Our third stop on our drive from Florida to Virginia was Charleston, SC. One of the unique things about this city is the skyline (or lack of) consisting of only church steeples. We aren’t sure if there’s a city ordinance where you’re not allowed to build taller than the churches or if that’s just how it happened with maintaining history, but Charleston definitely keeps it low!
The Charleston skyline – notice the tallest structures are steeples!
The Charleston skyline – notice the tallest structures are steeples!
Angel Oak Tree
Our previous stop was Savannah, GA, so we were driving up from the south. Angel Oak Tree is about 30 minutes SW from downtown Charleston, so we checked out this iconic tree on the way. The Angel Oak Tree is a beautiful tree that sprawls out 187 ft at one point and is estimated to be almost 500 years old! You have to take a dirt road for a quarter mile behind what appears to be a person’s personal property to reach the tree. There isn’t a lot to do surrounding the tree, but it’s worth it to make a quick stop at this unique nature spectacle.
Angel Oak Tree
A pretty crazy, sprawling tree that is almost 500 years old and has an 187 ft branch.
Angel Oak Tree
A pretty crazy, sprawling tree that is almost 500 years old and has an 187 ft branch.
Frothy Beard Brewing
Keeping with the theme of finding a brewery wherever we explore, our brewery of choice in the Charleston area was Frothy Beard Brewing. The interesting name is what originally sparked our interest, but the tasty beer, laid-back atmosphere with comfy couches, and pizza joint within the taproom all reeled us further in. We enjoyed a flight here and would definitely recommend the food from Zombie Bob’s. Their monster slice is truly the largest slice of pizza I’ve ever had, and their pizza quesadilla was quite tasty as well! We threw some pesto in the quesadilla and it was awesome.
Frothy Beard Brewing Company
A fun interior with viewing windows for where the magic happens.
Zombie Bob’s is a pizza spot right inside of the taproom!
Frothy Beard Brewing Company
A fun interior with viewing windows for where the magic happens.
Zombie Bob’s is a pizza spot right inside of the taproom!
Fort Sumter National Monument
Fort Sumter National Monument
After our bellies were full, we were ready to learn about some history! Fort Sumter is a National Monument protecting the grounds where the Civil War began. The fort is on an island at the entrance of the bay, so you must take a ferry to access it. The only way we know of to get there is to book a tour at Fort Sumter Tours. There are two locations you can launch from, Liberty Square or Mt. Pleasant. We chose Liberty Square because we knew we wanted to explore downtown right after. It’s only $23 and you get a ferry ride to and from Fort Sumter, lots of good information, and about an hour to explore the fort. There’s something about learning of historical events at the site they occurred that is so much more captivating than reading about them in a middle school textbook. When we arrived at the fort, there was a ranger there waiting to give us background information. We were on the last tour of the day, so we then had a mini flag ceremony where they called up a healthcare professional to assist in lowering the flag!
On the ferry over to Fort Sumter!
Fort Sumter National Monument
Learning from a ranger at Fort Sumter
They asked for a healthcare professional, so I was able to help lower the flag for the day!
On the ferry over to Fort Sumter!
Fort Sumter National Monument
Learning from a ranger at Fort Sumter
They asked for a healthcare professional, so I was able to help lower the flag for the day!
Downtown Charleston
Upon returning to Liberty Square, we used the rest of the daylight to explore downtown Charleston. We checked out the Pineapple Fountain and the historical homes near Waterfront Park. We then strolled further south to find The Battery, a built-up seawall that we followed along the peninsula edge until we ran into King Street. We took a right on King Street, which is lined with large, fancy, historic mansions, and used that to loop back to the heart of downtown.
Waterfront Park
The Pineapple Fountain
Historical homes by Waterfront Park
The Charleston Battery
King Street (where all the big houses are)
Waterfront Park
The Pineapple Fountain
Historical homes by Waterfront Park
The Charleston Battery
King Street (where all the big houses are)
The Rooftop Bar & Grill @ The Vendue
The Rooftop Bar & Grill @ The Vendue
Right downtown you will find a few options to post up on a rooftop, but most seem to be private. One of the public rooftops we found was The Rooftop Bar & Grill @ The Vendue. We had impeccable timing and were able to snag a rooftop spot on their second deck with a stellar view of the sunset overlooking the Charleston skyline. They have unique cocktail options and a decent food menu. It may be one of the top rooftop bars we have visited. This was the perfect way to wrap up our time in Charleston.
The Rooftop Bar and Grill at The Vendue
It’s not every day you get sunset views like this 🙂
The Rooftop Bar and Grill at The Vendue
It’s not every day you get sunset views like this 🙂
Once again, this was a very quick stop for us because it was en route to our new home, but we thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects to this deep south city, their unique skyline, and seeing where the Civil War began.