We woke up in Savannah, had breakfast at the hotel, then loaded up to drive to Charleston.  We made one last stop at Forsyth Park to get some pictures of their famous fountain. (Annie really has a great eye for photography).  It is about a 2 hour drive (which is nothing) and we were there.  Charleston was the city assigned to Annelyse.  Unfortunately for her, the hotel she picked was twice her allotted budget, but come on....George Washington had slept there, and if it was good enough for him, she figured it was good enough for the Caffreys.  She tried every tactic she could to make us agree to it, including offering to pick up $75 of the bill out of her own money she earned this summer.  But better logic prevailed and we went with the not as convenient and not as historic but cheap option--Town and Country Suites. Yes, we heard her thoughts about that choice repeatedly from Annie. Yes, I believe she will be bitter until the day she dies. Yes, I still think we made the right decision. We did, however, stop by the John Rutledge Inn and take her picture on the steps of the place.  Maybe some day in the future her husband will take her there and they won't be traveling with 3 kids and they can stay there to make up for her deprivation as a child.

We only had one day in Charleston and that was not enough for Annie or Bryan.  It is funny how the kids took such a sense of ownership about their city. Charleston was Annie's city and that made it her favorite by far. Abby stands by Savannah as being the best so far.  I liked the shade and parks and walk-ability of Savannah, but Bryan was absolutely IN LOVE with the homes of Charleston.  We drove through the town for hours looking at neighborhoods and houses. Bryan was in HEAVEN and the kids were good sports for the most part. Annie had a list of buildings and homes that we just had to see and photograph--I think we found every single one.

We took a tour ferry out to Ft. Sumter to see the fort where the first shots of the civil war were fired on April 12, 1861.  Abby took the chance to sign up for and complete the requirements to be a junior ranger (proud of her--she was very excited for her badge).  The fort was amazing.  It was very interesting to learn more about the issues and different points of view of the civil war.  South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and the only state to do so with a unanimous vote. The confederate army drove General Andersen and the federals out of the fort in 34 hours.  Two years later the Union army started their attempt to take it back and over the next 2 year period of bombing they estimate that over 4 million pounds of shells were fired upon the fort.  The original 55 foot walls were reduced to rubble and to this day are only a fraction of their original height.  Photographs at the site were incredible to see.  Our favorite part was seeing the cannon shots still lodged within the walls of the fort from those battles over 150 years ago.  It was amazing!  

We ate dinner at Magnolias  (thanks for the recommendation Angela) but seating for 5 wasn't available until 8:30 and James and Abby are really just a waste of fine dining, so we we sent those two to a Subway across the street.  We grabbed a table for 3 and Bryan, Annie and I enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner while those 2 ate subs and then walked around downtown.  James is such a good boy--he is very cautious and careful, so I knew he would keep them safe, Abby however is a much more adventurous and independent spirit.  He kept her in line, but she wasn't happy about it when we came out after finishing dinner. Bryan had the shellfish over grits--he said it was great.  Annie had the fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes, collared greens and biscuits--that was also great.  And I had the Bibb salad--light and just perfect. We also tried the tea cake which the server said was a must.  It was eh...no chocolate.  I'd take a Leopold's ice cream over that cake any day of the week.  Favorite item at Magnolia's--the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!
Bryan's favorite part of the day was the walking around town and seeing all the great homes!!  I think all the kids would love to live in one of those historic beautiful homes.