The Explore All 50 States Project
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Charles Towne Landing is a 663-acre park located on the site where English settlers first landed in 1670, thereby establishing the birthplace of the Carolina colony and the plantation system that eventually spread throughout the American South. Checking in at the visitors center were found out there were two parts to this visit. The first part entailed a walk/hike around the settlement and the second part … [Read more...]
Walking through The Charleston Museum we had a hard time wrapping our head around the fact that this indeed was America’s first museum, founded in 1773-but I guess there has to be a first of everything, right?. Sadly most of the original items, many of which were scientific in nature, were destroyed in a fire in 1778. The museum resumed collecting artifacts and was opened to the public in 1824. As we made … [Read more...]
One of the highlights of our visit to Charleston and an absolute must see for anyone visiting is a tour of Fort Sumter. We made our reservations well in advance and you should too to make sure you get a good time that works for you as these tours do fill up quickly. The whole tour takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes with about 1 hour spent at the Fort, the rest of the time is spent on the boat heading from the … [Read more...]
Charleston is a beautiful and charming city that has a long and storied history as a port city on the shores of South Carolina. The Historic District is a wonderful place to explore some of the well preserved architecture and take a peek at life during an earlier time period. Everywhere you look, restaurants, shops, hotels are all housed in these amazing old buildings oozing with decorative charm. If you want to … [Read more...]
So you’ve probably heard of Duke University, and maybe even Duke Energy and the legendary heiress Doris Duke. But did you know that the Duke fortune was amassed through the production of tobacco? The Duke Homestead State Historic Site is where you can tour the early home and factory where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. Duke’s sons later founded the American Tobacco Company, the largest tobacco … [Read more...]
Passing over the bridge to Roanoke Island we found ourselves entering a quaint area with a legendary history. Roanoke Island has been known in American history for its significance as the site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s planting of an English settlement with his Roanoke Colony in 1585 and 1587. The Anglo-Spanish war delayed the delivery of much needed supplies and when a ship was finally able to make it back to the … [Read more...]
The North Carolina Museum of History is a wonderful museum in the center of town that really engaged us with their exhibit titled "The Story of North Carolina". Walking through the museum we were able to trace the story from the ancient peoples all the way up to the present. We explored the native settlements and the early colonists discussing the plantation crops like rice, tobacco, cotton and indigo. We … [Read more...]
Old Salem Museum and Gardens is another great place to learn about another group who sought religious freedom here in the colonies while experiencing persecution in Europe. Old Salem is home to one of the original Moravian settlements called Bethabara. The community was established in a 1753 and made up of many that had been persecuted in Europe and fled to the new world for religious freedom. The Moravians were … [Read more...]
In the Atlanta suburb of Buckhead sits a real gem of a museum, The Atlanta History Center. There is so much to learn here about this amazing city and its special place it holds in this region. The kids and I found this museum really interesting for a variety of reasons, but what was most insightful for us west coasters was learning about Atlanta's significance during the Civil War. One of the most important … [Read more...]
Time to explore the Georgia Capitol Building. Ever eat a dish that didn’t have enough salt or spices? That’s how Georgia’s capitol building is—bland. The building is pretty from the outside and as we drove up we were super excited to run in and see what treasures lay in store for us inside.. Sadly, inside there just wasn't a lot going on in fact it couldn't hold a candle to some of the more elaborate … [Read more...]
