**********************Part II: Charleston**********************
It's no surprise to me that Charleston is the fictional home of the affluent Rhett Butler. I have never experienced more grandeur anywhere else in the U.S. than I did walking along the Battery in the historic area of Charleston. The range and size of the architectural structures lining the streets will leave you awestruck - from the charming Georgian style to the statuesque Federal style to the classic Italianate and Victorian style homes, the city boasts an unprecedented diversity leaving you with hours to spend gawking and admiring.
I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking in this post - they speak volumes of the beauty, elegance, and authentic southern charm that you would imagine of Charleston.
There are several old estates that you can visit during your stay in Charleston. We chose to visit Middleton Place during this trip. The grounds are what was most spectacular here - although, when looking at the images of the main house, you can imagine a certain quality about it. Here is a write up that I found online to give you a little background about the estate:
There are several old estates that you can visit during your stay in Charleston. We chose to visit Middleton Place during this trip. The grounds are what was most spectacular here - although, when looking at the images of the main house, you can imagine a certain quality about it. Here is a write up that I found online to give you a little background about the estate:
Middleton Place was established early in the life of the Carolina colony and served as a base of operations for a great Low Country planter family and was home to a dynamic African-American slave community. Begun in 1741 by Henry Middleton, President of the First Continental Congress, the 60-acre landscaped garden was both an intellectual and emotional focus for successive generations of Middletons. Until 1865, the garden was nurtured and embellished by Henry's son, Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Arthur Middleton's son, Henry Middleton, who was Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Minister to Russia; and Governor Henry Middleton's son, Williams Middleton, who signed the Ordinance of Secession.
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite snapshots that I captured as we wandered the grounds of this fine, old southern estate:
My travel companions, my in-laws, Mark and Michele, and my darling husband, Adam.
Adam and I standing on a rickety old footbridge.
My Marms (Michele) - standing along the row of big oaks and Spanish moss -
looking all mysterious like the lady of the woods!
This was my Marms' favorite view point!
I would like nothing more than to spend a warm, spring afternoon wandering from garden to garden, picnicking, reading, playing games with friends...it almost makes me want to move out of the city. Notice I said almost, I'd rather just own something like this that I can visit on the weekends.
After exploring Middleton Place, we headed into town and checked in to the John Rutledge Inn. This is where Adam proposed to me a year ago and it was so special to return as husband and wife. I think this will definitely become a yearly tradition of ours and I think it's truly important to return to these spots where we experienced love to the fullest, where our lives were forever changed - and reflect and remember. After all, these are the moments in our lives that we live for.
After checking in we enjoyed tea, brandy, and pastries in the ballroom. Doesn't that just take you back to entirely different era. Can anyone actually say let's have tea in the ballroom during this day and age? It was very cozy and we all were ready to take a nap after that but we decided to tour the town a bit. We wandered along the Battery, which is a pathway along the waterfront that is perfect for strolling. Since we had missed our opportunity to explore one of the grand houses in Savannah we were eager to find a tour opportunity in one of the large Charleston homes. We stumbled upon the Calhoun Mansion which was offering one last tour for the day. The house was extravagant, but entirely too cluttered! There were artifacts from nearly every country you could imagine and while that might seem eclectic and interesting to some, it was way to chaotic for me! I think the intent of the home owner is to display all of his collectibles at once and that he isn't too concerned with style and design. All that to say, it was a lovely experience - I recommend touring a large mansion whilst in Charleston, I just don't recommend this one. However, an interesting tidbit for all of you movie lovers, apparently several films have featured scenes inside this fine mansion to include The Notebook (it's the interior of Allie's parents' summer home - the exterior is Boone Hall - also in Charleston).
After strolling the town we dressed for dinner - also a term that isn't used by me very often. My typical evening consists of dressing down in sweats and t-shirt for dinner. Sometimes I long for the grand ol' days when folks actually dressed up for dinner...but then I remember how cozy I like to feel in the evenings and I dismiss that desire. We went back to back to Circa 1886, the amazing restaurant that Adam and I ate at the evening he proposed. This was definitely a trip full of too much eating - but all of the food was incredible. The South knows how to cook! We had a lovely time and before you know it we were full, happy, and again, ready for bed!
The next morning we took our rental car back and headed to the train station for our trip back to DC. I can definitely say that traveling during the day on the train is my preferred way to travel on the train. For one, I can't sleep long enough on the train to make the night trip valuable and second of all, I love the interesting sites you get to enjoy as you travel by train. You can seriously just sit back and enjoy the sites as they pass you by. Not all of these sites were positive, South Carolina (besides the old, historic area of Charleston) is really hurting - the infrastructure and condition of family homes indicate the need for support. This kind of exposure, while difficult, can only help us remember to consider other States and other U.S. citizens when considering whether or not to be in support of bigger Federal efforts like, health care reform and so forth. If you could see the impoverished areas that we saw along the train route, you would definitely see that there are families out there even in our own country - that are really struggling and desperately have a need for Federal assistance. Okay - sorry for the rant - please drop me a line with your thoughts! Have you been to Charleston? Can you recommend places for us to visit the next time we are there? I forgot to mention that I am probably going there for work in April - when it will be 10x warmer :) I can't wait! So send me your recommendations now!
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite snapshots that I captured as we wandered the grounds of this fine, old southern estate:
My travel companions, my in-laws, Mark and Michele, and my darling husband, Adam.
Adam and I standing on a rickety old footbridge.
My Marms (Michele) - standing along the row of big oaks and Spanish moss -looking all mysterious like the lady of the woods!
This was my Marms' favorite view point!
I would like nothing more than to spend a warm, spring afternoon wandering from garden to garden, picnicking, reading, playing games with friends...it almost makes me want to move out of the city. Notice I said almost, I'd rather just own something like this that I can visit on the weekends.
After exploring Middleton Place, we headed into town and checked in to the John Rutledge Inn. This is where Adam proposed to me a year ago and it was so special to return as husband and wife. I think this will definitely become a yearly tradition of ours and I think it's truly important to return to these spots where we experienced love to the fullest, where our lives were forever changed - and reflect and remember. After all, these are the moments in our lives that we live for.
After checking in we enjoyed tea, brandy, and pastries in the ballroom. Doesn't that just take you back to entirely different era. Can anyone actually say let's have tea in the ballroom during this day and age? It was very cozy and we all were ready to take a nap after that but we decided to tour the town a bit. We wandered along the Battery, which is a pathway along the waterfront that is perfect for strolling. Since we had missed our opportunity to explore one of the grand houses in Savannah we were eager to find a tour opportunity in one of the large Charleston homes. We stumbled upon the Calhoun Mansion which was offering one last tour for the day. The house was extravagant, but entirely too cluttered! There were artifacts from nearly every country you could imagine and while that might seem eclectic and interesting to some, it was way to chaotic for me! I think the intent of the home owner is to display all of his collectibles at once and that he isn't too concerned with style and design. All that to say, it was a lovely experience - I recommend touring a large mansion whilst in Charleston, I just don't recommend this one. However, an interesting tidbit for all of you movie lovers, apparently several films have featured scenes inside this fine mansion to include The Notebook (it's the interior of Allie's parents' summer home - the exterior is Boone Hall - also in Charleston).
After strolling the town we dressed for dinner - also a term that isn't used by me very often. My typical evening consists of dressing down in sweats and t-shirt for dinner. Sometimes I long for the grand ol' days when folks actually dressed up for dinner...but then I remember how cozy I like to feel in the evenings and I dismiss that desire. We went back to back to Circa 1886, the amazing restaurant that Adam and I ate at the evening he proposed. This was definitely a trip full of too much eating - but all of the food was incredible. The South knows how to cook! We had a lovely time and before you know it we were full, happy, and again, ready for bed!
The next morning we took our rental car back and headed to the train station for our trip back to DC. I can definitely say that traveling during the day on the train is my preferred way to travel on the train. For one, I can't sleep long enough on the train to make the night trip valuable and second of all, I love the interesting sites you get to enjoy as you travel by train. You can seriously just sit back and enjoy the sites as they pass you by. Not all of these sites were positive, South Carolina (besides the old, historic area of Charleston) is really hurting - the infrastructure and condition of family homes indicate the need for support. This kind of exposure, while difficult, can only help us remember to consider other States and other U.S. citizens when considering whether or not to be in support of bigger Federal efforts like, health care reform and so forth. If you could see the impoverished areas that we saw along the train route, you would definitely see that there are families out there even in our own country - that are really struggling and desperately have a need for Federal assistance. Okay - sorry for the rant - please drop me a line with your thoughts! Have you been to Charleston? Can you recommend places for us to visit the next time we are there? I forgot to mention that I am probably going there for work in April - when it will be 10x warmer :) I can't wait! So send me your recommendations now!
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