#26 best destination in the world
Middleton Place
- Plantation built during the 18th and 19th centuries
- It was the primary residence of several generations of the Middleton family, many of whom played prominent roles in the colonial and antebellum history of South Carolina
- Now a museum, it is the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States
- Middleton’s son, Arthur Middleton, was a signer of Declaration of Independence, was born at Middleton Place, and lived at the plantation in the last years of his life
- In 1865, toward the end of the U.S. Civil War, Union soldiers burned most of the house, leaving only the south wing and gutted walls of the north wing and main house
- The restoration of Middleton Place began in 1916 and the buildings were constructed of brick salvaged from the ruined main house
Old Slave Mart Museum
- Once housed an antebellum slave auction gallery
- Constructed in 1859, the building is believed to be the last extant slave auction facility in South Carolina
- When Union forces occupied Charleston beginning in February 1865, the slaves still imprisoned at Ryan’s Mart were freed
- Old Slave Mart Museum now interprets the history of the city’s slave trade
Waterfront Park (Charleston)
- Park in the historical center of maritime traffic with several wharves and shipping terminals
- The area entered a long period of decline, and by 1980, the site was an overgrown area marred by charred pilings and gravel parking lots
- Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. began making plans for a park on the site soon after taking office in 1975
- After more than a decade of planning, fund-raising and clearing environmental hurdles, the parks department and construction company broke ground in 1988
- In 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck the area, causing $1 million of damage to the park
- Nevertheless, the park opened just one week past the pre-hurricane projection
Angel Oak
- Southern live oak estimated to be 400-500 years old
- The oak derives its name from the estate of Justus Angel and his wife, Martha Waight Tucker Angel
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
- Building originally known as Prince William’s Parish Church
- Built as a chapel of ease in the English Georgian style, using the Roman Tuscan or Doric order, between 1745 and 1753
- The traditional understanding is that Prince William’s was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt in 1826, and then burned again in 1865 during the Civil War by the Federal Army under General William T Sherman’s orders
- The inside of the church was gutted to reuse materials to rebuild homes burned by Sherman’s army
Coligny Beach Park
- Oceanside park with landscaped walking and biking paths, plus swings & beach-equipment rentals
Hilton Head Island Bike Trails
- Lowcountry resort town
- Occupied by Native Americans thousands of years ago, and continued with European exploration and the cotton trade
UFO Welcome Center
- The UFO Welcome Center is a tourist curiosity, built in the back yard of Jody Pendarvis
- Consists of a 42-foot-wide flying saucer built out of wood, fiberglass, and plastic
- The structure, entered by a powered ramp, is mounted on four columns, designed to raise and lower with motors
- The saucer is furnished with a bed, satellite television, air conditioning, toilet, and a shower
- Pendarvis envisioned himself as being an ambassador to aliens and wanted to provide a facility where they could rest after a long journey on UFOs
Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden
- Pearl Fryar (born 1940) is a topiary artist, who around 1988, began trimming evergreen plants around his yard into unusual shapes
- Many of the plants in Pearl’s garden were rescued from the compost pile at local nurseries
- With Pearl’s patience and skilled hands, these “throw aways” have thrived and have been transformed into wonderful abstract shapes
Broadway at the Beach
- Shopping center and entertainment complex set on 350 acres, in Myrtle Beach
- Features three theaters, over 20 restaurants and over 100 specialty shops as well as attractions, night clubs, all surrounding Lake Broadway
Costs
Number of Days: 14 days
Best Time To Fly: March-May, Sept-Nov
Airline tickets: $398
Seattle -> Charleston (round trip) = $398
Food: $45/day x 14 days = $630
Rental car: $74/day x 14 days = $1,036
Gas: $47
Entertainment: $127
Airbnb: $284/day x 13 days = $3,687
TOTAL: $5,925
