Charleston, SC

Ahhhh! Charleston, South Carolina, What can one say about this beautiful, stately city. Known for its rich history, well-preserved architecture, distinguished restaurants, warm subtropical climate and mannerly people, Charleston has received a large number of accolades, including "America's Most Friendly [City]" by Travel + Leisure in 2011 and in 2013 and 2014 by Condé Nast Traveler."

 

 

 

 

Charleston is the oldest and second-largest city in the southeastern State of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline and is located on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers.

Upon our arrival to Charleston we traveled over this bridge to downtown. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River in South Carolina, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The eight lane bridge, when it opened in 2005 replaced two obsolete cantilever truss bridges. The bridge has a main span of 1,546 feet (471 m), the third longest among cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere. It was built using the design-build method and was designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff.






The Spanish moss on the Oak Trees was a magical experience. It gave you a grandeur setting, filled with romantic old world charm. It reminded us that yes indeed we are definitely in the deep South.




And yes there is more charm, cobblestone streets...
 

Charleston is known as The Holy City, by virtue of the prominence of the many churches on the low-rise cityscape. 

The day started with us walking through historic Charleston. The weather was 80 degrees and absolutely beautiful  The stately homes, the wonderfully rich architecture and the lush manicured gardens was simply breathtaking. The historical homes and buildings were amazing and beautiful to see. We sure went back in time and experienced a special kind of history, this southern city is truly spectacular and one of a kind.

We also took a narrated horse and carriage ride through the streets of historic Charleston and we marvelled at all this beauty and took in a lot of history. We learned a lot from our guide who was an amazing multi-tasking kind of guy; talking to us all and teaching us a history lesson for 1 hour, all while maneuvering the horse and carriage with 12 passengers up and down many, many streets, and maneuvering in and out of traffic. It was all unbelievable, it was truly a very magical day.

The USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy.

Under construction as BON HOMME RICHARD, this new Essex-class carrier was renamed YORKTOWN in honor of YORKTOWN (CV-5), sunk at the epic Battle of Midway (June 1942). Built in an amazing 16-½ months at Newport News, Virginia, YORKTOWN was commissioned on April 15, 1943, and participated significantly in the Pacific Offensive that began in late 1943 and ended with the defeat of Japan in 1945. YORKTOWN received the Presidential Unit Citation, and earned 11 battle stars for service in World War II. Much of the Academy Award-winning (1944) documentary "The Fighting Lady" was filmed on board YORKTOWN.

This is a picture of what Fort Sumter looked like before the wars that it endured over many years. Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry sea fort located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots that started the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. In 1966, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 



When the Civil War ended, Fort Sumter was in ruins. The U.S. Army worked to restore it as a useful military installation. The damaged walls were re-leveled to a lower height and partially rebuilt. The third tier of gun emplacements was removed. Eleven of the original first-tier gun rooms were restored with 100-pounder Parrott rifles.
From 1876 to 1897, Fort Sumter was used only as an unmanned lighthouse station. The start of the Spanish-American War prompted renewed interest in its military use and reconstruction commenced on the facilities that had further eroded over time. A new massive concrete blockhouse-style installation was built in 1898 inside the original walls. Named "Battery Huger" in honor of Revolutionary War General Isaac Huger, it never saw combat.