CHARLESTON
To get into the Southern spirit (and because we couldn't check into our B&B until later that afternoon), we started our weekend getaway with a visit to Boone Hall, which is still a working plantation. Boone Hall is located in Mt. Pleasant, which is just a short drive across the river from Charleston. One of the highlights of visiting this plantation (and what drew us to the location) is the entryway to the property- a driveway lined with at least 50 live oak trees that arch across to form a canopy and is aptly named Avenue of Oaks. The Spanish moss left no doubt that we were in the South and Ashley was soon craving a sweet tea.
The oak-lined driveway leads to the main house on the property, which is brick with giant white columns. It is not the original house on the Plantation and only dates back to the early 20th century, which seemed to disappoint many of the visitors. We had known this ahead of time, so we were not let down. If you're looking for a more authentic plantation home, I think there is only one in the area and it is not restored. Despite it's "young" age, we still toured the Boone Hall house and the first floor had some interesting antique furniture including a dining table that is from the late 1700s. Fun fact: Some scenes from The Notebook were filmed at this location. Additional Fun Fact: Neither of us have ever seen The Notebook.
Boone Hall Plantation also contains nine remaining slave cabins, which are actually more authentic (i.e. older) than the main house. Each cabin contains interesting educational displays about the lives of the slaves in the area and the progression of Black History in America. The land originally had 27 slave cabins, which housed the men and women who worked in the fields and in the house. Those who worked in domestic jobs, worked on a Task System, so once they completed their assigned task for the day (which likely took 12+ hours), they could return to their cabins to spend their "free" time. In addition to produce and cotton, the Plantation built a brickyard, which likely produced many of the bricks that built Ft. Sumter (which we'd visit later) and other buildings in Charleston. The display served as a good, yet somber, reminder that Plantations represent more than pretty, oak-lined driveways and grand mansions.
Charles Pickney National Historical Site was located literally across the street from Boone Hall. Never passing up an opportunity for a stamp in our National Park Passport, we made a quick detour to visit it before heading into Charleston.
After arriving in Charleston, we checked-in at our accommodations at the 1837 Bed and Breakfast. Once we settled in our room, our hostess graciously offered us refreshing glasses of iced tea and pastries even though we had arrived too late for "tea time" - true Southern hospitality. As we sipped our tea, she explained the map of Charleston and made some recommendations for the weekend. One of the reasons we chose this B&B was the location - with map in hand, we could walk to just about every area we wanted to visit. We didn't even get back into our car until it was time to head to Savannah.
From our B&B, we walked to FIG, which was strongly recommended by friends, for our evening dinner reservations. Fortunately, we made reservations a month in advance. The wait to eat at the bar was almost 2 hours long! It was a fantastic meal with attentive and friendly staff. Highlights of the meal included the gnocchi appetizer, fresh fish caught off the coast of Charleston, and a house-made mint ice cream that brought back fond memories of that mint gelato we still dream about from our visit to Tuscany. Charleston is totally a foodie's heaven.
After dinner, we walked around the waterfront park and admired the reflection of the nearly full moon in the very high tide. We enjoyed a beer on a rooftop bar that overlooked historic Charleston before strolling back to our B&B for the evening.
In the morning, our bed and breakfast hosts served a delicious pineapple upside down french toast and recommended some walks around Charleston. After finishing our meal and morning chat, we walked into town to meet our guide for a photo walking tour of historic Charleston. Historic walking tours are hugely popular in Charleston. Since Ashley participated in one on a past trip, we didn't want to take the typical tour. We found one that was part history tour and part photography tour, which worked perfectly since we both have a strong interest in photography. Plus, we found a Groupon for the tour online - bonus! The guide focused more on composition than technical aspects of photography, but it was interesting none the less.
Charleston's nickname is the Holy City due to the high concentration of churches. You can seen many a steeple dotting the skyline. Aptly, we started inside St. Michael's Church, which is the oldest surviving religious structure in town. We were intrigued by the pew boxes with small doors - each family had an assigned box.
Outside the church, a local woman was selling sweetgrass baskets. Each basket is handmade and is an art form and tradition left over from the days of slavery. Our guide explained that suburban development makes it more difficult to gather the sweetgrass and younger generations are less interested in learning the art. Hopefully, it is not a dying art.
Next, we strolled through a nearby neighborhood. As we admired the gardens and architecture of the historic homes, our guide provided interesting facts and stories and suggested good angles for photography. The home in the photo below was featured in the Patriot. If you look closely, you may notice that the roof of the porch is painted blue. According to our guide, the blue paint scares away evil spirits and prevents wasps and spiders from nesting.
Impressive homes line the harbor front street known as The Battery. The homes were required to be at least three stories tall in order to impress visitors/pirates arriving via the Harbor. As we strolled along the promenade, it reminded of us of a more historic version of Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.
Our tour wrapped up in front of arguably the most photographed row of homes in the eastern United States - Rainbow Row. Think of them as the east coast version of San Francisco's Painted Ladies. You're sure to see beautiful historic buildings if you explore town on your own, but a walking tour puts it all in perspective and we recommend participating in one on your visit.
After lunch, we boarded a ferry to Ft. Sumter. For those unfamiliar with American history, Ft. Sumter marks the start of the Civil War. In case you haven't noticed by now, we'll visit just about anything run by the National Park Service in order for Ashley to get a stamp in her "passport." You could just go to the visitor center in Charleston to get the stamp without actually heading out to Ft. Sumter, but that would be cheating. Anyway, since we're not cheaters, we took the ferry to Ft. Sumter. The ferry provides an excellent opportunity to view Charleston from the water. In addition, the Park Service provides historical background of the Fort and battles on the way. After docking, you have about an hour to spend walking the fort, visiting museums, and attending short ranger programs.
On the way back, we stood at the front of the boat to watch those sailing around us and try and count the steeples in Charleston. After "tea time" in our B&B, we walked to dinner at Husk, which was voted the best new restaurant in America. Nate enjoyed three courses of pork, which the waitress described as "pigging out."
The next morning we enjoyed one final breakfast at our B&B. After packing our bags, we strolled through the College of Charleston's campus (as recommended by our hosts). Brightly colored houses that had been converted into academic buildings and blooming azaleas dotted the charming campus. If you find yourself in Charleston, we recommend walking through the unique campus. Believe it or not, this wasn't just a random stroll...it was the scenic path to the Sunday farmer's market, which was also recommended. Local artists and food vendors set up one of the city parks each week, so we purchased a painting and a delicious craft soda before heading back to the B&B. It was a great way to spend our last morning in Charleston.
With one last drive over the Ashley River, we headed towards the highway. Before leaving South Carolina, we had a snack break at the Carolina Cherry Company. We enjoyed a small pecan pie and cider before hitting the road. It was a perfect late lunch.
SAVANNAH
We continued our tour of the old South just a few hours south in Savannah, Georgia. We checked into our hotel - the Mansion on Forsyth Park. As Marriott loyalists, we were excited to stay at this unique property which is in an old Mansion and overlooks the famed Forsyth Park.
After dropping off our bags, we walked towards Lafayette Square to meet the guides for our photography tour of Savannah's squares and parks. Yes - two photography tours in one weekend! This tour provided less history and more technical tips involving exposure, shutter speed, and aperture. Savannah's many fountains provided opportunities for practicing shutter speed as we froze the water droplets in time.
Along with fountains, Savannah's historic district includes many secret gardens with wrought iron gates and fences. Our tour guides often stopped to peek into the gardens and admire the iron work.
Local businesses, such as law firms, also had gardens with wrought iron gates in keeping with the historic charm of their surrounding neighbors.
Lastly, we ended our tour photographing the fountains and monuments in Forsyth Park. The tour provided an unique introduction to the hidden gems of Savannah.
After a short walk back to our hotel, we changed for dinner and took the shuttle to the riverfront. The riverfront was a little more like New Orleans and less like Charleston than we were expecting. More party and less Southern charm and grace. Savannah has an open container policy so you can stop in one of the many bars and take a beer "to-go" as you walk around the riverfront. Our years in Gainesville have left us with a permanent fear of open container fines, so we hesitantly stepped onto the sidewalk despite the bartender reassuring us it was safe to do so. Once over our initial qualms, we happily sipped our beer as we strolled the riverfront.
After drinks, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Olde Pink House. Unfortunately, we didn't learn until the next day that our server could have taken us on a tour on the allegedly haunted building that houses the restaurant. If you eat here, make sure to ask!
Per a recommendation from our photography tour guides, we walked to Forsyth Park the next morning to enjoy the golden morning light bouncing off the fountains.
Our guide was a Savannah native and her accent really added to her stories.
One of the highlights of the tour was as the horse pulled our carriage down Jones Street, which was lined with beautiful homes and shaded by mature oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.
Some of the luxurious homes had red front doors. According to our guide, people paint their doors red when they've paid off their mortgage and own their home in full. Ashley noted that our home also has a red front door, so maybe we can fool the bank.
After our carriage tour, we made to sure to stop by Columbia Square since we had bought of a painting of this square earlier in the trip. The square contains a fountain relocated from one of the nearby plantations, a famed bed and breakfast, and a restored home that is credited with starting the historic preservation movement in Savannah.
Hi Nathan and Ashley - this is Lois's friend Amy. We used to work together. Anyway, just saw your blog and had to check out the Savannah trip since that's my favorite place!!! I didn't know you guys were into photography. The pix are great!! I loved the water one by the fountain! Very cool :)
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