Well this week the Top 5 blog is a little late, but there is
a reason…I have been in the Charleston Area over this past weekend. With that said this is why it
is going up on Monday instead of Sunday. So, in honor of being near and in the oldest
city in South Carolina, my Top 5 places in Charleston. Now this list will cover
my trip this past week and the one I made a little over 30 years ago. A more detailed blog is to come in the future.
Honorable Mention: Lake Moultrie. While not in Charleston, it is on this lake that I stayed during
both of my trips to this area. The Navy Short Stay Recreation Area sits 39 miles
north of Charleston, so it is easy to get to the city from here, but you get an outdoor experience
that includes hiking, boating and fishing. It is a fun place, also Lake Moultrie is
the third-largest lake in South Carolina.
Number 5: Charleston City Market. This market was established in the 1790’s and stretches four-city blocks from Meeting Street to
East Bay Street. This fully covered market is on the National Register of Historical Places and National Historical Landmarks. It has survived war, tornadoes and hurricanes
so if you want to do some shopping in Charleston this place is worth a visit.
Number 3: The Battery & White Point Garden. Located at
the south end of Charleston these two spots have the unofficial name of Battery
Park. The Battery, named for its role in the Civil War as one of the places
that fired the opening salvos, is a landmark sea wall and promenade. It offers
great views of Charleston Harbor but also a line of antebellum homes. A massive
overhaul of the Battery was done in 2012. White Point Garden features beautiful
trees, a number of statues (including ones to the Confederate Defenders of
Charleston and the defenders of Fort Moultrie). My favorite displays are the old
cannons that line the outer rim of the park. This is one of my favorite places
in the city.
Number 2: Fort Sumter. I didn't go here on this past trip; it
was 1983 when I was last here. So, maybe it is the memories of youth but this
was such a cool place at the time. For those who don’t know it was the U.S. fort shelled by the Confederates that was the first shots of the Civil War. The
fort was built following the War of 1812 and put on the National Register of
Historical Places in 1966. The fort sits at the entrance of Charleston Harbor
and is five-side brick structure with five-foot thick walls. It is not very big,
190 feet long and will house about 650 people. Just like 30 years ago one must
ride a boat out to the fort.
Number 1: Patriots Point. Again, here is another place I visited
back in 1983, but not Friday. Patriots Point is a complex of retired ships, with the main
exhibit being the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The second aircraft carrier
with this name was one of the 24 Essex Class carriers that served during World War II and was launched in 1943.
It severed through the war and was decommissioned in 1947 but was refitted and recommissioned
in 1953. The USS Yorktown was retired in 1970 and moved to Charleston in 1975
and is registered as a National Historical Landmark. The USS Yorktown features a number of the planes that once flew off its deck. In 2012 the deck of the ship hosted a College Basketball game between Marquette University and Ohio State. The other ships on display
are the destroyer the USS Laffey and the USS Clamagore, which is a submarine.
At the time I visited there were three other ships USCGC Ingham (Coast Guard
Cutter), USCGC Comanche (Coast Guard Cutter) and America’s only nuclear
powered merchant ship NS Savannah. The USCGC Ingham and the NS Savannah have
both been moved in 2009 and 2008 respectively to new locations. The USCGC Comanche was damaged
by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and was towed out and sunk off Charleston in 1991.
Since I visited Patriots Point a Cold War Submarine Museum and a Vietnam
Support Base have been added. I need to visit here again when I next visit the
area.
No comments:
Post a Comment