Our Charleston Birthday Vacay
So a couple months ago, Rory and I took a little vacation. Our birthdays are two weeks apart to the day. I was born on May 6, and he was born on May 20. May is notoriously a crazy month for our family, because my dad's birthday is also in May! We decided that this year instead of really big gifts, we would take a trip and enjoy some time away together. The plan was to go to Austin, Texas, and also swing over to Waco and visit the Magnolia Market, but it was going to be craaaaazzzyyyy expensive. So. Driving distance was a factor. We found an amazing deal on an Airbnb and decided to go for it, because Charleston was on our bucket list. To save money, we ate a big breakfast, snacked throughout the day, and then ate dinner. It was great! The whole trip was a whirlwind, and we enjoyed lots of fun activities and some seriously great food. Here's a recap of our fun!
DAY ONE
Lunch at Artisan Meat Share - amazing but now closed :(
A lovely walk through downtown
Dinner at Básico
One place I wanted to visit was the Emanuel A.M.E Church, which is the site of the Charleston mass shooting. That day was sobering for me as it was for many Americans, but it was also sad to know that a distant cousin of mine (whom I'd never met) was among the fallen victims. It was encouraging to see a poster for a race reconciliation event on their walls, and being there gave me a sense of hope that we will continue to have conversations about race and love one another as we were called to.
DAY TWO
Breakfast at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit
Dinner at Poogan's Porch
I was incredibly excited to see Boone Hall Plantation because it is where they filmed part of the movie The Notebook, which we all know is one of the most epic love stories ever. It was an incredible day, and we learned so much. The history behind plantations is one that is dark and full of sadness, as it is inextricably tied to slavery. We learned about the horrors of slavery, toured slave cabins, and also learned about what it took to maintain a plantation. There was also a Gullah presentation that was incredible. Part of my family is from Charleston, and I am almost certain that we have Gullah roots! Hearing about the history and touring the house was wonderful. The grounds were beautiful, and it was a really fun day.
DAY THREE
Breakfast at Junction Kitchen and Provisions
Our last day was fun, even though we knew we were headed home. We visited the Angel Oak tree, which to some is a waste of time, but to me is always neat to see and behold. Just knowing that God created this amazing tree and that it is standing there for us to take in and gaze upon is fascinating to me. Rory and I are not coffee drinkers, but we love tea. We were super excited to tour the only tea farm in America (although we didn't know that until we got there). The process of making tea is quite laborious! Before we toured the farm, Rory said that he thought it would be fun for us to have a tea garden. Well. That won't be possible since you need heavy machinery to do it right, but it was worth a shot. :)
