If you only have a day in Charleston…
1. Carriage Ride
First and foremost, you simply must take a carriage ride through Historic Charleston. The Charleston Historic District is so large that it is difficult to know which aspects of the Holy City you should see. The carriage ride will give you a nice overview of the city’s enormous wealth before the Civil War and extreme poverty postwar.
There are three carriage companies and all of them do a wonderful job of giving you a detailed history of the city, historic sites to visit, and local folklore anecdotes that will intrigue you.
Feel free to ask your guide about the care and feeding of their horses, guidelines during hot weather, and days worked/off. (p.s. take a peppermint candy and treat your horse after the ride.)
2. Plantation Tour
There are three plantations within ten miles of Flowertown Bed and Breakfast and you don’t have to battle Charleston traffic to visit them! Each plantation has a unique personality:
a. Magnolia Plantation: Beautifully furnished house, detailed history of plantation life and the enslaved who made it possible. Check out the gardens and Audubon Bird Sanctuary.
b. Middleton Place: a working farm, lush landscapes, historical talks
c. Drayton Hall: substantial main house “frozen in time,” numerous outbuildings, well-researched history of this influential family.
3. Food
Fresh from the ocean, it doesn’t get any better. Shrimp and Grits is a true Southern culinary masterpiece not to be missed. Oh, and don’t forget the hushpuppies and sweet tea! Summerville is the birthplace of Sweet Tea and currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for largest Sweet Tea container – grab a photo with Mason!
Cover photo by Leonel Heisenberg
