John and Linda Walkabout: Charleston SC 10/19-10/20 2019

Our campsite at James Island County Park

Charleston was a "must have" on our list of stops since Linda's family has a history there. Her parents lived in Summerville which is just north of Charleston. That is where they were when her dad retired from the Air Force and her sisters, Micki and Bobbie both went to the College of Charleston. We stayed at a fantastic place called "The Campground" in the James Island County Park. It is a big place with a nice camp store, lots of lakes, a huge dog park where the dogs can also swim in a lake, and many trails that are great for long dog walks. They also were in the process of setting up Christmas lights. It's a really big deal and there are so many of them that they have to start early to get them all done by the time they open in November. Here are some pics of the park:

On the trail

Pablo and Priscilla watching the dogs across the lake in the big Dog Park.

These guys were having a mini-regatta with all their RC sailboats.

Moving out around one of the lakes. Notice the re-creation of the Ravenel Bridge in lights across the lake.

One trail leads to this great pier on the Stono River.

We went into town and got on the ferry that took us out to Fort Sumter. The fort was built on a man-made island at the mouth of the harbor. Construction started in 1829 and took more than 30 years to complete. Just like Fort Monroe which we visited in Virginia earlier this year, it was part of the Army Corp of Engineers construction following the War of 1812 which included about 200 forts along the Atlantic coast. During the Civil War the fort was taken over by the Confederates and even though it was totally reduced to nothing but rubble, it was never surrendered. When General Sherman took over Charleston they abandoned Fort Sumter. Here are some pics of the fort and the trip on the ferry:

Liberty Square - Where the Aquarium and the ferry to Fort Sumter share a large parking structure.

A schooner going by with the Ravenel Bridge in the background.

Looking at the fort from the boat dock

Cannons pointed out the gun port which were closed because it was too cold and windy!

Powder magazine

View from above with the boat in the background

What the fort looked like when it was new!

Lots of cannons!

Cannon emplacements

Tools used for cannons.

Yet another cannon...

The ferry boat that took us out to the island.

After the adventure out to the fort, we made our way down to the French quarter and had lunch at a delightful little restaurant called Blossom. It was absolutely delicious! Here is some food porn for your enjoyment!