Our ferryboat transportation from Patriots Point to Fort Sumter

In order to get to Fort Sumter you have to take a boat over to it.  We met Spiritline Cruises Ferryboat at Patriots Point and took it over to Fort Sumter.   It was relaxing and informational riding the boat over to Fort Sumter.  They explained a little bit about the area around us and give us highlights on Fort Sumter as well.  The girls brought their monoculars and it was pretty cool some the items they were able to see clearly with them.  We even learned about a fort I hadn’t heard about before Castle Pinckney.  It sprinkled a little on the way over and poured on the way back, but thankfully the big rains came while we were on the boat not during our actual tour.  We did get to see several dolphins on our trip too which was exciting for the girls!

Karlie looking through her monocular at Castle Pinckney

Brina checking out the forts, harbor, and surrounding areas as we cruise on the ferryboat.  The Orion 10×42 Waterproof Monoculars we got the girls for Christmas have been amazing (the Swagbucks we had earned came in handy when buying these on Amazon too)!  If you travel with your kids this is a great way for them to see a lot of neat things and are they light, waterproof, easy to carry, and simple to use.

Brina loving the ferryboat ride!  We even saw dolphins swimming alongside of the boat!

Checking out all the cool sights around the Charleston harbor!

The Castle Pinckney was one of the really neat sights we saw on the way to Fort Sumter.  I had never heard of this fort before our trip and it was fascinating to learn a little piece of its history too.   It was named after Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who was well known in Charleston area as well as a general in the American Revolution and a South Carolina delegate in the Constitutional Convention.  The site where the castle was built was selected for military purposes by President George Washington.

The castle was originally a log fort in the early 1800’s until a hurricane hit and they had to rebuild with stronger fortification.   It was considering unique when it was built because the men could fire on the attacking ships from multiple levels with it’s half circle architecture.  Although, when the long range cannons were created Castle Pinckney’s usefulness decreased.  The Pinckney Castle became the second line of defense once Fort Sumter was completed.   You can see Castle Pinckney when going to and from Fort Sumter, however, there are no public tours of this fort at this time. You can learn more about the history of Castle Pinckney and other neat historical landmarks at Explore Southern History.

Karlie having a blast touring the Charleston area!

Our final stop was P.F. Chang’s in Mount Pleasant.  I have eaten at the one in Greenville several times for work or with friends, but since Jake and the girls hadn’t eaten at P. F. Chang’s we decided to try it.  The girls especially liked their giant horse outside the restaurant!

Karlie relaxing and sipping her drink while waiting for her dinner to arrive!

We were seated immediately, but due to a mix up with our order it took almost 2 hours to get our food and once we got it part of the order was wrong (even the 3 tables around us, with the same server, who were seated after us got their orders before we did).  The girls were good sports despite the long wait and we passed the time talking and playing games.  The food was good, but I am not sure the rest of the family is overly excited about going back due to the service we received at this particular restaurant.  Thankfully, we still had a good time and there are a lot of other restaurant choices in the Charleston area.