My flight out of Charleston didn’t leave till dinner time, so I had a whole day to explore the area outside of Charleston before heading to the airport.  Usually, I get an early start to the day and go full force till mid afternoon where I retreat to my lodging for an afternoon nap; however, with no place to take a break, I knew that I had to plan for some downtime during the day. 

I started my day at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens. There are several plantations around the area, but I wanted one that didn’t sugar coat the dark history of slavery. Boone Hall not only features the lives and lifestyle of the slaves through their collection of nine slave houses, but also features live shows honoring their Gullah culture.  

The drive into Boone Hall is iconic. Called the Avenue of Oaks, the .75 mile drive into the plantation is flanked with 250 year large live oaks, whose limbs reach across the divide to create a natural tunnel. The light filtering through the trees bounces off of the hanging catkins of the Spanish moss and softens the colors and sets the mood. 

Boone Hall is still a working farm and has been for over 300 years. I started my visit with a narrated trolley tour around the grounds before heading to the main house. The tour talked about the progression of crops and the relationship between the Plantation and the local community. 

In between the grounds tour and my reserved house tour, I spent some time enjoying the lush manicured gardens in the front of the house. The vibrant colors of the flowers contrasted against the white house and the winding pathways provided privacy even with other people around.  The 30 minute house tour consisted of the library, dining room, and the back loggia. The guide talked about the history of the Boone family, the architecture of the Georgian house. 

As mentioned earlier, one reason I chose Boone Hall was for the stories and history of the enslaved people.  A few times a day, a member of the Gullah community talks about the history and culture of the Gullah people. The woman who hosted the show I attended focused on the development of the language and stories of her community. As an English teacher, I loved hearing about the creating and passing down of the vibrant folk stories through the generations. 

After spending the morning at Boone Hall, I grabbed lunch to go and headed to Sullivan’s Island Beach for a little early afternoon downtime. A few days before I had visited the beaches of Tybee Island outside of Savannah, and I expected the same type of resort vibe here. However, I was pleasantly surprised that these beaches were much more low key. Parking was on the side streets in communities, there were no hotels or stores along the beach, and there were little to no facilities.  Overall, the place felt much more relaxed, which was exactly what I was looking for.  

After 90 minutes or so (my white skin can’t take too much sun exposure), I was refreshed and ready for some walking.  I started with a walk at the old Pitt Street Bridge.  Originally built during the Revolutionary War times, Pitt Street bridge used to be the only connection between Mount Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island. The bridge closed in the mid 1940s and was turned into a fishing pier and pedestrian walkway.  While it no longer spans the river, it does extend pretty far into the water, which allows for some nice views of the marshland and Charleston in the distance. 

Near the Pitt Street Bridge the sweet historic area of Old Village Mt. Pleasant. While there is only a cafe, restaurant, salon, and three stores, the area is quaint and serves the surrounding community well. I saw kids riding their bikes to grab a snack at the pharmacy and locals talking to shopkeepers about the newest fashion and home good additions. 

For the crowds and more lively atmosphere, the Shem Creek Waterfront is the place to be. This wasn’t originally on my list of places to stop, but when I realized I still had an hour to kill, I decided to give it a try. I wish I had more time to join in with the happy hour crowds at the surrounding bars because they all had great decks and outdoor patios to enjoy the views of the marsh and the sounds of the music.  Instead, I took a walk down the Shem Creek boardwalk.  This boardwalk is more immersed in the marshland than the Pitt Street Bridge, so it was easy to spot turtles and fish just below. The boardwalk also parallels the busy Shem Creek waterway, so it was cool to watch the boats come and go.

Some boats parked along aptly named Shrimp Boat Lane let off their load of freshly caught shrimp and fish. As the fishermen were cleaning their fish, they were talking to people about the process, offering small bits of fresh fish, and making the pelicans waiting below very happy.  I also found out that scenes from the TV show Outer Banks were filmed here – something that I made sure to tell my colleague who is a fan about.  

I ended up having a perfect day with a little history, a little exercise, and a little relaxing.