Visiting Beaufort County

 I am a fan of a trip within a trip.  If you are driving south why drive all the way without stopping to see some of the great things along the way?  To me it is a waste of time. 

Check out Beaufort County’s historic villages. South Carolina's first European settlement was in Beaufort. In French "beau" means beautiful and beautiful it is. It survived the civil war and so did

the beautiful southern homes. The main street is lined with trendy boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. First visited by the Spanish in 1520, Beaufort was the site of the first fort on the North American continent. A walking tour of Beaufort is a trip through history from St. Helena's Episcopal Church that traces its origin back to 1712 to the oldest house built in 1717 to antebellum mansions. There are other quaint villages waiting to be explored.

Bluffton sits on a bluff overlooking the beautiful May River.

Antebellum homes, historic churches, and unique shops line the tree-shaded streets of the historic district. Once it was the private summering place for plantation owners, today Bluffton attracts scholars, artists, musicians, writers, and tourists looking for a slow-paced ambiance. 

Don’t miss the Penn Center, one of the most significant African-American historical and cultural institutions. The Gullahs are the local African-Americans with their own distinctive culture. It is a place stalled in a quieter time.  Scattered under the massive live oaks dripping with Spanish moss is where the first black school in America was established in 1862. It is a National Historic Landmark that includes the York W. Bailey Museum founded in 1971 to interpret the history of Penn School and to share the cultural legacy of the Sea Islands. 

There is always time for Island Time and there are several islands

to choose from including the famed Hilton Head. The very words conjure up visions of luxury. Everything is built in harmony with nature. No buildings are higher than the trees and there are no billboards assault one’s view. Housing developments are referred to in genteel terms as “plantations.” Even the 12 miles of glistening sand beaches seem designed for those who want to be seen walking the beach but don’t want to get sandy. But there are other islands in the area. 

Fripp Island is no less exclusive but not as costly or busy as Hilton Head. Crossing the bridge to Fripp Island is to enter the sublime world of sun, sand, sea, and golf.  With miles of beaches, award-winning golf courses, plus tennis courts, fishing, and kayaking there is something to please even the most discriminating person.  

Just minutes from exclusive Fripp Island is Hunting Island State

Park, one of the most popular state parks and beach areas in South Carolina. The pristine sandy beach, natural setting, and warm Atlantic Ocean makes it perfect for camping or renting a cabin right on the beach.  With an historic 1859-lighthouse, lagoon, fishing pier, wide sweeping beach, and nature trails it is a “kick-back” place for the whole family.  

Next to Hilton Head the other famous island is Parris Island. Marines were first stationed on Parris Island in 1891 and by 1915 Parris Island was officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot and training center. It has continued and grown. Today about 18,000 recruits are trained at Parris Island each year including 1500 women. A museum and a guided bus tour explains the facility, operation, and the life of the marines stationed at Parris Island. 

Thinking about winter getaways

It is never too early to start planning your winter getaway especially if you plan travel during the holidays or school breaks. Travel gurus will say the best time to book air tickets is on Tuesday and the cheapest days to fly are mid-week, and for U.S. tickets they suggest start looking three months in advance and five months ahead of time for international tickets. I don’t think it is ever too soon to start looking. We already have our tickets for December. When I am booking air tickets I have a figure

in mind and when I find something reasonable I buy and never check again. I usually by our tickets to Asia in May, try to fly midweek, and avoid holidays if I can. If you are flying internationally check when the country you are visiting have holidays; for example, in Asia Chinese New Year is a very busy time. Sorry to say this but I have always found the best international air deals to be with foreign carriers and they offer better service. We have found it financially beneficial to take the train to NYC and a taxi to JFK because we often get great deals on ANA (All Nippon Airline) which is one of the top five best airlines. 

Often some of the least expensive flights are to Aruba, Bonaire, and

Santo Domingo.  The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) are out the hurricane belt and great destinations.  Think out of the box – try something different. I have seen great deals to places in Nicaragua and Columbia. 

If you are thinking of buying a time share, condo or even a house in some sunny location – do the math first.  Do you want to have to deal with two properties – taxes, utilities, maintenance and being locked into one destination? As strange as it sounds it does not cost us any more to winter in SE Asia than staying in snow country.  We often stay at the same place for a couple weeks – we love Ngapali Beach in Myanmar but we also like to try something new.  Last year we really enjoyed our stay at

the Holiday Inn Resort in Penang, Malaysia. We are planning to go there again this winter.  It always pays to join an airline’s or hotel’s customer loyalty program. We have an Intercontinental Hotels (think Holiday Inns) credit card where we can get and use points.  This coming winter we are considering the Holiday Inn Resort in Batam, Indonesia – room with breakfast is $79. The hotel has three outdoor pools and one indoor swimming pool, but alas it is not on the beach but with three pools we might not care.  There are always condos, apartments, and houses to rent but I don’t want to do the cooking and cleaning.  If I wanted to do that I could stay home.

If you are thinking of places in the U.S. check out St. George Beach south of Tallahassee – there are a lot of places to rent, golf courses and an amazing beach. Instead of pricey Hilton Head consider nearby Fripps Island which is lovely. If it is not a beach you are interested in there are great places in Arizona

like Tucson. Get a feeling for the Old West in Bisbee and we loved the woods around Prescott. Looking for something artsy? Check out unique Arcosanti. There is someplace for everyone this winter. 

Visit Charleston on the way south

Heading south?  Consider stopping in Charleston on the way. Charleston has survived wars, fires, earthquakes and hurricanes - and despite it all, retained both her beauty and dignity. With more than 130 churches Charleston has been dubbed “City of Spires.”

1. Forever Charleston: At the Visitor Center the staff will book tours and help find accommodations.  It is home to "Forever Charleston," a 36-minute multi-image presentation that offers insight into the city’s history. Charleston's citizens tell about the city in their own words.

2. Museums: The Charleston Museum founded in 1773 is America's first museum. It has a replica of the Hunley and exhibits featuring the cultural, historic and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

3. Touring: The Gray Line city tour is the best way to learn about Charleston. Several tour options are available including one that offers the city tour plus a stop at Charleston’s Battery and a choice of a cruise to Fort Sumter or one around Charleston Harbor.

4. Fort Sumter: Decades of growing strife between North and

South erupted in the Civil War on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on the Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. While waiting for the scenic boat ride to the island fort on-shore historical displays set the stage for a visit to the fort where the history is explained more completely.

5. Gullah: African American heritage, the Gullah culture, is an integral part of life in Charleston.  An estimated 40 to 60 percent of all enslaved Africans entered the United States through the Lowcountry. Gullah Tours offer an introduction to the African American culture with a stop at the workshop of Philip Simmons, Charleston’s most celebrated ironworker.

6. Churches: The Circular Church was organized in 1681. Fire and earthquakes caused it to be rebuilt many times until it reached its present configuration. Once a week, visitors are invited to “Yeddy dat music,” (Gullah for “hear the music”). During the free musical presentation visitors are encouraged to “clap yo’ hans’ an’ stump yo’ futs.”

7. Houses: The distinctive single-style houses with the long side porches called piazzas are found on homes of working-class families as well as the huge Grandes Dames of Charleston.  Rich or poor, most of the porch piazza ceilings are painted “haint” blue because it was thought to keep away the evil spirits. Many historic homes are open for tours includung the 1803 Joseph Manigualt House, which is a premier example of federal architecture.

8. The water: Besides visiting the fort and taking water tours, the

Hunley submarine and USS Yorktown are part of the history of Charleston and the United States.  The Hunley, a Civil War submarine, is housed in a specially designed tank of freshwater and tours of the USS Yorktown, a Ticonderoga-class ship operational from 1984 to 2004 are also available.

9. Plantations: The very words Charleston and Lowcountry evoke images of live oaks lining the way to columned plantation houses.  Explore the antebellum culture with a visit to one of the many plantations open for visitors, including Boone Hall and Magnolia Plantation.
 
10. Dining:  Seafood lovers will be spoiled for choices from white-tablecloth dining to the quirky Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, inspired by the film, “Forrest Gump.” The restaurant has a unique paging system consisting of two license plates on the tables marked "Run Forrest Run" and "Stop Forrest Stop," famous quotes from the film.

Places to celebrate Flag Day

Did you know that a vexillogist is a flag maker? Vexillogy is the scientific study of the history and usage of flags. We learn in school that Betsy Ross designed the American flag.  But did she really?  My husband and I have visited the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia several times.  Legend has it that she made the first flag but there is no documented evidence that says she did which is always dilemma for historians. However, there are several factors that made it likely that Betsy did indeed create the first American flag. She was in the right place at the right time and knew the right people. A relative of her late husband was on the flag committee and on May 29, 1777, Betsy Ross was paid a large sum of money from the Pennsylvania State Navy Board for making flags. On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as our official national flag. They do claim that Betsy Ross is the one who designed the five-pointed star that is on the flag basically because it was easier than making a six-pointed star. She could fold the cloth and cut it in one snip. Regardless, the Betsy Ross house is a fascinating place to visit if only to get a glimpse into life during Revolutionary times. Her house was built around 1740 and considered a variation of a "bandbox" style house, with one room on each floor and a winding staircase stretching from the cellar to the upper levels.

Another flag legend deals with Fort Stanwix where it is possible that it was the first place the "Stars and Stripes" flew in the face of the enemy, but several other sites claim the same thing.   The siege of Fort Stanwix began on August 2, 1777, and ended August 22 with colonist successfully holding off the British. Interestingly, the fort historians do not have a clear idea of the exact flag which flew over the fort during the British siege.  

Francis J. Bellamy, of Rome, NY, was an American socialist, minister, and author, best known for authoring the American Pledge of Allegiance. Bellamy worked at a magazine, “Youth’s Companion” and to solicit subscriptions flags were given as a bonus. They were supporters of the schoolhouse flag movement which was obviously successful because today every schoolroom has a flag. Then in 1892 as part of the 400^th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in America the magazine called for a national Columbian Public School Celebration to coincide with the World’s Columbian Exposition. A flag salute held in schools all over America was part of the official program. The Pledge was published in the September 8, 1892, issue of the magazine, and the rest is history as they say.

One of America’s most iconic flags is the Star Spangled Banner made famous in the poem written during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key and later set to music. The Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort Sumter is on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian in a new two-story display chamber that protects the flag while allowing an excellent view of the “broad stripes and bright stars.” The exhibition surrounding this chamber tells the dramatic story of the flag and traces its journey from the home of the maker of the flag, Mary Pickersgill, to the Smithsonian. 

Places to Visit on the Way to Florida

Slow down! There are so many wonderful places in the United States and, of course, the whole world to see. Often we move too fast without seeing what is on the way. Now that we have the time John and I try to travel slow and stay in one place longer than we use to. People travel between New York State and Florida with the aim of getting to their destination as quickly as possible. Other people try to impress by saying, “I drove non-stop to Florida” or “I made the trip in x-number of hours.” Actually it makes me feel sad about all the great things they missed along the way. There are so many great places to stop when traveling to and from Florida. Consider Baltimore, Fripps Island, and Savannah.

Baltimore is one of those wonderful locations that has reinvented its harbor area. What was once an eyesore is now a dynamic inner harbor with museums, hotels, and restaurants. It is the location of one of my all-time favorite museums, The American Visionary Art Museum where there are works of art not seen anywhere else. They are all original artworks created by intuitive, self-taught artists that provoke, amuse, intrigue, and appeal to everyone. They say, “In short, visionary art begins by listening to the inner voices of the soul, and often may not even be thought of as 'art' by its creator.” If art is not your thing, Baltimore is home to the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, Edgar Allan Poe’s grave, USS Constellation, a world-class aquarium, and Fort McHenry of “The Star Spangled Banner” fame.

No less exclusive but not as costly, Fripp Island is often overshadowed by nearby Hilton Head. We were on Fripp Island in October when we were the only people there and we loved it. The best pastime was doing nothing but walking along the beach, enjoying a good book, watching the ever-changing ocean, and spotting a Snowy White Egret catch his dinner. For campers the adjacent Hunting Island State Park is one of the most popular state parks and beach areas in South Carolina. Hunting Island is not just another beach it is a nature and wildlife paradise. The pristine sandy beach, natural setting, and warm Atlantic Ocean makes it perfect for camping or renting a cabin right on the beach. With an historic 1859-lighthouse, lagoon, fishing pier, wide sweeping beach, and nature trails it is a “kick-back” place for the whole family. Just a few miles away is the pretty, historic town of Beaufort.

There are many other places along the Atlantic Coast for an interesting stop when heading south. Savannah, Georgia is a place I would love to revisit. There is something about Savannah’s live oaks dripping with lacy Spanish Moss that makes it seem different from other US cities. I read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and watched “Forest Gump” which made visiting the city more interesting. Colonial Park Cemetery is the historic burial ground where, Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence is reposed. During the Civil War bored soldiers changed the dates on the stones so it appears that some people lived 100s of years and others died before they were born. Visitors can take a walking, carriage, trolley or river tour to learn about the city’s history. Slow down and enjoy the trip.