Charleston: Historic on a grand scale

Day 222
​Charleston SC

Charming? Check. Historic? Check. Oozing with personality and lovely buildings? Check mate. Downtown historic Charleston is a place unlike any we have visited in the country. Looming oak trees tower over the streets creating the aesthetic that this place has been here for a while. You won't find any cookie cutter suburb looking homes on these roads. It's just block after block of homes and mansions dating back one or  two centuries.

 With a city founded in 1670, there is no shortage of things to go see. For us it's all about the walk. We have parked roughly two miles away from the southern tip of downtown and intend to walk through its entirety. The first object we pass is a civil war submarine replica. Now I'm usually not one for replicas, but the care taken to manufacture this one using old techniques makes it worth the look. Keep in mind, this was the first submarine in history to sink a ship. We're talking about an iron shell that took people underwater and propelled them towards enemies in the 1860's. That's amazing.

This primitive vessel was ran with a crew of 8 men. Seven were required to turn the hand cranked propeller, and one to steer. At the tip of the 22 ft oak spear was the circle of death. A thin steel ball containing 135 lbs of black powder with the sole requirement of hitting the enemy hard enough to make it explode from impact. After ramming the USS Housatonic the submarine did not return to port and sank in the harbor. All 8 men on board were believe to have been killed by the pressure wave from the explosion. The original vessel was found and raised in 1995.

Following Meeting St south to Market St is the route we are on. Then we head east towards Charleston's city market. It was here in 1790 where the city put up a marketplace for the townsfolk to sell there goods. It burned to the ground in 1796 and was rebuilt in the 1840's. This remains the original building from that time period and is on the national historic register for it's awesome architecture.

Exiting the market puts us right in front of the cruise port terminal. We turn right and continue on a southern route towards Waterfront park. A green space left for tourists and locals alike to take in the ocean view or play a game of soccer. I pop my phone open to Zillow and check out the local housing market. A 5,000 sq ft house in need of total rennovations with a yard the size of patio garden: $6,000,000. That's a lot of zeros. We'll keep walking towards the battery and see if things get a little more reasonable down there.

The battery is exactly what the name implies. A city park turned into a stronghold defensive point for the confederates. The surrounding coastline had been fitted with dozens of cannon and the park was a place to store all the goods. It was here that troops, doctors, and men of trade spent a couple of years trying to defend the land that was Charleston.

The weather is getting angrier as the day goes by. Thirty mile an hour winds and grey skies help us make the decision to turn back towards Shirley. Katie leads the way as we zig-zag the streets back towards where the day began. A lucky turn to the left leads us into a festival that is going on. A dozen blocks of city streets have been shut down so people can walk free among the shops. There are a couple of entertainers and a few craft tables. It's mostly just people and storefronts. No clutter, no fuss to put on a sketchy carny fair with duct taped together rides. What a nice feeling. Charleston, we tip our hats towards your class and hospitality. Well done.