Charleston, SC. Aug 24th - Sept 1

Let's start with a quick update on Betty (that's our motorhome in case you recently started following and haven't read the "About" section of this website). As you all know, we've had plenty of rain since we left California. Charleston was no different. We had PERFECT weather most days BUT we also got rain. And when it rained, as usual, it POURED! Well...Betty has had enough rain and she finally let us know. She actually started telling us a few weeks ago when we noticed some wallpaper bubbling near the passenger side window. In Charleston, we also noticed some bubbling by the driver's side window. Obviously, we had water leaking from somewhere. Fortunately, we already had Betty scheduled for routine maintenance while in Charleston so they also checked for the leak issues. They THINK they found the issues and they added sealant to a few different places on the roof and windows. Stay tuned, but we left Charleston with Betty all serviced.

Now, let's talk about Charleston. I definitely recommend the KOA Mt. Pleasant. Fantastic resort. Very clean and well maintained. Large, level sites. Super friendly staff. Nice pool. Frisbee golf. Nature trails, etc. We chose a lakefront, pull-thru site with a patio that included a table and chairs, Weber BBQ, Adirondack chairs, a firepit, and our own bench-swing overlooking the 30 acre lake. We had colorful skies and spectacular sunsets over the lake. The lake and surrounding vegetation was full of wildlife including fish, alligators, otters, turtles, snakes, and many species of birds. You can see a video of a smaller alligator in the "Pictures" section. Lots of room for the dogs with a dog park that included a fenced portion in the water. The resort had more activities than any other place we've been, including a legit fireworks show over the lake on Saturday night. The resort is in a nice area about 15 minutes from downtown Charleston with plenty of shopping options near the resort as well. Melissa even made a Costco run.

We found Charleston to be a very walkable city with lots of history. The city has done a nice job of maintaining the southern charm so the houses are beautiful and come with prices that will rival Southern California. College of Charleston is located in the heart of the city so it adds a college town flare to it as well. You can find high-end shopping, theater, eateries and college bars all within a short walk. I'll hit the highlights and try to cram seven days of sightseeing into a few bullet points.

The Arthur Ravenel, Jr Bridge - This bridge crosses the Cooper River and connects Mt Pleasant to Charleston. We crossed this bridge multiple times and marveled at it's beauty. Check out the freight ship going underneath it in the "Pictures" section.

Magnolia Plantation - pictures will do most of the talking.

Oakland Plantation - we thought this plantation was connected to the KOA resort but we found out differently when we took the tour that was included in our stay. The plantation is over 15,000 acres so the KOA resort is actually ON the plantation grounds. The Lowes hardware store and several other businesses also pay leases to the plantation. It was nice to hear some of the positive history that took place on the plantation since so much of the history of plantations is nothing to be proud of.

Charleston Secret Food Tour (www.secretfoodtours.com/charleston) Crystin and Robin were our guides and they were awesome. Local stops for local food (like biscuits!) with cool facts and fun times! One of our stops was at Well Hung Vineyard which is actually owned by three women. 😛 Side note: In Charleston, you can take a cocktail to go as long as it's frozen (i.e. slushee) so Melissa got one to take on our carriage ride.

Carriage Tour - We did this after the food tour. Nice ride on a horse-drawn carriage through the city with historical background. Side note # 2: There are over 400 churches in Charleston so it's not a matter of "do you attend church?", it's "which church do you attend?"

Adult day with no dogs - This was a fun day! We dropped the girls at day care and headed for a day in the city. First stop was for Melissa to get her hair done so I strolled the streets for a bit. Then we hit a roof top bar for cocktails. A little shopping before we visited the roof top bar at Hotel Bennett for drinks and appetizers. We strolled some upscale neighborhoods before stumbling across Tavern Wine and Spirits. It was established in 1686 making it the oldest liquor store in America. I had made dinner reservations so we were headed towards dinner when we found Zachary's Daquiris. Had to make a quick stop for one. 😎 We finished off the day with dinner at Halls Chophouse. The restaurant is ranked as the # 2 best steakhouse in America by Yelp so my expectations were pretty high. Service was impeccable and food was delicious. Definitely met expectations!

Some other day trips included Sullivan Beach (beautiful beach with a locals vibe), Folly Beach (great beach with a tourist vibe), and we had breakfast on the Shem Creek Boardwalk where we strolled with the dogs. Cool restaurants on the water and would probably be really fun in the evening.

Charleston was one of our stops that Melissa was most excited about and she loved it! Sorry for the long post but it's been awhile so lots to catch up on.

We've moved on to Savannah, arriving here a few days ago. Check out Creekfire RV Resort (https://covecommunities.com/rv-resorts/georgia/creekfire-rv) and you'll see why I'll probably be posting something positive about Savannah next week.