We left Orlando, Florida on May 27th. Our next destination was Charleston, S.C. This "city by the sea" is one of our favorite spots on the east coast. Lots of history and good eats! While there we spent a morning at the annual Piccolo Spoleto arts and crafts show in the town square. This 17-day, annual event is held to celebrate Charleston's Euopean charm with classical & jazz music, opera, theatre, ballet, an amazing arts & crafts/farmer's market and much more.
We spent a day in the sun at Folly Beach. The weather co-operated, (a pleasant day in the mid 80's) We arrived at Myrtle Beach, S.C. the first week of June. We made the decision to slowly trek up the east coast to New England revisiting "old haunts." Myrtle Beach, as we knew it in the 70's, has all but lost it's quaint charm. It has fast become a jungle of high-rise condos, hotels, and tourist attractions. We camped at Briarcliffe RV Resort (our usual) in North Myrtle Beach and managed to get a little history about the settlement of the village of Briarcliffe. It was originally discovered by Elizabeth Chapin Patterson, a devotee of an eclectic Indian religious leader, Meher Baba who thought he was the Avatar (incarnation of God). She later built the Meher Spiritual Center. She sold a tract of land to a Kenneth Ellsworth, a visonary, who wanted to start the first 50+ retirement community in the south. Vacationing New Yorkers and sea-loving retirees alike soon populated the area and with the addition of families it became a community. The Spiritual Center still exists today along with a handful of followers.
We got another history lesson after visiting the Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet. It was once a rice plantation in the 1800's owned by the Alston Family. Slaves were brought in to harvest the rice fields and
the business was extremely profitable until the early
1900's. In 1931 the Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden opened as America's first public sculpture garden. It showcases over 1200 works of American sculpture from early 1800's to present. It also
maintains over 50 acres of garden and landscape settings
through which the sculptures mingle. It's an amazing experience. (There are photos in Di's digital garden.)
A day spent at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and meandering the city streets of Charleston.
Two beached-whales at Folly Beach, S.C.
Revisiting a favorite dinner spot
(Oliver's Lodge) in Murrell's Inlet.
Brookgreen Gardens- a former rice plantation, now a glorious setting for flowers and sculptures.
