Tour of Charleston

We took a whirlwind tour of Charleston this past weekend. Always a wonderful destination, Charleston in spring is fabulous. We started out with a horse drawn carriage tour. Tessa was fascinated with the horses. I love the overview of the city and the tidbits of history that we learned along the way. Lil' Pink took an almost fatal leap off the back of the carriage. Thank you so much to the polite stranger who rescued her from the street.

Then it was time to shop, shop, shop. I was remarkably restrained and only bought one hat. Tessa picked out a very expensive sea grass basket, which we did not buy. My mom chatted with a local author and bought her book.

When the boys started acting hungry we headed to Hyman's for lunch. While we waited for a table, a hostess passed out hushpuppies. Tessa kept saying "More, please!" They are really yummy. She also ate the boiled peanuts, she is a South Carolina native after all.

After lunch, we followed the Gateway Walk and went off the beaten path. Through churches, cemeteries, alleys and gardens this walk was perfect for letting Tessa run free. The camellias and bulbs were in full bloom with azaleas just about to pop open. Charleston is made for walking and enjoying the scenery, so that's what we did.

Eventually, we ended up at Battery Park with it's fabulous live oaks and bay views. But not before Tessa had knocked on almost every door between Broad and East Bay Street. She and Lil' Pink were apparently making afternoon social calls. Thank goodness she knocks very gently and we didn't disturb anyone.
By this point, Tessa was tired enough to ride in the stroller. When she asked for a book to read, all I had available was the tour guide book. Thankfully, it had lots of pretty pictures and she was content with it. She finally fell asleep as we were cruising along the seawall. From there we could both admire the antebellum architecture and watch sailboats race. We walked past Rainbow Row and headed to dinner at Poogan's Porch where Tessa slept through the entire meal.

After dinner we had ice cream and pralines. And, last but not least, a trip to the pineapple fountain. It's no wonder this is my favorite city in the Continental US, there are pineapples everywhere you turn!