South Carolina

We just got back from a vacation in South Carolina.  We spent about 3 days in Charleston and two days in Hilton Head and a day in Savannah.  Yes, I realize Savannah is in Georgia, but we stayed in South Carolina.

 

We both liked Savannah better.  I liked that they kept the old buildings and then still had a garden square every couple of blocks.  It is a very British design.  In London there is not much in the way of yards, but there is a little garden in the middle of the block for the residents.  Some have a key to keep out the riffraff, but Savannah allows the riffraff!   That would be us, so we went.

All three places were flat, flat, flat.  Perfect for bike riding and we will have to rent some for our next trip.  Lee was having allergy issues. Oh, my, the pollen.  We picked Spring for the cooler weather, but that meant we got POLLEN.  All three places are chock a block trees, which makes it beautiful, but....

 

We visited two old house museums where they take a home on the historic register and fill it with pricey antiques and charge you to look at them.  I like to do that, but my back and hip were very unhappy with a lot of standing and looking, so we limited it to two. The Calhoun House in Charleston

 

 

and The Owen Thomas House in Savannah.

 

We also visited Fort Sumter.  It was  where the first shots of the Civil War were fired and it involved a fun boat ride, so history and a brief sail. 

 

What's not to like?

 

We went through Beaufort and I decided I liked the raised houses with big porches and a nice big yard and ocean breezes better than the older homes in the cities right next to each other. 

 

I also loved the tiny libraries.  You can take a book or leave a book.  No checking out and no fines.  I love that concept.  Here is a book I don't need any more.  Do you want it???

 

We took a couple of horse drawn carriage tours in Charleston, but in Savannah we took a tour bus that we could hop on and off.  I had thought about going on a ghost tour in the evening, but we were too tired and went back to Hilton Head in the afternoon.  We did go to a restaurant that was on the ghost tour and the waiter told us enough ghost stories to give me goose bumps, so I figured I didn't need to go back after dark!

 

Don't you love the look of the Spanish Moss? 

 

Did you know it is neither Spanish nor moss?  Me, neither.  It is also a frequent home for chiggers, so don't take any home with you.  Just another reason why it is good to take guided tours in new cities.

It is a good thing we came back when we did.  I have had to turn down two guests.  One because we are booked for the weekend and one because they wanted to bring pets.  We do have two sets of guests thinking about next weekend and one the week after, but no bookings, yet.

So things are heating up...in more ways than just the weather.