We decided to
visit Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on Ashley River (http://www.magnoliaplantation.com
) today for several reasons. Basically we wanted to see a plantation home and
gardens. The benefit at Magnolia was a tram tour of the grounds, including
gardens, the former rice cultivation area, and the swamp garden. On the tram we
saw daffodils and jasmine, as well as magnolias, camellias, azaleas, and more
in bloom, beautiful reds and whites throughout the grounds. It’s February!!!!!!!!!!!! Along the way we
also saw at least 12 alligators, the biggest was 8 ft. long. We saw turtles, a
snake, wood ducks, coots, blue heron, teal ducks, white ibis, yellow
butterflies, and guinea hens. Huge live
oaks lined the trail, Spanish moss blowing in the breeze.
The home itself
is the 3rd one on the grounds. The first one was destroyed by fire
and the 2nd was destroyed during the Civil War. The current home was
built in 1865. The property has been in the same family since 1679. I
especially liked the wraparound porch, the set of china dating from the early
1700s, the quilt with palmettos and 12 stitches per inch, the Audubon
paintings, the large windows with views of the gardens and Ashley River. We also visited the four slave dwellings
that date back to 1850, which were very interesting and important, too. There was a conservatory with many varieties
of orchids and lush tropical vegetation. Granddaughters B1 and B2 would love
this area because they love to play in the tropical gardens at the Erie Zoo.
On our next visit
to Charleston, we hope to visit more plantations and Charles Towne Landing, a
living history area depicting the first European settlement in the Carolina
province in 1670.
After Magnolia, we drove to the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center houses the antique collection of fire fighting vehicles belonging to American LaFrance, LLC. (http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/events_news/charleston-news/north_charleston_fire_museum_to_educate_locals_and_visitors-698) . This museum was amazing and any young person would love to visit, too. There were eighteen antique fire trucks, including a hand-operated fire pump and horse drawn steam engines. Tim recognized the 1969 pumper, the fire truck he started with on the Erie Fire Department. I loved the cinema/robotic representation of a firefighter explaining the history of different firefighting tools. There was also an interactive exhibit to explain fire hazards in the home and garage. I wish I dared try sliding down the fire pole, but there were too many children doing that. Finally, the museum had a fire engine where I could simulate driving a fire truck through city streets, pushing the pedals to turn on the lights and the siren. Tim got a kick out of my driving the fire truck—of course he did that for a living! The museum staff said that 3 and 4 year olds love “pretend” driving. Well, so did I!!
By this time it was 5 p.m. and we had not eaten since
8:30 a.m. That is something I should not do. Instead of enjoying the fine
cuisine of Charleston, we ate at Chili’s. Tim treated me to a stop at Chico’s at
the Tanger Mall near our hotel!! It was a great day—temperatures in the high
70s, sunny, and grand sight-seeing!
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