East Coast Trip - Where are we going to land?!
Where we went and what we found along the way...
This was the itinerary:
Flew into Atlanta -
1st Night - Decatur a suburb of Atlanta
2nd Night - Greenville
3rd Night - Asheville
4th and 5th Night - Charlotte
6th Night - Raleigh
7th Night - Wilmington
8th Night - Columbia
9th Night - Atlanta
Day 10 - Flew back home
The trip was much less about where we stayed each night and much more about where we went and what we discovered each day. There was a lot of driving around neighborhoods and decisions about what we liked and didn't and why. So, let's get into it...
What we are looking for in our next place to live? Well, Mark and I are 50 with a college age son, and we've lived in some pretty awesome places so our standards are high; however, one of our goals is to have more financial freedom (i.e. using the profit of our house here to buy a house somewhere else and not have a mortgage) while moving closer to family. They are all in Florida and although Florida is great to visit; it's just not quite right for us for many reasons, but I'm not getting into that here. So, the search is on to find the next awesome place!!
Decatur - 
Really nice suburb of Atlanta - I like Atlanta, always have, it's very clean and has so many businesses and amenities. I worked for an event company that produced an incredible amount of products for the Olympics in 1996, so I've visited a couple of times and have had good experiences. Two big issues - the price to live there and the traffic, intense.
The next day we made our way to Greensville, SC. Pit stop in Shoals Park. 
We drove around Simpsonville, Fountain Inn, and then slowly made our way to Greensville. 
Greensville is a really pretty city! They have a river running through the center of town and we were there when Shakespeare was being played on the lawn. We ate good and the people were very nice. I could see myself here; however, no one is living in the city they are all living in these neighborhoods 15-20 minutes away and I can imagine that those roads into town get pretty crazy on the week days during rush hour and the building going on around there was significant. So, close but not quite. I will not hesitate to return to Greenville.
Greensville is a really pretty city! They have a river running through the center of town and we were there when Shakespeare was being played on the lawn. We ate good and the people were very nice. I could see myself here; however, no one is living in the city they are all living in these neighborhoods 15-20 minutes away and I can imagine that those roads into town get pretty crazy on the week days during rush hour and the building going on around there was significant. So, close but not quite. I will not hesitate to return to Greenville.
Next, made our way north to Asheville. I was shocked how quickly we left Greensville and were in the woods. We drove through Flat Rock and visited Carl Sandburg Home and Goats. Thanks Hannah :)
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over city and harbor
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
-Carl Sandburg
Then, the sweetest town of Hendersonville, NC. This is where I would move - if working weren't in the equation. Nestled in the mountains but still have a small town, just enough businesses that you don't need to go to the bigger places very often. We stopped in a market where we bought local pecans, pickled okra, and $.25 magazines. (really!) Did I mention how sweet the people were, very.
Onward, to Asheville - Asheville is a fun city where tourists from all over descend. The Blueridge parkway runs through town, so you are in nature yet have this fun city to explore. It's a bit of a hippy town, you'll have a good time people watching. After dinner, we went to investigate neighborhoods and were pleasantly surprised. We also found many local parks to explore and were so happy at all of the beauty. Fireflies, frogs, birds, bees - large oak trees and more... I will be back to hike and discover!
Downsides to Asheville - cost, arteries getting in and out of town are very busy and there weren't many positions outside of service.
Next, Charlotte - Mark came in with very high hopes for Charlotte and booked two nights here. One on the south side of town and the other at the North end. Our day into Charlotte was rough. Somedays just start out that way. Charlotte is a very nice city - clean and big - parking was a challenge. We ended up at the Whole Foods because we knew there was parking and we could grab lunch and figure out the plan. We drove through the city and through the neighborhoods to the south. These were very opulent homes, pretty but not one of them near our price range. Nice big parks. Checked into our hotel further south from the "opulent" part of town. I will say we ended the day a bit defeated and worn out.
Next, north Charlotte - this felt much more like us, which was a huge relief from the prior day where we struggled. We found neighborhoods we liked and could see ourselves in. We met a lady who was from South Florida and just moved there and was loving it. Nice parks, neighborhoods, easy access to stores. The only downside for me is it felt a little too much like Littleton, where we lived in CO. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Littleton or Northern Charlotte but I'm not moving across the country to do the same. I'm moving for a new experience and this area felt like a different version of that. So, the quest continues.
Raleigh Durham area - We drove through Durham first - wow what a weird city, such a Hodge podge of styles and architecture. It felt like a mess - so we quickly moved onto Raleigh - a nice big city but many vacancies. It's one of those areas that hasn't recovered from COVID. I truly don't know if that's the exact reason but that's what it looked like - a bit deserted. We did however, stop at the JC Raulston Arboretum - amazing!
Luckily, we were staying in Cary outside of town. This felt more at ease and like us - beautiful parks and neighborhoods but construction around the city center was everywhere. We ate really well and found the coolest hobby shop. Hmmm...
Next destination - Wilmington...our only beach town on the tour and not going to lie my $ was on Wilmington. We looked at some of the neighborhoods into town; we entered through an industrial zone and suburbs. A weird mix, then we stopped at the beach, busy but we are in the height of summer. It was a nice hot day and it felt good to put my feet in the water. Mark was pleasantly surprised by the water clarity. Then, to the older part of town and city center. This was very nice and fun. Lots of bars - a little bit of New Orleans vibe. We found a great coffee shop Drift where we were able to get some much needed pick me up. We visited lots of neighborhoods and found areas we liked. Lots of building was happening all over town. New housing developments were happening but because Wilmington is a pie shaped triangle between Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean; they have real problems with roads getting clogged. At this point in the trip we had only a couple of stops left and we had decided that if this trip doesn't reveal our destination we would plan another one, so not out of hope but not sure we are going to find it.
From Wilmington to Columbia, SC
On the way we stopped in Camden to stretch our legs and take a look at the settlement there. Camden is a historic town that has been around since the Revolutionary War and our tour guide was so excited to have visitors we got more of a tour than anticipating! This was good and bad as we were a little late rolling into Columbia. I had some pre-conceived ideas of Columbia because my parents lived there; however, I never had the chance to visit them so it was all new. We immediately rolled in and stopped at the Robert Mills house and gardens. Then, we drove around town. I really loved the homes and this was feeling more like what we were looking for. We stayed a bit out of town, so explored the suburbs. I really loved the rolling hills and oak trees. This felt like a possibility.
But there's one more day...
So, we were headed back to Atlanta; however, we some very important stops along the way. Aiken and Augusta - Mark had been looking at Augusta online and we knew there were some great houses but you just can't tell until you get into a city if you'll love it and if you can see yourself there. Aiken was just on the way and Mark thought the streets looked really cool on the map because there are about 20 blocks where there are all these divided streets, so we drove through. Wow! Really sweet town, an equestrian hub for polo, rolling hills, and homes we really liked. We left feeling really excited. Then, we visited the Redcliffe plantation for some time out of the car, history, and wide space - really lovely. Another bonus was that the park ranger had just moved from Puyallup so we had a great conversation about moving from WA and how she liked both Aiken and Augusta.
Next, Augusta - gorgeous houses, fun shops, we ate lunch at a great restaurant - the river runs along part of the city, so there's a river walk and a nice mix of people. This was feeling really good! Dare I say good enough to make a decision?
So, without further ado - We will most likely be moving to Aiken, SC or Augusta, GA - they are about 20 minutes from each other but this had the elements we were looking for. A little bit like Gig Harbor and Tacoma, which I love. We're so excited to explore the region. Hike, taste lots of yummy food, and be closer to family.