(or, "I got a new camera and my in-laws are in town, let's go on a five-mile walk")
My family and I live in Charleston, South Carolina. While I myself have lived here for 20+ years, I still love to explore the Peninsula. There are always new secrets to discover in this coastal city, whose history dates back as far as 1670.
As I'm sure you can imagine, being an almost-native to this city has its advantages. I know where the free fun is, where the cheap eats are, and little secrets that you won't find in a traveler's guide.
As the alternate title implies, my in-laws are visiting from San Diego, CA, for Christmas. The last time they were here was for our wedding, and they didn't have a chance to do much exploring of the city. Therefore they were unaware of the many charms of Charleston. It's easy to think Charleston is a city full of nothing but fast food restaurants and strip malls if that's all you see your first time around. It makes me wonder how many people come here for a wedding that isn't on the Peninsula and that's all they experience, and they never choose to come back.
Anyway, enough of my pointless musing. Let's see some photos! (Shot with my totally sweet, brand new Nikon D3100. Thanks husband!)
The first thing we did was park at our church. We attend Second Presbyterian, one of the oldest churches in Charleston, and the oldest Presbyterian church in the city. It was founded in 1809 and has withstood hurricanes, floods, an earthquake and a war. We visited the cemetery first, as my father-in-law is interested in reading headstones and none of us (not even myself) had ever entered before.
It's amazing what you can find in a cemetery. Each headstone tells a story - even the small ones with little or no markings.
In the sanctuary, we went upstairs to the choir pit and got an amazing view of the entire interior of the church. Dr. Julia Harlow is the Director of Music at the church and is a highly skilled musician.
After a long walk from the church, we ended up at Charleston Place Hotel (which spans between Meeting and King Streets) to view its large model train display that is on exhibit in the lobby every Christmas season. It's free to visit and photos are permitted.
The pictures I took are embarrassingly bad so I left them out of this essay. However, here is the obligatory photo of my husband with his stepfather and brothers:
The pictures I took are embarrassingly bad so I left them out of this essay. However, here is the obligatory photo of my husband with his stepfather and brothers:
We soon found ourselves on Market Street, browsing rocks, gemstones, incense and beads at Black Market Minerals. You can usually find a little something there that is a relatively inexpensive purchase.
Agate windchimes at Black Market Minerals.
A one-man band, playing and singing Green Day's "Good Riddance". He had a very Bob Dylan vibe about him.
Now, there's something you might not know about Charleston: there is limited parking, and almost all parking downtown costs money, even to park on the street. However, they only run Monday-Saturday from 9AM to 6PM. Outside of those hours you can park there gratis, and all day for free on Sundays. An insider tip: all day, every day, there is free parking on Ann Street/Wragg Square, just off of Meeting Street. If you have kids and want to take them to the Children's Museum, this is the perfect place to park for free. There's a beautiful park (Wragg Square) with a fountain, the Visitor's Center is directly across the street, and America's first museum, the Charleston Museum, is also on Ann Street.
Along Church Street you can find many fascinating things. Cobblestone alleyways, haunted theatres, cemeteries, gardens squeezed in at any and every opportunity.
(You might need to take a break while exploring.)
Church Street is also one of the many streets in Charleston that will lead you to this:
A beautiful view of the Ashley River, off of White Point Gardens (better known as the Charleston Battery).
Now, if you've gotten this far, at some point you'll have to start walking back. I suggest doing so before it is too dark, as no city is safe at night, especially if you aren't sure of where you are going. We decided to head up King Street to get back to Meeting Street, which is where our church is located.
This is the upper fenceline of the Miles-Brewton House on upper King Street. It is constructed completely of wrought-iron and was installed in 1820 after the failed slave uprising. It is said that this house is haunted by the ghosts of slaves who died trying to escape over this fence.
Sometimes there is no getting around it: You end up staying out even when it's no longer light outside. When there is so much to explore, you don't want the day to end, and you cling to it.
This is the original Citadel Military Academy building. It is located in Marion Square (named so for Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox", a Revolutionary War hero), formerly called Citadel Square. It was founded in 1842. The school has an excellent reputation and because of its need to accomodate a rising student population moved to Hampton Park on the other side of the Peninsula on Thanksgiving Day, 1920.
Christmastime in Charleston is a beautiful affair. Many palmetto trees are strung with lights, such as this one in Marion Square.
If you have a moment before finally getting back to your car, enjoy a lighted fountain. There are hundreds of them on the Peninsula alone. This one is located on the Meeting Street side of Marion Square. There is a larger one on the corner of King and Calhoun Streets, on the opposite side of the Square.
My in-laws are in town until December 30th, and we will be going downtown at least once more to discover more of historic Charleston. I hope you'll come back to my blog next week and explore with us!
Things to keep in mind about Charleston:
- Most church tours are free.
- You are always invited to explore cemeteries free of charge.
- The best and least expensive way to see the city is on foot.
- Parking garages are overpriced. Try to visit the city on an off-day where there is less tourist traffic.
- There are thousands of small pieces of history scattered across the Peninsula that don't require a ticket to be informed of them. Look at houses and businesses for the CAROLOPOLIS medallion, or even a plaque that will have a short history of what role the building in question held at a time long ago.
- We talked to a man who maintains the exteriors of many houses in the South of Broad neighborhood of the Peninsula (near White Point Gardens). He told us about the Great Earthquake of 1886 and how it devastated the city, and why some buildings in Charleston have huge metal stakes running the width of them - to keep them from collapsing. My point? If you kindly ask a local, they will happily give you directions or even a nugget of history for the small price of a "thank you".
