Local Activities
Charleston: The Charleston Museum
Standing beside the replica of the H. L. Hunley outside of the Charleston Museum!
The girls have been wanting to go to the Charleston Museum ever since they saw the replica of the Hunley sitting outside in front of it. On one of our recent trips we got a chance to explore the Charleston Museum. The girls were very excited to check out the museum. The Charleston Museum was America’s First Museum founded in 1773 with the purpose of preserve the culture and history of Charleston and the Lowcountry.
Checking out the Hunley replica before heading into the Charleston Museum.
Oh yes, they found a cannon!
Look above the girls! That’s a huge whale skeleton hanging from the foyer of the Charleston Museum. That whale was one that came into the Charleston Harbor many years ago.
Checking out the display!
Soaking in all the history!
Brina enjoyed going through the animal displays.
Goofy Karlie….
Hanging out with two Southern Belle’s!
Dressing up in some fun clothes!
The dresses are not the most perfect fit, but we had fun!
Brina having a grand time!
Charleston: Historic Edmonston-Alston House
Ready to tour the Historic Edmonston-Alston House in Charleston!
The next historic house we toured in Charleston was the Edmonston-Alston House. We arrived a few minutes before the house opened so we were able to grab a picture and relax a few minutes. On the side porch they have a place for you to sit, get a refreshing glass of water, and relax. We enjoyed a few minutes of relaxing and chatting before heading into the house. We were not allowed to take pictures in this house either so most of what you are pictures the exterior or porch.
We have passed the Edmonston-Alston House many times on the way to the Battery Park. It is only a short walk away from Battery Park and overlooks the Charleston Harbor. Several notable historical figures were present in this house. It was on the balcony (or piazza as they call it in Charleston) of the Edmonston-Alston House that General P.T. Beauregard saw the bombardment of Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee used the Edmonston-Alston as a safe haven from Charleston’s 1861 fire.
The house was built by Charles Edmonston who was a shipping merchant, however, due to economic hardship in the mid 1800’s Charles Edmonston sold his house to Charles Alston. Charles Alston was a predominant rice planter. It was Alston who added the balcony on the third level of the house and his family’s coat of arms on the balcony along the roof. The house has been through many historical events in Charleston from the Civil War, Charleston Fire in 1861, Earthquake in 1886, Hurricanes, and more.
An heir from the Alston family still lives in the upper level of the house, but generously allows visitors to take tours. A lot of the furniture, silver, and other items in the house are actual the Alston family heirlooms which make this house more unique. It was really neat to see items that have been preserved and kept within the family for over 150 years. The Middleton Place Plantation actually manages the Edmonston-Alston House and if you are looking for a neat place to stay in Charleston you can stay at the Edmonston-Alston Bed and Breakfast.
The lady who led the tour for the Edmonston-Alston House was our favorite. She was very personable, was excited to see the kids, made the tour interesting, and great learning experience for all of us. She die an interactive scavenger hunt with the girls throughout the house and they got a little prize at the end too. The girls got to experience the joggling board for the first time at the Edmonston-Alston House. We have seen several, but they had never sat on one. They loved it! Such a fun experience!
The joggling board was first found during the Antebellum period in the South. It is a long board that is supported on each end by wooden stands that can rock back and forth. The board is springy and the people sitting on it can bounce up and down as well as rock back and forth on it. There are a couple stories behind the purpose of the joggling board.
One theory – it was developed because C. Kinloch’s sister, Benjamin Kinloch Huger, had rheumatism which made it impossible for her to go for horse and carriage rides. The joggling board was put outside on the porch for fresh air and exercise. It mimicked the motion of riding a horse or in a carriage. Soon the joggling board became a staple piece on many porches in the Lowcountry and was a great way to relax while sitting outside.
Another theory – was that the joggling boards were created as “courting benches” for young couples. Per the legend if you sit on a joggling board with a young suitor you were considered engaged. The man would start on one end of the joggling board and the women on the other side. As the couple joggled they would slowly move to the center of the joggling board. Once the young couple was in the middle of the joggling board they could briefly sit together and have a conversation.
I have heard the second theory several times, but the first one made more sense. You hear stories of the lady of the house or one of the maids rocking babies on the joggling board before putting them to bed too. The girls were ready to get one for our porch they thought it was so much fun.
Charleston’s Historic Edmonston-Alston House at 21 East Battery!
Charleston: Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
Brina having fun at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.
On one of our visits to Charleston I asked what the girls would like to do and they requested to go to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. We spent the morning playing, exploring, and being creative at the museum. This was our second time visiting the Charleston’s Children Museum. Some of the rooms and displays were the same, but several were new so that made it entertaining for the kids. Thankful for a fun rainy morning inside with the kids!
Karlie doing the climbing wall.
I see Brina Bee!
An airplane seesaw!
Brina walking the plank! She seems pretty happy to walk the plank!
Karlie having a blast in the water room!
The water works room is always a fun one!
Brina hanging out in the pirate boat!
Karlie the pirate!
Brina having a blast at the museum!
Look out they are driving the fire truck.
Brina painting her master piece at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry!
Charleston: Historic Nathaniel Russell House
Getting ready to tour the Nathaniel Russell House which is located near downtown Charleston. Nathaniel Russell moved to Charleston when he was in his 20’s and began his career as a shipping merchant. His exportation of items such as rice, cotton, tobacco, and indigo would go from Charleston to West Africa, New England, Asia, West Indies, England, Europe, South America and more. Around the time of the American Revolution he was also known to transport African slaves as well.
Nathaniel Russell married a Sarah Hopton who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant who was established before the American Revolution. They had two children, Alicia and Sarah. Later the house would owned by other people such as Governor Allston and once it was used as a school for the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy for over 30 years. When the Historic Charleston Foundation received the house they went to work restoring both it’s interior and architectural structure back to what it was like when Nathaniel Russell owned it.
The Nathaniel Russell house contained beautiful rooms. There were many layers of paint, wallpaper, and more on the interior that had to be carefully striped away and be restored. Some of the fireplaces we saw in the house had as many as thirty layers of paint and the details were barely noticeable until they started carefully striping away all layers. Fascinating! The house has a huge beautiful spiral staircase that goes up three floors. Although, the house was very large especially for that time the stairs actually take up about half of the house. Every section of the house was built in a different shape from a square, oval, circle, etc…. It was a gorgeous house meant for showing off wealth, not necessarily for the most effective use of space. They had beautiful gold and decorative wallpaper, mirrors, and more. The house had a pretty ballroom with a high ceiling and mirrors. It would have been amazing traveling back in time to see this house during it’s original glory. Most of the furniture pieces are not original, but are from that period of time. I am thankful for an opportunity to see a glimpse of this neat house.
Front of the Nathaniel Russell house. The picture was taken from the front sidewalk.
Part of the Nathaniel Russell gardens.
They do not allow pictures inside the house so here is a glimpse of the staircase, but it really doesn’t do it justice. Pretty amazing to see in person.
The side of the house near the gardens. This side you can see the circular shape, the second story with the balcony contains the beautiful mirrored ballroom.
If you look closely you can see the “NR” initials for Nathaniel Russell in the iron balcony.
Another house the girls and I toured in Charleston was the Nataniel Russell House.
Charleston: Historic Heyward-Washington House
The girls hanging out by the kitchen at the Heyward-Washington House. The kitchen house contained all the cooking, washing, and upstairs it has a servants quarters.
The girls and I visited The Heyward-Washington House when we were in Charleston recently. We got there a few moments before the tour so we were able to spend some time walking through the Heyward-Washington House kitchen and gardens. It was nice to take a walk through the gardens first thing in the morning. We were so excited to explore we didn’t get a picture of the front of the house.
Thomas Heyward, Jr was the owner of this house. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and was in the militia during the American Revolution. During President George Washington’s stay in Charleston he stayed at the Heyward-Washington House. In the late 1700’s the house sold to John F. Grimke. Grimke served in the Revolutionary War and the father of Sarah and Angeline Grimke. Sarah and Angeline were known for speaking out against slavery and were asked to leave Charleston. Earlier this year the Brina had done a research project on Angeline Grimke so that was really neat to find out her family lived in this house. It was Charleston’s first historic home that was turned into a museum.
Girls in the kitchen. It must have been a super busy kitchen many years ago.
Touring the gardens of the Heyward-Washington House.
Walking through the gardens checking out all the plants.
Brina in the garden. She is very concerned we are going to miss the tour because we are walking through the gardens! She was good about keeping track of our time!
Beautiful purple flowers in the garden.
Touring the Heyward-Washington House! The girls were the only kids and the tour guide had them do a scavenger hunt looking for various items throughout the house. It made the tour a little more of an adventure for the girls and they earned a free gift at the end!
A neat house to explore! The Heyward-Washington House part of Historic Charleston!
Travel & Vacation: Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum – U.S.S. Laffey & U.S.S. Clamagore
After exploring the U.S.S. Yorktown we toured the U.S.S. Laffey and U.S.S. Clamagore (the submarine). We packed a lot of learning, exploring, and fun into one day while we were at Charleston. Thankful for the opportunity to learn little pieces of our country’s history and share the experience with our kids. It was a muggy and rainy day, but we had a great time. Although it poured when we were going between the Laffey and the Clamagore we just splashed through the puddles laughing the whole way (luckily there was no lightening since we were in between large hunks of metal conductors).
The U.S.S. Laffey was used back in the 1940’s. One of it’s biggest battles was off the shores of Okinawa when over 20 Japanese bombers and kamikazes attacked it. They have an actual place you can go into and “experience” what it was like for the men on that day. It was a rainy day so we only had to wait a couple minutes to get into the Mount 53 experience, it was really neat activity to do if you are ever on the U.S.S. Laffey!
Walking through the U.S.S. Laffey!
Neat model of the U.S.S. Laffey. It was hard getting a good picture with the on and off rain storms that day!
Brina’s in charge!
Both girls in the captain’s chair!
Brina hanging out with her Dad!
U.S.S. Clamagore Submarine!
All of us were completely soaked by the time we reached the Clamagore, Karlie was the first one to arrive safely!
A little wet and slightly cool, but ready to explore the Clamagore Submarine!
It was a fun day in Charleston despite getting a little wet!
After dinner we were going to go to Books A Million, but it was closed already so the girls found another way to stay entertained. Brina having fun!
Karlie’s flying now! Look out!
Travel & Vacation: Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum – U.S.S. Yorktown
Our family on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Yorktown!
Whenever we have an opportunity to go to Charleston we try to pick at least one historical adventure to go on as a family. One of our recent trips to Charleston we decided to spend a good chunk of the day at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum touring the U.S.S. Yorktown. When we got the tickets the day before they said to plan on being there at least 2 to 3 hours, we spent over 6 hours going through the U.S.S. Yorktown, U.S.S Laffey, and the U.S.S. Clamagore. The kids had a blast and it was a wonderful learning activity for all of us. Makes us appreciate the men and women who serve our country even more.
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum – U.S.S. Yorktown
Of course, they had to check out the cannon!
Ready to explore Patriots Point in Charleston
The day started off overcast and bright, but thankfully we were still able to do everything and were back inside the ship when it was pouring.
Brina in the cockpit!
Karlie ready to fly the plane!
Soaking it all in….
Big guns!
Anything relating to space captivates Karlie’s attention!
We all did the blast off to the Moon Simulation together, so much fun!
Learning more about D-Day
Pilots are ready for their orders and paying attention…..ha!
Karlie looking through the wing of the airplane!
Learning how to work the different pieces.
Karlie walking with Jake and asking him a bundle of questions about the various planes on the flight deck.
That blade is huge Brina!
Brina found a spot under the wing with a good breeze on the warm muggy day!
Checking out another plane!
Brina all smiles!
I think I recognize those two on the other side of the port hole!
Yes, they are sitting in the captains chair!
Look at that Handsome Man on the other side of the port hole!
Karlie giving out orders to the pilots. She looks like a tough commander!
Brina ringing the bell!
The Medal of Honor Museum was amazing! They had a cool interactive display as you walked in that lit up with a variety of shots from the wars (pictured above).
What the Army, Navy, and Air Force Medals of Honor look like. A Medal of Honor is given by the President, in the name of Congress, to a member of the military who distinguishes themselves by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of losing their own life. They go beyond the call of duty. The act must be one of bravery or self-sacrifice. The youngest person to ever receive a Medal of Honor was William Johnston, age 12. In 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign many men were taking off their equipment so they had less to carry and could retreat faster. William (also known as “Willie”) was the only drummer boy to bring his drum off the battlefield.
U.S.S. Yorktown
Greenville: Bouncing Around at Pump It Up
Fun group of kids!
To celebrate the last week of Summer Break we joined friends at the Pump It Up in Greenville, SC. The kids had a blast bouncing around, climbing the rock wall, building items, and more. The kids played and were able to burn off some of that extra energy while the Moms had a few minutes to chat. Thankful for a time to get together with friends.
Karlie pausing to give us a smile as she plays at Pump It Up!
We found Brina perched on this bouncy castle!
Greenville: Splashing Around at Otter Creek Waterpark
Brina and Karlie going down the blue slide together on a double tube!
Our end of Summer Break activity was going to the Otter Creek Waterpark! None of us had ever been to this Greenville Waterpark so we decided it should be the one we try out to celebrate the end of summer. It was actually one of the closer ones to us since we were coming from Easley. The girls had a BLAST swimming around. We arrived shortly after they opened and didn’t leave until late in the afternoon. We splashed around in the water and went down the slides many times! It was a lot of fun hanging out at the waterpark with the girls!
Brina having a grand time at the waterpark!
Hanging out with the girls at the Otter Creek Waterpark! Great way to wrap up summer vacation!
Brina doing flips under water!
Going down the huge orange slide together. They went down all the slides many times!
Karlie’s coming!
Carrying up the double tube. It was quite the teamwork to get the big tube up the stairs without bumping into too many people!
Splashing around!
Brina all smiles!
Karlie loving the water slides!
Come on Mom, stand right over here…… Hmmm….this looks like a trick?! BRINA!
Yikes! There’s something coming at me under the water!
Brina enjoying our fun day at Otter Creek!
Karlie doing flips under water!
Brina arriving at the bottom of the green slide!
Karlie at the top of the white slide! She LOVED it! I did all the slides many times, but the white slide once was enough for me. WOW, it was so fast and my heart was in my throat as I flew down it. Not to mention with that much speed once you hit the water you had received a nice swimsuit wedgy, ha! Karlie on the other hand did the white slide many times!
Karlie flying down the slide again! It doesn’t look as steep in this picture, but trust me it was plenty steep! I thought I was going to fly right off of it I was going so fast! Fun times with the kids!
Pavilion Recreation Complex – Ice Skating, Bouncy Castles, George the Train, Playground Fun, Picnic, and More!
Karlie enjoying her time on the ice!
The girls had a blast hanging out with their cousins and friends at the Greenville Pavilion Recreation Complex this summer. Every Friday this summer the kids could get in to ice skate, play on the bouncy castles, ride on George the Train, play at the park, and get a snack for $10 each. The parents would get in for free (although we didn’t get the snack)! 🙂 The ice skating was only for 2 hours, but the rest of the activities you could do all day.
Karlie and Nicko having fun on the pile of snow they left in the ice skating rink!
Look out! Here comes Brina!
Karlie having fun!
Our friends Ashley from Reflecting on the Simpler Things in Life and Bradley having a blast too!
Goofy girl!
Zachie hung out with me the first time we went on the ice. He didn’t really like the ice skates too much, but had fun playing in the snow pile!
Brina waiting for Zachie to go down the slide with her!
Snack time – Oreos and Juice Bags!
Ready….Set…..Go!!!
Karlie going down the slide with Nicko!
I am getting beamed with snowballs from my nephews!
Karlie chasing Nicko! The second time we went out on the ice we had the kids keep their shoes on. We were the only ones on the ice the second time and all the kids had a blast with just their shoes on the ice. The ice skates were a good idea, but at least for the younger kids the regular shoes were a bigger hit in the ice skating rink.
Brina flying on by me!
Watching the Zamboni clean the ice skating rink. This was fascinating for the kids!
Riding on George the Train. At the end the conductor let all the kids push the button and honk the horn. So exciting!
Whose ready for a picnic!?
Grabbing a bite to eat so they can go play again!
Easily entertained….
Brina on the four wheeler!
