Charleston/Kiawah Vacation Pt 2

For the remainder of vacation we really kicked our feet up. The beach was our mid-morning to mid-afternoon hangout until we retreated back to the house to shower off, throw on some sweats, and relax some more. Some nights we would head back out to the beach, and other nights we would play cards till way late. 

On Thursday, we drove the 45 minutes into Charleston to explore the city and venture through all it had to offer. Again, the architecture, vegetation, and aesthetic of Charleston is just downright charming. From the moss all over buildings to the bright pops of pink in the crepe myrtles, it's just stunning!

That day started off sunny and bright. So we kicked off our time in the city at the open-air market. Apparently, this market space will always just be that, because the man that gave the market space over to the city strictly forbid it be anything else or his family would inherit it back. I'm glad he thought to add that to the contract, because the market is so much fun. There are trinkets and all kinds of homemade goods. Not to mention the food and spices also available for purchase. 

I'm a sucker for freshly squeezed lemonade, so when this hot pregnant lady spotted ^^this stand^^ I was all about a cool drink to quench my thirst. Husband obliged without hesitation.

Within an hour of being in the market, the rains began. First a little, and while on a carriage ride through the city it poured. Naturally, being on a covered carriage you wouldn't expect to get wet. Wrong. My mom and I (since we were on the outside) got soaked. Nonetheless, it was an interesting hour-long ride and I learned a good bit about the city's start and the significance of some of their buildings. 

Our horses' names were Hit and Run. And they were a mix of horse and mule, check out those ears! You might have seen the photo of them I shared on Instagram while trotting along!

So this building has a really neat story. It was originally used as a hospital, and then converted into an orphanage for African American children. The owner couldn't afford the rent, so he brought in music tutors to teach the students how to play instruments. Those students then began playing in the streets, and as their popularity rose they traveled around the country to play their jazz music, eventually landing on broadway. Their greatest contribution to music in the 1920's?? The Charleston :) How neat is that?!

This jail house is known as one of the most haunted buildings in the city. Notable criminals were held here along with pirates. Today it's used as the American College of Building Arts (no thank you would I ever go to school there!), but apparently the school is preparing to relocate (no wonder!). Just the look of this place gives me the hebbie jebbies! 

Unfortunately, the stronger the rain became, my camera had to be put up. So I tucked it away for the remainder of our time in Charleston. I did, however, use my iPhone to capture some moments of the rest of our evening, which included dinner and an hour and a half ghost tour walking through the city.

Charleston speaks my aesthetic language. From the gas burning lamps to the cotton wreaths, this place has me written all over it. If the humidity wasn't so intense I might consider moving there, but I'll keep my mountain air any day.

For dinner, we ate at Hyman's Seafood, which was excellent and a fun experience. Husband couldn't stop raving about the food and the price point. Another neat aspect about this restaurant is that a lot of famous people have eaten there. So the tables where they say at marked with miniature plaques, like the one below. The table we dined at happened to be the same table that Bond himself ate at. Husband was all over that fun fact!

And Food Channel Network listed it in its Top 5 in "The Best Seafood" category. If you ever go, make sure to get the Wadamalaw Delight as an appetizer. It's out of this world! That dish is local friend green tomatoes served on creamy grits and topped with Carolina cream sauce, cheese, and Cajun seasoning. Is your mouth watering yet??

What's dinner without dessert?! Fresh key lime pie it was, and I loved it. That's saying something considering I'm not always the biggest lover of lime-flavored food.

After dinner we ducked into a couple of stores on King Street, and oh how I wish we would have have had more time for exploring those shops. I guess I'll just have to go back :)

The reason we had to run through King Street was because the ghost tour started up at 7:30 and we needed to get there about fifteen minutes before it started. So we met in this park, where I proceeded to get eaten up by mosquitoes, a trend that continued the entire tour. Darn those mosquitoes!

Baby girl was on board at the beginning of the tour, but after walking for an hour and a half, my feet were yelling at me to sit the heck down!

The tour was really factual and detailed a lot of history in Charleston, which I appreciated. The ghost stories were factual in nature and it wasn't a creepy tour where people jump out at you. Instead it was a lot of history, coupled with sightings and stories of people's encounters with said ghosts. The above restaurant. Poogan's Porch, has been listed as one of the most haunted places in the world by Travel Channel.

 The public library is also another source for haunted, ghost encounters, especially on Halloween.

We spent out last full day on the beach before packing up and heading back to Virginia. That night we headed out to the town square on Kiawah Island for dinner, a little live music, and some ice cream. 

Although I loved vacation, it was so nice to get back to the mountain air and lack of humidity! It feels good to be home! If you missed the first part of our trip, you can check it out HERE!