Vacay Friday: April in Charleston

You’ll learn very quickly through the Vacay Fridays that a lot of my travel plans come from watching movies. In particular, Charleston was added to my travel list because of The Patriot. The characters, cinematography, and soundtrack still resonate with me to this day, and it encouraged me to educate myself about the history of the American Revolutionary War.

That said, the American Revolution isn’t the only event to affect the town, and during this trip I have every intention of experiencing other parts of Charleston’s history too!

MAP IT

The good thing about travelling to the United States is that it’s pretty similar to Canada, so I don’t need any extra medication. The current outbreak of Coronavirus isn’t really something that concerns me for this trip. I’m a healthy adult, and as of the publishing date of this article there are no confirmed cases in South Carolina or it’s neighbouring states. That’s good enough for me, it may not be for you. Do your research, be informed.

EDIT: I know this is a little late, but as we can see, this statement has aged like milk. Since March 6th when this was first published, the Covid-19 situation has gotten much more serious than I anticipated. I’ve kept it though, because I want my readers to know that I too am human. I make mistakes, and I can only see so far into the future. If you need information about the situation, please follow these links to the CDC or the WHO websites. Stay home, wash your hands, and be safe gentle reader.

My passport get me everywhere I need to go, so I don’t need any extra documents. There aren’t any advisories except to take the normal precautions when travelling, and the weather in South Carolina in April has an average temperature is 23, which suits me fine.

After deciding on my tours and hotels, the trip has come out to $3786.67 Canadian, without taxes or accounting for food, and will last from April 3rd to April 10th. Remember that if you book your hotel and flights together, and book well in advance, that price can be lowered.

Itinerary

Friday April 3rd

The flight leaves at 7pm from Toronto, and arrives in 9:17 in at the Charlotte Douglass International Airport. After a 52 minute layover, we board another flight at 10:09pm, and arrive in Charleston at the Charleston International Airport at 11:08pm. We’ll be staying at the Charleston Marriot, which has a 24 hour front desk as well as airport shuttles, so you won’t have to worry about getting to and from the airport or checking in. It’s also about a thirty minute walk from there to the Charleston Visitor’s Centre, so just be sure to take that travel time into consideration.

Saturday April 4th

We’re up relatively early, meeting our tour at the Charleston Visitor’s Center. We’re off to see Middleton Place, one of the filming locations for The Patriot, and the site of lovely gardens. Our tour provides round trip transportation from the visitor’s center and back, as well as lunch, so we don’t have to worry about that!

The tour will last roughly 5 hours, so what remains of our afternoon can be spent exploring Charleston. Have a walk around, take in the many historic homes, and maybe do some shopping. We had a busy day yesterday, and a busy morning, so now is our time to take it easy and relax.

Sunday April 5th

This morning we’re meeting another tour, this time at Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Grab something to eat and drink, use the bathroom, and tighten your laces because we’re going on the Chicora Walk, a two hour tour of Charleston’s historic buildings. Among the places you’ll visit are the Old Slave Mart Museum, the Old Echange and Provost Dungeon, and Nathaniel Russell House. We’ll end up back at Bitty and Beau’s, which is convenient because that’s where we’ll meet our next tour

This one is called Badass Broads-Charleston. I really wanted this because I find historical women are often overlooked, especially in academia. This tour stops at less stops than the former tour, but it stops at the same ones. If I was actually planning this for myself I would be calling the tour company to ask how the two walks compare in terms of information. I’m happy to visit the same locations twice, as long as I’m getting different stories.

Monday April 6th

Today we’re doing more walking, this time on the Lost Stories of Black Charleston Walking Tour. We’re meeting at Buxton Books & Tour Charleston Headquarters this morning for the Lost Stories of Black Charleston Walking Tour. Much like women, there isn’t a lot of representation for the black community in historic academic writing, so I would really like to hear some of their stories. This tour is another two hours, but fret not! We have something to sooth our aching feet coming up next.

Leaving from the Old South Carriage Company on Anson street, we have a one hour horse drawn carriage tour, with stories from 300 years of Charleston’s History.

After that we’re taking a cruise of Charleston Harbour, leaving from the Charleston Maritime Center on Wharfside street. It’s a guided tour, telling you about the history of Charleston, so sit back, rest your feet, and maybe spot a dolphin or two!

Tuesday April 7th

Today I’ve left as a mostly free day, because it’s a day to revisit what we might have missed. If there’s a place that has sparked our interest from the previous tours, or if you want a more relaxed look at them, today is the time to go visit it. You might also explore the city, or visit some shops to get a souvenir for yourself. There is one tour that I’ve booked, it’s about two hours long, and it’s called the Charleston’s Alleys and Hidden Passages, so if you want to be able to say you know Charleston like a local, this tour is for you!

Wednesday April 8th

Today we head out to the Magnolia Plantation, and Drayton Hall. Both are historical manors about a half an hour drive from the center of Charleston, and both were built by the Drayton family. Magnolia Plantation also has wonderful gardens featuring a walk through of a bayou, something that I would love to see. Drayton Hall is just down the highway from it, so take precautions when you walk. Be sure to stop for a quiet moment at the slave cemetery near the entrance to the Drayton Hall property. Both homes offer tours with their admission price, so be sure to ask about them when you arrive, or have a look on their website when you book online. Since there aren’t tours that depart from Charleston to these homes, we have to get to these places on our own. We’ll have to call a cab, and I’ve included the price of that in the budget. We’ll likely spend all day, so I would call a few days ahead and pre-book both cab rides.

Thursday April 9th

Today is another full day, with the Frankly Charleston Black History Tour in the morning, where we’ll be told the stories of historical Charleston’s black residents. This tour can range from an hour and a half to just under two hours, and the Tripadvisor reviews tell me that it’s shouldn’t be missed!

We have plenty of time to rest your bones in the afternoon, before giving them a chill after supper. That’s right, it’s time for the ghost tours!

There are tours that start earlier in the evening, but for a spookier ride we’ll go later! It’s about an hour and a half long tour called the Supernatural Walking Tour of Charleston. If you don’t want to get so personal, there are horse drawn ghost tours available.

Friday April 10th

Treat today as your last chance to see what you want to see. If there’s anything you’ve missed, you can catch it today. Our flight leaves at 7:41pm from the Charleston International Airport, and arrives at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 9pm. After an hour and a half layover our next plane leaves at 10:26pm, and arrives at 12:37 at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. You’ll arrive home with a full weekend to rest up, get your souvenirs set up, and enjoy the feeling of coming home after an awesome vacation!