Charleston Half-Day trips | Folly Beach, James Island, Magnolia Plantation, Ft. Sumter

  There are so many things you can do in the city, but a short drive away are some other great attractions.  We hit up two of these in one day as each of these things only take a half day.

 

Folly Beach on James Island.

 

  Later in the week we went back to James Island for their Holiday Light Festival, including roasting s'mores.  Who could resist? 

  Up the road along the Ashley River were the plantations.  We decided to visit Magnolia plantation at the end of this oak-lined drive.

 

 

The large oaks and Spanish moss were a sight to behold. 

 We spent some time before our tour walking around the garden which was massive and reading up on our history.  South Carolina was known for their rice and had many rice plantations.  Situated along the river, this plantation used the tides to help in their growing and harvesting of rice.  Being in the rice field was the most labor intensive and disliked work.  After the Civil War, South Carolina's economy fell because there were no longer workers for the rice fields.  This was unlike further south, like in Georgia, where the slaves went back to the cotton fields to work after they were freed.

 

 

 This is the Magnolia house.  We took a tour thinking they would talk more about plantation life, but they spoke mostly of the family.  If we wanted to hear about the slaves, there was a whole other tour for that all together.

  As we drove out we spotted the slaves' homes.  Couldn't get any closer unless we were on the tour.  So bummed we didn't realize this until it was too late, we would have gotten to go inside one of them!

  These were about 1/2 mile away from the main house and well hidden from the views from the house.

 

Ft. Sumter, sight of the first shots of the Civil War.

 Looking back onto Charleston from the boat out to Ft. Sumter.  The left is the southernmost tip, you can see the mansions just to the right and those church spires throughout the city.

Such a big part of Charleston was the war history, a dream for this history buff.

  When the fort was originally built, the brick wall surrounding it was 50 ft. tall, about 3/4 of the way up one of the smaller flagpoles.

Inside the fort.

   Looking back to Charleston, which was just over 3 miles away.

 



In the middle of the pic, you can see a lodged rifled cannon shot.

 

  By the time we went to Ft. Sumter, the rain had come and the temperatures had significantly dropped from the 60s we were enjoying the days before.  Out there in the middle of the water, wind whipping us, it was frigid!  I'm so glad we went, but I was so happy to get back in the boat and get inside somewhere warm for dinner!

 

  These half-day trips were so fun.  My favorite was definitely the plantation and I would love to visit a different one if we ever get back to Charleston.