Hey gang! It’s that time of year again! I’m heading off on my annual Baseball Trip next week, and as usual, I turn to the Dope for help filling the hours between games.
If you’re familiar with the following places, and/or points in between, and you have a favorite bar, diner, tourist attraction, quirky museum, roadside stand, gas station bathroom, etc., etc., I’d love for you to drop ‘em here.
This year we’re hitting:
Charlotte, NC
Columbia, SC
Myrtle Beach, SC
Charleston, SC
Savannah, GA
Jacksonville, FL
First stop Charlotte, sounds like you’re heading south from there. If you are starting north of Charlotte, hit Mooresville, the home of a lot of Nascar teams. And of course, Nascar Hall of Fame in Charlotte. I thought with an alias like Wheelz, it might be something to interest you.
We did the race shops around Mooresville back in ‘03. As employees of one of Rousch’s sponsors, they invited us back inside for a closer look. That was really cool.
I’m not as big a NASCAR fan as I used to be, but the HOF is a good idea; never been there.
The Gay Dolphin is a cheesy gift store worth a visit in Myrtle Beach. It’s been open since 1946 and I swear most of the stock has been sitting that long, too.
The Angel Oak Tree is just outside of Charleston and really a special place. It’s just a giant old tree, but it feels magical.
In Savannah, Zunzi’s is one of my favorite restaurants. It’s South African takeout. I am not sure if Graveface is finished moving yet, but they have an oddity shop/museum and record store that is fun.
Also in Savannah, The Jepson Center for the Arts is a great museum if you are into modern art.
ETA: The Savannah Baseball team is called the Savannah Bananas and you should see them just because it’s the greatest name ever.
I’m really looking forward to the Savannah Bananas game. They seem to be part Summer College League team and part barnstorming circus act. They are also a huge local draw and sell out every game. I was lucky enough to snag tickets the morning they went on sale, and they were gone later that day.
By the way, their opponent during my visit will be the Macon Bacon, which has to be at least the second best team name ever.
I’m glad you get to see them! It’ll be a lot of fun. Macon has a great history of funny team names. The Macon Whoopee was the name of their hockey team, and the mascot was a whooping crane being chased by a bee. for ref: Macon Whoopee (CHL) - Wikipedia
