🌴 Sk8 Charleston, The Dawn Patrol, Rice Culture and The Perfect Parenting Advice

Welcome to Palmetto Parents Charleston!

We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! We packed a lot into the long weekend, and between pleasant beach days and a little early apple picking, it finally feels like fall is peeking through. In this week’s newsletter, we’re sharing a fun throwback activity at Sk8 Charleston, a new family-friendly café on James Island, and a heart check-in on parenting with patience and grace. There’s something here for both play and reflection, and we hope it fills your week with a little extra joy.

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Skaters are back in style and we’re not mad about it. Between the chunky skate shoes, emo-punk bands like Avril Lavigne and Blink-182 hitting Charleston, and the overall throwback vibes, it feels like middle school all over again. Only now, we get to bring our kids along for the ride!

Sk8 Charleston is a massive skate park tucked in North Charleston between Park Circle and King Street, making it super accessible no matter what island you’re coming from. It’s a perfect spot to people-watch, rent gear if you don’t have your own, and even refill your water bottle from the giant jug of iced water they keep out (a life-saver in the Charleston heat). Bonus points: there are air-conditioned bathrooms with changing stations.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are bike-only days, but otherwise you’ll see skaters of all ages and skill levels from little kids learning to roll to seasoned skaters showing off tricks. The atmosphere is fun, inclusive, and definitely nostalgic for anyone who grew up idolizing skater culture. My son took a hard fall and ended up with a sprained ankle, so take it from me—lessons from Charleston County Parks are totally worth it to help kids build confidence and avoid injuries.

Step into history at Middleton Place and discover how rice shaped the Lowcountry’s land, culture, and economy. Families can watch a live rice harvest, try hands-on activities like threshing and winnowing, and explore the deep West African roots of Carolina Gold rice through conversations and demonstrations.

Kids will love the interactive stations—pounding rice in a mortar, making clay pinch pots, or even trying barrel building—while foodies can sample Gullah Geechee–inspired dishes like Chicken Perloo, Okra Rice, and Red Rice from fifth-generation farmer Marvin C. Ross of Peculiar Pig Farm.

Archival displays, sensory rice stations, and meaningful conversations make this both educational and fun for all ages.

Admission: Free for members, or included with general admission ($29 adults, $10 students, kids 5 & under free).

James Island feels like the spot where all the cool, hipster college kids grew up, got real jobs, and now raise their families—and Dawn Patrol is the perfect reflection of that vibe.

Created by Wyatt and Shiloh Morris (the duo behind Tres Palmas Açaí), this new surfer-coastal café blends coffee, California-style cuisine, vintage design, and laid-back charm into a warm, family-friendly hangout.

Locals are already loving the açaí bowls, breakfast burritos, and creative toasts alongside their specialty lattes. There’s plenty of seating inside plus a few great outdoor tables, and with a giant playground just across the street, it’s an easy stop with kids in tow. Parking can be limited, so plan to use the nearby side streets.

They’re open daily from 7am–4pm and Sundays from 8am-2pm, making it a perfect morning or lunch spot. When I took my kids there, we even got to meet one of the barista’s pups, which made the visit extra fun—they absolutely loved their time.

I was talking with a friend recently about one of those big, unanswerable questions: how do we know if we’re parenting the way our kids actually need us to parent them? The truth is, it can change moment to moment. Do I let my child melt down in my lap in the middle of the grocery store? Do I calmly talk them through their emotions? Do I follow through with taking away toys until they’ve cooled off?

In those messy moments, I remind myself that as long as I’m rooted in patience, peace, grace, and (most importantly) love, there’s really no “wrong” choice. Sure, sometimes later I realize I could have been more gentle or understanding. But parenting gives us endless chances to self-correct. If my heart is filled with stress, anxiety, frustration—or let’s be honest, flat-out annoyance—my kids will feel it. So I ask myself: what do I need right now in order to show up better for them in the next moment?

Sometimes that means taking a deep breath. Sometimes it means carrying a kicking, screaming toddler out of Target while abandoning a full cart. Sometimes it means giving in and ordering DoorDash instead of making the dinner I swore I’d cook. Lately, when I’m overstimulated during the dinner-to-bedtime chaos but still want time with my kids, we go for a drive. I get fresh air, they’re strapped in, and everyone survives. It might not be their dream activity, but it helps me empty out the hard stuff and refill with the good.

I want my kids to see more of the good and less of the bad. Even if my “good” isn’t exactly what they need in the moment, it’s still better than my “bad.” And the same goes for you: do what you need to do to fill your heart with love, joy, peace, and patience. When we parent from that place, we really can’t go wrong.