🌴 Deep Water Vineyards, Family Night at RiverDogs, The Harlow and Touching Grass

Welcome to Palmetto Parents Charleston!

After days of heavy rain, the storms have finally cleared and Charleston’s signature heat is back in full swing. The sunshine feels like an open invitation to get outside, slow down, and soak up summer before it slips away. And what better way to do that than gathering with family and friends for good food, live music, and a glass of something refreshing in hand?

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Charleston has no shortage of family-friendly beer gardens, but nothing feels quite as magical as a little road trip through the woods that ends with… a vineyard! Deep Water Vineyard is one of the area’s hidden gems and one of the only vineyards around.

Every Saturday you can bring the family and dog (leashed) to enjoy a Weekend Wine-Down from 10-5. There’s live music, food trucks and plenty of great drinks. From wine tastings to slushies and cocktails.

We love that kids can run around outside while parents sip and unwind, and leashed dogs are welcome too. Don’t forget to stroll the property and visit the animals. You might even spot the mini Highland cows! Expect a laid-back, family friendly atmosphere where there’s always something fun happening.

We’ve taken our kids to a few RiverDogs games this season, and even though we’re not big baseball fans, they always have the best time! There’s something about the energy at The Joe that makes it so fun for families.

This Sunday, August 31, is the final Family Sunday of the season, and it’s a special Paw Patrol Night as the RiverDogs take on the Augusta GreenJackets. Gates open at 4pm and the game starts at 5pm. It usually wraps up around 7:30-8pm.

Kids can meet Chase and Marshall, check out a game worn signed Paw Patrol jersey auction, and of course run the bases after the game. Don’t forget parking is free on Sundays!

The other night, we snuck out to The Harlow over on James Island. A small, open-air gem that’s absolutely perfect for a laid back date night. The ambiance strikes just the right balance: intimate yet airy, relaxed but undeniably charming.

They’re open Sunday - Thursday from 4-9:30pm and Friday and Saturday until 10:30pm. As for the food, everything was knockout, but our favorites were the black and blue burger and the fried oysters which came piled high on a bed of salt.

The Harlow is family friendly too. They don’t have a kids menu, but lots of kids approved meals to split! So if you’re looking for an easygoing yet elevated spot that feels like a hidden treasure, this is it. Good conversation, good eats, and the Harlow’s relaxed vibe make for a date night that’s hard to beat.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is to fill any second of free time with less screens. Instead of defaulting to scrolling, even a few minutes of reading or stepping outside can make a big difference. Gen Z has a funny phrase for this—“touch grass.” It basically means: log off, close your apps, and reconnect with real life. And honestly, we all need that reminder. Our brains weren’t designed to process endless streams of information 24/7.

Since I’ve been trying to grow the Palmetto Parents Charleston Instagram Page and spread the word about the newsletter, I’ve noticed my own phone time creeping up. To fight back, I started a simple rule: no phone in the bedroom. For the past two months, I’ve had a “put my phone to bed” ritual at night, and the results have been huge—better sleep, less stress, and more rest. (And it’s not just me—a 2021 study published in Computers in Human Behavior found that people who leave their phones outside the bedroom report better sleep quality and lower anxiety.)

Sometimes “touching grass” for me isn’t even literal. It might look like staring at a wall once the kids fall asleep, or watching Jeopardy half-asleep on the couch. But the point is, less input = more calm. And giving my brain a break helps me actually turn off that endless to-do list running in my head.

So here is a gentle reminder that there is always tomorrow and go touch some grass (I know the perfect place 👇)