Charleston (South Carolina)
After collecting our rental car from the parking garage in Savannah, we headed for Charleston South Carolina. As we had time we decided to take a more scenic route and stopped off in Beaufort for lunch.
Beaufort is a lovely little town on Port Royal Island and this part of the world is full of meandering rivers, sounds, swamps and forests.
After lunch we headed onto Charleston. We had been advised to stay in Mt. Pleasant which is across the river from Charleston (but, really, part of the same city). Much like Savannah, Charleston is a hip foodie city with wonderful architecture.
We joined a Dark Side of Charleston tour. This is a pretty alternative tour because it reprises Charleston's positioning as the sex tourist city of the USA (only in 1960 was prostitution made illegal). The city is still a locus for sex trafficking.
According to our guide Autumn, the sex trade was a key source of revenue for the city and could be traced back to, apparently over-sexed and well hung, Charles II.
The tour covered the Riviera Theatre (in the early days, a porn movie house with 'shady' corners dark enough to hide even Lauren Boebert's fiddling); the Big Brick house (Grace Piexotto's woman run brothel); the bigamist William A Marcus who murdered his 'other' wife because, after he caught an STD, suspected her of having an affair (actually it was not this wife); and the Methodist minister who was kicked out of town for 'baptising' a bear cub (where and how he got the cub remains a mystery).
A highlight of this tour was that we engaged with a group of women who, in their 40th year, had decided to have a class reunion. Some of them had been to kindergarten together. Kate, one of the group, has been giving Karen and I advice on what, where and how to visit New York. So nice and kind.
Before engaging in a bit of salacious gossip tour, Karen and I popped into dinner at Anson Restaurant. They were very gracious in accepting the two us given that we were in sweaty t-shirts and trainers and the rest of their guests looked like they were on the way to a debutante ball (which might have been true). The women, mostly tall and blonde, had the aura of money. And Karen and I, after ordering a starter and a main to share, manifested a class below.
The food was excellent. The service as well. We shared an heirloom tomato salad and a delicious ricotta ravioli.
Saturday was a trip to Folly Beach. And given this is summer, school holidays, Saturday and a very hot day, sadly proved to be a waste of a trip. It's around 40 minutes from our hotel and crosses some spectacular "low country" swamps. And was packed with zero parking available. Parking is seriously limited in any event, and during summer it's impossible. So we turned around and stopped off for lunch at Red's Ice House.
This was also packed (for the reasons given above) so we just jumped next door to Sunsets Waterfront. Where we sat inside for the aircon. Gavin ordered a "low country boil" (this is on most menus so we had to try). In essence small red potatoes, shrimp, smoked sausage and corn boiled together with cajun spices. Very delicious.
The restaurant is on Shem Creek, one of Charleston myriad estuaries, creeks and rivers and is full of canoes and motor boats carrying happy people and dogs.
Karen's photo was photobombed by an Osprey!
The same evening we headed for Sullivan's Island as we'd heard about The Obstinate Daughter restaurant.
After Colonel William Moultrie and the defenders of Fort Sullivan fended off the British fleet's attempt to capture the city of Charleston, a cartoon was published in London depicting “Miss Carolina Sulivan, one of the obstinate daughters of America, 1776.”
Sullivan's Island was less busy and we found parking near one of the expansive South Carolina beaches. To get to the beach one walks along a lovely boardwalk just above the vegetated foredune. The beach itself is wide, shallow and seems to go on forever and the sand is fine like sugar. Full of families and young people having a good time. The homes (some palatial), are decked out in preparation for the 4th July. My photo was also photobombed, this time by a Cybertruck!
We had a lovely dinner at Sullivan's Fish Camp where we sat at the bar. In most USA restaurants you don't have to book to sit and eat at the bar. So it's a good way to get into a fully booked restaurant as it's first come first served. And you still get the full menu. Plus, generally, the people behind the bar are really nice.
On our last night we'd decided to hit downtown for an early dinner and then take a sunset harbour cruise. Dinner was at Ritual's roof top bar and restaurant. We shared the tajin dusted calamari and tequila clams which were delicious.
We took a sunset harbour cruise which was really interesting (and popular!). The boat takes you from the harbour to Fort Sumter then tracks back on the Sullivan's Island side and then under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.
What was surprising was the amount of life in the harbour. Pods of dolphins, hunting brown pelicans gracefully gliding just above the surface, diving terns and an osprey flying home with nesting material in its beak.
We also learned that Charleston was the home harbour for Edward Teach (better known as Black Beard). Who, according to legend, had such a fearsome reputation that everyone just surrendered when attacked (so he never had to kill anyone).
The view from the boat is pretty spectacular. Great tour.
Charleston was fantastic and we really enjoyed our stay.
