Much like our New Orleans trip, this one consisted of a lot of old house viewing and eating.
I will let Mr. describe the eats but I will walk you through our adventures.
We arrived on Thursday but didn’t do much besides lounge at our hotel and go to dinner.
Friday
Mr. and I began our site seeing on a 78 degree day with a visit to Fort Sumter. Mr., not a Civil War scholar, kept calling it “Fort Sumpner”. Side-eye. (I am not sure if this was better or worse than my constant “You sank my battleship!” when we toured the Missouri on Pearl Harbor.)
Anyways, to get to Fort Sumter, you need to take a boat which takes about a half an hour and delivers you to FS for an hour, then takes you back. Mr. who gets motion sick driving around Pittsburgh with its turny roads and hills, quickly put on his Sea Bands so as not to leave it to chance. The boat ride to and from was eh. It was windy and they gave you some history on the way there. After we arrived, I thought an hour was ample time to not only see the bits and pieces of the Fort but also to go to the gift shop, usually my favorite spot at any historical site.
Next up, because it was right there, Mr. and I went over to the South Carolina Aquarium. We got a $1 off because I am a AAA member. Go me!
I think we need to stop shelling out big bucks to see aquariums. While it had its moments, I expected more for the cost. I, at least, thought a dolphin or a big shark would sail by but alas…
After the aquarium, Mr. and I happened by the Joseph Manigault House so we decided to do the tour. Hooray! (Sometimes I have the best husband in the world because he encourages my historical homes obsession by suggesting homes to visit like this one.) This tour was great because they let you take pics (no flash) and the house had some interesting history. I loved some of the colors used for decor and the staircase.
 |
| Staircase |
 |
| Dining Room |
Saturday- Plantationing Day!
We rented a car which was the longest experience of my life. It took us 40 minutes to get our car from arrival at the rental place to departure. Someone was being helped when we came in. There was one person in line in front of us. And then there was us. We noticed things move slower in South Carolinaand that people LIKE TO TALK. Ugg. The guy (only worker) talked our ear off while we tried to get the car, took us outside to have us select a car, talked to use some more about his kids, talked to us even more about who knows what? Honestly, I don’t mind friendliness but enough is enough. Give me my damn car and let’s go. We had a big day planned and it wasn’t supposed to start with an hour spent at the car rental place. Vent over.
So starting out about an hour after we expected due to the car rental debacle and a trip back to the hotel for a bathroom break, we headed towards Drayton Hall.
Drayton is the oldest, unrestored house in America. It has no plumbing or electricity. Construction started in 1738 and took four years. Everything was done by hand. There was no furniture or anything in the house and you weren't allowed to touch the walls because the paint was original. But, they let you take pics. Here are some:
 |
| Room used to entertain |
 |
| Staircase. All the woodwork was handmade. |
Drayton also has some grounds to walk through which we did, including a marsh walk. I was slightly scared an alligator would come up and get me but we made it through.
Our next stop on the plantation tour was Magnolia which is just up the road. Magnolia has extensive grounds which are covered in gardens. We toured the gardens before our house tour and it took maybe 45 minutes. I think the gardens would be much more impressive in the summer when everything is blooming. They were still pretty nice.
The house tour was eh. You could not take pictures and due to the original house being burnt down (twice), the house was not that old. Kind of disappointing. We thought about doing the swamp tour they offer but due to the hour, we didn’t think we would be able to get it done before they closed so we skipped it.
After we were done plantationing, we headed back to the hotel for a nice, complimentary sweet tea in the sunroom where we wiled away the rest of the afternoon Southern style.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Charleston recaps.....
No comments:
Post a Comment