An October Get-Away to South Carolina -- Part One

It's been quiet here for awhile because life's been busy and we took an almost week-long getaway trip to visit my Dad and Mary in South Carolina. The trip was a fun family visit AND a learning adventure. We spent some time at Myrtle Beach (where Dad and Mary live) and also took a weekend side trip to Charleston to tour the historical sites. When they found out we would be studying the 13 colonies, Dad and Mary INSISTED we come down and explore one of them. We are very thankful for their help in flying us down so we could spend as much time as possible there. We learned a lot and had a great time. And the weather down there was sunny and so much warmer than here in Ohio! I've been sorting through lots and lots of pictures. Here are some highlights from the Charleston portion of our trip....


First Stop.... Boone Hall Plantation
We thoroughly enjoyed exploring this gorgeous plantation! The driveway is lined with amazing live oak trees that make a canopy over the road. The movies North and South and The Notebook were filmed here.

Picking Cotton

Holding butterflies

Exploring some of the original slave cabins that still stand on this plantation, which was home of a brickyard.

Heading for a tour of "the big house."

Hanging out with Pappy

This smokehouse is the oldest structure on the property.

Touring the fields on a fun tram ride

This woman performed a fantastic show teaching us about Gullah culture.

SOMEONE had arranged ahead of time for Jon and I to be called up to demonstrate "jumping the broom" since we were celebrating our anniversary the next day.

 

After our time at Boone Hall Plantation, we headed the rest of the way into Charleston and explored the downtown area, including the awesome Old City Market. We had a yummy dinner at Bubba Gump's!

 Next Stop.... The Battery / White Point Gardens
The next morning we checked out Rainbow Row and a lovely park that was at the center of lots of Civil War action!

We stood on this very historic site and tried to imagine what it would have been like to be there during the dates listed.

Who can pass by a beautiful gazebo and not have a little "I am 16 Going on 17" Sound of Music moment? Not me!

Spending time with Dad.... awesome.

Next Stop.... Fort Sumter
As we explored the city and learned so many things, I was trying hard to help the boys understand the timeline of events that unfolded here. Although we were primarily interested in learning about Charleston colonial life, we couldn't miss the Civil War sites! We were so glad the government shutdown had ended in time for us to visit Fort Sumter.

The boys loved the boat ride that took us out to the fort.

We saw lots of dolphins. 

I like this cool picture taken from the top of the fort and showing the city of Charleston across the water.

There is quite a nice little museum inside the fort.

 

 

And then..... a horse and carriage tour of historic Charleston.
I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful old houses and hearing so many stories about the city.

 

 

Before heading out of town on Sunday we attended a beautiful Mass at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

 



 

We especially loved the beautiful stained glass Last Supper.

 And finally.... we went to see a rusty submarine. ;) Actually, we got to learn about and see the Hunley, which was the first submarine to sink a warship.... in the CIVIL WAR! I never knew there was a submarine that long ago. We toured an interesting museum and learned all about this Confederate submarine and the men who died fighting in it.

 

"The guys" getting a feel for the cramped quarters and the process of powering the submarine by turning a crank.

 So now you can appreciate why I haven't blogged in a while, right? So much travelling and learning going on! And you haven't even seen it all yet. Stay tuned for more... coming soon.