum plant
The Titan Arum plant grows only on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia and was first introduced to the Western world in 1878.

• Titan Arum plants have the world’s largest, un-branched flowering structures that can reach up to 12 feet in the wild (9.5 feet in cultivation)!

• When the bloom first opens it reeks of rotting flesh for up to 24 hours to attract carrion beetles and flesh flies that pollinate it in the wild. The gigantic blooms are only open for 3 days, and then they wither and die.

• The plants take 10-15 years before first blooming and may only bloom every 3-5 years. A single plant may only bloom once its entire life…

• Titan Arum plans grow from underground tubers. A single tuber produces a bud that grows either a gigantic branched leaf or the amazingly large and stinking flower. Sometimes tubers stay dormant when there is no above ground growth at all.

Where is tropics there is fruits. Delight yourself with the orange, lemon, and banana fruit trees. Kiss it off under the mistletoe tree…

Silky soft club moss. Did you know that back in the day photographers used powder made from club moss spores to enable flash photography? People had to collect hundreds of spores by hand in the late summer and then make them into powder.

Finger of God, a bromeliad plant from Brazil

Here comes the peacock, another fancy plant from Brazil.

Not to be outdone, the polka dots trout leaf begonia shines through…

Salutations to the bamboo, the wonder plant that will save the earth!

Time to indulge your senses with some flavorful spices: ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and more…oh my!

A plain vanilla plant!

Kick your plant knowledge up a notch at the amazing Charlotte Botanical Gardens!

What’s blooming in the greenhouse

The greenhouse is open Monday to Saturday, 10AM – 3PM and Sundays, 1-4PM. The outdoor gardens are open year around during daylight (here is directions and parking info).
• January – February: Orchids
• April 20 and 21st: Enjoy the largest Spring Plant Sale!
• May - July: Carnivorous and tropical plants
Here is the entire blooming calendar

Below are our most memorable moments from the Cactus Room at McMillan Greenhouse. Loved that you were encouraged to touch, feel, smell all the plants. We saw freakish, funny and gorgeous plants from around the world: Mexico, Ecuador, Madagascar, Brazil, and South Africa to name a few. This was a wonderful experience for both of us.

Love nature, be free at the Charlotte Botanical Gardens!

4 ¼ inch Edward Nairne Gregorian Reflecting Telescope, c. 1760

Edward Nairne was a scientific instrument maker active in the late 18th century.

He also made microscopes, perfected the marine barometer and invented the electrostatic generator.

Though mirrors lacked the light gathering power of glass lenses, reflecting telescopes became popular in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Compared to refracting telescopes, they were smaller, easier to make and did not suffer from color aberration, common in small refractors of the period.

3 inch Jesse Ramsden Refracting Telescope, 1760 – Ramsden was one of the best lens makers in England. This telescope is larger than the average refractor (usually 2 ¼ inch aperture) at the time.

Solar observation device Herschel Wedge, c. mid 18th century

This unsigned and undated object was designed for solar viewing and is likely the only one of its kind.

An observer controls the intensity of the light entering the eyepiece by using the graduated filter at the front.

Two sets of aperture wheels allow for further light control. Most of the heat and light of the sun is directed away from the eyepiece, allowing solar observation.

Dollond Company Telescopes and Optical Instruments Collection
The Dollond family, makers of some of the finest telescopes and scientific instruments in the 18th century were in business for just over 100 years.

Dollond Filar Micrometer, c.1780

This instrument measures small angles and arcs by adjusting fine parallel wires and threads.

The observer could measure a planet diameter, angular distance between stars and distances between double stars.

Before fine and durable wire was available, scientists used spider silk for the cross hairs on a micrometer.

2 ¾ inch John and Peter Dollond Refracting Telescope, c.1780

This is an achromatic telescope; the achromatic lens system, patented by John Dollond Sr. in 1757 consists of two pieces of glass.

The achromatic lenses eliminate nearly all of the color distortion in refracting telescopes.

The superior image quality of glass lenses gave refractors an advantage of reflectors in the 19th century.

The Robert B. Ariail collection also includes a 2 ¾ inch Peter Dollond Draw Refracting Telescope, c.1800.

The 4-draw refractor was made by the son of John Dollond, one of the great names in 18th century telescope-making.

3 inch Tulley & Sons Refracting Telescope, Islington London, c. 1826 - Tulley & Sons company was noted for excellent objectives (glass lenses through which light enters a refracting telescope). The best was the 5.9 inch objective for Admiral William Smyth, who made it famous through his observations detailed in the “A Cycle of Celestial Objects (1864)”. Note the early diagonal eyepiece on this telescope.

4 inch Thomas Cooke & Sons Ltd. Refracting Telescope, c. 1860 – Thomas Cooke company built excellent telescopes for observatories and private users. This refractor is made of lacquered brass and black enamel, signature features of Cooke manufacturing. Two extending rods attach the telescope to the mahogany tripod, allowing the user to fix the instrument in place.

4 ¼ inch Henry Giles (Harry) Fitz Refracting Telescope, c. 1869 – In 1863, then teenager Harry Fitz took over the family business, following the death of his father. He continued to make telescopes for another 20 years. Harry used a zinc tube painted brown to mimic the mahogany tubes his father made.

John Browning Handheld Direct Vision Spectroscope, c. 1870s – This pocket spectroscope was patented by Browning and Crookes. This tool can be pointed directly at a light source, allowing the observation of the spectrum in the same direction from which the light comes.

3 ½ inch John Brashear Refracting Telescope, 1896 – This telescope is in excellent original condition and features superb optics. The tripod locking screws and drive gear are well made and sturdy, allowing exceptionally smooth control on both altitude and azimuth axes.

Alvan Clark & Sons Corporation Telescopes and Optical Instruments Collection
The SC State Museum proudly displays an amazing collection of original Alvan Clark telescopes and scientific instruments, the world’s finest lens maker.

4 inch Alvan Clark Refracting Telescope, 1879 – This telescope, in near pristine original condition has an exceptionally sharp lens system: it was able to reveal Pluto at magnitude 13.6 within Columbia city limits. Legend has it Alvan Clark himself corrected the objective lens.

6 inch Alvan Clark & Sons Refracting Telescope, 1882 – This is one of four 6 inch Clark refractors in the museum collection (12 total).

It was used for many years at Bedford High School in New Bedford, MA. At the time it was considered a portable telescope…

3 inch Alvan Clark Corporation Refracting Telescope, c. 1935 – This small Clark telescope has an excellent objective lens system that provides virtually color-free and razor-sharp resolution images.

Clark Tools and Accessories include: 19th century solar eyepiece, comet seeker and objective lens collimator; 1890 Clark/Bausch & Lomb photographic lens; set of eyepieces for 6 inch refractor.

Carl Zeiss Company Telescopes and Optical Instruments Collection
The Carl Zeiss Company founded in Jena, Germany in 1846, made some of the finest optical instruments in the world during the first half of the 20th century. The company was split after World War II, leaving Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen in West Germany and VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in East Germany. Some of the Zeiss pieces in this exquisite and historical display include:

110 mm Carl Zeiss Double Telescope, c. 1925 – This very rare and unusual “triple turret binocular telescope” was one of a five instrument series, ranging in aperture from 60 to 130mm, built by the Zeiss Company between 1905 and 1933.

The “Asaltur” was sold in 1933 for $1428, the cost of medium sized house…one of the reasons these telescopes are so rare.

130 mm Carl Zeiss Double Telescope, c. 1930 – Carl Zeiss made double telescopes in four sizes (130mm was the largest).

They were designed as lookout telescopes for scenic areas and could be purchased with an optional coin operated mechanism. Very few of these telescopes are known to exist today.

Carl Zeiss optical equipment box with original eyepieces, a binocular viewer and adapter, polarizing solar filter, triple revolver and a color filter wheel. Zeiss was known for its excellent prisms which directed light from the objective into the two eyepieces.

2 ½ inch William Mogey & Sons Refracting Telescope, 1932 – This small Mogey refractor was a special “semi-centennial” model, which marked the firm’s 50th anniversary. The collection also contains a Mogey astrograph, likely the only one in existence.

12 ¼ inch Robert B. Ariail Newtonian Reflector, 1977 – Columbia, SC resident Robert B. Ariail built this telescope and mount and performed the final grinding to the mirror. This telescope served as Ariail’s primary observing telescope, through which he recorded more than 10,000 observations as an active member of the American Association of the Variables Star Observers.

“It is priceless. The historic scopes, which date back to 1730, were individually made, not mass-produced. This collection could not be duplicated anywhere in the world.” Tom Falvey, director of education and curator of science and technology for the State Museum.

Remember! You have till end of April to check out the Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886 exhibit, featuring photos, quotes and stories for the 2nd largest recorded quake to ever hit the United States.

We love the Sugar Bear Ski School. The prices are reasonable (especially during “march madness” when everything is ~20% off), the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable, and the trails are well suited for beginner and average skiers like ourselves.

Things to know before you go
• The full day rate includes equipment, lift ticket and lunch. You pay about the same as doing it a la carte.
• The child is in school from 9:30AM to 3PM. You can ski together afterwards until 4:30PM, just return the equipment by 5PM.
• Send snacks with the child. Although the lunch is included, the food choices for the last 3 years were the same: PB&J sandwich or hot dog. It gets old quickly.
• If possible do the registration the night before to avoid the morning rush and long check-in line. However beware of weather, once registered there is no refund.

Kids ski highlights
Here’s my daughter 2 years ago, on her very first day of ski school.

The ski lift for beginners

Two years later, on our last day of skiing. She’s been upgraded to a Grizzly Bear…

At the top of Sugar Mountain resort, ready to go down Northbridge trail

Now I can ski on all the trails!…except the black diamond ones, of course

If only the weather will have been more cooperative…this year there was very little snowfall and warmer than usual temperature. The trails got slushy real fast. Not a big deal for my daughter as she was just getting comfortable in her boots…I wish there was better powder. Better luck next year!

Have fun, be cool in the Carolinas!

Things to know before you go
• On your first visit get the cheapest wand and time package (you can always upgrade later). In 75 minutes we managed to do half the quests; although it was lot of fun, at the end we were both exhausted and ready to unwind.

• Work in pairs and don’t be afraid to ask anyone for help. As a magi guide I kept track of time and clues while my “majestic” wizard in training had fun doing all the gimmicks.

• Avoid the center area; it’s way too crowded and chaotic and you’ll waste precious time. Instead check your status at the stone portals in the quieter and more spacious Mystic Village room located next to the Castle.

• You can do the quests and gather clues within a quest in any order. Don’t waste time trying to listen to the old wizard to figure out what you need to do. The room is too loud to hear anything. As soon as you select a quest (make sure to click the “Accept” button!), find the corresponding page in the guide book and use it.

• This place is like a bee hive! People run around all the time, it’s loud and there are few places to rest. If you like the arcades atmosphere and enjoy scavenger hunts this is the place for you. Not recommended for toddlers and very young kids.

Price Details (subject to change, check the official MagiQuest website for latest data)

New Magi
• Magi 75 adventure (classic wand, 75 minutes play) $25.99
• Ultimate 90 adventure (classic wand, any topper, 90 minutes play) $34.99
• Super Player pass (classic wand, any topper, 90 minutes play, 5 dueling passes and MagiQuest game DVD) $39.99
• Magi guides (visitors without a wand) pay $4.99.

Returning Magi
• Once you purchased the wand it’s yours to keep. On subsequent visits you pick up from where you left the game and only need to pay for playing time ($14.99 for 90 minutes and $19.99 for 120 minutes). Also you can use the wand at any MagiQuest locations.
• Magi guides: after two paying visits you get a dated stamp and can use the “VIP” magi guide card to enter for free for one year.

MagiQuest adventure highlights and pictures

First, you select a wand and fill up a form and create your character (game name); Second, pay for the admission package, get your wand activated and pick up a guide. Third, you go through a 5 minutes training session in a separate room. Once in the playing room you can start the game by pointing to a stone portal; the clock is now ticking and the craziness begins!

Check your progress and remaining playing time at the stone portals (remember the Mystic Village room is less crowded)

Tree-house on upper floor. Beware the stairway has non-stop heavy traffic.

Point the wand to gather clues. They are all over: on walls, inside chests, nooks and props, even hanging from the tree…

Complete each quest by “talking” to its assigned character. If you gathered all the necessary clues, a magic rune and special powers are added to your wand.

Of course there is a Castle…I found this area the most confusing (the lower floor in particular).

MagiQuest is a fun but fast pace activity. We spent the entire time hurrying from station to station, up and down the stairs, back and forth to the stone portals. Quite a work-out!

Looking forward to go back and complete the remaining quests (yes, I took the bait hard…can’t blame me after all the money spent)!

Things to know before you go

• The cave tour lasts about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Safety gear is provided (helmet and head-lamp)
• Need to wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting caked with mud, and potentially ripped.

Best to have long pants, long sleeve shirt, and sturdy waterproof hiking shoes (I recommend wearing gloves…you will be on hour hands a lot crawling, grabbing and even sliding).
• You will be crawling through very tight passages, jumping over holes and puddles, wading through an underground river, rock climbing and sliding down slick boulders. Sounds like fun?!
• Caving experience is not required (this was a first for me), yet you need to be in shape. Our guide was tremendous: extremely knowledgeable (he is a geologist after all), attentive and engaging. Even though we were exhausted at the end, he made the trip look fun and less daunting.

Worley’s Cave tour highlights
A bucolic meeting spot…the caboose at Bluff City Park by the river. From here we drove to the private property where Worley’s Cave (official name is Morril’s Cave) is located.

Shortly after you enter the cave you will head down the longest crevice of the entire tour. I’m a skinny person but at times I struggled squeezing through. Good news is you get covered in mud so you don’t have to worry about that for the rest of the trip. Also, your adrenaline kicks in high gear and now you’re ready to conquer the cave!

As expected, gorgeous mineral formations abound; here’s a taste of few stalactites.

My favorite stop, the “underground ballroom” where according to local folklore, many parties and moonshine activities took place during prohibition. More historic trivia: the cave was likely inhabited by aboriginal people in prehistoric times, mined for saltpeter in the Civil War, and in the 1900s, had a mill at its lower entrance where the stream exits.

What animals live here? Bats, salamanders, and crayfish. We only spotted a few harmless bats.

Resting before the big boulder climb. Our guide confided later this was one of the trickiest spots. You have to start just right, grab and turn just so, and be really quick on your feet…else you slide back down. We both succeeded on our first try, hurray!

Another squeeze through…not too fond of those, glad I had my gloves and helmet on.

All in all we had a blast! This was indeed a one of a kind adventure.

Here are more Worley’s Cave photos other visitors have posted online.

Things to know before you go
• The exhibit is very thorough. There are several dozen human and animal mummies from different regions of the world, spanning thosands of years. You learn about naturally and intentionally mummification processes. You are immersed in a variety of cultures, myths, medicinal rituals, and human diseases, family stories and tragedies. Here’s a preview from the exhibit official website.

• The most interesting mummy is the “Detmold Child”, an infant from Peru found in an incredibly well preserved state and believed to be the oldest mummy ever discovered. It is dated to 4504 – 4457 B.C., more than 3,000 years before King Tut’s birth!

• Did you know people (especially royalty in Europe) used to eat “mummy powder” not too long ago? Crushed up bones and skin from Egyptian mummies was sold as a magical cure to a series of illnesses from coughs to impotence…

• Line up 10-15 minutes before your entry time. Skip the photo opp to get in faster. The audio tour is an extra $5.

• Photography is not allowed inside the exhibit.

• After a short video introduction you are free to tour the exhibit on your own. Each mummy is encased in Plexiglas and has a detailed description.

• There are interactive computer stations where you can learn more about the artifact, the mummification technique and scientific tests performed. We enjoyed checking out the CT scans, DNA tests and X-rays to understand what clues each method revealed about the mummy.

More fun things for kids at Discovery Place

Design your own challenge course for the little robot. With the assistance of Discovery Place staff kids can use simple software to remotely control the robot and making it turn, spin and to follow a specific path.

Strike a thermal pose! Act silly and see yourself through the eyes of an alien…

The “Cool Stuff” gallery is filled with hands-on stations that explain in a very playful way the fundamental laws of physics, mechanics, electromagnetics, aerodynamics, and more.

All kids, but girls in particular, go crazy in the crafts section (conveniently located at the exit to the mummies exhibit). Make your own masterpiece using scraps of fancy fabric, leather, aluminum foil, colorful duct-tape (oh my!), and hot glue. Beware this place is loud and crowded…yet super fun.

If is cool science then is Discovery Place!

The self guided trail showcases the Thunderbolt, Corsair and Super Sabre war aircraft, a nose art display, the Wall of Service, the Valor Memorial Garden and many interpretive signs.

In 1942, in response to the looming threat of World War II the United States Army Air Corps opened the Myrtle Beach Bombing and Gunnery Training Range. A wooden city emerged to meet the urgent needs of combat air crew training, nicknamed “Splinter City” by locals. In 1943, some of the facilities were used to house German POWs.

In 1943, the Myrtle Beach Air Force became the home to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, one of the most honored wings in United States Air Force Base history. The wing saw action in every major conflict in which the United States was involved, except for the Korean War. In 1993 the Myrtle Beach Air Force base closed and the unit moved to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

War aircraft used at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base
The first A-10 Thunderbolt II planes were delivered to the base on March 9, 1973 and the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, became the first operational A-10 wing in the United States Air Force.

A successor the famous P-47 Thunderbolt, the A-10 was a rugged, highly maneuverable and survivable aircraft, ideally suited for close combat operations.

Given its fierce 30mm Gatling gun power and the enormous bomb carrying capacity the A-10 was affectionately known as the “Warthog”.

The F-100 A/D Super Sabre was assigned to the 354th Fighter Day Wing in 1957. The wing squadrons were sent to Vietnam with the F-100s. After the war the aircraft was transferred to the National Air Guard.

Named after a type of pirate vessel the Corsair was the United States Navy’s famed F-4U fighter aircraft of WWII.

The A-7D became Corsair II and its mission was close air support.

In September 1970, the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing was the first to receive the A-7D.

Equipped with an automated electronic navigation and weapon delivery system the aircraft was outstanding attacking ground targets while deployed in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Spend some time reading about the many accomplishments achieved by the 354th Fighter Wing during World War II:

The 354th flew 18,334 sorties, produced 67 aces, shot down 701 enemy aircraft, and destroyed 255 airplanes on the ground, 150 armored vehicles, 584 locomotives, 55 bridges, 834 bridges and 9 airdromes.

Lt. Col. Glenn Eagleston was the leading ace managing to shot down 18 German Luftwaffe planes.

The wing received two Distinguished Unit Citations, the French Croix de Guerre Palm and a Medal of Honor was awarded to Major James J. Howard.

Admire a fine example of nose art, an American military tradition dating back to World War II.

During wartime nose art increased morale and provided pride and comfort to the men and women flying and servicing the aircraft.

The folk art included a nickname for the place, pilot and the company’s names and various images, most popular being that of women, music, sports, comic strip characters, alma maters, good luck symbols, the grim reaper etc.

When most of the old planes get scraped the nose art is only remaining artifact to tell the story of the aircraft and the people who used it.

Love the outdoors? Go kayaking in the marshes at Cherry Grove Beach for a chance to spot the majestic bald eagle! If nothing else you will surely see herons, egrets, cormorants, and brown pelicans. Early morning you may be rewarded with a synchronized jumping show courtesy to the playful bottle-nosed dolphins that swim freely by the pier.

Here is a complete list of fun and affordable family friendly activities you can do in and around Myrtle Beach.