2019 Spring Southern Trip: Charleston and Savannah

 Sunday April 7:  101 miles and parked at James Island County Park, Charleston, SC

Site 84, James Island County Park

Sue and Al's camper in foreground, site 96.  Ours is the one behind it.

It was a short and pleasant drive today on Route 17.  We did hit a lot of traffic going through Charleston since the RV Park is located on the south side of the city.  This is a beautiful wooded campground.  I can see why it gets such high reviews.  After setting up and naps, we made reservations for a carriage tour of Charleston tomorrow.  Dinner was grilled pork chops and we ended the night watching the ACM awards show on TV.

Monday April 8:
 
We woke to a warm and muggy 66 degree morning.  Our carriage ride was scheduled for 11:40.  It was excellent!!  The ride lasted about an hour and the driver was well versed with Charleston history.  The architecture of the Historic District is absolutely beautiful, especially the ornate metal fencing.  Carriage rides are such a nice way to explore a city.  They are a slow, relaxing and informative way to tour.

We ate a late lunch at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub, and then did some shopping at The Charleston City Market.  We arrived back at the campground about 4:00 and were exhausted.  We grilled shrimp for dinner and then watched the NCAA Basketball Championship game, which Virginia won in overtime.

Tuesday April 9: 

It rained over night, and was warm and muggy when we woke.  Today's excursion is to tour Charleston Harbor from the water.  We booked tickets for 11:30 on Charleston Harbor Tours.  The 90 minute harbor cruise on the Carolina Belle was narrated by the Captain/Guide, and it was very informative and entertaining.  Lot's of history in Charleston.

 The Battle of Fort Sumter was the beginning of the Civil War.

USS Yorktown

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River and connects 

Charleston and Mt. Pleasant.  It's the third longest cable stayed bridge 

in the Western Hemisphere.

After a very late lunch at Bay Street Biergarten, we arrived back at the campground about 4:00.  We ended the early evening with naps, wine and snacks for dinner.  We hit the bed after watching a couple of our favorite NCIS shows.  During the night, we heard it start to rain.

  Wednesday April 10:  131 miles and parked at Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, Georgia

Entrance drive of Skidaway Island State Park

Site 80, Skidaway Island State Park

Skidaway Island SP is a beautiful campground.  We have camped here several times in the past.  Their roads are paved, the sites are large, and there are numerous hiking trails.  After setting up, we sat outside and read.  Grilled steaks were the dinner menu tonight.  Finally, the bugs drove us inside to do some knitting and TV watching.

Thursday April 11:

A beautiful warm and sunny day today.  We did some grocery shopping nearby and made arrangements to meet a former teaching colleague, Charolette and her husband Robert.  They are Northerners who resettled  to Georgia and love it.  At 2:30 we met Char and Robert at the Green Truck Neighborhood Pub for an excellent lunch and lots of conversation catching up with each other.

 

Back at the camper, it was snacks, reading and some TV watching.  Tomorrow we pack up and head further south to Starke, Florida.