A few more stops in South Carolina...

After several months of keeping to the coastal towns, it was time to head inland.  On our way out of South Carolina we made time for just a few more stops.  Swamps, early settlements, ancient roads, and Revolutionary War sites were all on the agenda...

Our first stop was at Congaree National Park.  An International Biosphere Reserve, this park is home to some of the oldest and tallest Bald Cypress and Tupelo trees in existance...

Up next was Ninety-Six National Historic Site.  This town was named "Ninety-Six" by traders in the early 1700's because that was how far it was thought to be from there to the Cherokee village of Keowee.  We got to walk along the remnants of some of the ancient roads and trails that intersected there...

The 18th century earthen Star Fort was still visible, although quite worn down from it's original height of 14 feet.  Not bad for a 300 year old dirt wall if you ask me...

the cannon is pointing towards the Star Fort...

standing inside the Star Fort...

We finished up our tour of the grounds and buildings and then went back up to the VC to find the Ranger.  This guy was awesome.  Seriously.  I had called to see if the park was open since it was going to be a special side trip for us to visit and when I spoke to him he told me that the grounds were open, but the VC was actually closed that day.  I mentioned to him that we were hoping to do their Jr. Ranger program and he kindly told me to just knock on the door when we got there and he'd be happy to assist.  So nice of him :)!  NPS Rangers are the best :)...

Our third stop along the way was at Kings Mountain National Military Park.  The site of a major Revolutionary War Battle...

We were so impressed with this park...

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much to it.  There is a mountain with a trail that goes around it and over it and of course the VC.  It's the story, and that you are learning of it while walking the same path that these men did so many long years ago, that grabs you...

In an earlier skirmish, the American force was at the brink of defeat and a message was sent to the British offering their surrender.  The British commander ignored the surrender and proceeded to massacre many of the Patriots.  This sparked a new fire in the Southern troops and resulted in a rising up of the Overmountain Men and ultimately the defeat of the British on Kings Mountain.  A chilling tale to be sure...

Our fourth and final stop was at Cowpens National Battlefield.  Another Revolutionary War site that has returned to it's peaceful roots as a grassy meadow in the woods...

Charleston, South Carolina

After visiting the NPS sites in the immediate area, we headed back into Charleston to see a bit of the city.  A very dear friend had given us a list of several "must see's" so that's where we started.  We were fortunate to find (free!) parking only a block away from the Waterfront Park, so we left the car there and set off on foot...

Charleston Palmetto Roses <3

One of the first things we came to was the Pineapple Fountain...

When the kids were done splashing in the fountain, we resumed our walk along the water and the next thing we spotted were the giant family sized swings.  Whoa!  How fun :)!  We snagged the only empty one and the kids had a blast :)...

the view from the swing :)

Yes, they got a bit silly.  I'll spare you the sillier photos ;)...

Just behind the swing were two young men making Palmetto Roses.  They were so fast...what seemed to be just a few twists and voilà...a beautiful flower...

pretties for my pretties :)

same picture twice...I just like it that much :)

We left the waterfront behind and headed off in search of the next "must see"...

Found it!  Philadelphia Alley aka Dueller's Alley (these pictures are for you, J.)...

A slow stroll through the alley and we were off to find some famous Charleston Pralines.  When we got within the general vicinity we no longer needed to follow our map, we just followed the voice of the lady calling out for folks to come sample the hot pralines.  Mmm...the hot ones are delish, we each tried a piece and unanimously decided to buy a box to take with us.  Meh, cold they aren't so great.  Oh well. 

It just so happened that there was a Ben & Jerry's on the same block.  Ya'll know we couldn't pass that up :)!  A praline appetizer followed up with a double scoop entree and I might just get voted mom of the year ;), hehe...

The sun was getting ready to set, so we started walking back towards the general direction of our car.  We used the walking map thing on my phone, so it was pretty easy to get around even though we were completely unfamiliar with the city...

little brother..."go thatta way"...big brother..."no, i have the map so you follow me"...ad nauseam...;)

love the tall plant in the middle of each box...

those curved windows!

When we reached the car there was still daylight left so we kept right on walking...

big brother to little brother..."put that berry down, don't you know that could be poison?"  oh dear ;)...

Just a little further down the street brought us to Rainbow Row...

I just loved getting a peak at these fantastic historic homes and their lovely gardens...

By this time the sun really was gone and it was time for us to hit the road...