Over Memorial Day weekend, we did a bit of travel by piggybacking onto one of my
business trips to Savannah, Georgia. We planned to drive north to visit family near Washington, D.C., so we stopped briefly in Charleston, South Carolina along the way.
My husband had never been to Charleston, although it is promoted heavily in some publications he reads...Garden and Gun, Southern Living, Brooklyn Magazine, etc. I hadn't been to Charleston since I was a young teen on a family trip, so I just had vague memories of church tours and stops for ice cream.
While we were hanging out in our Savannah hotel, my husband found a self guided walking tour of old town Charleston. I've just poked around on the internet for about half an hour looking for it with no success, so you'll just have to take my word for it! He is a huge history buff, and we both love spending time outdoors, so this type of thing was perfect for a quick trip. He even downloaded and printed a little map, and a caught him looking like a total tourist at one point.
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| Just tourist things. |
Since we drove straight up from Savannah, the first order of business was parking (oddly difficult, and I recommend the cheap city-owned parking garage next to City Hall) and finding a bathroom. Caffeine is a bit of a necessity for this type of blitzkrieg touring, so we went to
City Lights Coffee for some iced coffee and to get W some calories (best way to prevent a temper tantrum). Awesome decision, because the temperature started climbing into the nineties just as we started walking.
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| My number one travel tip. |
Here are some photos from the walking tour:
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| This row house had a pristine, hidden veranda that was like looking into a peaceful tunnel. |
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| Classic Charleston architecture. |
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| US Post Office and Courthouse designed by New Orleans architect William Freret. |
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| Saint Philips Episcopal Church Cemetery, burial site of Charles Pinckney. |
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| Children's graves. |
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| Some of the inscriptions were so touching. We lingered here not to be macabre, but because we are Episcopalians who are into genealogy, and I am descended from some of the Pinckney cousins. Plus, the churchyard was shady and cool. |
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| The woodwork on some of the detached homes was amazing. |
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| Perfectly manicured gardens of the homes facing the bay. |
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| I like to think these oak trees were standing through the Civil War. This home faces the fort. |
So there's that. We were in Charleston for about two hours, and I feel like we saw what we could. We spent less than $15 for the coffees and the parking, and pulled out of town just as everyone started to get cranky. Charleston is definitely on our list for a more focused return trip.
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