While we were parked in the Hardeeville RV park we took a quick trip to Charleston. While very ‘Southern’, we knew right away Savannah would be our favorite destination. We parked in a high rise parking garage in the downtown area. We saw many of the streets were blocked off and the “Star Spangled Banner” was playing. There were crowds of people down the street. Unknown to us, they were celebrating the opening of the annual Spoleto Festival. We checked in at the Art Gallery and the ladies there were so helpful, telling us where to park to visit Fort Sumter. The last tour was at 2:30; still time for lunch. After checking our Droids for a good place to eat, we settled on the City Deli, voted the best sandwich place in Charleston. Though very crowded, we found a place to sit at one of the last empty tables. Our sandwiches were delicious.
We drove down to the harbor and parked in the Aquarium/Fort Sumter parking structure. We toured the Fort Sumter museum and learned about the area and history of where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. To tour the fort we rode the ferry for about 30 minutes from the harbor to the fort.
Our captain brought the ferry in in some pretty choppy tides on the very first try. One of the rangers declared it a ‘10’.
We had about 1 hour to walk around the fort and the grounds. We could see why this was very important to the security of Charleston. While the Union first held the fort, the Confederates fired on it and and President Lincoln said it was a declaration of war and thus the War between the States had begun. Most everyone thought it would be a short dispute… wrong! Visiting the sites of Civil War battles is finally beginning to make sense. Though a tragedy for hundreds of thousands of Americans in the end we are a much better nation. I can’t help but wonder how students can expect to learn this very complex time in our history in just a couple of weeks in an American History class. I am so thankful we are able to revisit history in our ‘senior’ years.
All too soon it was time to board the ferry for the trip back to Charleston. Did I mention we happen to choose the trip that a Junior High School from South Carolina was also on? How lucky is that! It was ‘grab a******’ the whole trip. Brought Tom back to his days at Sequoia Jr. Hi. in Fresno.
Ahh, on our way back to port and an easy ride back to the Hardeeville RV park.
We were not ready to leave the area as Tropical Storm Beryl was expected the next day. More of Savannah to come.
Loved our trip to Savanah and Charleston. Want to go back someday. We also toured Ft. Sumter. You really do understand the sequence of events a lot better when you accually see the sights.
ReplyDeleteMargie Maloney