Heading South: Charleston, SC

    Two free tickets....where shall we go?  We can go anywhere they fly!  North, south, east?   Don't want snow,  don't want rain.  Let's head to the south!   Someplace we've never been.  Flip a coin and Charleston, South Carolina was it!   And it turned out to be an excellent choice as well!   My daughter and I had three full days to explore, so we rented a car and off we went.  And while the weather was still on the chilly side, it was sunny and dry, and we got a taste of the south:  in the scrumptious food, the friendly folks, the classic architecture, and in the incredible history.

Drayton Hall

 

Angel Oak - oldest live oak tree in the states, 1400 years old. 

Walking the streets of downtown Charleston, was like walking through time.  Many of these homes have been here since before the Revolutionary War, and heard the first shots of the Civil War at nearby Fort Sumter.

Fires were common in the early days, especially for those houses that had no space between them.  Homeowners paid individual fire companies for protection.  To show that you'd paid your insurance you displayed the company's plaque on the front of your house. 

Ironwork is prized in Charleston.  The tighter the curl on decorative iron, the better the quality.  Much of the original decorative iron is gone now, given to the Confederate cause during the Civil War to make cannon balls.

One of the things I enjoyed about this stroll through time, were the details.

The Aiken-Rhett House

Slave Quarters