A local's eye view
The great swings on the pier at Joseph Riley Waterfront Park are some of the most popular things in Charleston. They almost didn’t become reality after Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston in 1989 and tried to derail the creation of the park — which after a lot of work opened in 1990.
The beautiful Cooper River Bridge opened to traffic in 2005 at a cost of $632 million. It’s worth every penny!
This stretch of Queen Street dates back to 1802 and is/was known as Johnson’s Row, after the father/son team who created it. The Johnsons were pretty impressive people. The elder was a successful in business and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Junior went to Princeton, became a judge and became the Speaker of the SC House. He was later appointed to the US Supreme Court by Thomas Jefferson.
Charleston City Hall is a beautiful building that was originally built around 1800 as one of the first 8 branches of the First Bank of the United States.
Charleston is always full of wonderful window boxes, and they really shine in the spring. You can find this one on Elliott Street, just down the block from Poinsett Tavern. The tavern owner’s descendent brought the poinsettia from Mexico to the United States, thereby kicking off an annual Christmas tradition.
This beautiful scene is on Queen Street in the front of the restaurant, Husk — well known for their use of bacon in so many dishes!
You can find this house tucked behind the foliage and protected by its gate and fence on Limehouse Street. The gate is made from cast iron, as opposed to the famous Charleston wrought iron. The difference is that with wrought iron each piece is individually heated and then bent by hand (most often hammered over an anvil), as opposed to cast iron where molten metal is poured into a mold and each piece created is identical.
Tradd Street is full of beautiful houses, including this pink one which was built c. 1730. It was originally owned by a merchant who apparently also served as one of Charleston’s earliest executioners.
What a great spot to sit and enjoy the sunset… on the newly renovated section of the Low Battery, just along Murray Boulevard from the Coast Guard Station.
It’s always great to peek through the gate of the Parker-Drayton House on Gibbes Street. The house was originally built c. 1800 and when Col. Willam Drayton bought it in 1820 he greatly expanded it — allegedly with money he won in the lottery!