We had a family outing this weekend to Four Holes Swamp/Francis Beidler Forest, as we wanted to share this special place with my in-laws visiting from Arizona. A short drive from Charleston just off of I-26, this swamp boasts the world's largest stand of virgin cypress-tupelo forest. And that forest is home to lots of critters: snakes, birds, and turtles have been seen on every visit we've made, but lucky visitors might spot an otter, baby deer, or the elusive bobcat.

The visitor center welcomes you with a quick orientation to the swamp environment and then directs you onto the 1.75 mile boardwalk trail. The boardwalk is stroller-friendly, and with an almost-two-mile walk, you'll probably want to bring the stroller along even for older kids. (My four-year-old daughter walks the distance now, but last year she took breaks in the stroller.)

Don't leave the center without grabbing a laminated guidebook. Page numbers correspond to markers along the trail, where you'll learn everything from the definition of a swamp (it's a forest that's flooded part of the year) to ways of identifying common swamp snakes.

We've visited this space several times in the last year, and every visit has been unique. The swamp changes significantly with the season and the water level, but the best part is that you just never know what you'll find along the trail.

As if there wasn't enough already to like, I think I fell in love with the Four Holes Swamp just a little bit more when I found their blog. It's updated on a regular basis with great information about the environment of the forest and the creatures that lucky visitors have seen along the boardwalk.

We saw snakes:

 
 (This guy was on the boardwalk, and my daughter ran right past him without noticing.  It's a brown water snake, not venomous.)

In contrast, this is a cottonmouth.  Luckily, they don't like to climb and we had a good five feet on him.




A skink of some sort?  I couldn't ID it exactly:




A skull of a small mammal:      
                            

And, amazing! A preschooler living in a hollow tree:


The Francis Beidler Forest is operated by the Audubon Society in South Carolina. Hours are 9 am - 5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $3.50 for ages 6-18, with kids under 6 free. (It's worth every penny, I promise!)