From the Low Country of South Carolina we traveled up to the city of Charleston to spend a couple of days. I have to say Charleston is one of the most walkable cities I’ve ever been to. Our bed and breakfast was located just half a block off King Street (a shopaholic’s dream) - in a large old house with a charming courtyard in the back – and a porch that was perfect for breakfast and afternoon tea.
| City Market |
We walked King Street, walked to the old city Market, to historic houses, to restaurants and to the dock where we caught the ferry over to Fort Sumter and walked some more. It’s a pleasant 30 minute, narrated ride to the Fort with great views of Charleston Harbor, one of the 10 busiest ports in the U.S.
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| Small cannon |
| Don't stick your head in there! |
While in Charleston proper we got to try a good sampling of southern cooking – dinner at Hank’s Seafood Restaurant for pan seared scallops, grilled salmon, oysters, and Seafood a la Wando, accompanied by an impressive wine list and topped off with a delightful crème Brule and peanut butter pie. Lunch at Jestine’s kitchen for crab cakes and fried green tomatoes was a treat and lunch another afternoon was at Queology, where a trio of bbq sauces is offered to spice up the very tender and delicious pulled pork sandwiches and ribs.
Several plantations grace the outskirts of Charleston - several of them separated by only a few miles on Ashley River Road. They all have their individual, unique features but time permitted us to see only one. We settled on Magnolia Plantation. http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/
It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowountry, and the oldest public gardens in America – open to visitors since 1870. We enjoyed walking the grounds, where we actually spotted a couple of alligators, one of which was large enough to be scary! They are not supposed to be aggressive toward humans but I wouldn’t want to push my luck. There is a petting zoo – the one downside to the visit. It is small and cramped and the animals in the cages and pens were not meant to live that way. I would love for it to be phased out. We did enjoy the numerous peacocks that roamed about though. One poor guy kept circling a car, looking at his reflection in the chrome bumper and circling again. I hope he didn’t drive himself crazy by the end of the day!
We heard about it from someone at the party we had recently attended and since I love old cemeteries and it was on the outskirts of town, stopping was a no-brainer. On the National Register of Historic Places, it is the final resting place for authors, politicians, military and assorted notables. It certainly is a walk through history. One of the most fascinating plots is that of the crew of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine which sunk three times, losing her entire crew each time, including the inventor for which it was named.
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