Charleston, SC Days 1 & 2

If we do not drive to Jekyll Island, we fly normally fly into Savannah and stay a couple of days then drive to Jekyll. We have a few places we like to normally stop on the way. We also use our adventurous nature to find new places along the way. This trip was far from normal so we jumped off the plane in Charlotte and drove to Jekyll. We were staying on Jekyll for a couple of days then we were headed to Europe for a work/pleasure trip.

We had an onward flight to London (LHR) and then on to Warsaw, Poland later in the week. Since we were flying to London and then to Poland, out of Charlotte, we did not want to fly into Brunswick chose to drive from Charlotte. Instead of staying in Savannah like normal, we decided to stop in Charleston for a couple of days..

We had always heard about how wonderful Charleston, South Carolina was so thid would be the perfect time to stay there. Please don’t hate me, but we just didn’t see the attraction to Charleston. We didn’t have any bad experience and it was interesting, but to us, it just didn’t have the appeal as Savannah. (If you love Charleston, please give us some recommendations of places to check out. We would love to revisit if we had a better plan. In fairness, we were unable to go to Ft. Sumter. We did go to the Citadel, which was really impressive! We also took in a plantation tour along the way.

First stop was to get lunch at Vickery’s Bar & Grill at Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant. It was just across the water from our hotel. We had the Jerk Chicken Sandwich and the Grilled Salmon BLT. It was very tasty and a great meal after a long flight.

After lunch, we walked down the boardwalk to explore and take some photographs. There were a lot of pelicans hanging out in the area of the creek and both banks. We even say some kayakers on the creek.

Then we drove to Ft. Sumter. Unfortunately, Ft. Sumter was about to close for the day, so we were not able to take the boat over the actual fort. (Ft. Sumter is a historic military fortification that is in the middle of the water of Charleston Harbor.

We left Ft. Sumter and headed downtown Charleston. We came across a local watering hole, Gene’s Haufbrau. Gene’s is a historic bar that has been open since 1952. They have a fabulous beer selection. A definite must when in Charleston!  Our dinner was charcuterie and wine at the hotel.

The next morning, we started our drive to Jekyll Island.  We had about a three and a half hour drive, so coffee and a scone was first on the list. We stopped at Metto Coffee & Tea in Mt. Pleasant before hitting the road. We ordered our standard coffee drinks, vanilla latte for me and an Americano for Audra. We ordered three pastries to split. One was a a strawberry cheesecake muffin, a chooclate scone, and  chocolate chip scone.

 

 

On the way out of town we drove by the Military College of South Carolina, aka The Citadel. It was very impressive!

Jekyll Island Days 3 thru 5

Jekyll Island is always a great place to visit. I often say it is one of the most enchanting places on earth that I have been. Some of our favorite places on the island is Driftwood Beach, Shark Tooth Beach (we still have never found any shark teeth), and Horton’s Pond. We spend many hours exploring these areas when we are there.

Horton’s Pond is always a great place to see alligators. In the woods near the pond, I missed an opportunity to photograph an beautiful owl. When I say I missed the opportunity, I really didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hades. This magnificent Strigidae came at me from out of a tree without warning. I don’t know if it planned to buzz me or what, but it flew directly over my head about three feet. I wish I had known it was coming. I would have at least tried to get a photograph.

Driftwood Beach is enchanting, majestic, and iconic. These trees have lasted daily rising tides as well as the elements of every season pounding down upon them. The weathering of the wood provides the character of each of these trees. (Unfortunately, “the tree” fell in the summer of 2024.) This was perhaps the most photographed item in the entire Golden Isles of Georgia. I was fortunate enough to have photographed it many times. 

The Wharf

A favorite evening spot is The Wharf. It is a great place to hang out, get some food, have some drinks, and watch the beautiful sunsets. On the first evening, Audra had a work dinner to attend, so I went to The Wharf for some photos. I met a guy named Johnny and his kids. He asked if I would take a picture of him and his kids. He even paid me for my time. I hadn’t planned on that and didn’t ask for it, but it was appreciated. There are also access points near the main bridge to get some extraordinary sunset photographs.

Horton’s Pond

Horton Pond is always a great spot to see (at least one) alligator. Today was no different. There was a small gator on the platform along with several turtles.

Crane Road Trail

Crane Road Trail is a walking trail that runs east from Stable Road. It goes about 400 meters and turns south then goes about another 800 meters or so, ending at the Dairy Queen. In the patch of swamp, high in a tree, an eagle couple has a giant nest with eaglets. We have never gotten a clear view of the eaglets, but we have been able to see them. There is a pond at the bend in the trail. There is almost always a gator or two in this little unnamed pond. Today was no different. It was a magnificent day for gators.

St. Simon Island

Saint Simon Island is north of Jekyll Island. The Saint Simon Sound separates the two islands. Saint Simon Island will always have a special place in my heart. It is where I finally pulled the trigger on creating this blog. Anytime I am in the area, I always try to go over there to visit. The St. Simon Pier is always a great place to photograph water birds.

Our time on Jekyll ended. Now it’s time to head back to Charlotte then on to London. Before we left, we stopped by the beach to get one more amazing sunrise.