Charleston Area: Ropemakers Lane

We’re continuing our Charleston photographic tour with a vignette of Ropemakers Lane, for those of you who’ve read Pat Conroy’s  South of Broad you will recognize “Meeting Street” in one of the picture with the Ropemakers Ln sign. The B&B we stayed at while in Charleston, the Battery House Carriage Inn, (check out the photo gallery on their website) was situated on South Battery between Meeting & King.  Most of our Charleston pictures are of this area and all within a 15 minute walk.

Ropemakers Lane is “typical” if anything in Charleston can be described as typical. There are many small side streets and alleys that wind there way between streets or dead end – for the most part, each of them articulate the lush gardens and intricately designed ironwork, masonry and stone work that abound throughout the city and which are especially prevalent – South of Broad.

Walking down the lane...

This is the BACK of a home, believe it is actually a law office

A little further down the lane is this very interesting building, the original purpose of which, I'm not sure, but it appears to be in use as a residence.  Some of the details are shown below.

Details...

Beyond this point the lane opens up into a car park, surrounded by high, intricate brick walls with pass throughs to more houses that also appear to be attorneys' offices. At the very end of the lane several alley's go between buildings out to another street.

Shown below is the view from the car park looking over the brick wall,

and the two alleys that go out the back...

Charleston Area: Isle of Palms

Hucks Low Country Table is upstairs, and Banana Cabana is on the ground floor, numerous other restaurants, bars and coffee shops are also nearby in the center of the town

Because Charleston so heavily influences the area around the city we’re going to group the next few posts under Charleston’s banner.  In doing so we’ll be posting a few Charleston photos with each post, mostly because there are so many.  We visited Charleston while staying in Isle of Palms, went on to spend several days in Charleston and stopped again on the way back.  Did I mention we think Charleston is in our humble opinion  - probably one of the best cities in the world?  If you’ve never been – go, if you’ve been – go back.

IOP’s dining venues were interesting ranging from the upscale and very good Hucks Low Country Table to the horrendous Banana Cabana (breakfast) where the food and the service competed for worst.  Coconut Joes was not particularly good but at least can’t compete with Banana Cabana for worst of the worst.  The slow moving apparently deaf servers and mindless hostess at Coconut Joes had passable pub grub – I suppose if they ever get the order right, but does look like a good beach place to have a drink. I mean, how hard could it be to pull a draft – and the barmaid was by far the most talented and aware employee in the place.  She observed and picked up the slack of the server and the dense hostess. Another indication of skilled restaurant management is the fact that Google has the wrong URL for Coconut Joes (it's biz not com) and apparently nobody has thought to correct that, incredible really.  I had a drink at the Acme Cantina which was right across the street from the Ocean Inn,  it was crowded and all seemed to be enjoying the food and conversations with bar patrons indicated so. Acme Cantina has an under construction website but they do provide a link to their Facebook fan site. These restaurant/bars  and Sea Biscuit, known for its southern breakfasts (where long lines indicated we should have gone for breakfast) were all within a couple of blocks from the Ocean Inn.  The best we personally experienced was Hucks Low Country Table, very good, albeit a little expensive – but given the real estate and the well prepared dishes I guess that is to be expected.  On a Saturday it was quite crowded but we were there early enough to get seats at the bar, the area of which became sort of a drinking & holding area for those waiting for tables and creating almost a party atmosphere. Our general impression was that it was the place to see and be seen in IOP; more than a few “Masters of the Universe”. The food was good and creative but possibly they try a little too hard to make it special and cover up some of the flavors rather than compliment and meld them. Good but a smidgen off.

There are other options on the island we didn’t try but heard good things about them.  In a retrospective skimming of IOP restaurant reviews our two biggest regrets are that we did not check  reviews  beforehand.  Several, such as the Morgan Creek Grill  which is situated on the intracoastal side of the island a little north of the downtown area; and the Boathouse at Breach Inlet which overlooks the inlet between IOP and Sullivans Island look perfect with water views and a great dock type atmosphere. The Morgan Creek Grill had some spotty reviews but most were good.  The Boathouse at Breach Inlet – also a dock type atmosphere, with generally good reviews – especially from Open Table a review we trust over others (boathouserestaurants.com).

Another very interesting place (not a restaurant) was Island Time Beach Shop, where local art, bike rentals and other at the beach essentials can be found along with good advice on where and what to do.  Located across from Sea Biscuit in the center of town.

Isle of Palms is a great place to be, we’re guessing that it’s packed during high season but it was very easy to get around in fall (but note you still need to make some reservations unless you are like us – we always figure out something).

Some of the promised Charleston photos, and yes - I took way too many - but it's just a stunning city with a surprise behind every door and gate. Click on photos to expand.

Of course Charleston has the obligatory horse or mule driven trolley tours.... but if you can walk, by all means do so - it's the only way to catch all the details and hidden treasures.

The gardens are just magnificent, resplendent with native plants and flowers, mature trees, brick walks, iron work, masonry and stone walls - all just so perfect.

We called it the "skinny house" and imagined all the strange things that could go on along with the strange people... 

Typical intersection and street view, and we mean typical, this place is so charming it hurts                                                        

The new and exclusive meets the old and exclusive

There are no "bad alleys" in Charleston, every opening, every brick is a place for design, garden, aesthetics - there really is no other place like it.

Many of the homes face the gardens on what would normally be the side of the house, the front "street" doors uniquely open to the porch "as a presentation entrance", this is relatively common, especially south of Broad.

Isle of Palms – Ocean Inn

This was a great place to stay, laundry room, efficiency kitchen, good Wi-Fi and very reasonable rates, check out in particular the weekly and monthly rates.  Stay on the beach and be minutes from Charleston, it really is the best of both worlds!

The outlying suburbs of Charleston burst upon you once you’ve left the primeval Francis Marion Forest. You’ll also begin to see sweetgrass weavers and their roadside basket displays as Highway 17 officially becomes the Sweetgrass Highway. The works of these Gullah descendants of West Africa are well worth a stop to watch the skillful weaving and pick up a few of these unique woven art objects. You won’t be sorry and you’ll be helping to maintain a traditional skill.

In our early planning (what, you laugh when we mention planning?) we figured we would stay at a KOA due west of the Isle of Palms, and either stay a night and then move on to Charleston or stay a few nights and use it as a base to explore Charleston. Given our “mosquito coast” experience (see the last post) – we decided we would first check and see if anything was available on (in?) the Isle of Palms, and we were successful in finding something out at the beach. Although we did not stop to see the highly recommended KOA, we offer the following travelers tip: what some don’t know is that most KOA’s also have cabins, which are great places to stay, clean, inexpensive and usually very close to a lot of places you might want to visit – and of course, you don’t need a tent or an RV if you stay in a cabin.

When we entered South Carolina we stopped at the Little River Welcome Center (welcome centers for most states are great sources of information on hotels, maps, natural features, etc.). We’d picked up a info on Isle of Palms and as a result picked out a hotel on the beach, the Seaside Inn which we found to be completely occupied for the next several days and they also informed us that all other accommodations on the island were full. So we reluctantly headed off to the mainland, but at the last moment decided to drive up and down along the beach to find somewhere for lunch, and took a quick turn.        

Our travelers luck held out and there was a sign; Ocean Inn  and it said VACANCY! We figured they just forgot to put the NO out, but thought we’d try anyway. Well they had a cancellation – and had quite a bargain on a studio apartment in this very nice and very well managed (especially Thelma!) 19 unit condominium with pool. We signed up for 2 days, and by the end of the first day, signed on for another day and ended up staying 4 days. We had a , nice studio apartment, no view to speak of, a block from the beach and right next to most of the town’s restaurants, shops and bars with a nearby convenience store. It was quite the fortuitous find, but then that’s was this whole trip has been!

That's our efficiency, first floor in the corner, nice porch/deck, table, one chair, parking outside the door and everything else just steps away.  Larger accomodations with multiple bedrooms are available.

More on IoP's restaraunts, bars and marvelous beach, in our next post.

The Mosquito Coast (with apologies to Paul Theroux)

The Hampton Plantation - (no relation, Hampton Inn)

Shortly after leaving Georgetown south on 17 you enter long stretches of marsh and forest around the North and South Santee Rivers.   On the way down south we decided, as usual on impulse - to follow a sign that interested us and ventured off 17 to visit the Hampton Plantation.  It was quite a ride into the deep pine woods of the Francis Marion National Forest, eventually coming to a narrow track into this state historic site and then heading back north toward the South Santee River.  There were only a few cars in the lot but from what we could see the restored Georgian mansion looked interesting and we were enthused to have found it by following our impulse.  There were numerous other buildings and the grounds were startling with massive grand oaks, hanging moss and acres of lawn, along with an obvious slope toward the marsh and river.  Upon leaving the vehicle we notice a few mosquitoes and broke out the repellent.  After about 25 yards and waiting in vain for some folks to move so we could get a good picture of an appealing view, we headed off to the Plantation House.  We got about another 25 yards and were completely enveloped in a storm of mosquitoes.  We high-tailed it out of there slapping ourselves like a couple of cartoon characters - so let that be a lesson to our fellow travelers. After a rain, or other conditions that amp up the mosquitoes – when you are near a river and adjacent to massive marshes, it’s not just the gators you have to watch out for! Plan accordingly.

The GIG

View from the back deck of the Goat Island Grill

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Georgetown, so much so that we stopped on the way down south and on the way back north.  Of particular note was the Goat Island Grill which we somehow managed to eat in twice, with so many good options in Georgetown – that was somewhat uncharacteristic for us on this trip.  We felt the Goat Island Grill or GIG would rank among the best restaurants we’ve sampled – having lived in Manhattan, this is a pretty extreme statement.  The dining room is very nice, but on both visits we chose to partake on the deck which overlooks the harbor walk with many occupied boats (party time!).  We’ve included a link to the GIG here and highly recommend you not only visit Georgetown but try this wonderful restaurant with its low country cuisine with a bit of a twist.   Review the menu on the website but please try the Myriad of Fried Tomatoes and Oysters served with a blue cheese and bacon sauce – unbelievable!  Just as scrumptious was the Grouper Gumbolaya (kind of a combo gumbo & jambalaya), ,the Sesame Seared Yellowfin and the Shrimp & Grits.  The service was great (at least on the first trip, not so much on the return trip), the wine list is more than complete and a reserve list is also available.  Prices were very reasonable.  An added attraction on the back deck is a pleasant polite cat, which enjoys a little slip of seafood – but does not beg, seems quite refined actually.  If you happen to be driving on 17 between Charleston and Myrtle Beach you owe it to yourself to make the slight detour into downtown Georgetown and stop at the GIG.

Georgetown, South Carolina – a very special place

Halfway between Charleston and Myrtle Beach is Georgetown, a unique and delightful community located on the Sampit River Harbor which opens up to the Winyah Bay.   Georgetown has the historic riverfront downtown that many communities strive for but never quite get.  The Harbor Walk provides great scenery and has numerous drink and restaurant opportunities from the many Front Street establishments that back onto the harbor.  Interesting enough, although you wouldn’t think it – the the steel plant and other heavy industry across the harbor add to the view rather than detract from it.  Great restaurants and bars abound as do, museums, and unique shops that include: antiques, art galleries, boutiques, a department store, books, and more.  Most of the activities and retail locations are right on Front Street, the town’s main drag and drift off on side streets with elegant historic homes and cottages framed by moss draped oaks.  It’s all a manageable size and you can cover most of the town in a day or two – allowing plenty of time to visit the many bars and restaurants on the Harbor Walk.

If the town lacks anything, it’s downtown lodging, with the only downtown option being the Harbor House, a very attractive and fairly expensive waterfront B&B which has just 4 guest rooms.  There are inexpensive and nice chain hotels including a Hampton Inn, Jameson Inn and Quality Inn all of which are out at the marina, just off the bridge into town on southbound 17 and only a few minutes drive to downtown, in this instance we recommend the Hampton – but as always we prefer our lodging to be within walking distance of most destinations.  Several B&B’s were listed in older guidebooks but apparently have not been able to stay in business.  There are also a few “motels” but upon inspection we found these to be unacceptable for a number of reasons, stick to the chains in this town if you can’t get in the Harbor House.  In our next post we will describe what we feel is a particularly outstanding Front Street restaurant – the Goat Island Grill.

Firefly Pilgrimage?

The Charleston Tea Plantation - where Firefly gets its tea

Our favorite national but Cape Fear based columnist is Celia Rivenbark. Celia’s newest book title elucidates, “You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Mornin’”.  We’re pretty sure that it was one of Celia’s columns that set us off on a quest to find and try Firefly, a sweet tea infused vodka distilled from Muscadine Grapes.  Although we don’t consider ourselves to be Firefly connoisseurs, we, like most everyone else who tries it, have numerous recipes – combining it with: more sweet tea (must be brewed), various flavored sparkling waters and juices, straight up with mango, lemon, strawberries, etc.  Although Firefly is distributed nationally, it has quickly become one of the South’s favorite beverages.

So… getting to the point, whilst on our journey we were outside of ChuckTown Coffee (very good place by the way) in Mt. Pleasant SC a guy waltzed out of the coffee joint carrying a tray of coffee & drinks.  HE WAS WEARING A FIREFLY Tee (maybe it should be tea?)! Well of course I stumbled after him, most likely looking like an out of control mugger, yelling Firefly, shirt, where get, how and other articulate statements.  He however, possibly because he is used to such approaches, turned and in a gentlemanly southern manner explained he made them – me thinking, he’s a tee shirt maker? Anyway, he asked if we knew the area, and we said a bit, having spent some time in Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, James Island and Charleston (2 visits in 2 weeks).  He asked if we knew where Wadmalaw Island was, to which my response was a blank stare.  He went on to explain it was an island just south of Charleston, and that’s where Firefly was made and we could visit, taste, and tour.  We could also find various clothing articles on their website.  We, still being stunned and thinking about an immediate trip back to the southern side of Charleston to find Wadmalaw Island, mumbled a thank you.  Later, after visiting the website, we realized that he wasn’t a tee shirt maker.  He was Scott “the Firefly Guy” Newitt, a native of Honey Swamp Island, LA and one of the two founders of Firefly, the other being Jim Irvin the guy with the Muscadine grapes and winery.  We were, so to speak, touched by greatness.  We immediately started planning a pilgrimage to Wadmalaw Island.  Spring would be nice especially if we want to take in the Charleston Tea Plantation (Bigelow Tea) – the provider of teas to Firefly and the only tea plantation left in the United States, but we might just not be able to wait, we’ll see.