Charleston: The Charleston Explorer Program
Charleston Explorer Goodies
Since we go to Charleston a few times every year we signed the kids up for their Charleston Explorers Club a little over a year ago. It was a great way to explore the Charleston area, learn pieces of history or science and more plus earn a few prizes along the way. We have always enjoy our trips to Charleston and every time we try to go to a new place which made the Charleston Explorers a great program for our kids.
You could pick up a Charleston Explorer passport at any of the Charleston Area Visitors Centers. It was free for any kid under 18 to sign up for the club. When the kids enrolled they each received a passport, prize, a list of more than 30 participating locations, and information about how the program worked. Each time the kids visited one of the locations they would get a stamp specific to that location and enter the “stamp code” into their online profile and rate the place they visited. Every 5 stamps they would earn a prize that was mailed directly to our house. We never knew what the prizes would be and the kids were always very happy with the neat items that came in the mail.
Some of the places where you got the stamps were free while others required paid admission. Several of the places you could buy discounted tickets if you bundled them together. The program started back in April 2011 and recently ended. It is probably one of the best travel programs we have participated in, it was ran well, the prizes were amazing, and we had a blast doing the Charleston Explorers with the kids. We would love to see them do another program for the kids in the future!
I would encourage you to check out any of these types of explorers programs in your local area or another area where you visit frequently. These are programs can provide great learning opportunities for your kids. It was a wonderful experience for our whole family. I wish more places had kids programs like this one.
Some of the items we received:
- Charleston Explorers Water Bottles
- Charleston Explorers Magnetic Keychains with Flashlights
- Charleston Explorers Binoculars
- Charleston Explorers Pens
- Charleston Explorers Stickers
- Charleston Explorers Bag
- Charleston Explorers Clips
- $25 Wonder Works Toy Store Gift Cards
- iPod Touch
The highlighted places on our brochure are the ones we have visited since we started the Charleston Explorers program! Great places to visit and wonderful times exploring with the kids!
The girls passport books! Here is what two of their pages look like with the Fort Sumter, Patriots Point, Heyward Washington House, Nathaniel Russell House, Edmonston Alston House, and Aiken Rhett House stamps on these two pages. We filled their passport books up. The girls loved getting their stamps at the end of their tours.
One of the prizes they earned was a $25 Gift Card each from Wonder Works a Toy Store in Charleston. The girls can’t wait for our next trip to Charleston so they can use their gift cards!
The girls were so excited when FedEx dropped off a package at our “Google only” household! Guess, we now need to include another platform…. Their final Charleston Explorers prize was an iPod Touch! They were so very EXCITED to receive the iPod! Wow!!! Thanks Charleston for making our trips so enjoyable and for the amazing prizes! It has been a awesome exploring with the family and we look forward to our next visit! We still have several more locations we want to see on our list!
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!
Travel & Vacation: Spiritline Cruises
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.
Travel & Vacation: Touring Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC
Arriving at Fort Sumter
The last time we visited Charleston, South Carolina we were able to go to Fort Sumter. The construction began on Fort Sumter in 1840’s it was slow work, but they put down over 7 million bricks for the 5 foot thick outer walls which were 50 feet above the water level. When the American Civil War started Fort Sumter was almost complete. On April 12, 1861 the Confederate soldiers located at Fort Johnson fired the first shot at Fort Sumter.
Fort Sumter was bombarded for over 30 hours and over 3,000 shells being shot at the fort. Citizens from Charleston watched the cannons fire on Fort Sumter from their rooftops. After a couple of days of bombardments the Union Army led by Major Anderson surrendered to General Beauregard of the Confederate Army.
Welcome to Fort Sumter!
Looking through one of the cannon portholes.
Jake and the girls.
Hanging out at Fort Sumter.
Brina standing on top of Fort Sumter!
Exploring Fort Sumter!
Our family at Fort Sumter! It was a rainy day, but we managed to miss most of the raindrops and had a grand time!
On top of Fort Sumter!
Getting ready to leave Fort Sumter, right before a big rain storm hit. Perfect timing!
Book: “Very Charleston” by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler
Our family loves traveling together and whenever Jake goes to Charleston for work we try to tag along (works better when schools out). We have a lot of great memories in Charleston, South Carolina. Over a year ago we got the book Very Charleston: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Lowcountry Charm by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler. This book has been a huge hit especially with the kids. It is packed full of great information about Charleston. The illustrations are detailed in beautiful watercolors.
- Historical facts – Civil War, Citadel, Slavery, Crafts and more
- Places of Interest – Forts, Beaches, Churches, Museums, Plantations, Shopping and more
- Popular Local Festivals
- Interesting People from Charleston
- Famous Places to Eat & Traditional Charleston Recipes
- PACKED full of great tidbits of information about the Charleston area
This is an excellent book if you are planning on traveling (or moving) to Charleston. It’s enjoyable to read and you’ll learn pieces of history too. Every time we go to Charleston we bring this book along to read together. Our kids LOVE it!
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Daniel’s Island and More
View after going over the Cooper River Bridge on our way to Daniel's Island We always love the views on our way to Daniel’s Island, South Carolina. This picture was taken shortly after going over the Cooper River Bridge. Just one of the beautiful pieces of scenery in the Charleston area.
Almost there.....one more mile to Daniel's Island. The girls always look for this sign and know we are almost to Daniel’s Island. They know that it is Exit 24 and in between two big bridges. It is a lot of fun traveling with the family!
One of my favorite signs in the Charleston area. A sign we have seen many times this year that the girls always wanted me to read whenever we go to the Waterfront Park under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. I grew up in the country hearing coyotes so this smile makes me smile. One of the girls questions the first time we read it why can we “never feed coyotes won’t they get hungry?”
Snacks at the park The girls were really good about remembering to take their drink with them to the parks. Most of the places we went had water fountain and restrooms which was really nice too. I had made some cookies for Jake’s co-workers that week so I put in a few sugar cookies with sprinkles for the girls too.
Stopping for a quick snack I was able to convince Karlie and Brina to stop for a few minutes for a quick snack and more importantly a drink (it was over 100 degrees and we had been out all morning). They were so fascinated by all the other kids at the park. Sometimes we would be at the park with a handful of kids and a daycare would show up to play making the the area buzzing with little ones having fun.
Refueling with Powerade on a very hot day On one of our trips it was over 100 degrees and the girls (and Mommy) spent the day outside at parks. I was worried about them getting dehydrated so we stopped by CVS and picked up a “Powerade”. The girls thought it was great and it tasted like lemonade.
Karlie worked up enough courage to go down the big pole. Although the pole probably would have been a little easier sliding down in pants I was very proud of Karlie for trying it out. It takes a little bit of guts to reach out over that gap between the jungle gym and gap to go on the pole. She was very excited of her accomplishment.
Brina spinning in the red seats at the park I really don’t know how she could sit in those seats and just spin! The couple times I braved it and did a couple of spins I was ready to loose my cookies.
Brina and Karlie testing out a new ride One afternoon during our Charleston adventures it decided rain so the girls and I hang out for about an hour at the Outlets. The girls thought this car was HILARIOUS and spent several minutes checking it out.
After picking up Daddy from work Brina crashed We picked up Jake after a full day at the parks and playing. A few minutes later I looked back to point out a rainbow I saw in the sky and Brina has fallen fast asleep. Not sure how she can sleep like this (it looks very uncomfortable) but all our pillows and stuff was already at the hotel.
Karlie was sleeping too Looking back at both of them sleeping made me laugh. They are so different even when they sleep in the car. After a busy nap the few minute cap night was very nice for both of them. Thankful that they both travel so well and enjoy exploring different places on our trips together.
Watching the sun set as we crossed over the bridge. One of the questions the girls asked the last time we were in Charleston….”Is Charleston made of bridges?” There are quite of few there. We enjoyed watching the sunsets, sunrises, and seeing the beautiful scenery from the many bridges we crossed.
Walking with Daddy near downtown Charleston The girls loved learning about history and just walking around Charleston. We actually wore out one pair of flipflops on this trip with all the walking and playing. They love asking Daddy a lot of questions about the town and Jake is so good about answering them.
Sign from one of the guns / cannons near downtown Charleston We went through the Battery Park in Charleston again and looked at all the guns and cannons. This is a sign from one of the guns that was used to attack Fort Sumter on April 7, 1863. The girls loved learning about the variety of different cannons and the history behind them.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
