I won a giveaway!! I was on Instagram one day mindlessly giving myself 5 minutes of some "Veg-out" time while my 3 year old napped, when I came across a post made by a page I follow, Explore Pickens SC. They had shared they would be doing a giveaway for a 3 night stay in a cabin at Mile Creek Campground in Six Mile, SC on Lake Keowee. Well, why not try? So, I did as they requested, liked, the post, etc. I got on with momming and wifing and teaching and sort of forgot about it as I drowned in schedules and playdates and appointments and practices.
Then something magical happened one day - I got a notification on my phone from Instagram that in fact I was the weekend cabin stay giveaway winner as well as the winner of a one year membership to the Pickens County Museum of Art and History (which is incredible by the way!) I couldn't believe it. I read and re-read the post tagging me as winner over and over. I received DM's from friends who had seen congratulating me. Then I claimed my prize and scheduled it with the nicest people. I requested the weekend of January 8-10 because Eric would only just be starting back for his LAST semester at Clemson as he juggles full time school, full time work, dad, and husband life. I also loved the idea of going just as a couple to relax, unwind, go hiking, and play board games.
My parents kept Ellie for the long weekend and Eric and I headed out for our adventure making a pit stop first at Tipsy Taco in Clemson for some good eats. When we got to the cabin we were dumbstruck at the beauty of our surroundings as well as the cuteness of our tiny house style knotty pine cabin. It was perfect and so clean and beautiful! If I didn't have a child I could live in this permanently. We were greeted upon arrival by a pack of turkeys, a herd of deer, and a warm cabin waiting to embrace us.
The first night was rainy but we weren't bothered in the slightest by this. It made for perfect time of playing a board game, listening to music, snacking, and even dancing together like two goofballs before unwinding together cuddling reading.
Knowing the weather was to be perfect for the remainder of our special getaway, I gave Eric a few hikes to choose from for the next two days so we could get to some beautiful waterfalls, lake views, and work up an appetite for some really good steaks and crab cakes, and spaghetti on another night we had planned. I love spaghetti and always have it during a cabin stay because I never eat it in my normal daily healthy lifestyle. But a special occasion or vacation always calls for it!
We hiked our first full day to Raven Rock at Toxaway State Park. I had been before but wanted to show my husband the views. Then we came "home" to the cabin. I went down to the boat dock and laid down with my book Eric bought me I had been wanting. A Christmas gift from him. I watched boats go by as I read, said hello to some friendly geese beside me, and rocked with the dock with the wake. Then I wanted to go exploring some more. I found Eric relaxing on the screened porch in a lovely wooden rocker. I sat with him a moment and then encouraged him to join me for a walk about the campground to scope out future camp sites. More on this later - but this is the literal best campground I've ever seen and we have done a lot of camping. How did I not know this place was here?! After taking our time exploring and fantasizing future family trips, we walked back to the cabin and made a camp fire where we grilled steaks and watched the sunset. Then, after our meal we watched the sky observing constellations, satellites, and I even caught with my eye a beautiful shooting star! It was lovely. There was a hot shower waiting on me inside as the fire died down. I got warm and toasty in the shower, put on cozy pajamas and snuggled up to Eric once again for more talking, laughing, and reading. The wooden cabin walls have the warmest embrace and just make you feel the brightest glow in your chest and perfectly content. You need nothing but each other here in this beautiful place.
Our next full day, I took Eric to another hike to upper whitewater falls which I had done before, and we also did lower whitewater falls which I had not done. We totaled 9.1 miles in 4 hours and were totally ready for our spaghetti night by the time we returned to the cabin. Again, we sat outside at the pic-nic table near a warm toasty fire. I cooked inside and brought it outside....maybe we are crazy to do this in 30F weather but we love the outdoors and its incredibly awesome to have that warm cabin with a hot shower to retreat to once we were ready to retire for the evening. I had worn Eric slap out from the hike...he doesn't go multiple times a week like me but he sure was a trooper! That's one thing I love about him, always up for an adventure and up for being alongside me. My best friend.
We were sad to pack up and go but it was the most wonderful and needed break and getaway together where we were just Eric and Em for a few days, no time restraints, limitations, schedules, we just existed soundly together and peacefully without the world for a few days. I feel so refreshed and ready to continue my Domestic Diva duties here at our lovely home.
Let me tell you about this place because honestly....it's amazing. It's the best kept secret I am about to reveal.
I have passed on many occasions a brown road sign saying "Mile Creek Landing" with an arrow and some odd distance marked on it as I drive to go hiking yet never knowing what all was really there. Only 38 minutes away from my home in the Anderson County side of Easley, SC, is the most wonderful paradise. Look up Mile Creek Campground. They have the best campsites you can find out of all the many places I've camped. And I have camped in many beautiful places. There are campsites and cabins. Obviously we stayed in the cabin and the campground is not open until March 1, 2021. Practically all cabins and campsites have incredible views of Lake Keowee. There is a public beach access with a wonderful playground at the boat landing. There are also many coves and sandy beaches to play on within the campsites! The views are spectacular all around of the lake and the mountains. You get both the sun rise and sunset and so much wildlife. We saw more deer than we could count on the daily basis and plenty of turkey too. Of course they will be more scarce in summer, but they are there!
Your family can play in the lake and on the or a beach as again there are many spots, kayak, rent a boat for the weekend. The cabins actually come with their own boat dock. So if you rent or bring your own boat, you can park it right out front of your cabin. Sweet! If at a campsite, you can reserve a boat dock slip for your stay and boat in close to your campsite, too. There is hiking all around this area. There are many trails and waterfalls within a short drive to venture out to. Eric and I actually stopped at Jocassee Valley Brewing Company on our way in on our last night from our long hike and had a beer. What a cozy place it is too, just a few miles down the road from the campground. Check them out as well. It is a family owned and ran business and with a great beverage selection, nice indoor and outdoor seating near a wooden fire in a stone chimney.
At the campground you can fish, sit on a bench near the water, or even shoot hoops on a full covered outdoor basketball court. There are bath houses of course for the campsites and a playground also within the campsite grounds in addition to the one located at the beach and landing. They have really thought of everything here to make your trip amazing.
We actually were so wildly impressed that we made plans on our first full day to do our daughter's birthday camping trip (something my family does) here at Mile Creek Campground. So when we made reservations to stay in another cabin this summer for her birthday, we also landed another 3 reservations totaling 4 as my parents, my sister's family, and my in-laws all booked their stay in campsites or cabin for our daughter's birthday camping trip. So in a matter of months we will be back and bringing three of our other family groups with us!
To give you the scoop on the cabins, I took some photos to show you what is included so you can get an idea of what you may want or need to bring with you to add to your comfort. They provide pillows for the beds, a coffee pot, paper towels, toilet paper, your basic pots and pans, silverware, dishes, cups, mugs, refrigerator/freezer, oven, stove, microwave, dish soap. But if you are like me, you still need to bring some things.
Do bring your own coffee grinds and filters. Bring oven mitts. Bring dish towels if you like using those for counter tops and such. They provided a muffin tin but you may want to bring a flat cookie sheet for baking.
You do bring your own bed linens and bath towels too of course.
We stayed in the "large" cabin. It was built with a sleeping loft upstairs. The large cabin will sleep 8 people with a queen sized bed in a private bedroom, 4 twin beds in the loft, and a full sized futon downstairs. The "small" cabins sleep 4 with no loft space. The cabin was perfectly cozy with heating and air conditioning, ceiling fans, and a small table and chairs for dining. It was clean, beautiful, cozy, and lovely!
Make your reservation today by clicking on this LINK.
Here are some photos of what you will find:
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