Big tourism day today; we got up early to drive to an authentic plantation called Drayton House. We got there a bit early so we had to wait at the gate. Courtney entertained herself with a dead squirrel. Once we got in, we went almost immediately on a house tour. Our guide was very informative and we learned a bit about Palladian architecture and plantation life. The house was 11K square feet, which was pretty big for its day. Heck, it’s pretty good for today! The house tour was followed by a talk on the slave trade and how it applied to the plantations. It too was interesting, but I found my mind wondering. It was almost 90 degrees already, though not muggy. It would reach 100 today.
Stop two was lunch. We opted for a Hardees. It has the Carl’s Jr. Star symbol, so we figured it was the east coast version. Though there were similarities on the menu, most of it was different and better. The “thick steak burgers” were indeed thick and yummy. Neither kid could finish lunch. We then headed downtown.
Greta got me really, really lost on the way to downtown Charleston, a place I had found easily last night (thanks to Greta giving me incorrect directions). After several round turns and loops and bridge crossings (the same bridge each time), we found the downtown.
The trolley tour of the downtown was the highlight of the trip so far (Jeffrey liked it better than Disney World!). Our guide, Dustin, was entertaining and informative. Apparently, he had to deal with a run-away horse yesterday that almost killed his cart-load of tourists. Fun times. Today, he had Steve, a horse that rarely spooks. We did not get killed. Instead, we learned about Charleston.
Dustin, Steve and the kids
It was severely hot after the tour so of course we went shopping in some covered structures that actually held in heat. Courtney got some great gifts. We then spent as much on smoothies as we had on lunch, but they were totally worth it.
We did not get lost on the way to the boat tour across the major bridge. This boat took us to Fort Sumter. This is where the Civil War started. The talk was OK, and the grounds were interesting. The kids liked the place. I liked the fort at St. Augustine better. Still, worth the trip.
Jeffrey fools around at Ft. Sumter
The kids were not hungry, but they did want to swim so we dropped them off at the hotel then Barb and I went out on a date to ZuZu’s, a “fancy” experimental Greek-type restaurant. It was highly rated and cheap. The food was outstanding.