Charleston

Day 13

Another chilly morning, 39° outside and 46° inside.

We were on the road by 7:45 AM, heading for Charleston, SC, 267 miles away.  

The drive was easy, we were on the same highway, I-26, all the way.

 Our parking luck continued, as we found a spot right in front of the restaurant, the Hominy Grill, right in the historic district of Charleston.  We had a delicious lunch, sharing boiled peanuts, then shrimp beignets.  Joni had heuvos rancheros and I had curried shrimp.

The restaurant was jammed, and we were surprised to observe that there were four different groups of age 20 something women, enjoying a bachelorette luncheon.  There was a group of 8 bachelorettes sitting next to us, and at one point 7 of the 8 women were playing with their cell phones.  Very sad!  As we toured Charleston for the remainder of the day we continued to notice more and more of these groups.   Apparently Charleston has become the new destination for bachelorette parties.

After lunch we took a carriage tour of Charleton’s historic district.  Our driver was captivating, sharing non stop history lessons about this town, which was one of the first English settlements in North America, founded in 1670.  The private homes in this district are beautifully preserved and reflect the luxuries of slave labor, the necessities of home design before air conditioning, and lastly the constant threat of hurricane flooding.   It was also fascinating to hear how water-front homes of the 1800’s are no longer water-front as the harbor was filled in, similar to Boston, to create more living space.  

After our tour we drove over to the Fort Sumter National Historical Monument visitors’ center where we booked a ferry for a tour of the Fort where the Civil War started.  I was surprised to see how far out into the harbor the Fort was located; you could barely see it.  

At this point it was time to head to our Edisto Beach State Park campground which is located on the coast, about 45 miles south of Charleston.  Before making camp for the night we dined on fresh flounder & crab at a local restaurant.