CLASSIC TRIP - East Cost Odyssey - Columbia and Charelston, South Carolina 2001

Stay with me, the good stuff starts below after we leave Columbia...

It took us two days to drive down here from Pittsburgh. Of course, we took the scenic route down the Ohio River during a driving rain storm, narrowly avoiding an ominous funnel cloud in Virginia before spending the night in Hickory, North Carolina (I highly recommend the Comfort Suites there, by the way). It was a much more pleasant drive the second day into Columbia.

First of all, I don't recommend taking your South Carolina vacation at the end of August. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice because this whole trip was predicated by the need to be in Columbia for the last week in August because of a conference I had to attend. It is very hot and humid, oppressively so, at this time of the year.

That's not to say that Columbia is a bad place to visit. It's a pretty town, very southern, situated on the lovely banks of the Congaree River. In any other season, it's a great place to be.

Our lodging would be at the Whitney Hotel, about one mile northeast of downtown. I wish more hotels could be like this one. Our suite had two bedrooms and two bathrooms separated by a large living room. There was a balcony, a dining area, a full-sized kitchen (with full-sized stove and refrigerator), and my favorite feature, a separate laundry room with washer and dryer in our suite. Plus pool, cable TV (two!), A/C, phone, and dataport. Our price? $79 per night...including a full, hot breakfast.

Although accessible rooms are available, we stayed in a regular room with no ill effects other than the narrow bathroom door. If you have a wide chair, make sure to get an accessible room.

Now comes another bad point about Columbia, especially if you can't drive, or have access to, a car. Public transportation here is atrocious. For some reason, the buses are run by the local gas and electric utility. They obviously don't take their mandate very seriously. Buses are frequently broken down, have no markings on them (to let you know who they are or where they are going), and getting information about routes and schedules is just about impossible.

There are two accessible trolley routes that connect the downtown area with the two most popular hang-out areas (the Vista and Five Points). They provide decent service at a good price (25-50cents) but only run a couple of hours in the afternoon and then again during the evening.

We had a rental car. My wife would drop me off at my conference in the morning and then play tourist with Tim during the day.

We arrived on a Sunday. I checked into my conference and then we checked into the hotel. After a drive around town to show my wife where everything was, we had dinner and then settled down for the night.

Monday morning. The bad thing is now I'm back at work and have to wake up early. My wife and Tim drop me off and head to the Riverbanks Zoo. They tell me it was a very nice zoo with lots of neat animals and good accessibility. A lot of it is under construction due to an expansion there. I should be top-notch in a year or so.

I spent my lunch break taking in the McKissick Museum of Art at the University of South Carolina (home of the Gamecocks...boy, does that make for some interesting school clothes. Think about it.). It's an interesting and free museum, if a bit small, located on the historic Horshoe of USC. This is the original part of the campus that dates back hundreds of years.

That evening we had dinner at the New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant. The view was spectacular and the food wasn't so bad, but we've had better New Orleans style food back home.

Tuesday, the wife and kid puttered around town looking for things to do and shops to visit. We met at lunch. We visited the Columbia Museum of Art and had sandwiches across the street at Rising High Bakery.

The museum has a pretty extraordinary collection of art and furniture dating back to the 1400's. The galleries are arranged around time periods including a great collection of original Tiffany glass, original Remington sculptures, and paintings from Dutch masters to contemporary Americans. I only had an hour and a half here. I wished I had much more time.

The Rising High Bakery had great sandwiches with some pretty poor service at the counter. Hmmm.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Akhenaton06 under CC-BY-SA license 

After lunch, the wife and kid returned to the museum and I drudged on with the conference. That evening we had a wonderful steak dinner at the Longhorn Restaurant in the Vista area. This area is full of restaurants, clubs, and shops. It feels much more lively than the actual downtown area where we were earlier. After dinner, we took in some live jazz at a small festival around the corner. This was a nice evening.

Thursday, the wife and kid said they'd seen and done everything they could think of in Columbia and said take the car to the conference, we'll just chill at the hotel. That evening, we took in some minor league baseball as the Capitol City Bombers took on the Columbus Red Sticks.

There was hardly any fans in attendance, maybe 100 people tops. As you can see, I was able to commandeer some really cool seats. It was a blast, but a bit buggy after dark. (The team has since moved away...I wonder why - Ed)

Thursday, wife and kid are pretty bored now. They tried to take a long walk during the day, but the August heat in Columbia just saps your energy. The air conditioner at the hotel was better. I'm pretty bored by the conference.

We walk over to the Five Points area (kind of a grungier Vista) a few blocks south of the hotel for pizza.

Friday. It's finally over. The conference ends at 11:30. While Columbia is pretty, it's also pretty sparse on things for visitors to do. Three days here would be great, five is stretching it a bit. Well, now it's on to our ultimate, and much more exciting, destination...Charleston.

Ah, the conference is over. Time to rejoin my family on our vacation.

While I spent the last three hours counting the minutes until the last speaker shut up, my wife and Tim were packing the bags at Columbia's Whitney Hotel.

You know...why do they even bother to have a speaker for the last morning of a conference? People are just attached to the cell phones...trying to bump up a flight...looking for an excuse to duck out early...arranging a ride to the airport...all we hear of the person up from is "blah, blah, blah." Wouldn't it be better just to end it the day before...the last full day?

Oh well, it's finally 11:30 and I'm zooming back to the Whitney. The family is already in the lobby with the bags. We toss 'em into the car and off we go.

It's a ninety minute drive over to Charleston and I'm in a different world. Columbia's a fine city but it can be a bit staid, the public transit is terrible, and there's just not a whole lot to do over a full week. Charleston has a fine transit system, hundreds of top-notch historical sites, great restaurants and bars, and a joyful, fun atmosphere.

See our first trip to Charleston here.

Again, as in our last trip here, we stay at the Quality Suites. Unfortunately, the quality of the hotel had gone down markedly from our last trip. To see what I mean, you can check out this review that I wrote for Epinions - http://www.epinions.com/content_41189346948 .

This evening we have another great dinner at the Southend Brewery and Smokehouse.

Afterward, we walked over to the office of the Original Charleston Walks and saw what kind of tour was being offered tonight (last time we really enjoyed the Ghost Walk). This time, our journey into Charleston's rich tapestry of history would be focusing on the pirates who had lived, plundered, and died here.

A Former Pirate Brothel, Now the Oldest Building in Charelston

As with all their tours, this group meets at the beautiful gas-lit park next to its office. Our guide takes us out the back entrance of the park as we quickly get to the first stop, an art gallery that is the oldest building in Charleston (circa 1695-?) where pirates drank and caroused in the brothel.

Also along the tour is the building (now a private residence) where pirates where tried and sentenced, the spot on the battery where their tarred corpses were hung as a warning to others, and spots around town where Edward Teach (Bluebeard) showed up from time to time.
All the walking tours are wheelchair accessible and I highly recommend them for an intimate look into this fascinating city.

Last time we were here, we visited Fort Sumter in the bay, the recipient of the first shot fired in the Civil War. This time we visited the other end of the trajectory, Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island.

It's much quieter here and you can take in many of the batteries that comprised the shoreline providing shore-based defenses for over a hundred years. There are spots where a wheelchair could get to the upper level but the thick ramparts will block all but the very hardy from getting a view across to Fort Sumter. There is a very interesting template in the visitor's center showing just how cramped it was in the Confederate submarine Hunley. The submarine itself has been found and recovered since our last trip and now has its own museum.

Patio Dining at Slightly Up The Creek

Our last evening here and we have a superb dinner with shrimp-boat views straight out of Forrest Gump as we dined at Slightly Up The Creek, situated along the banks of Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. As these pictures show, we had one last sunset break on us for our odyssey.

Then is was over.  The next morning, after 17 days on the road...two countries, 8 states, and too many miles to count... we turned in our trusty rental car at the Charleston airport and flew home.

-Darryl
Copyright 2001 - Darryl Musick

CLASSIC TRIP - Charelston, South Carolina 2001

The first impression that hit me when I got to Charleston was how much this city looked like New Orleans.

Charleston and New Orleans could be twins separated at birth

The big difference is that Charleston is a little more reserved in manors and not as exuberant as the home of Mardi Gras is. Other than that, Charleston is still filled with delectable restaurants, interesting old homes, cobblestone streets, southern hospitality, and an almost overpowering sense of history. It's the historical angle that's the biggest hook for me...of course hundreds of world class restaurants don't hurt either.

History abounds in Charleston and its citizens are justifiably proud of it...at least most of it. Most of the city still looks exactly like it did that night almost 140 years ago when the residents of the Battery looked out their front doors to see the first shots of the Civil War being fired in the bay. A dungeon sits just blocks away from where slave traders set up shop. Workers digging in a parking lot uncover the old moat where dozens of pirates were left to rot after they were hung.

It's also this history that makes Charleston a challenge for those who use wheels instead of feet to get around. Since it is a very old city...many houses are two to three hundred years old...historical accuracy rules over disabled access. Don't despair, though, Charleston is still a very worthwhile city to visit.

First the bad news. The old sidewalks here are made of great slabs of slate making for a very bumpy ride on many of them. Not impossible, but just bumpy. No historical bed and breakfast I contacted in the city had an accessible accommodation. They may be there...I hope they are...but none that I personally found. Some restaurants are upstairs, notably the famous..and haunted...Poogan's Porch.

Many fine antebellum plantations are open to the public in the surrounding countryside. These are inaccessible. Magnolia Plantation does have extensive gardens and hiking trails that are wheelchair friendly. We shanghaied some kind strangers to help carry our chair up the steps, but keep in mind there is no other way into the house.

Now the good news. Many quality hotel chains have set up shop here bringing accessibility with them. Among them, Quality Suites, Embassy Suites, and Holiday Inn. We stayed at Quality Suites in North Charleston for $89 which included full breakfast, complementary cocktails, and a 2-room accessible suite. I also recommend the brand new Quality Suites at the other end of the bay bridge in Mount Pleasant...a quick bus or taxi ride over the bridge into Charleston.

Some truly superb restaurants are completely accessible. Listen to live entertainment while sipping freshly brewed beer and eating smothered pork chops or barbecue at the marvelous Southend Brewery and Smokehouse which has three stories...all connected via elevator. Try the local specialty...she-crab soup...at A.W. Shuck's which is ramped up to its perch above the old market (she-crab soup is a chowder made with local female crabs and roe). And the seafood boil at Captain Stack's is a delicious way to people-watch in one of their big accessible front window tables.

Many of the streets in Charleston are still paved with cobblestones

To get a sense of history, just start walking around. The mansions on the Battery date back to the 18th century. Signers of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence lie in the many historic cemeteries here. Off shore, the first shots of both the Civil ans Revolutionary wars were fired near and at Fort Sumter.  Signers of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence lie underneath the city.

Townhouses share close quarters with cemeteries

To delve in deeper, take one of the many accessible walking tours of the city. Tour companies specialize in African-American history, Civil War History, Murder Mysteries, and more. We chose a nighttime walk concerned with Charleston's darker side entitled the "Ghost Walk" that takes you to just some of Charleston's most famous haunts.

This tour starts in a gas-lighted Civil War era square (day time Ghost Walks are also available) and takes you to such sights as an alley where duelers would settle their differences; the courthouse where 19th century mass murderers were tried after killing more than 50 guests of their inn; the house of the "doctor to the dead"; and the highlight, a dark and spooky walk through the three century old Unitarian cemetery. Spooky, yes. Educational, very. Fun, definitely.

The Unitarian Cemetery in daylight. It's spookier in the dark

Of course, the biggest event in the rich tapestry that is Charleston's history is the night when Confederate troops at Forts Johnson and Moultry fired on Union Troops stationed at Fort Sumter starting the Civil War. Like visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you cannot visit Charleston without seeing Fort Sumter.

Fort Sumter, now a national monument, is completely accessible with lifts taking you to its several levels. Unfortunately, the ferry that takes you there is not. A stairway must be negotiated to get onto the boat. Because they are a park service concessionaire, the crew are obligated to get you on nonetheless and they will cheerfully do so.

The fort is on a small island in the bay and can easily be seen in the 90 minutes the ferry company allows you to explore. Rangers are on hand to point out and interpret the various features and lore. One bit of information was that the world's first submarine, used to sink a Union ship during the war, sits on the bottom of the bay not far from Fort Sumter (It's the Hunley.  It has been recovered since our trip and now has its own museum - Ed).

Charleston is served by major airlines such as US Air, Amtrak, and Greyhound. We flew into Charlotte, North Carolina, rented a van, and drove in. Accessible public transportation is very good here. The DASH shuttle bus system serves the historic core with fares ranging from free to 75 cents.

Curb cuts abound and some access is peculiar, such as the Battery sea wall has a ramp on one end only, necessitating a return trip to your starting point. The U.S. District Courthouse provides superb centrally located accessible restrooms for tourists (most businesses only serve paying customers) letting you avoid the much less desirable facilities in the parks.

Charleston is a great destination and, with just a little patience, can reward the disabled tourist with its rich history and southern charm.

-Darryl
Copyright 2001 - Darryl Musick

ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: Charleston, South Carolina

Our ratings are...

Fully Accessible - You can access all of the attraction, with no problem, in any type of wheelchair.

Mostly Accessible - You can access most of the attraction, and all of the important parts of it, with your wheelchair.

Partially Accessible - You can access a good deal of the attraction but some parts are inaccessible and some important parts you'll miss.

Inaccessible - Kind of speaks for itself, avoid if you're in a wheelchair.

Here's Charleston, South Carolina...

Fort Sumter - Partially Accessible. The Civil War was sparked here. Call boat concessionaires ahead of time to be sure boarding ramps are in place. The top of the walls of the fort are inaccessible (elevators used to be here but, apparently, have been removed). Boats stay docked, giving visitors access to handicapped restrooms on board during visit. Visitors are given 90 minutes on the fort before having to leave on the same boat you came in on.  Fort Sumter Accessibility

Fort Moultrie - Mostly Accessible. On the other end of the battle was this fort on Sullivan's Island. It's a lot easier to visit in a wheelchair than Fort Sumter.

Original Charleston Walks - Mostly Accessible. Fascinating walking tours with guides who are sensitive to wheelchair users' needs. We took the Ghost Walk and Pirate Walk with them.

The Battery - Mostly Accessible. A ramp on one end allows wheelchair access to the battery and the park within.

Waterfront Park - Mostly Accessible.

Magnolia Plantation - Partially Accessible. Main house is upstairs with no access but grounds, slave quarters, and some of the swamp and gardens are accessible.

Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved