Earlier this fall, my wife asked me where I would like to visit for a quick birthday trip. I told her I had always wanted to visit Charleston, South Carolina.
When we arrived in Charleston late last month, it was chillier than it had been in Dallas.
My bride chose a beautiful hotel in downtown Charleston called the Francis Marion Hotel, named for an American Revolutionary Brigadier General, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox” by British General Ban Tarleton because of the elusiveness he and his unit had fighting the battles in the swamps in South Carolina.
Built in 1924, in grand Art-Deco style, our hotel looked as beautiful as we would have imagined it looked when it opened over 100 years ago.
When we awoke the next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast in the aptly-named Swamp Fox Restaurant located inside the hotel.
After breakfast, we set out to see the sights. One of the must-see stops that I had heard about prior to our visit was the City Market.
The Charleston City Market began as a slave market in the 1700s where slaves living in Charleston would sell their goods.
Vendors from all over the city and area now display their goods to sell to locals and tourists alike. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the entire five city blocks of space that it occupied.
We then grabbed a drink and a cup of she-crab soup at Henry’s, near City Market.
Afterwards, we went to Liberty Square where the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Monuments begin.
Our ferry captain gave us a quick rundown of the rules of the ship and Fort Sumter while also regaling us with so many great stories of the battle and the events leading up to the beginning of the Civil War.
It hits you when walking around, a surreal feeling of almost being able to hear the sounds from 1861. Since our ferry was the last one of the day, our boarding group got to be a part of the flag-lowering ceremony.
This was an experience that we will never forget. After the ceremony, we were free to head back onto our boat and off we went back to the visitors center.
Later that evening, we arrived at Poogan’s Porch for dinner. Poogan’s Porch serves up classic Charleston dishes in a former house built in the early 1800’s.
The next morning, after breakfast, our first visit was to Sewing Down South. As fans of the Bravo TV show “Southern Charm,” we had wanted to visit Sewing Down South.
My bride was definitely interested in the pillows and I was curious to see if the owner, “Southern Charm” star Craig Conover would be in visiting. Sadly, he was not, but we did purchase a pillow as a birthday gift for my aunt.
Our next visit was to The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, to visit Summerall Chapel. Named after a distant relative of mine, Charles Pelot Summerall, the Summerall Chapel resembles the old Anglican/Episcopalian churches in Great Britain.
It features ornate stained-glass windows depicting the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples. Dinner that night was at a beautiful steak house called Grill 225 across the street from the United States Custom House.
The next morning, after breakfast, we Ubered to the airport and boarded the plane back for Dallas.
We have both made so many sweet memories in such a short time that we are already looking forward to coming back.
Carolina will always be on our mind, and we left a piece of our heart in Charleston.
A special education teacher during the day, Matthew is an old soul with a zeal for life. A self-described Chili King, Matthew loves a good AM radio station, the great American songbook and sweet iced tea. He lives in North Texas with his wife, Megan, and their beautiful Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Bella.