A local's eye view
In a relatively small space, Waterfront Park provides many experiences — from fountains to play in, piers to stroll and fish off, grass to picnic on, bench to rest on and paths to stroll. Wonderful views too… including the Ravenel (Cooper River) Bridge and all of Charleston Harbor.
If you look straight past the very cold looking flowers at Waterfront Park, you can see Shute’s Folly — a small, low lying island in the middle of Charleston Harbor. Originally used to house defensive fortifications for Charleston, the property was bought by Charlestonian Joseph Shute in 1746 — for which he seems to have been ridiculed.
Over time the island passed through a number of ownership hands, but retained the Folly name. It eventually became home to Castle Pinckney, which was originally built in 1797 and then demolished in 1804 by a hurricane. The masonry Castle Pinckney, whose remains can still be seen, was completed in 1808.
Unlike Seward’s Folly, which picked up the snappy new name of Alaska, this folly remains credited to poor Mr. Shute.
Randolph Hall built in 1828-1829, the main administrative building at the College of Charleston, is one of the oldest college buildings still in use in the US. The Porter’s Lodge, built in 1850, provides a neat frame for it.
Azaleas in bloom and ironwork = spring in Charleston.
When the trees starting sending out their blossoms in Charleston, even if the groundhog has seen its shadow, you know spring is right around the corner.
The cannons and mortars at White Point Garden are always prepared to defend Charleston against a coming severe storm.
St. Michael’s Church steeple is one of the most recognizable in Charleston. At night, it glows… and is easy to spot from miles around.
This is all that’s left of the old Charleston Museum. You can find these beautiful columns in Cannon Park.
The checkerboard barracks at the Citadel were made famous in Pat Conroy’s book, The Lords of Discipline. While I wouldn’t want to be marching for punishment, they are pretty cool to look at.
The Charleston Sweetgrass baskets are world famous. Ever wonder what Sweetgrass looks like when it is growing? The City of Charleston had the wonderful idea of planting it along Lockwood Boulevard.