Our Charleston Adventure

I found that there is a tour offered in Charleston for kids based on this book, Joseph's Charleston Adventure. I was able to find the book at the library. We decided to just do it ourselves so that we could take our time. In the back of the book, there is a description of each of the places.

The book is about a little boy who helps a lost dog find his way back home. Along the way, they pass by many famous places in Charleston, SC. Some of them were places we had wanted to see, but hadn't gotten to yet. We took the same path as the boy in the book.

Kids with the book and ready to start their adventure.



 White Point Gardens (most people call it the Battery): overlooks Charleston Harbor; cannons from the Civil War



cannonballs stacked like pyramids



 High Battery Seawall



 The house behind the kids has a piazza, which is a porch located on the side of the house to avoid the sun.



 Rainbow Row: most of these colorful houses on East Bay St. are connected; they were built in the early 1700s for merchants, with stores on the first floor and living quarters on the top.



Old Exchange Building: has a dungeon; George Washington danced in the Great Hall



In the book, there is a man standing about where the kids are that is dressed in clothing that was worn during the American Revolution. The guy was there as we went down the street on our way to the Battery, but he was gone when we came back to take the pictures. We had to go inside to find him.



 St. Michael's Episcopal Church: oldest surviving church building in Charleston. It's located at an intersection called the Four Corners of Law, referring to the four types of law on each corner: city, state, federal, and God's law. 



 Washington Park: located next to City Hall

It's hard to see, but on the left side of the picture, the kids are standing next to a fountain that the boy in the book drank from.



Of course, they all had to have a drink too.



This monument in the park was designed by the same person who designed the Washington Monument.



Behind the kids is Chalmers St., which is paved with cobblestones. Cobblestones were brought from Europe in ships to weight down the bottoms when they were not carrying cargo.



 The PInk House: one of the oldest buildings in Charleston; painted pink since the early 1600s



 Dock Street Theatre: located on the site of one of the first playhouses in America



 St. Philip's Episcopal Church: oldest church congregation in the Southeast

Colin was disappointed that he couldn't go up into the steeple like the boy in the book, but we did get to go inside the church and look around.



 Old City Market: open-air market where things have been sold for over 200 years



 If you look to the right side of the above picture closely, you can see a lady making a sweetgrass basket. These were first made by slaves who came from Africa and are woven from bulrush, palmetto fronds, pine needles, and sweetgrass. You find these being sold in several places in Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

In Mount Pleasant, there are many places just like this set up alongside the road to sell the baskets.





It wasn't in the book, but we went to Waterfront Park. It was cold last time we were there so this was the first time they got to get into the fountain.