Our first impression of Charleston, South Carolina was that this is a city that understands its quaint beauty. Although the Charleston Visitor’s Center offers multiple options of experiences for sale, we chose to explore the town on our own. In Historic Charleston we uncovered well-preserved culture, architectural gems, historical sites, lush parks and an active waterfront. Some of the highlights include:
Meeting Mary a Gullah artist making sweetgrass baskets and crafts. As she tells it she is the real thing. Her family has been making baskets in the Lowcountry of South Carolina for hundreds of years. Before that they made the same baskets in West Africa. She was proud to share her weaving methods and locally made certification with us. She warned us of the many fake imports being sold in the market.
Spotting the Hat Man and searching for 16 hats. Do you see the hats? This mural is a remnant from Plenge’s Haberdashery that stood on Broad Street starting in the late 1800’s. Although the store is no longer there the sign is a playful surprise. If you look at the eyes, nose, mouth and ears you will start to see hats everywhere.
The architecture is impressive, specifically the homes. As we walked around were able to identify eight distinct architectural styles, each marking a different period in history including Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Classical Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Victorian, and Art Deco. Rainbow row is a notable colorful street filled with row houses of various shades of playful colors.
Chilling by the waterfront at the Battery. This coastal city has numerous waterfront walks, cobblestone alleys and Gardenia scented seaside parks for viewing the water. These sea breeze provides a nice place to relax and play on a warm day and a chilly place to chill on a cool one. The waterfront holds much history in commerce and trade, and it is hard to ignore Charleston’s history tied to the slave trade and the Civil War.
View or visit Fort Sumter where the first shots of Civil War rang out. This fort is on an artificial island that was intended to be built for the war of 1812 and was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle of Fort Sumter began the Civil War. It is now a National Historic Site run by the National Parks Service. You can take in the history from the NP Visitor Center or take a boat out to the fort.
Churches and graveyards. Every town with Civil War history has its share of churches, graveyards and ghost stories. The old graveyards are internal courtyards attached to 18th century churches scattered around town. The spiritual nature of the past is carried over to the future in the many shops run by fortune tellers.
There are many more things to do in Charleston including visiting plantations, museums, and indulging in entertainment, and nightlife. It is also a foodie town known for its Nouvelle Southern cooking. We traded the culture time for nature play and spent a day at our campground at James Island County Park for fishing, bike riding and at the amazing splash pad.
