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The One and Only Carolina Snowball
For more than a decade in the mid-twentieth century, the Lowcountry had its own year-round Snowball. Then kidnappers from further south...
sdiamondriley
Feb 15, 20244 min read
564 views
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Holiday Strong!
Resilient to the core, Lowcountry folks didn't let a little (okay, HUGE) pre-Christmas hurricane ruin their holiday spirit. In fact, the...
sdiamondriley
Dec 21, 20233 min read
401 views
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King of the Sea Islands
U.S. presidents come and go. But from 1790 until the 1920's, the Lowcountry Sea Islands had their very own king. All hail King Cotton! A...
sdiamondriley
Nov 10, 20233 min read
238 views
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In Search of Robber's Row
Don't let the quiet winding lanes, shaded by twisting live oaks dripping with spanish moss, fool you. Long before a bridge connected it...
sdiamondriley
Oct 13, 20233 min read
399 views
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A Touch of Magic
You might say that pure magic drew me to the Lowcountry, and you wouldn’t be wrong. On one of our family’s first visits to Hilton Head...
sdiamondriley
Sep 22, 20233 min read
213 views
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Blue Bloods
Blue bloods have been swarming the beaches of Hilton Head and its neighboring sea islands for pretty much forever. But they're not who...
sdiamondriley
Jul 18, 20233 min read
759 views
1 comment


An Artful Stroll
Get ready to see Hilton Head Island in a whole new way! Countless authors, artists, and musicians call the South Carolina Lowcountry...
sdiamondriley
Jun 19, 20232 min read
259 views
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Decoration Day
Where better to start a tradition of honoring fallen soldiers than the place where the war that prompted it began? Shortly after the...
sdiamondriley
May 16, 20233 min read
404 views
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Tacky Talk
The Lowcountry plays host to some of the tackiest sights you'll ever see, and I'm not talking about socks with sandals or bikini-clad...
sdiamondriley
Apr 28, 20233 min read
440 views
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From Everyday to Extraordinary
Unknown to many who seek it, a favorite Lowcountry souvenir has a dark past. Although prized today by collectors the world over,...
sdiamondriley
Mar 20, 20233 min read
571 views
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Our Own Prince of Tides
“Love’s action. It isn’t talk and it never has been.” ~Pat Conroy, Beach Music Despite the controversies he often spurred, one Lowcountry...
sdiamondriley
Feb 25, 20233 min read
550 views
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The Day of the Big Gun Shoot
You think your neighborhood's got problems? Mine is the site of the largest naval battle ever fought in U.S. waters. Protecting the Sound...
sdiamondriley
Feb 1, 20234 min read
531 views
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Blossoms of Winter
It hardly seems fair, but an explosion of red, pink, and white blooms are taking over Lowcountry gardens while our Northern neighbors are...
sdiamondriley
Jan 13, 20233 min read
813 views
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No Snow? No Problem!
Despite--or perhaps thanks to--its mild December weather, the Lowcountry boasts its own unique twists on the usual holiday traditions....
sdiamondriley
Dec 7, 20223 min read
630 views
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The Truth about Southern Hospitality
When I moved full-time to Hilton Head several years ago, I discovered something I had never expected. I had heard that "Southern...
sdiamondriley
Nov 23, 20223 min read
760 views
1 comment


The Forgotten Capital
Half a century before the pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, a bustling European capital called the Lowcountry home. Forts, homes,...
sdiamondriley
Nov 8, 20223 min read
990 views
0 comments


Beware of Haints!
If you've ever awoken and still felt tired, you just may be the victim of a Lowcountry haint. Members of the Gullah community have long...
sdiamondriley
Oct 19, 20223 min read
2,114 views
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Carolina's Blue Gold
There was a time when all of Europe was clamoring for what the Carolina Lowcountry had in spades. But then, just as quickly as it had...
sdiamondriley
Oct 5, 20223 min read
1,889 views
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A Perilous Picnic
No, they're not suicidal, they're not really "stranded," and they don't need our help. Our nutty Lowcountry dolphins just have their own...
sdiamondriley
Aug 24, 20222 min read
2,488 views
0 comments


The Storm that Drowned the Sea Islands
Sixteen-foot storm surges. 120-mile-per-hour winds. No survivors remain of the most devastating hurricane to ever hit the South Carolina...
sdiamondriley
Aug 10, 20223 min read
1,552 views
0 comments
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