I went on a great girls trip to South Carolina this month. It was my first time going to South Carolina!
There were 10 of us on the girls trip and 5 went early and spent a day in Charleston before heading to Myrtle Beach to celebrate a dear friend, Sara's, 50th birthday.
This was my first time in South Carolina and the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees is stunning!
When we arrived we rented a van and went to our cute Airbnb in Charleston.
The next day we went on a horse drawn carriage ride through the city. It was a bit expensive at $52.50 and a fun way to see the city and learn the history.
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The architecture throughout the city was wonderful!
It was a rainy day so the streets were wet and some flooded. We still had a great time.
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I wanted to pet the draft horse. The tour guide told us a little about the horse including that it weighs 1000 pounds. Wow! Here is a picture. Look that boy could easily walk under it's belly. It is sooo big!
After the carriage ride we went to Magnolia Plantation. Here are a few pictures on the drive to the plantation.
It was so pretty that I kept stopping the car to take pictures.
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I was especially enthralled by the Spanish Moss. I did learn that it is pretty bad up close. On the tour of the house we learned that for about a 10 year period the people living in the house, stuffed their beds with Spanish Moss. Not a good idea, it has all sorts of insects, like chiggers and spiders.
We had lunch, walked around the garden and did a house tour. General admission is $32 for adults and $10 for the guided house tour. It was worth it.
Sadly, they would not let us take pictures inside the house.
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Here is a picture of the group, my dear friends! Behind the board wall is the donkey with rain boots on. There was also beautiful seating under the tree.
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This is the house. It is called Magnolia Plantation. The first house and a small formal garden were built in 1679. There were a couple of fires, including one during the Civil War. The house was rebuilt in the 1840s and and the Romantic Gardens were created and became a popular tourist attraction. People would sail up the Ashley River from Charleston to see the gardens.
After lunch we walked around the gardens and found some great bridges.
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Look at this tree. Toby is so small standing next to it.
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The house is close to the Ashley River.
My favorite part of the visit was when Sariah and I were on the white bridge and the sun was shining and it was raining. Spanish Moss is hanging from the trees, we saw a beautiful blue heron. It was magical!
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What a wonderful day in Charleston. I want to go back!
Sources:
Magnolia Plantation: Cost
Magnolia Plantation: History
Wikipedia: Magnolia Plantation