Tourism | BruceWPeterson Photography

Although I love the beaches near home, I do miss a beach where you can actually swim. There are beaches both north and south of Charleston. We started our search south of the city at Folly Beach. The long expanse of sandy beach is beautiful and very inviting. BUT! There is absolutely no sense of community. It was a terrific sunny Saturday and the whole place felt abandoned. Over 95 % of the houses are vacation rentals and they all have cheap real estate signs in the front yard.

Folly Beach, South Carolina

Next we headed north and discovered Sullivan’s Island, the Isle of Palms and Pawleys Island. Pawleys Island was our favorite. Although it’s as densely built up as Folly Beach it has a lot more history. Plantation owners began building summer cabins here in the early 19th century to take advantage of the ocean breezes and to avoid the malaria and small pox so prevalent on the Low Country Plantations and in Charleston during the summer months. Like in Seaview, Wa., the family homes and history give it a much greater sense of place.

Sullivan's Island - Photo by Wendi

Isle of Palms - Photo by Wendi

Pawleys Island Church

Pawleys Island, South Carolina

Well, we packed the bags, loaded the car, got the maps and hit the road. We drove 750 miles to the Bay Area for Christmas with my daughter’s family. After a great holiday we looked at each other and said, “What the Hell are we thinking?” There was rain in Southern California, snow and sleet in Texas and freezing rain in the Southeast.

After much soul searching we opted to fly instead of driving. Although we miss Emma, we are certain that we made the right decision.

Charleston is a great city. The historical district is fabulous. We’ve just completed the 9 site museum tour.

87 East Bay St.

99 – 101 East Bay St.

Broad St. Shutters

The Belvedere Rutledge St. Charleston, SC.

Manigault House

Middleton Plantation

Drayton Hall Plantation

It’s very unnerving to realize that all this wealth was built on the backs of enslaved people. The Alken-Rhett House alone had 31 slaves to maintain a house for two adults and three children. They did all the physical labor. Those with specific skills were rented out to neighbors and associates for extra income. We tend to think of slavery as a short lived chapter in our history. In fact, slavery existed on the North American continent for over two centuries!