There is a lot to…

…like about Charleston SC. Charleston was first settled in 1670 and officially became a city in 1783. To say there is a lot of history in Charleston would be an understatement. I lived here from 2013 until I retired in 2020 and spent much time exploring the area. My favorite place to visit, based on frequency, is White Point Gardens. Most days parking is available and free for 2 hours. You can walk a lot of ground in 2 hours. A bicycle greatly increases what you can explore.

On average, while living here, I visited downtown Charleston a couple times a month, ate at one of the many excellent restaurants there, took lots of photos, and explored some more. It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Downtown Charleston is on a peninsula, with the Ashley River to the west and the Cooper River to the east. Unlike some larger cities, that do not have many private residences in or around the downtown area, Charleston does and many of them bear plaques that describe the structure’s history and significance. You could wander all over the city, reading the plaques and learning about the area, but my recommendation is to hire one of the horse drawn carriages that operate out of the North Market St. area. The drivers will take you on a randomly selected tour route and give you an oral history lesson. On one tour, I learned that burial grounds connected to a church are called graveyards while those not connected to a church are cemeteries. I learned something I did not know. The carriage drivers will also point out some of the lesser known facts about the various historical points of interest. Well worth the expense.

Today I relocated from the KOA campground in Ladson to the Oak Plantation campground in West Ashley (still in Charleston, but west of the Ashley River, hence the name). Before arriving in Charleston I called ahead to get a place to stay while here. The Oak Plantation RV Park said they could not accommodate me for the week that I wanted so I called the KOA park and they could offer 2 days. I took that and called Oak Plantation back to see if I could stay there to less than a week; they could. For now, I am settled in for a 6 day stay and then will head north to Virginia to see my daughter and her family.