Two Walks in Charleston: Magnolia Plantation Gardens and Downtown

Charleston, South Carolina, is a place we have visited many times.  We have yet to do any of the American Volkssport Association (AVA) walks here.  So this trip during thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to get 2 walks done. It will be a great introduction to my grandchildren in walking America. 

Our older son's family lives here, so we're on a Thanksgiving Trip.  It's COVID season, so we are driving from Tennesee to Charleston all in one day.  It will just be the five of us because our son is currently on a Coast Gaurd Cutter in the Caribbean.  Since the day before Thanksgiving is such a nice day, we decide to get outside to visit the Magnolia plantation, which is a short distance
away.  

Established in 1676, the 460 acre Magnolia Plantation was originally a rice plantation but became known for its Gardens, making it a tourist attraction as early as the Civil War.  The famous Civil war photographer Mathew Brady took photos here.  The Gardens completed in the English Garden Style emphasizes the natural setting.

The walk tours the former rice ponds, swamp, and the Garden that surrounds the Plantation mansion completed in 1850.   There is also a petting zoo for the kids.  The walk also has an observation tower that overlooks the gardens and the river.  It was a great time and the kids had fun seeing all the wildlife.

A few days later, Terri and I take a break from the Grandkids to drive downtown to do the Historical Walk.  Because of COVID, the streets are almost empty.  I overheard one of the carriage operators say that 35,000 people have lost their jobs in Charleston's restaurant and tourism industry. 

What can I say the Charleston downtown is one of the most picturesque in the nation with its palm-lined streets and colonial buildings.  The walk starts at the city visitors center across the street from the Charleston Museum.  In front of the museum sits a replica of the famous civil war submarine, the CSA Hunley.  The first submarine to sink a ship during the civil war blockade.

During the walk, you pass the old slave market and museum.  A slave market is usually a fixture in every southern city, whether it's recognized or not.  Charleston is a little more dubious, being that over half the slaves in America pasted through this city.  Much of Charleston's wealth was due to the slave trade. 

During the walk, we stop at Aw Shucks Seafood to dine on their outdoor patio for lunch.  After lunch, we finish the walk through the famous Charleston market.  Then walking down Meeting Street back to the visitors center.  

In all, the walks were fun, but because of COVID a little subdued.   I'll be happy when we really don't have this COVID thing to worry about anymore.  Still, I say get out there and walk America.