Tuesday, February 21, 2017

My son came for a visit...




 Yesterday, my son, his wife and I cruised out to Fort Sumter, a reminder of the Civil War that then divided our country.

It had been many years since I had taken the tour boat out there at the mouth of the harbor in Charleston.

This was toward the end of a 5-day visit my son Chris and his wife Stephanie had made.

They live near San Diego and this was Steph's first time here in the south.

She was eager to see the national monument.

 One feature I remembered was the NPS staff asking
 the visiting tour people
 to assist in the lowering
of the HUGE American flag.

She explained we needed to work together to fold it many, many times, into the familiar triangle shape.

The uniformed National Park ranger warned us to be careful and hold it tight or we'd have to stop and start all over again.

It was a moving patriotic moment, involving many ethnicities, men, women, and children in a spirited joint effort.

I liked the joyful "team" feeling as we all worked together for a common cause.

It all turned out well. 

Then,  we all headed toward the dock and the boat that would carry us back to shore.

It was a perfect way to end the day.

Ours was the last tour and staff closed down the museum and other parts of the fort, and made it secure for the night.

They came aboard the tour boat and rode with us back to the mainland.

I had noticed signage on board that offered cold sodas, bottled water, and snacks available on the way over.

On the return trip across the harbor, beer also now was offered for sale.

Respect for the monument. I liked that.

(Click on the photos and links for details.)

If it's been a while, consider taking the cruise out there on a sunny afternoon.

Thanks for tagging along on a vacation day with my family.




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posted by chuckography @ 9:31 AM 1 Comments

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Our Town's Great "Backyard!"


My blog usually shies away from talking about past performances by musicians - ha ha, look what you missed - but here's something you can plan ahead for NEXT January.

The Chamber found the quietest tourism month was chilly January so it created "Be A Tourist In Your Own Town" to stir up some activity by locals during that quiet period.


For $20, a person gains free access to 35 attraction and discounts at 11 good restaurants.

Most offer "buy one, get one free" meals and several include each of their eateries so you can enjoy their seafood specials several times.

On the day I visited (for my first time) the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, everyone in the group was a local, taking advantage of free admission.

One of the tour guides liked my hat so we swapped head coverings.

I have bought and used the "In Your Own Town" pass for several years and have taken free tours of Patriot's Point, Boone Hall Plantation and Fort Sumter. It doesn't take long to get your $20 worth of value.

The whole idea - in addition to generating business during a slow month - is to get locals excited and informed on where to take their visitors to The Holy City. Sort of like a New Yorker going to see the Statue of Liberty or riding to the top of the Empire State building.

You know these things are there and this gives you a sound reason to check it out.

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posted by chucker @ 11:03 AM 0 Comments