As previously mentioned, we went on a road trip recently. Nothing seems to reinvigorate the imagination as much as new experiences (or so I’ve noticed in the past week). So, below are some of my favorite pictures from historic downtown Charleston.
This incredible bridge connects Charleston to nearby Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island. This is also the last photograph that my trusty camera captured before its untimely malfunction/death.
The Roaming Gnome enjoying White Point Gardens.
A memorial to the Confederates who defended Fort Sumter during the Civil War
A visit to Charleston isn’t complete without a trip to Rainbow Row
One of the most intriguing places we visited was Drayton Hall. Unlike many of the other plantations in the country, the house has been preserved instead of restored. While that means that there are no furnishings and the walls are bare, it makes this house unlike any other. It feels more like visiting Anasazi ruins that are kept as-is, like you’re able to touch history in a completely different way.
Drayton Hall: the oldest preserved plantation in the United States
This room has only been painted three times. Beneath the blue, the original primer from the 1700’s peeks through.
One of the beautiful fireplaces in Drayton Hall.
I wonder who’s sat on this window seat through the years…
The remains of one of the decorative ceilings.
The upstairs ballroom of Drayton Hall.
While we were away, we also explored nearby Edisto Island. I was erroneously led to believe that this island only lies 20 miles from Charleston. And that may be true as the crow flies, but it was almost an hour and a half drive to its beach! But there was one very specific reason that we had to venture out that way…
Reason enough to drive the hour and a half to Edisto Island
June 18th, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Loved the shots of Drayton Hall. Looks like the perfect setting for a ghost story. :-)
June 21st, 2013 at 3:19 pm
It really does! : )
By the way, it’s funny you should mention ghost stories! I can’t believe that I forgot to mention the real ghost of Drayton Hall. During the Victorian era, a painting was hung just above the fireplace in one of the sitting rooms off of the main entrance. Now, if you look closely, you can still see the ghosted outline of the picture: its wire and the square outline of the painting itself. Our guide laughed that it was never the sort of ghost story the kids wanted to hear, but it’s true.
June 21st, 2013 at 5:30 pm
How cool is that?! :-D