🌴 Splash Island, Kids' Concerts, & Melvin's BBQ

Good morning, Charleston!

This week, I—Courtney from Palmetto Parents Summerville—am taking over to bring you some great ideas for family fun around the Charleston area! Jenna was on vacation, so I had the fun opportunity to write this week's newsletter and share a few experiences our family enjoyed recently. We hope you all had a wonderful start to July and a great holiday weekend! We had a fantastic weekend ourselves, although the nonstop fireworks during the night in our neighborhood did have me nostalgically thinking back to the days when I lived in a state where setting off your own fireworks was illegal...

This week, we're featuring Splash Island at Palmetto Islands County Park, a roundup of free kids' concerts happening all around the Charleston area, and Melvin's Barbecue in Mount Pleasant and James Island. We're also right in the thick of potty training our two-year-old, so this week's Palmetto Piece is all about how creativity might just be the greatest superpower we have as parents.

We went last week and came home already planning the next trip. Splash Island Waterpark sits inside Palmetto Island County Park in Mount Pleasant (444 Needlerush Pkwy, Mt Pleasant) and it hits a sweet spot that's genuinely hard to find: enough going on to keep kids busy for a few hours, but contained enough that you can actually keep eyes on them without losing your mind.

The park itself sets the mood before you even get to the water. Palmetto Island has this lush, jungle-like feel because the natural vegetation is everywhere and it makes the whole place feel a little tucked-away from the world. If you've got time, the playground inside the park is worth a stop on its own. Combining both the playground and Splash Island makes for a full-day outing without needing much else.

Inside Splash Island, there are slides and a splash pad with water features for the younger crowd, plus an open pool. For kids over 48 inches there's a larger water slide that's genuinely fun. Our boys aren't there yet, but it's something to look forward to. The littles had plenty to do and didn't stop moving the whole time. We went as a playdate with other moms, and the setup made that easy too with enough space for a group and it being easy to keep everyone together.

Outside food isn't allowed inside the waterpark, but there's a café on-site and picnic tables right outside the entrance that are perfect for a packed lunch before or after. We brought our own food and ate, then ended the day with Dippin' Dots from the front desk (which, for the record, was the highlight of the afternoon as far as the boys were concerned). Park admission is $2 per person for ages 3 and up, with children 2 and under free. Splash Island has its own admission on top of that with the following prices:

One of our boys got in free, which made it an easy afternoon budget-wise. If you have older kids, it can be a little pricier of an outing but it’s definitely worth it if you can spend a good chunk of time there!

It is currently open daily until August 2nd with the following hours:

Flowertown Charm is a local Summerville farm that creates meaningful experiences for families through animal encounters, goat yoga, and hands-on farm life. This summer they're offering Weekly Snuggle Sessions, Monthly Farm Bingo, Monthly Slushies & Snuggles, and Goat Yoga every Saturday at 10:30am (ages 8 and up). Baby goats are here through July — and a few new arrivals are expected in early September!

Fall is where things really get exciting. Pumpkin Carving with Goats runs every day from September 27–October 31, with twice-daily sessions on weekends — and it sells out every single year. Starting November 7, Roasting Marshmallows with Goats in Sweaters runs every weekend. Farm Snuggle Sessions continue daily at 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, private parties are available by request, and holiday events like Ornament Painting are coming soon.

Through July 31, use code FALLYALL for $3 off any event for any date, including fall bookings!

If you're looking for something free, fun, and genuinely entertaining for the kids this week, this one is worth circling on the calendar.

The Big Bang Boom Band is making their way through Charleston County Public Libraries July 6–11, and every single show is free to attend. For those who haven't seen them before — they're an interactive children's music act that gets the whole room moving. Think lots of singing, dancing, call-and-response, and the kind of energy that leaves preschoolers completely worn out in the best way. It's best suited for preschool and elementary-aged kids, but little siblings tend to love it just as much. There are shows running all week long across the county:

No tickets, no registration, no cost. Just show up, grab a spot on the floor, and let the kids go wild. Follow @bigbangboomband and @chascolibrary on Instagram for any last-minute updates.

We stumbled into Melvin's the way a lot of good meals happen when you are parenting— we needed something nearby, something quick, and something that wasn't going to hurt the wallet. We'd spent the afternoon at Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant with the boys after an appointment and wanted to grab dinner without making a whole production of it. Melvin's was right there and the moment we got out of the car, we knew we made the right call. The smell alone would have sold anyone who walked by.

Melvin's is a Lowcountry BBQ institution that's been around since 1939, and it shows in the way they do things. The ordering process is straightforward. You order up front, the food comes out quickly, and there's no waiting around wondering what's happening in the kitchen. For families with hungry kids and limited patience, that kind of seamless experience is worth a lot. Melvin's BBQ has two locations in the Charleston area. The one in Mount Pleasant is located at 926 Houston Northcutt Blvd. and the James Island location is at 538 Folly Rd.

We ordered a three-meat plate and an extra side to share between the family and left completely full, which is always a good sign. The pork and brisket were both solid; we personally preferred the brisket, but it really comes down to what you're in the mood for. Sides included sweet potatoes, green beans, and mac and cheese, all of which hit the spot. And then there's the complimentary bar which is a self-serve spread of BBQ toppings, sauces, and barbecue toppings including beets, which I was very enthusiastic about and fully acknowledge is not a universal excitement. But it's a genuinely nice touch that makes the meal feel like a little more than your average fast-casual stop.

The pricing makes this one especially easy to recommend. Melvin's has a value menu, and they run weekly specials throughout the week — including half-price burgers on Tuesdays. They also have a drive-through at both locations for nights when you just want good BBQ without getting everyone out of the car. There's outdoor seating too, though in the middle of a South Carolina summer you'll probably want to stick inside. Overall this was a great experience for our family and we were happy that’s where we chose to eat that evening!

One of my favorite poems since becoming a parent is Michelangelo by David Gate (shown above). I think about this poem a lot. This week especially.

We've been potty training our two-year-old, and it did not start smoothly. The accidents were expected and a totally normal part of the process. What I wasn't prepared for was how genuinely opposed he was to sitting on the toilet at all. We had tears. Both of us, honestly. And somewhere in the middle of it I realized I hadn't even tried to get creative about it. I'd just been pushing through and wondering why it wasn't working.

So I pivoted. His current obsession is dinosaurs… and I mean deep dinosaur knowledge, the kind where we both can now rattle off Parasaurolophus, Pachycephalosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Diplodocus without blinking, which I'm choosing to count as a personal achievement. The rest of potty training became: which dinosaur do you want to watch you go potty right now? And just like that, we had a kid willing to sit down.

I don't think of myself as a creative person. I never have. But as a mother, I am. We all are. If you're a parent, give yourself credit for that. The creativity you pour into the small moments — the ones nobody sees or applauds — is real work. You're painting something beautiful, one impossible little moment at a time.

Have a great week!

Love, Courtney + The Berk Boys