Although Charleston is a relatively small city, there's much to do, and we managed to squeeze quite a few activities into our short trip. Highlights included...
Wherever we went, we stopped to appreciate any blooming camelias...
Seeing dolphins play in the water while we took the ferry out to Fort Sumter (the Ravenel Bridge is in the background)...
Visiting Fort Sumter, which is the spot where the Civil War
began...
Driving to Sullivan's Island for a walk along the ocean and
to see what might be one of the least attractive lighthouses...
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| It was chilly, but these pups didn't mind. |
..and catching glimpse of beach houses that might be on my list of
"dream vacation home."
Strolling around Mount Pleasant, which included seeing some attractive homes - and this sign:
Ambling around the center of Charleston, including Waterfront Park and its iconic fountain....
...and the many beautiful historic buildings, as well as the city market.
We were also tempted to stop by Jeni's Ice Cream a second time, as there were too many flavors we'd left untested...
Getting out to John's Island to discover a tea plantation and learn more about tea (turns out neither of us knew all that much!) and sample lots of hot and iced tea...
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| Tea fields and their all important drainage system |
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| The plantation's mascot had a broken leg, so I signed the cast. |
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| Other tea plantations are rather far away... |
And while on John's Island, pay homage to the impressive Angel Oak Tree, which is at least 400
years old, and over 66 feet tall, and essentially impossible to capture in a photograph...
One tip - if you visit Charleston and rent a car upon arriving at the airport, I suggest renting from one of the larger companies that have their rental counters and vehicles on airport grounds. The walk from the gate to the counters is no more than 4 minutes, and the cars are located right outside the door - definitely made picking up the car and dropping it off quick and simple.
Overall, Charleston is an incredibly charming city, and I am grateful I had the chance to visit!
Wow, you packed a lot into a weekend! Looking very familiar, except the Angel Oak has been on my to-see list for almost 7 years and we've just never made the side-trip. Next time! And now you need to visit Savannah, to compare the two - or have you already been?
ReplyDeleteYes, Angel Oak is definitely worth the visit! Be careful timing, though, as it's fenced in, and only open during certain hours - for example, we were there on Sunday, and then it was only accessible 12 - 5pm I believe. I have not yet been to Savannah - on my list, though!
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