Charleston, South Carolina

A street in the French Quarter

We went to Charleston three times while staying in the campground at Walterboro. What a marvelous old city. We did the Volksmarch, of course. We meandered in and out of the streets (and an alley or two) of the historic district from the visitor’s center all the way to the battery. The Visitor’s Center, by the way, is a fabulously restored train station.

Charleston Visitor Center

At the Pink House, which is an art gallery now, the artist who was “on duty” at the time of our visit allowed us to see the entire house and gave us our own personal tour. Awesome.

The Pink House

College of Charleston

On another day we went to Fort Sumter. I was much more impressed the first time I went there some 25 years ago. This time I was struck mostly by the immense waste of money for the facility. Built as a defense of the city following the War of 1812, construction wasn’t even completed before the Confederates took over. The Union’s attempts to recapture the fort only resulted in its near destruction. Following the Civil War, the Federal government tried to restore what they had destroyed. It eventually became a tourist attraction.

Fort Sumter

Our third trip to the city was for seafood, which we got at Hyman’s Seafood Restaurant. It certainly deserves its reputation as the best seafood in the southeast (a distinction given by Southern Living Magazine). We went in for lunch and were not disappointed.

Before lunch we had enough time to pay a quick visit to Charles Pinckney House. It is a National Park Unit, but the original house of Charles Pinckney, signer of the Constitution, had been destroyed by fire. It is a little disappointing when the real thing is not there; however, the displays, historical artifacts, and short film were all worth while.