www.ExploreCharleston.net

The photographs for this trip are available here in the photo gallery.

We got up around 6:00am on Saturday, February 23rd and were on our way by 7:30. I had been told about a shortcut from Athens to I-20, so we decided to try it. The drive was reduced from four and a half hours to four hours.

As we entered Charleston, we decided to take the 526 loop and visit the Just Fresh location on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant, since the Shoppes at Seaside location had closed in late 2007. I had the Little Red Rooster, which included roasted chicken, ham, apple wood smoked bacon, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, honey-Dijon on a tomato basil tortilla. It was alright, but I will probably try something different next time. Steven had his favorite, the artichoke parmesan pizza.

Since we were close to the Boone Hall Market on 17, we decided to stop in. It’s a standard fresh market style store, with some locally grown and produced items.

The next stop was into Isle of Palms, again, since we were close to the Isle of Palms Connector. There is a variety of small, gift shops right at the end of the Connector with public, pay parking. I picked up several stickers and postcards at My Favorite Things. Bubba, the shop parrot is always open to conversation. He makes visiting this shop an experience and a half.

The weather was warm with a cool breeze as we took a nice long walk on the beach. I picked up a number of shells to add to my ever growing collection.

We decided to check in to the hotel in Mount Pleasant, then headed downtown and parked on Broad Street. We visited Calhoun Mansion. The tour encompassed the first and second floors, excluding 1 or 2 rooms. The interior was breathtaking and nearly beyond description. The mansion is filled with rare and expensive objects that date back centuries. Overwhelming opulence is the only phrase I can think of to describe the contents of the mansion. The $15 tour fee was more than worth it and we’re considering the $50 Grand Tour.

Afterwards, we made our way back onto Meeting Street and into Whitepoint Gardens, The Battery, and a leisurely stroll into Waterfront Park for a while. The sound of the water lapping against the sea wall and pier are so relaxing.

We then walked back around The Market area. I have been very unsuccessful at locating MP and SI car stickers for Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island.

We decided to eat at The Noisy Oyster for dinner. We found the appetizer over-priced, although my fried flounder and baked potato were mostly satisfying. The salad was very mediocre and not memorable. My oysters were slightly overcooked. Steven was not very impressed with his Key West Stuffed Grouper. I very much doubt we will be returning to The Noisy Oyster, because the value did not match the quality of food we expected.

We returned to the hotel for a short break.

On our return into the city, we parked along King Street and walked down Queen Street to Vendue and back into Waterfront Park. There was a near full moon out and it reflected off the harbor, enhancing our evening ten-fold. We saw a number of dolphins, which added a bit of excitement. As we strained to listen, we heard them breaching in the distance for awhile afterwards.

We walked towards Adger’s Wharf and sat on one of the many benches along the path to further enjoy the harbor view by moonlight. Continuing back onto East Bay Street, we meandered towards The Battery, with a brief stop to window shop at the East Bay Garden Gallery.

We eventually passed across Whitepoint Gardens and onto Church Street. Church Street is definitely one of my favorite streets to explore in the evening. It’s always very quiet and relaxing as we appreciate the indirect lighting of the many homes.

Reluctantly, we called it an evening around 11:30, since the early wake-up was catching up with me.

Sunday morning began with a return to Broad Street to finally visit the Old Provost and Exchange Building at the end of Broad Street.

The tour is a real bargain at $7. The docent was very knowledgeable and nice. This provided a much laid back experience. The tour began in the dungeon, where at one point pirates and British rebels had been held. While the animatronic characters in the dungeon where a bit cheesy, I think children will probably enjoy them.

During Charleston’s history, the building had once been a post office. The second floor still holds the original postal screen area where the postal employees worked, along with a number of period clothing pieces and objects.

The largest room, found on the third floor, was once used to entertain George Washington while he made is way through tour of the South. Be sure to check out the view down Broad Street from this room if your visit this building.

We then walked down to the East Bay Garden Gallery, where I purchased an image of the Morris Island Lighthouse on a slate tile from Rainbow Row and an original Charleston area brick from a local brickyard with Rainbow Row.

By this time, I was really looking forward to brunch at Poogan’s Porch. Poogan’s has become much anticipated stop during each of our trips. I tried the Fried Green Tomato Benedict and it was wonderful. The tomatoes were perfect and the biscuits were so fluffy and full of flavor they needed nothing added to them. Steven had the Low Country Breakfast again and still enjoyed it as much as last time.

We made our way back down Queen Street and towards the Powder Magazine, only to find that it was closed on Sunday, along with the Preservation Society Store and Historic Charleston Store. Margaritaville is always a worthwhile store to browse, so we ventured into it and a map store next to the Preservation Society Store. They carry a number of original maps throughout the region and world.

The day was beginning to wind down. We would soon need to start back towards Athens, but not before one last walk along The Battery Wall and into Sullivan’s Island for a short stop along the beach at Fort Moultrie. We realized that part of Battery Jasper, a WW II artillery facility, was open. I still have no idea if Fort Moultrie admission tickets are required to walk through Battery Jasper, so our walk into it was short and quick.

Our short visit to the Charleston area was now at an end, so we reluctantly began our four hour drive back home.

Our next visit will be in late May, which as luck would have it, is during Spoleto! This should be a very interesting visit and we’re already starting to roughly plan the sites and restaurants we’ll be sampling!