Leaving Beaufort, SC on our spring break trip, we made several stops on our way to Charleston, SC. The low-country is truly beautiful! Our first stop once we left Beaufort was the Old Sheldon Ruins. To get to the ruins, you drive along a two-lane road through marsh and then a canopy of live oaks lining the road before pulling off to the side and walking through the gate. I love it. The ruins were breath-taking! A little history: the original church was built in the 1740s-50s and burned in the Revolutionary War. Then, it was rebuilt in 1826 from the remaining walls only to be destroyed again during the Civil War. We got some wonderful family pictures here!
Our next stop was the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island. Did you know that this is the only place that tea is grown and produced in America? We did a factory tour and tasted their tea; a trolley tour was available and looked good, but we passed to continue on to Charleston. It was a charming tea garden.
After the Tea Plantation, we almost missed our next stop because it looked farther away on my map. We actually happened upon it when I wanted to pull over and take a picture of this church:
We turned too early trying to get in the parking lot and turned on a dirt road and I happened to see a sign to the side that said Angel Oak - oh wait - that's where we are trying to go! It is one of the oldest known live oaks in the country, believed to be 500-1500 years old. It is spectacular in it's size and beauty. The picture cannot properly convey it's sheer impressiveness. Now protected, cables help the branches (as big as most tree trunks) from snapping under the weight.
Here's the road that leads to Angel Oak
So because by now, the kids are threatening mutiny because of lack of nourishment, we go to Freshfields Village to get some lunch. The village is at the crossroads of Kiawah, Seabrook, and John's Islands and is basically shopping and dining. We chose to eat at Vincent's Drug Store & Soda Fountain because it was so stinkin' cute! I loved the mint and white checkered floor, the soda fountain, and all of the vintage touches.
Whew! We avoided mutiny with lunch and a ice cream treat - on to Charleston! Join me next time for pictures of Charleston!
Love this! John and I have seen the Hominy Grill featured on the Travel Channel a few times and we've talked about how we'd love to go there. Charleston is so charming - glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteI definitely recommend the Hominy Grill - I love finding a restaurant that is kid-friendly, but truly has really great food. This was just the right mix - enjoyable meal in a relaxed setting. Thanks for reading!
Delete