Charleston SC – Travel with KMG Photography

I didn’t go out yesterday except to grocery shop in order to replenish some of my supplies for meals but I did see this cool mural when I got lost…I pulled into a parking lot to turn around and…for more info on this spectacular mural visit…

https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/mount-pleasant-moe-s-mural-art-not-eyesore/article_f8c2804e-c6ee-11e6-9089-b7f2a71b6dba.html

After enjoying my down day, I planned an exhausting day that kept me going from the moment I woke up to the moment I put my head back down on the pillow! My first stop…Daniel Island. There was an image I saw that I wanted to create for myself. Alas, there was some construction going on and I was unable to get that image but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this lovely area. I

I was a bit fascinated driving into the town because it was a little like driving down the Avenue of the Oaks in Charleston…but more of that later! Also, the flowers…we won’t get those for more than a month up north especially because it decided to snow on April 1st.

I believe my next stop was Charleston. When I headed south I didn’t intend to spend time here because I have been here before…the first time with my sister but only for a split second and the second time I went I had done a tour. I did come here because there were many things I wanted to explore on my own that I didn’t see on the tour and it was so close to where I was staying. I thought traffic or parking might be an issue but traffic was no big deal and parking was only a problem once…and only a problem because the meter wasn’t working and I was afraid I was going to get a ticket. Just some general pictures taken around town. The bridge is the Ravenel Bridge aka Cooper River Bridge.

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (1 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (4 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (7 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (8 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (10 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (11 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (12 of 25)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (14 of 25)

One of my favorite areas of town was Rainbow Row. When I took the tour the last time I was here I don’t remember seeing these…or most of what I am going to include in this post. If you would like to know more about these historic homes, check this link…

https://charleston.com/charleston-insider/lowcountry-lifestyles/the-captivating-history-of-rainbow-row

3 3 20 Rainbow Row Charleston SC (5 of 5) (1)

3 3 20 Rainbow Row Charleston SC (5 of 5) (2)

3 3 20 Rainbow Row Charleston SC (5 of 5) (3)

3 3 20 Rainbow Row Charleston SC (5 of 5) (4)

3 3 20 Rainbow Row Charleston SC (5 of 5) (5)

Another of my favorite places…heck, I loved them all…was Joe Riley Waterfront Park. Again, never saw it on the tour. Best of all…the Pineapple Fountain!

3 3 20 Waterfront Park Charleston SC (1 of 4)

3 3 20 Waterfront Park Charleston SC (2 of 4)

3 3 20 Waterfront Park Charleston SC (3 of 4)

3 3 20 Waterfront Park Charleston SC (4 of 4)

3 3 20 Pineapple Fountain Charleston SC (1 of 3)

3 3 20 Pineapple Fountain Charleston SC (3 of 3)

The Circular Church…the idea of it intrigued me and it was driving me crazy that I could not find it. Waze had me going around in circles over and over again…up and down all those one way streets and I’m sure there was a better place to see it from but when I finally figured out Waze wanted me to go into a parking lot, I went with it! I had to get out of the car and peer over a stone wall but I found it! One of these days I might go back and figure out how to approach it in another way! And this was taken with my phone because I did not bring the wide angle lens with me and the 50-300 mm wouldn’t allow me to get all of it because I was peering over the stone wall. This place is cool but a little eerie and the overcast sky just made it perfect!

Another stop was St. Philip’s Church. I parked and got out of my car to get shots of this and the cemetery across the street. When I first spotted this I thought it was the Circular Church but as you can see…there is no comparison!

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (1 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (2 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (3 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (4 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (5 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (6 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (7 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (8 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (9 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (10 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (11 of 12)

3 3 20 St Philips Church & Cemetary Charleston SC (12 of 12)

The Dock St Theater…there was actually something going on here on this day. It did appear at least up to a point they were doing tours but then people started showing up very dressed up and being dropped off. I did not attempt a tour and am not sure if they were doing tours but something was going on.

3 3 20 The Dock Street Theater Charleston SC (1 of 4)

3 3 20 The Dock Street Theater Charleston SC (2 of 4)

3 3 20 The Dock Street Theater Charleston SC (3 of 4)

3 3 20 The Dock Street Theater Charleston SC (4 of 4)

City Hall and the Fireproof Building…City Hall is self-explanatory but the Fireproof Building…it is a National Historic Landmark designed to store important papers. If you would like to read more about this…

https://www.nps.gov/places/fireproof-building.htm

3 3 20 The Fireproof Building Charleston SC (1 of 3)

3 3 20 The Fireproof Building Charleston SC (2 of 3)

3 3 20 The Fireproof Building Charleston SC (3 of 3)

The US Custom House…I had only seen that from the water before…

The French Huguenot Church…

3 3 20 The French Huguenot Church Charleston SC (2 of 2)

Ending with some lovely (I think) miscellaneous images from around Charleston…

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (1 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (2 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (3 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (4 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (5 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (6 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (7 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (8 of 9)

3 3 20 Walking around Charleston SC (9 of 9)

I was surprised with how much day was left after enjoying so much of this city. I next headed out to the Avenue of the Oaks…which leads into Boone Hall Plantation. I did not realize I had been here as part of my tour when I previously visited. It was slightly later in the spring when I was here last time and driving up the Avenue of the Oaks was a much prettier experience then because all the rhododendrons were in bloom. It didn’t stop me from going though I did not bother touring the lovely home on the property.

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (1 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (3 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (4 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (6 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (7 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (8 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (9 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (10 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (12 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (13 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (15 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (16 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (17 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (18 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (19 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (21 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (23 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (24 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (25 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (26 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (27 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (28 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (30 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (31 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (33 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (34 of 36)

3 3 20 Avenue of Oaks & Boone Hall Plantation Charleston SC (35 of 36)

I still have time to visit a few more places…The Citadel…I primarily wanted a picture of the ring though I also got a picture of their mascot, then Angel Oak on Johns Island though I got here 15 minutes after it closed so pictures had to be through the fence, and then Sullivan Island Lighthouse in Charleston and finally though this one is a bit of a stretch and I had to go in someone’s backyard to get it…it was a summer place so no one was around…Morris Island Lighthouse. Enjoy!

The Angel Oak is thought to be one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi and stands 65′ tall, is 28′ around and an area of 17,000 sq ft is shaded. Its largest branch reaches 187′. It is estimated to be 400-500 years old and it has survived a number of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Though it was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 it has recovered and continues to grow.

3 3 20 The Citadel Charleston SC (1 of 3)

3 3 20 The Citadel Charleston SC (2 of 3)

3 3 20 All around Charleston SC (19 of 25)

3 3 20 The Citadel Charleston SC (3 of 3)

3 3 20 Angel Oak Johns Island SC closed so pictures through the fence (1 of 5)

3 3 20 Angel Oak Johns Island SC closed so pictures through the fence (2 of 5)

3 3 20 Angel Oak Johns Island SC closed so pictures through the fence (3 of 5)

3 3 20 Angel Oak Johns Island SC closed so pictures through the fence (4 of 5)

3 3 20 Angel Oak Johns Island SC closed so pictures through the fence (5 of 5)

3 3 20 Sullivan Island Lighthouse Sullivan Island SC (1 of 1)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (1 of 8)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (2 of 8)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (3 of 8)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (4 of 8)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (5 of 8)

3 3 20 Area unknown but distant view of Morris Island Lighthouse SC (6 of 8)

This ends a very long and thrilling day. I am so happy I went back to Charleston!! I did end up taking a down day after this to recover from all the walking and exploring I did. Next post I will begin my travels north…I must be back in my home town by the 7th so there is little time for exploring but I will see whatever I can squeeze in!

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See you on the road!

What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.”

– William Least Heat Moon

I stayed home for about a month mostly to recover from the last trip but I also spent some time with my sister. I plot and plan when I am sitting at home. I ended up picking this trip because for several years I have been getting e-mails from the Shem Creek Inn in Mt. Pleasant, SC requesting I come back for a visit. I had never been there before and have no idea how they got my e-mail address so I always deleted it. This time however I decided to check it out and what was in the area.

Shortly thereafter I was booking my stay at Shem Creek Inn. Shortly after I booked I got the best e-mail response I ever received from a hotel after booking. My sister, niece and I were laughing hysterically at the response. I debated whether or not to post it but its like a teaser to say how funny it was and then not share…

“It was just another beautiful day here on Shem Creek when suddenly, Jimmy the carrier pigeon (just kidding we have email) flew in with our most recent reservation notice. “It finally happened,” Gabe exclaimed! “We have a reservation for Karen G!”

Eddy quickly ran into the room and as soon as he saw the name Karen he became so excited he couldn’t contain himself. He started to pass out a round of beers to the quickly growing crowd (it was water) and everyone raised their drink in celebration.

As the usually laid back crew at Shem Creek Inn began to chant for this momentous occasion, “5 O’clock Somewhere” came on the radio and a nice cool breeze flowed through the open air lobby. It was at this very moment that we realized, Karen G is going to have the best trip ever!

We hope you are as excited as we are for your upcoming trip and look forward to offering you a cold beer on Sunday, March 1, 2020 (not kidding,) but if you need anything between now and then, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Until then, we have included your reservation details below.

See you soon!“

Have you ever received a cool response like that for making a reservation? I must say though once I arrived the process did not live up to the hype in the e-mail! The room had to be changed…I paid for a water view and the only way I could get one was to lean way over the rail and squint…to see the marsh while tide was out, the girl who was checking me in…it was her first day and she had no clue what she was doing and there was no one around to help her and…though I don’t drink beer, no one offered me a cold beer! Would I stay here again? Heck yes! but I would cross my fingers and hope this young clueless lady was not working…this was definitely not the job for her.

It is about a 15-16 hour drive from my house to this location so I was looking to see where I could stop along the way. I don’t generally like to drive more than 3-4 hours at a time but I have been flexible at times. The reservation for the Shem Creek Inn was for March 1-5 but because I was going to take a slow trip down I needed to book several nights down…fewer coming back because I was supposed to be at my sister’s on March 7. My first stop was booked for the Doubletree Inn in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

I liked this spot because it was very close to the Pennsylvania border and there were a few things there that I wanted to see. I wasn’t concerned about restaurants this time because for the first time on a road trip I decided to bring my own food. I had been losing weight since October and I didn’t want to risk undoing that hard work. I bought a cooler on wheels that kind of looked like a carry on bag, I bought things that have worked for me to lose weight so far and put a few ice packs in it. I even brought along my own Raspberry Lime Seltzer…my beverage of choice these days…I also stopped drinking back in October so no need to go for wine. 🙂 This worked very well for me and I will definitely do it again! Below is my new cooler on wheels and a back up cooler with some fruit.

Since this is just a one night stay I didn’t have to settle in…I got comfortable, set up my laptop and had some dinner. I have a list of things I would like to see tomorrow before heading south.

My first stop was the Camden waterfront to get some pictures of the Philadelphia skyline. I think I was not wanted here because there were a handful of construction workers that kept stopping and staring at me like I wasn’t supposed to be there but I just wanted a few pictures so I stayed.

Next stop was over the border into PA to get a picture of the Ben Franklin Bridge. It is in some of the pictures above and there is supposed to be a place where you can park and walk across the bridge but I couldn’t find.

I couldn’t find one thing that was on my list but I did enjoy driving around Camden and Philadelphia. I even saw where the 76er’s do their training!

Time to head south. I decided to spend tonight at a Hilton Garden Inn, Roanoke Rapids, NC. A longer drive than I like but I wanted to keep moving south and there was something in the area I wanted to see that peaked my interest. One plus to this longer drive…I got to go over the Potomac as sunset was nearing.

Another one night stay so I just set up my laptop, fixed my dinner and called it a night. Heading out in the morning my first stop was Whirligig Park in Wilson, NC…the #1 place I wanted to see coming to this area. It was so cool and inspired by one man, Vollis Simpson. Here is a link to the story if you wish to check it out – wilsonwhirligigpark.org/the-story/

After visiting the park I sat in the parking lot trying to figure out what to do next and I found a destination before getting to the hotel…Wrightsville Beach and the Johnnie Mercers fishing pier in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The fishing pier was closed on the day I went but I still got to enjoy the beach and as you can see in the images…so was someone else!