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Category Archives: South carolina

Charleston Harbor Cruise

Charleston, South Carolina is a three-hour drive from where we are currently living, Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is always exciting to discover this city and driving for hours doesn’t really seem to matter. It has been hubby’s “home” from 2000-2005 and it has become one of our favorites after our two visits since we got married. There is so much this city can offer. We have been to the colorful and beautiful downtown Charleston and even tried one of their ghost tours, awed at the aquatic displays at South Carolina Aquarium, reconnected with the past in Magnolia Plantation, stalked some alligators at Audobon Swamp Garden, learned about war batteries at Fort Moultrie, met the Hunley at Charleston Museum, and said hello to Sullivan Island Lighthouse. This time, we are geared to do the Charleston Harbor Cruise. It was an hour and a half tour showcasing the beauty of Charleston aboard the General Beauregard vessel. It was an entirely different way to appreciate the city and it surely was one of the most unforgettable.

I am inlove with Charleston, again. It didn’t come as a surprise.

The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge

View while waiting for the harbor tour at the docks

Where do we go from here?

Waiting at the docks for the Harbor Cruise to start

View of South Carolina Aquarium aboard The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

View of Charleston Waterfront Park aboard The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

View of Charleston Waterfront Park with the Pineapple Fountain aboard The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

The beautiful pastel buildings as seen aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

View of Fort Sumter aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise, where the Civil War started

View of Sullivan Island Lighthouse aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

View of Fort Moultrie aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

View of USS Yorktown – Charleston SC – Historical Naval Ship of World War II while aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

Closer view of Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge, aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise

hubby and I aboard the The General Beauregard Harbor Cruise in Charleston, South Carolina

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Posted by apple.e.e-s. on October 18, 2012 in South carolina

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Sullivan Island Lighthouse, Charleston, South Carolina

18 Oct

I have an eye (and heart) for lighthouses and my old post about the old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is one proof. While in Charleston, South Carolina, we visited the Sullivan Island Lighthouse. It is not the prettiest lighthouse I have seen but definitely one of the most unique lighthouses in America and that is a beauty itself. It resembles more an air traffic controller tower than a lighthouse, known for its unique triangular shape. It is also the only lighthouse known to be using an elevator instead of the typical spiral staircase found in most lighthouses.

Sullivan Island Lighthouse, the lighthouse that resembles more an air traffic controller tower than a lighthouse, known for its unique triangular shape.

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Posted by apple.e.e-s. on October 18, 2012 in South carolina

Tags: air traffic controller, architecture, arts, charleston, lighthouses, lighthouses in america, South carolina, Sullivan Island Lighthouse, sulllivan island, things to do as a couple, things to do in charleston, tourist spots in america, unique lighthouse

H.L. Hunley Submarine and Charleston Museum, South Carolina

17 Oct

My curiosity over the H.L. Hunley submarine started when hubby and I watched the show “Mysteries at the Museum” and it left me awed. It was not America’s first submarine but the third. The first submarine was named Pioneer and the second submarine was named the American Diver, sometimes referred to as the Pioneer II. H.L. Hunley, however, is the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship in a combat. It has a long history of mystery, which was uncovered in 2000 after 131 years underwater.

Hunley was first called “the fish boat” or “the fish torpedo boat”, almost 40 feet in length and a width of almost four feet and weighed approximately seven and a half tons. This hand-powered vessel was designed to carry a crew of nine – eight to power it and the ninth to control navigation. It had sunk twice during its training missions, killing crews including Captain Horace Lawson Hunley, one of its original investors, but recovered in the hope of perfecting the submarine again and again. On its third mission, the Confederate submarine Hunley successfully sank the Union ship Housatonic but it has not returned from its mission which mystified everyone. After 131 years, the Hunley was uncovered and the remains of the crew were found in their assigned positions. Research has found that there was no panic at the time it went down. Why the submarine sunk remains a mystery until today. One theory is that the men did not drown but ran out of oxygen. On April 17, 2004, the men were buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston next to the other crewmen who had drowned on the submarine. The Hunley remains at the Warren Lasch Conservatory at present. But a replica of the Hunley is located in front of the Charleston Museum.

Replica of the Hunley in front of the Charleston Museum

Hubby in front of the replica of the Hunley outside Charleston Museum

The Charleston Museum, America’s First Museum

Charleston Museum

Fort Moultrie, Sullivans Island – Charleston, South Carolina

16 Oct

Hubby had lived in Charleston, South Carolina from 2000-2005. Our first visit to Charleston together was July of this year. About two weeks ago, we have decided to give this beautiful palmetto city another hello. We are meeting his old colleague for lunch at Perfectly Frank’s in Summerville, SC which Guy Fieri of Food Network featured on his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but the tricky part is not knowing what else to do after that. That afternoon we found ourselves strolling around Fort Moultrie at Sullivans Island.

Perfectly Franks in Summerville, South Carolina

Fort Moultrie Visitor Center

Fort Moultrie, Charleston, South Carolina

One of the batteries at Fort Moultrie, Charleston, South Carolina

Some batteries at Fort Moultrie, Charleston, South Carolina

Fort Moultrie, Charleston, South Carolina

Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston, South Carolina

04 Oct

Originally a freshwater reservoir for rice fields, this 60 acre piece of Magnolia Plantation was converted into a habitat for wildlife. Named after John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and hunter known for his paintings of birds and was once a guest of the Reverend John Drayton, then owner of Magnolia Plantation, Audubon Swamp Garden offers a unique viewing experience through dikes and bridges keeping you up and close to natural flora and fauna. Enjoy the 45-minute self guided walk and listen to the music of the swamp but keep an eye on the alligators lurking in the water just few steps away and discover what other charms Charleston has to offer.

Entrance to Audubon Swamp Garden

Audubon Swamp Garden

Music of the swamp at Audubon Swamp Garden

A statue at Audubon Swamp Garden

Alligator sightings at Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston

Audubon Swamp Garden

Hubby and I at Audubon Swamp Garden

Panorama view of one spot in Audubon Swamp Garden

Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston, South Carolina

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Posted by apple.e.e-s. on October 4, 2012 in South carolina

Tags: adventure, audubon swamp garden, charleston, charleston tourism, flora and fauna, freshwater reservoir, hiking trails, John James Audubon, magnolia plantation, music of the swamp, natural flora, nature, paintings of birds, plants, South carolina, swamp, swamp alligator, swamp garden, things to do as a couple, things to do in charleston, tourism, TRAVEL

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, North Carolina

21 Aug

One of my childhood fantasies is to walk past an avenue of oak trees covered in spanish moss. And at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, North Carolina, that fantasy came true. It felt magically inviting. The entire plantation is, a matter of fact, a magic itself. It is one of the oldest plantations in the South and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is beautifully located across Ashley River, hosting the oldest public garden in America.

The Oak Avenue at Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina

View of the Magnolia House from a distance – Charleston, South Carolina

The Magnolia House at Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina

View of Magnolia House from Ashley river, Charleston, South Carolina

But the beauty of this plantation was at the cost of slavery. African-Americans were used to create the beauty inside the plantation. Perhaps, the most interesting part of this plantation is giving us a glimpse of slavery and the stories behind those slave cabins. Don’t get me wrong. I love the plantation. The Drayton family did a wonderful job at maintaining its beauty generation after generation. But for Civil War enthusiasts like me, the tour was enlightening and it gave me a deeper understanding of the struggle to freedom and equality. I have been to different plantations, but Magnolia showed me an interesting face of the South. At Charleston Market, I was educated on how the emancipated slaves started to pick up the pieces of their life to start anew by selling local handcrafts. At Magnolia, after the narrative of one of the workers, I felt the kindness of man when the slaves who were having a rough time outside the plantation came back to work and they were still welcomed.

With Civil War and Uncle Sam reenactors at Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina

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Posted by apple.e.e-s. on August 21, 2012 in TRAVEL, South carolina

Tags: TRAVEL, South carolina, tourism, tourist, plantation, magnolia plantation, ashley river. charleston, civil war, americal revolution, reenactment, uncle sam, road to freedom, slavery, emancipation, slaves, african-american slaves, things to do in charleston, honeymoon ideas, oak avenue, magnolia plantation charleston, charleston north carolina, tourist spots in charleston, oldest plantations, historic places in america, historic places in charleston, ashley river, oldest public garden in america, drayton family, civil war reenactors, uncle sam reenactors

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston

16 Aug

Located at the edge of Charleston Harbor, South Carolina Aquarium is a private non-profit education and conservation organization with about 85 paid staff and close to 400 volunteers. It features 5,000-6,000 aquatic animals, 47 exhibits with animals, 42 aquatic exhibits, 51 aquatic back-up tanks, and 10 turtle hospital beds.

Inside South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Eel at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Jellyfish at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Shrimp at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Sea horse at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Horseshoe crab at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Stingray at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

Albino american alligator at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

The tank at South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

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Posted by apple.e.e-s. on August 16, 2012 in South carolina, TRAVEL

Tags: animals, aqua tanks, aquariuam, best tanks in the world, charleston, charleston harbor, educational tours charleston, educational tours south carolina, enterprise-it, gaming, harbor, honeymoon ideas, nature, sc aquarium, South carolina, South carolina Aquarium, tanks, things to do as a couple, things to do in charleston, things to do in south carolina, tourist spots in charleston, tourist spots in south carolina, TRAVEL, vacation, water tanks, weekend get away charleston

Charleston, South Carolina

08 Aug

Only a fool won’t fall for Charleston. I have always been captivated by the culture of the South – the rich historical narratives, the soulful cuisine, the warmth of the people, land ownership by generations of the wealthy, the distinctive Southern dialect.

And the gorgeous architecture. There is probably nothing that will not catch your eyes (and heart) in Charleston. Everything is just pretty, this city is not afraid of colors, painting their homes in pastel not only for status but evidently to cool the heat off .The location of many scenes of the movie “The Notebook”, downtown Charleston is breathtaking especially when toured on a horse carriage. Anyone who is a fan of Nicholas Sparks will surely love this charming city of South Carolina.

45 minutes to an hour carriage tour available at $20 for adults, $12 for children (4-11) and children under 4 ride for FREE :)

Carriage tour in Charleston, South Carolina

The historic Charleston City Market is one of the oldest in the country where the newly-freed slaves started to make a living after the Civil War. Some products for sale are locally crafted sweetgrass baskets, clothing, artwork, jewelry and local souvenirs