On our way to our next stop in Charleston, after Columbia, we decided to stop at Beaufort for an afternoon because I read it was a beautiful southern town. In Charleston, we stayed at a really nice Hilton timeshare, we saw all of the sites, and ate a few wonderful meals. What could be better?
Beaufort SC
I added the SC because there is another Beaufort in NC, but we were told they pronounce the name differently. First, there was lunch at the Lowcountry Produce Market and Café. We got there a little late, and we had to wait, so we knew the place was popular. Our meal was great.
Beaufort is, in fact, a wonderful small town on the coast south of Charleston. In addition to getting beautiful sea views, we were ogling the architecture and the Spanish Moss. I found out that Spanish Moss is a bromeliad and epiphyte similar to lichen. We were told not to touch it because it is delicate and it might transfer little mites to you. Yuck.
I also treated myself to a variety of saltwater taffy flavors because the place seemed appropriate. The town has done an exceptional job of preserving and using its historic buildings. Additionally, the houses were magnificent, and we stood around staring at them as tourists want to do. Many of the historic houses (most of them) had plaques in front with the name of the house and its historical significance. Everywhere we went, we were treated very nicely because tourist season was over, and I’m sure they were happy for the business. I guess there is southern hospitality, too. The synagogue and the arsenal also had plaques in front describing the history of each building. We found the same thing soon after in Charleston.
Architecture, the Big Draw for Charleston
It was a short drive to Charleston from Beaufort, where we checked into one of the nicest timeshares we have ever had the pleasure to stay, and it was right downtown. I’ve included pictures of historical plaques describing Charleston’s first public water system.
We wandered around on our own, but we also took a walking tour. Almost all of the houses we passed between the market and the water had names and plaques. We could have spent hours reading about each house and its history. The waterfront promenade will be beautiful once it is completed, but it was closed when we were there. There is an important historic site in the bay that we didn’t visit because we had been there before, Fort Sumter.
Porches and Doors
There is a very unique architecture in Charleston where the porches are on what seems to be the side of the house and have large fans to cool off in the heat. On the street side, the houses seem very narrow and typically have a solid door that leads directly onto the porch and provides some degree of privacy. Odd architecture is usually related to taxes in our experience, but not so in Charleston. It turns out that most of the porches face the sea, where they can capture the breezes. Another interesting thing is that the ceilings of the porches are typically painted a light blue color, which is supposed to discourage ghosts from taking up residence. Finally, there are beautiful gas lamps in front of most houses and on some porches. We found out that the gas comes from the city and is supplied for free. The lamps really add to the charm, and they burn day and night.
We Took a Walking Tour
Sometimes we just like to hear about the history from a local. He took us to many of the places we had already wandered past, but described Rainbow Row, a famous street section near the waterfront where the houses were all painted different colors. The story is that the houses were built around 1740. After the Civil War, they fell into disrepair. When the Charleston conservation started around 1930, the 13 buildings were purchased together and renovated. The owners chose to paint them bright colors inspired by the Caribbean. That is why the houses are called Rainbow Row. Personally, I can’t imagine renovating and maintaining a house built in 1740, but I understand they sell for way more than $1,000,000 now.
Across from Rainbow Row, at the site of the slave auction, is a plaque describing how Robert Smalls, a slave, managed to steal a Confederate ship and pilot it out of Charleston Harbor, past Fort Sumter, undetected. He then found Union forces to deliver the ship. We also learned that the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard is that the graveyard must be “attached” to a church. If the cemetery is across the street, it can’t be called a graveyard.
Charleston Market and a Carriage Ride
Charleston has an awesome covered market of brick and wrought iron buildings that runs at least five blocks. The market vendors sell some beautiful craftwork and other treasures. I bought a sundress, and I liked it so much, I went back the next day to buy the same dress in a different color.
Across from the market are a number of vendors that give narrated, horse-drawn carriage rides. We don’t usually do them, but we decided to do the night “ghost” tour. In addition to visiting with the horses, the carriage ride was fun and definitely a nice change of pace.
Plantation Tour
We took one day and went out to Boone Hall plantation. We were able to tour the house that a family still owns, and it is also a working farm. The farm tour took us for a ride around the plantation to see their crops and wildlife. They were getting ready to open their pumpkin patch because it was close to Halloween.
They have also preserved the slave quarters and have a few live exhibits with people providing interesting history. There was even a Gullah Geechee person who told about her life and sang some songs. The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of black people enslaved in South Carolina. They have preserved their culture and language. I found her accent extremely difficult to understand.
Food in Charleston
After our walking tour, we really needed a break. The one thing I forgot to mention was that even though it was September, it was really hot and humid in Charleston. We had lunch at a small café called East Bay Meeting House, where I had cake, and Mike had crab cakes. Another place that was highly rated was called Slightly North of Broad. In addition to cocktails, we had a lovely bottle of white Burgundy. Mike had scallops with risotto, and I had swordfish, and we had to try the grits. The meal was really great. Another night we went to Rudy Royale, which is across the street from the other place. Dinner here was a bit more low country. We had fried chicken and grits with bacon and cheese. Also, very good.
On our final night, we found a little French place where we had an excellent meal.
What places in Charleston do you want to see?
