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Info on South Carolina?

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:help The Boss(my wife) and I were thinking about spending a couple of weeks in or around Charleston next winter.. Why? I have no idea. It just sounded good. Got any suggestions for historic homes, buildings, routes to see? We will probably motel it. Cool back roads to ride? Must see's? Must dos? Suggestions? Surprise me! Yeah, I know what you are going to say. Stay up in the frozen north of Michigan and leave us southerners alone. Bob Childers, 1964R60/2. You mean they actually built BMW's after 1969? You're kidding! <bobthewoodcarver@frontier.com>
 
Charleston

You need to first understand that Charleston has never really embraced the idea that they are a part of South Carolina. When the rest of the state was dry, Charleston had bars in violation of state law and refused to do anything differently.

When the state finally decided to serve liquor, they went with the mini bottle; Charleston just kept on doing what they had been doing for 200 years.

My wife's mother was SOB.

You need to understand what that is and why it is important before you go.

I loved going TDY to the naval base there when I was in the Navy and still count it as one of my favorite places in the world.

But, Charleston is in no way representative of South Carolina; than goodness for that.

You will have a terrific time.
 
Charleston

Yeah, all this is cool. My town started Prohibition as early as 1861 when everyone was away at the Civil War but this doesn't tell me one thing about what to see or do in Charleston.
 
We look forward to having you and your wife in Charleston! I will give you a few of the things I would recommend doing, but if you will be here for two weeks there is much more you could do.
I am not sure exactly when you will be here next winter, but we just finished having the Southeastern Wildlife Expo which is held each year at about the same time. Lots of wildlife art, exhibits, etc.
I would definitely take the tour to Fort Sumter. You get there by a short boat ride , so you also get some good views of Charleston Harbor and the city from the water. You can take the boat from Charleston or go across the bridge to Mount Pleasant and take a boat from there. The USS Yorktown (a retired aircraft carrier) and another Navy ship are on the Mount Pleasant side so you can tour those also. If you want to, you can walk across the bridge which is pretty scenic. If you do that, I would park at the waterfront park in Mount Pleasant because of the easy parking and access to the bridge.
Downtown Charleston is a great "walking around" area and you could spend a few days sight seeing, touring historic homes, shopping at the market, eating at great restaurants all within the historic part of the city. The horse drawn carriage rides are really good and you can see and learn about some areas you may miss otherwise.
If you want to head to the beach, Folly Beach is easy to get to and a great place to take a walk in the sand. They also have a nice pier there.
If you want more details, pm me or if you want to get together while you are here, let me know.
 
Thanks Ken, that's more what I was looking for. Fort Sumter sounds neat. What we were looking for is seeing old historic homes. road houses and taverns. My wife is an antique collector. Look, she already has me! I think the newest piece of furniture in our house is about 1900? The oldest is around 1740.
 
If historic houses and antiques are what you want to see, then Charleston would be a great place to visit.
There are many old, historic homes that are open to the public in Charleston. The Aiken-Rhett house, Calhoun mansion, Joseph Manigault house, Edmonton-Alston house, and the Nathaniel Russell house with its really neat staircase are a few but there are others. All of these are in the historic downtown area and are easy to walk to. This area is great just to walk around in because the old homes/buildings have been well kept and the old architecture is beautiful. Also, the landscaping and gardens are nice to see.
There are old plantations - Magnolia Plantation, Drayton Hall, Middleton Place, and Boone Hall - that are about 20-30 minutes by car or motorcycle from downtown. The roads to these are lined with large oak trees and make for a pretty scenic drive.
King Street in downtown has many antique shops and is convienent to walk to from the downtown home tours I mentioned earlier.
 
Charleston is a great city. Take your camera.

Wonderful restaurants - Magnolias, Poogan's Porch, High Cotton - the list just goes on.

It's a very good walking town. Start at The Battery (facing the distant Fort Sumter), and walk down Market Street past all the remarkable antebellum homes with separate male/female staircases.

A few blocks west of Market St. brings you to King Street, the shopping area mentioned above. The College of Charleston lies in between.

If continuing further north on Market, you come to the old Charleston Market, across from the Customs House. Plenty of tee shirts and other tourist crap, but also some interesting arts and crafts (think Christmas gifts). The Market extends several blocks and much of it is now air-conditioned.

Buy a praline (a pecan/brown sugar southern sweet) or two from one of the many confectioners along your walk. Mint Juleps are another local attraction, as well as shrimp and grits, collard greens, fried green tomatoes and many other gustatory delights.

Some very pretty old churches, as well as older homes, are open to the public.

The beaches are minutes away (we stay at Isle of Palms), with Edisto Island a nice stop. Several light houses are within a short drive, as are the not-to-be-missed town of Beaufort, the many civil war sites, ocean fishing, and endless miles of beach combing. Learn about the Gullah inhabitants, and sea grass baskets. Canoe/kayak down the tea-colored rivers and creeks neighboring the Charleston.

In short, there is plenty to do in this very charming area. Enjoy your trip.
 
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