Exploring Charleston

Colorful Charleston

One of my favorite photographic subjects is old buildings. The symmetry and visual appeal is often lacking in the modern structures of today…at least in my opinion. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Charleston, SC, and The Battery district, which is close to downtown. This is a wonderful area of Antebellum homes which have been beautifully preserved and are painted in wonderful pastel colors. Each home that you come upon is more beautiful than the next.

Carriage Ride

Another sight that I couldn’t help but notice were the number of horse-drawn carriages roaming the streets. Although we took a walking tour of the area, this would be another way to leisurely explore this historic area. As the carriages passed us by we could hear the drivers recounting the history of houses that they were passing. If we had chosen that methodof sight-seeing we might have seen much more than we did, because during our two and a half hour stroll, we saw only a small part of the historic building that can be found close to The Battery.

Charleston Market

Charleston Market is found downtown near The Battery District of Charleston. Four buildings that stretch for four blocks house a flea market where artisans offer their wares to tourists and residents alike. The day we visited, the area was teeming with potential buyers looking for a bargain. If nothing else, this is a great area for people watching.

Sweet Grass Baskets

The local craft that many residents practice is sweet grass basket weaving. There were many examples of these beautiful baskets offered for sale on Market Street and street corners throughout the downtown area. Some of the practitioners were even creating beautiful roses out of the sweet grass. There were so many choices of basket styles and sizes that deciding on a purchase was almost impossible…so I resisted the urge.

Some day, I would like to go back to Charleston and spend the entire visit exploring the historical aspects of the city. Charleston Harbor was where the first shots were fired at the opening of the War Between the States, when the infant Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter, and eventually took control of the fort. Even in the Revolutionary War, Charleston Harbor was important to The Colonies in being able to import goods from Europe that was needed for their survival.

I highly recommend this beautiful southern city as a vacation destination. There is much to explore, and my experience was that people are friendly and eager to be of service. All, that is, except one gentleman selling sweet grass baskets who had strong political opinions and wasn’t afraid of sharing them. And anyone who even gently disagreed with him was firmly encouraged to move along. But, as a casual observer, I even found that entertaining.

Architecture in The Battery

Fishing in Charleston Harbor

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