Charleston was another place that we didn't really know much about when we were first planning our route. Once we had picked it as a destination however suddenly it was popping up everywhere. We kept seeing it placing highly in lists of best cities in the US (often at number one), and it was rated the most polite city in the country also. I met several people on my travels who were from Charleston and all had great things to say and many suggestions of things to see. Unfortunately Charleston was also in the news in the month before we arrived for the wrong reasons with the shooting the took place at the Emanuel Methodist Church.

As usual it was late by the time we arrived in Charleston. It was a short two hour drive from Savannah where we were hit by yet another thunderstorm. We were camping in a city park a short distance from the city. We chose to take a 'primitive' site which basically meant we could pick our own spot in a large field. It was a bit more sophisticated than what you might expect with air conditioned bathrooms. We planned to stay two nights due to our late arrival.

We drove into the city early the next morning and for the first time ever could not get into a parking building due to the height of the car plus roofbox. We had to go in a special entrance for oversized vehicles and park in a space that was large enough to fit a small bus. The car really isn't all that big so it felt a bit ridiculous.

We just happened to walk past the church where the shooting had taken place only a few weeks earlier.

Charleston is another place with Civil War history with the first battle taking place on a island just off the coast. Fort Sumter is a fort similar to Fort Pulaski in Savannah. It was however occupied by a Union garrison when war broke out. The garrison was forced to surrender after being bombarded for 34 hours by Confederate forces. No one was killed directly in the engagement although one rebel soldier was killed by a misfire during the bombardment and two Union soldiers in the same way during a hundred gun salute following the fort's surrender.

The fort viewed from the boat

Today the fort is a National Monument which can be visited via tours which is what we did. Much of the original fort was damaged in the Civil War and it is now mostly a ruin. A second fort was built at the end of the 19th century inside the original fort which now houses a museum. It was interesting to visit for the historical significance but personally I preferred Fort Pulaski, mainly because it is just so much more intact and preserved. It was also much cheaper to visit.

The older Civil War era fort ruins in the foreground with the newer fort behind.

After returning from the fort we visited the Old Slave Mart, a museum that exhibits the history of American slavery. The museum is located in a historic building that used to house one of the city's many slave markets. These used to be held out in the open but a citywide ban on public slave sales forced the practice indoors. Again it was shocking to see how humans can treat each other. The cruelty and deliberateness of the slave dealers is hard to comprehend.

We finished off the day by wandering the streets for an hour or two. Like Savannah, Charleston is full of historic buildings and managed to avoid significant damage during the war. The waterfront was particularly nice with lots of greenery and fountains.

The colourful houses of Rainbow Row

The Pineapple fountain

I really don't understand what a sign like this is supposed to achieve. As if anyone would expect there to be a lifeguard at a fountain...

As you'd have to expect by now a thunderstorm rolled in as we were leaving making things nice and wet for us when we got back to our campsite...

The next morning we packed up the tents and then went to visit Folly Beach which was nearby. It wasn't the hottest day out (a welcome change) so only Todd ended up swimming.

Folly Beach

As we walked along the beach we noticed lots of people bent over apparently looking for something where the waves washed ashore. We asked a women what was going on and she told us that they were searching for fossilised shark teeth. She showed us a few that she had found and we all joined the hunt. The teeth are jet black and are generally pretty well disguised amongst the rocks and shells that the waves wash in. We all managed to find at least one each. I found three including one that was very large (a lady told me it was the biggest she had seen all week although they can supposedly be as long as a finger) and pointy. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to taking a photo of it but I will post it at some point.

We had heard a rumour on the beach that a nearby cafe had free coffee. After close to an hour of tooth searching as coffee sounded good and the rumour ended up being true. Definitely a nice surprised.

We had a long drive ahead of us after finishing up at the beach. Our destination for the night was somewhere near the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Smokey Mountains. On our way out of the city we stopped quickly and an old cemetery called Magnolia. The graves covered a large area with graves dating back to 1850. There was a large number of Civil War graves as well as a special section for children and nuns.

Just a little creepy

The most exciting part of the drive toward the Smokey Mountains would have to be when the traffic stopped suddenly on the Interstate and we almost crashed into the car in front. We literally had a metre to spare when we finally stopped. We were not the only ones and some cars behind were forced onto the verge to avoid collisions. There was no obvious reason for the stop as traffic had been travelling at 70+ MPH and was soon moving again just as quickly.

Next up is the Blue Ridge Parkway.