What can you do in South Carolina in three days or less.

[Knife]

So, taking a late vacation this year, headed down to South Carolina primarily to watch my boy graduate from boot camp. Going to be in Columbus for two days, then drive down to Charlotte. Fort Sumter is definitely on my list, but wondered if any locals had some gems out there to see/do/experience.

Thanks in advance.

[Zwinmar]

Do not do the 'south of the border' experience (N. and S. Carolina line) you will regret it., Other than that, not real sure, was only their for boot camp.

[whackadoodle]

While in Charleston, spend some time at Ft. Sumter. The departure point for the Ft. Sumter Ferry also has the USS Yorktown, a destroyer, and a sub from the same era. See nearby Ft. Moultrie, dating from the Revolutionary War. Join a walking tour of the historic Battery. End the day at Folly beach, with some Frogmore stew at Bowen's Island Restaurant.

[Beowulf]

Columbia you mean? Hit up Flying Saucer one of the days you're in Columbia. If you want to pick yourself up an AR, Palmetto State Armory is also around there. I'll give a "me too" to whackadoodle's suggestions as well.

[whackadoodle]

Now, from your itinerary, you aren't going inland. However, if for some reason you do - and are near Greenville - consider Bob Jones University. Yeah, yeah, I know. However, if you like art it has the largest collection of religious art in the Western Hemisphere. Italian Gothic, Italian Renaissance, Italian Mannerism, Italian Baroque, Northern Renaissance, Northern Mannerism, Flemish Baroque, Dutch Baroque, Spanish 16th & 17th Centuries, French Baroque. Also, last time I was there (Art History 100 1992) early Christian Egyptian Sarcophagi. I think that they have added a large amount of Russian Orthodox iconography since then. Cheap admission, plus ties and slacks for adult men, and dresses/long skirts for women. Weird, but the collection is incredible.

[Knife]

All pretty good suggestions. Spending most my time right smack dab in the middle, but will break away for a day or so to the coast. Thanks.

[Thanas]

The thought of "Early Christian" Egyptian Sarcophagi in the hands of such nutcases makes my blood boil.

[Zwinmar]

Nope, they arn't twisting everything around to their own point of view at all.
/sarcasm

[whackadoodle]

Nope, they arn't twisting everything around to their own point of view at all.
/sarcasm

Meh, it's still a very collection. Do you refuse to read Ender's Game because of the author's views?

[FSTargetDrone]

Knife, I want to add my voice to the Fort Moultrie visit suggestion. I was down in South Carolina at Isle of Palms for a wedding a few weeks back and the fort is on the west end of Sullivan's Island. While Sumter is more interesting historically, there is much, much more to see at Moultrie. It has weapons on display from its various incarnations over the years, beginning during Revolutionary times up to WW2. If you have to decide between the two, I would suggest Moultrie. I never got to Sumter because my time was used up helping to herd small children the week I was there.

Quick cell phone pics (took a few hundred with the DSLR)...this is just a bit of what you can see outside. The museum opposite the entrance to the fort (where you pay admission) is worth spending some time if you can. It has a decent book selection on sale. You can freely roam the grounds in and around most of the Moultrie. Tunnels, rooms inside, more ancillary buildings and Battery Jasper to the east. Jasper has no guns on display, but there some interior spaces you can see, including shell handling rooms and magazines. The whole thing is a big, sprawling place.

Moultrie's sally port (across from the museum), with WW2-era tower inside:



View from the tower. As you look around the interior of the walls, the guns go back from WW2 to the Revolutionary War era (not all visible here). You can barely make out Sumter just left of center out in the water.





Harbor-facing side of Moultrie:



Various Civil War era artillery with a brick powerhouse and small part of the black-painted Battery Jasper visible on the right edge.



As an aside, part of the roughly 700-mile drive from outside Philadelphia to Isle of Palms was some of the smoothest driving I've had the pleasure of experiencing. The part inside North and South Carolina, that is! I-95 there is magnificent compared to PA.

[Patroklos]

Not sure when you are heading down there, maybe this past weekend. I am a Charleston local and you need to set asside some time to eat your way through East Bay Street. Charleston is one of the hot spots for the locally sourced foods revolution and a tops the list of culinary must visit cities.

Also, though it is a tourist trap, check out the market. Its an outdoor market that runs for most of market street downtown and has lots of vendors including local Gullah who sell hand made items. Despite what they will tell you this was NOT the slave market, that was a couple streets over and is not houses.

There is also The Citadel which has lots of historic things to see, both the old one downtown (now a hotel) and the newer site which is by the Ashley River. The cadets are not back yet but they parade every Friday around 4:00pm. They have lots of static displays you can take a look at.

There is also the Charleston Museum that has a replica of the CSS Hunley, but its mostly local living history exhibits. If you want to see the actual hunley it is at the old Charleston Naval Yard in North Charleston and is not really near any of the tourist routes. It has limited hours that might not work for you.

There are all sorts of historic houses, any one of them will fit the bill if thats your thing. Stay away from the ghost tours, they are pretty basic and not worth it in my opinion. The carriage tours can be worth it but you never know what you are going to get. Honestly you will probably have the most fun just walking through the homes South of Broad on your own including The Battery and Rainbow Row. You could poke your head into allys and lanes for days and barely touch the place. They take window box planters very seriously and they should still be in full swing, they are featured in lots of home and garden magazines so if you are into gardening this is for you.

If in Columbia check out the state house and the surrounding parks. Columbia is an ugly city but the state house is an impressive building and the grounds have quite a few historic items and monuments as well as being pretty. Ther eis a district call Vista that has a lot of bars and resturants and can be family friendly or a party place depending one whether you go in the day or at night.

Enjoy

[Knife]

Going next week, but thanks for the suggestions.

[Patroklos]

So how was the trip?

[Knife]

Was hot and wet. Although Fort Sumter was fun. The ferry ride out was great. Really ought to get some pictures uploaded for you all. The ferry drove by the USS Yorktown, but didn't have time to to to Patriot point. If I'm ever in the neighborhood again I think I'll go there. Spend sometime in downtown Charleston, in the French quarter (oddly I never thought it would have such a quarter) and it was fun too, in a tourist trap sort of way. I noted a few differences between my neck of the woods and there, as well as some general preconceived notions that proved wrong.

Not as many churches as I would have assumed. Where I'm from you can't go two miles without tripping over a Mormon church. I expected Baptist churches on every corner and just didn't see them. Though the French Quarter in Charleston had quite a few.

Way less 'big trucks' then even my neck of the woods. Granted, I was in two fairly decent sized cities and not the 'back woods'.

There are no taco/burrito joints in South Carolina. I think I saw two Taco Bells (blah). There are, however, a jazillion fried chicken spots with equal amounts of Waffle Houses. (Yes, I took my bitch to the Waffle House).

Not a lot of book stores there either, wanted to buy a book for travel, had to google book stores since Walmart had half an isle and it was mostly religious or Oprah type stuff. Pickings were slim on google too.