Charleston, South Carolina

Arriving in Charleston we once again felt the full force of the heat and humidity of the south. High 90's and humidity the same. But what an incredibly beautiful city. Sitting right along the Atlantic Ocean it is surrounded by low lying habitats--mud flats as we'd call them here in the northwest. But these flats are often vast fields of Spartina, a plant that belongs there but that has become a pest here in the northwest. It actually looks lovely here in Charleston--green, spiky plants that do equally well in and out of the water and thrive in the harsh, saltwater environment.

We drove around town quite a lot as the heat was just unbearable for walking. We did get out and about in the morning seeing a couple of the lovely antebellum homes that line the streets in the nicer areas of town. On our first day we decided to head over to Mt. Pleasant and Sullivan's Island and stopping by Gullah Cuisine in Mt. Pleasant. We'd heard great things about this place. The food is not terribly different than the meat and three's we'd been enjoying in much of the south. The spicing was a bit different but on the whole I thought it rather bland. We tried the fried chicken and the other usual suspects--mac and cheese, greens, cabbage, and there was a mild nod to creole-style cooking, too. Dirty rice and sausage, shrimp gumbo and the like. But it was all much blander than the creole food I had in the New Orleans region. On the whole, I wouldn't go back, but we drove right past it so why not.
The evenings brought in amazing thunder storms the next few days. The lightening would light up the sky and thunder would crash all around us, even right over head.

Day two we visited two antebellum homes in the downtown Charleston area. The Aiken-Rhett Home was a place that must have been beautiful at one time but is being left in its current condition I guess so people can see what a mess some of these homes have become. The guides said that it was being kept in its current condition on purpose and is not being restored but rather just kept stabilized. I just thought the whole idea was crazy. I told one the guides that if they didn't want the home to continue to degenerate they would have to close it up, air condition it and even then they would have to continually work on the exterior to keep the ravages of termites, rain and humidity from further damaging the home. We also visited the Russell House a few blocks away that had been restored and was being properly maintained. The home and the gardens were beautiful. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide who walked us through. One of the most intriguing architectural points in the home was the free-standing staircase completely unsupported.

For lunch we headed across town to Bertha's Kitchen. This Road Food recommended place was nearly impossible to find but Leslie's instincts kicked in and she was sure if we just drove down what looked like a street that I was sure we should NOT drive down, we'd find it. Sure enough, there it was. Fried chicken to die for, juicy, spicy and hot out of the fryer. Great greens, mac and cheese, corn bread, the usual suspects again, but this food was just terrific! A definite yes if you're in Charleston, but good luck finding it. Take a GPS!

We decided to head on a little further down the road and stop in Beaufort (pronounced beeyou-fert) where several popular films have been made including Forrest Gump and The Legend of Bagger Vance, Prince of Tides, The Great Santini and The Big Chill to name a few. Beaufort is also home to Parris Island, the U.S. Marine training base on the edge of town.

Before arriving we stopped at a road-side Carolina Cider Company, a cider shop where we tasted some ciders and other locally produced foods. We loved the deep fried peanuts. These peanuts don't need to be shelled. Just pop them in your mouth and eat them shell and all. Very cool! We also bought some praline candies and some cider to take with us.

What a gorgeous town Beaufort is. I actually liked it better than Charleston. We found a place to stay in the heart of town and then drove around taking it all in. Lovely old trees with moss hanging from the branches, Palmetto palms, lovely old homes. Too hot to wander around on foot, we decided to take in a movie. We found a theater only a couple of blocks from our hotel and went to see Toy Story 3 which turned out to be a great Pixar film, every bit as good as the first two. Stepping out of the theater we were met by a horrendous thunderstorm. The lightening flashes were so close we didn't dare cross the parking lot to the car. When it finally let up for a minute I ran for the car getting soaked in the process and drove around to pick up Leslie.

The next day we drove downtown for breakfast at Blackstone's Cafe. The breakfast was fine. The decor was more interesting with a nod to the military and a nautical look with a collection of flags. After breakfast we walked a block over to the water and discovered a lovely walk along the water. Porch swings lined the walkway as did gardens, chairs and tables and a playground. We sat in one of the swings for over an hour and let the cool morning breeze blow over us while we watched a bridge open and close for boat traffic. It was a lovely way to spend some time outdoors before the noon day heat took over. We drove along the water front, past more beautiful old homes and moss laden trees on our way out of town towards Savannah, our final destination.

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Next Stop--Savannah, Georgia and Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons.