S is for South Carolina

S is for South Carolina

  My adventures continue and find us back in the Old South.  Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite places - South Carolina.  My post is a little longer today because I have been to many wonderful towns within this state and have loved all of them.  South Carolina has so much to offer and if you have never been it needs to be on your personal bucket list.  If you start in the northeastern corner you have some of the most beautiful Atlantic beaches there are in Myrtle Beach.  You have to be wanting to go to Myrtle Beach because there is no direct way there unless you fly in.  From Broadway on the Beach, award winning golf courses, shagging on the boulevard at Duffy's where the song was written, shop at class A outlets, shows there is never a dull moment.

Greenville is another exciting town to visit.  They have a mouse trail you can take.  You get a map at the hotel and then follow the clues and locate all the tiny mice hidden away in town.  You can also shop at Mask's General Merchandise Store and find candy still in huge wooden barrels.  Frank's sister lives here and I love to visit.  One of  the best places to eat is the Wild Wing Cafe.  If you like wings and have never eaten here it is a must!

If Greenville is not the Camelia capital of the world it should be.  You should plan a trip to be there in the Spring when the flowers are all in bloom.  It is absolutely breathtaking and a photographers delight.  Summerville is where Frank lived when I first met him.  We have been there many times and everytime I find something new and exciting.  I think it is one of the Azalea capitals of the world.  Sometime in March or April they have a huge Flowertown Festival when all the flowers bloom and it is breathtaking.  Every yard seems to burst with color and glory.  Our friend, Sandy has such a green thumb and her yard is one of those amazing ones.  I love to sit out on her porch and just gaze at all God's wonderment.

I have to share a little bit about Summerville.  It is right outside of Charleston and it originally was a resort area because of it's cool breezes whispering through forests of pine.  That was what brought Summerville its first visitors. Lowcountry residents found in the town’s lofty location a respite from the subtropical heat and disease of the summer. They believed that harmful gases rose up from the low-lying rice fields and swamps along the coast and caused malaria. What they didn’t know then was that the mosquitoes were causing the malaria. What they did know, though, was that they felt better in this village among the pines. Those healthy breezes were enjoyed in what were known as "mosquito houses," non-insulated structures designed to allow air to flow freely throughout. They consisted of two rooms on each side of a wide hall, and a fireplace in each room. By 1828, twenty-eight families had built summer cottages, and Summerville was born. Charleston is the prize of the south.  If you want to see southern at it's finest then you must go to Savannah and Charleston.  In Charleston if you are a huge history nut (which I am) you have Ft. Sumter and Ft. Moultrie to view, several mansions along hwy 17 between Charleston and Paulies Island, the museum where the Hunley rests, guided tours (and I would encourage you to take a trolley tour the first time).  If you are just into beauty then you have the Battery and all the glorious houses there,

Rainbow Row(did you know it was once in their laws that if a house burned in Rainbow Row the fireman could burn the houses on either side to create a break?). 

If you are a shopper there is the Market which is steeped in history and where you can find some great basket buys...but don't try to take a picture of one of the Gullah's....they won't let you. 

You also have to stroll down King Street and check out all the wonderful shops there.  It will take you all day just to see everything.   If you are into food then you will find a smorgabord of items to sample.  Be sure to taste the she crab soup at Tommy Condon's, 82 Queen Street, or Poogan's Porch.  Wild Wings has a place by the Market...so if you are not into Greenville you can try some here. Yep, Charleston is a southern jewel.  With all my great South Carolina adventures I need to close and tell you that one of the greatest adventures of my life came from South Carolina and that is Frank.  Everyday with him is truly an adventure.  I am so thankful for the S in South Carolina.  Happy Traveling!