A Trip to Charleston – Saturday – August 25, 2012

We had made arrangements for Nancy’s mom to spend Saturday and Sunday with us here at Buck Hall.  However, she changed here mind at the last minute sooooo....we had to change plans as well!!

We decided not to waste this beautiful day – let’s visit Charleston.  It’s been 20+ years since we lived on Isle of Palms just north of Charleston.  So today, we acted like true tourists:o))

Nancy had camera in hand.  No…make that two cameras in hand.  We took off just after 8am and crossed the Cooper River Bridge over Charleston Harbor towards downtown Charleston.

 

We could see The Citadel from the bridge!!

 

Our first stop was the visitors center

where we picked up a map of downtown.

 

 

We decided to leave our car at the visitors center and do a walking tour.  The best way to see Charleston is walking. Our tour was basically a loop heading down Meeting Street to East Bay to The Battery and returning on Kings Street.  It was early, not crowded yet and the weather was spectacular.

We walked through the Charleston City Market.

 

It is several blocks long and was recently renovated.

There are many vendors

who make and sell Sweet Grass Baskets.

 

We loved the tile mural depicting

Gullah women collecting the sweet grass!! 

 

You could buy almost anything you may want or need.

However, the only thing we found that might be RV friendly

were these collapsible baskets;o)) 

Cool, but we don't need any STUFF!!

 

As we left the market,

we were down along Charleston Harbor.

 

We passed the United States Custom House. 

At Nancy's request, I climbed the steps to

give some perspective to the size of this building;o))

 

Just a little further down East Bay Street,

we arrived at beautiful Waterfront Park.

 

What a spectacular Pineapple fountain...

the symbol of southern hospitality!! 

It was a great day for sailing in Charleston Harbor.

 

We left the park and headed up a cobblestone street.

It was a real step back in time:o))

 

The quaint street led us back to East Bay Street

where we were face to face with

Rainbow Row!!

Just a short walk further down East Bay St.,

we reached The Battery.

 

Everyone of the beautiful homes along this walkway

deserves its own picture... but we chose just one;o))

 

At the end of The Battery is White Point Park,

sometimes referred to as Battery Park.

 

History buffs could spend the day in this park

exploring the statues and artillery.

 

We strolled through and enjoyed

the beautiful Live Oaks:o))

 

 

At this point, we headed back towards the visitor center.

We walk the side streets to enjoy the beautiful

homes and gardens before hitting the shopping district

on Kings Street.

 

 

Walking is a great way to see this city.

 

However, another alternative would be

a Horse Drawn Carriage Tour:o))

 

We finally arrived at Kings Street,

the Charleston Shopping District. 

We did some window shopping and as the lunch crowd began to fill the sidewalks, we arrived at the visitor center.  All told, we managed to walk well over our daily 10,000 steps and spent a wonderful morning in Charleston.  We were ready to leave and stop at the Whole Foods store on our way back to the campground. We also stopped for lunch at The Bay Street Deli.  We rarely eat out and now we have eaten out two days in a row--Go Figure;o))

 

 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening

with our feet propped up in our Anti-Gravity Chairs!!

 

It is fun to watch the views of the Intercoastal.

 

 At high tide you can see the waves on the ocean across the sea grass.

 Jet Ski Races!!

 

 Dads and Sons returning from a fishing trip:o))

Big Tugboat and Barge heading north!

This last photo made us laugh:o))

We can't get over the different ways people haul their

Blueboys to the dump!!

 

If was another WONDERFUL day here at Buck Hall:o)))