Here are the stats for Stop 3:
Charlotte odometer mileage: 93,559
Odometer mileage at destination: 93,765
Miles driven to destination: 206
Total miles driven to date: 776
States driven through: North Carolina and South Carolina
Due to a later start than planned, my half day visit of Charleston was more like a couple of hours. Sad. Why the 2 hours delay in leaving Charlotte? A haircut! I admit: it wasn't the best date and time to get an appointment because it put me way behind schedule. I departed Charlotte around 11:15 and arrived at the visitor's center in downtown Charleston at 2:45.
Founded in 1670 as Charles Towne in honor of King Charles II of England, Charleston is the oldest and second largest city in South Carolina. Thanks to the slave trade, Charleston was soon one of the wealthiest cities in the colonies.
The visitor's center had a ton of information what to see in the city, much more that I could possibly fit into my short time here. Therefore, I decided that arriving so late in the day, I could only pick one thing to do. A tour of Fort Sumter was out of the running because the last boat tour is at 2:30. I decided I would choose one of the fabulous historic homes to explore. The Edmondston-Alston House seemed a good choice. I jumped back in my car and drove to the house, only to find that it was closed for yearly maintenance. ARGH! I checked the map to see if there might be another home close by and lo and behold, the Nathanial Russell House (see photo above) was a mere 2 blocks away - and, even more important, it was open for tours!
Completed in 1808, the Russell House is a Federal style townhouse which was built by Nathan Russell, a wealthy Rhode Island merchant, and the house is widely recognized as one of America's most significant neoclassical dwellings. The interior of the house is gracefully beautiful with a front rectangular room, a center oval room, and a square room in the rear. The rooms are tastefully decorated with period pieces. It is definitely worth a visit if for no other reason that to see the magnificent free-flying (or floating) staircase. As with many houses, photography is not allowed inside, so I cannot show you how interesting and beautiful this home is. If you ever get to Charleston, this house is a must see.
After touring the house, I decided to have an early dinner. Before leaving Charlotte, my cousin, Martin recommended that I head over to Sullivan's Island and have dinner at Poe's Tavern. I am glad that I took his advice. The tavern is named (and themed) after the great American author, Edgar Allan Poe (one of my favorite authors). Interestingly, after a brief stint at the University of Virginia, Poe enlisted in the army under the pseudonym Edgar Allan Perry, claiming he was 22 years old (he was 18 at the time). Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie at the western end of Sullivan’s Island for thirteen months beginning November 18,1827. This restaurant pays homage to Mr. Poe and it's magnificent. The food recommendation from my cousin and his wife were to either get a burger or the fish tacos. I went with the recommendation from my server: The Sleeper - a burger with roasted garlic blue cheese and Buffalo fried shrimp. Yep, it is aptly named because upon eating said burger you are immediately put into food coma! It was worth every single calorie.
That sums up my very brief visit to Charleston. I wish I could have spent a little more time there, but at least I feel I did well with the time I had. Check out the Stop 3 photos on my GART photo site!
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| Hitting the road - with a new 'do. |
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