Travel Traditions And Legends Abroad And Here In Charleston

Would you like to have the ability to deceive without offending? If you do, this ability can be acquired by simply kissing a stone, but not just any stone, a particularly popular stone, and simply is an understatement when it comes to the dangers involved in doing so. If you are a resident of the Lowcountry, you will have to travel over 3700 miles to do this.

The place is Cork, Ireland where Blarney Castle is located and the infamous stone is the Blarney Stone. People from all over the world descend upon this castle to kiss the stone built high into its battlements. Of course, all of this supposed ability obtained by caressing a stone with one's lips is in itself nothing but a bunch of blarney, so to speak.

Still, visitors to this castle brave the dangers involved in this practice. To touch the stone with one's lips, you must ascend to the castle's peak, then lean over backwards on the parapet's edge to reach the bluestone. Presently, bars you can grasp have been installed to make it safer, but before safeguards were installed, the kiss was performed with real risk to your life. Participants were held by the ankles and dangled bodily from the height. Another sobering thought is the idea of putting your lips on something millions of other people have planted their lips on. Before doing so, you may want to ponder this question: Did all past participants brush their teeth and goggle with mouthwash before performing the ritual?

This is just one of many practices or traditions travelers engage in for fun. Another famous allegory involves the practice of throwing coins into Trevi Fountain in Rome. The traditional legend states if a person throws a coin into the fountain they will return to Rome, throw two and you will experience new romance, a third and you will get married. Depending on what results you want, the idea would be knowing when to stop.

Charleston has a fountain of its own located in Waterfront Park called Pineapple Fountain, which represents the welcoming hospitality for which Charleston is so well known, but I don't know of any practice of throwing coins into it, and to take it a step further, I don't know of any practice of kissing any stones either. However, I have become aware of one tradition in Charleston, if that is what you want to call it.

The place is the Vendue Inn and the custom is writing a letter and sticking it into one of the bedposts in the room. The specific room I will leave a mystery. I first heard of this while sitting at the pool in my neighborhood talking to a lady whose daughter was staying there.

The Vendue Inn is a downtown Charleston hotel located right in the heart of the French Quarter of the Historic District not far from the Battery and Waterfront Park. It is a small boutique hotel with wrought iron beds, exposed brick walls, and Egyptian cotton sheets, to name just a few of its unique features. It is host to a popular rooftop bar that overlooks Charleston Harbor, which is a local hot spot in the evenings. There is live music six nights a week with no cover charge. Hotel specials and packages are available including a "Charleston Romance Package" and a "Hysterical History Package".

So, make your mark in history. Stay at the Vendue Inn and write a letter to stick in the bedpost for future occupants to read, but try not to get too personal or descriptive. If you know of any other customs or practices unique to Charleston, I would like to hear about them. Send me an email describing it.

Charleston Is An Attractive Place To Play In More Ways Than One

One recent Friday night I sat outside of the Southend Brewery to watch the crowds of people go by. As a refresher, I ordered the popular beer sampler the brewery makes available and sat back. The purpose behind this was to satisfy my curiosity that Charleston is the city with the most attractive people. My rather insignificant study evolved around the female gender because in my narrow male thinking the poll done by "Travel and Leisure" based their results on women only. The reason for that conclusion was derived from the fact that pictures published in articles about this study showed exclusively women, but the usage of the word "people" would seem to imply including both genders. Anyways, it goes against my grain to see it any other way.

The female nightlife crowd did not disappoint. The challenge was distinguishing between vacationers and locals. Vacationers obviously wouldn't count since they are not from Charleston. Groups of four dressed to the hilt and around the same age was pretty much a given they were locals. Other groups consisting of various ages were more difficult, but there are obvious indicators that give away visitors, one being cameras and another alot of pointing. Couples presented the greatest challenge. With the sampler polished off and my evaluations completed, my final summation was ready. The poll done by "Travel and Leisure" in my thinking was verified, if attractive was based solely on looks. Other cities may disagree, like Miami and San Diego, but somebody had to be number one and it might as well be Charleston.

Other top honors pulled in by Charleston were in categories such as antiques shopping, cool boutique hotels, cozy bed and breakfasts and awesome neighborhoods. These results were based on what visitors had to say. Charleston was also ranked number one in friendly. Like every thing in life, these findings are subjective. I am also from Northeast Ohio and if you were to plant yourself outside of Playhouse Square in Cleveland or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame you may come to the same conclusion. Although, there is a huge difference in what you may call a city, because I do not consider Charleston a city type city, meaning high rise buildings, concrete structures, huge city streets, business people focused completely on self, and all else.

So, what do the attractive people of Charleston do on a Friday night? There is no shortage of partying in Charleston. Vacationers looking for a good time, college students looking to blow off some steam, and knowledgeable locals all converge on the downtown area where the watering-holes and sports bars are willing cater to their needs. If you are seeking a more sophisticated release the district's higher-end restaurants, such as High Cotton and McCrady's, and swanky cocktail joints like Torch Velvet Lounge are there to please. Also, local bars and music halls offer an enviable lineup of live entertainment. Topping out the long list are Pavillion Bar and Cafe, King Street Grille, Henry's on the Market, Rooftop at the Vendue, Music Farm, Torch Lounge, Blind Tiger Pub, Windjammer, McGrady's, and JB Pivot's Beach Club.

Charleston Is Both Fascinating and Entertaining-Come And Live The Story

Charleston is amalgamated with stories brimming full of mystery, intrigue, and historical importance. Whether fact or fiction, they are an intregal part of Charleston's persona. They breath life into every brick, plank, cobblestone, and iron gate that have been fused together into the mass of buildings and homes that form today's Holy City. They are spouted from every corner and doorstep. They are inescapable.

It wasn't always like this. There was a period of time when the life spark was close to being extinguished. Charleston, like the Planters Hotel, had fallen into near ruin. The stories were there, but the bricks, planks, and cobblestones had become infested with disinterest, dangling from a noose like Stede Bonnet at White Point. Although, the fate of Charleston turned out differently then the "gentleman pirate's" fate thanks to a modern day renaissance, an awakening into everything historical.

You will be warmed by the story of Poogan, a once homeless dog that found his way onto the porch of a home being renovated into a restaurant now known as Poogan's Porch. Maybe, while you are there enjoying some upscale Lowcountry cuisine, you might hear a ruckus in the kitchen, pots and pans banging around. That would be Zoe St. Amand making her presence known, a native Charlestonian who lived in the house at one time. Yes, lived, as in the past tense.

One of Charleston's most infamous characters, Lavinia Fisher, is the climax of Charleston's scariest tours at the Old City Jail. Lavinia, along with her husband, poisoned guests at their inn with oleander tea, robbed them, and hacked up their bodies and stashed them in the cellar. She was put on trial and executed by hanging at the Old City Jail where she is said to make appearances from time to time. Supposedly, her final words before the rope snapped were, "If anyone has a message for hell, give it to me-I'll deliver it." She maybe somewhat ticked-off because a recent investigation into the legend shows she may have been innocent. Something to do with corrupt politicians. Now, that I can believe.

Another quaint story you will hear on a carriage ride in the French Quarter pertains to three houses at 23, 25, and 27 Meeting Street. The guide speaks of how they were built by a wealthy Charleston father for his three daughters, who were so ugly that he figured they would never marry and have a home of their own. That's the narrative. The simple truth may point to a different explanation. Their similar architectural styles may have something to do with the title, Three Sisters. Which account is more intrtiguing to you?

If you are a bit squeamish or easily frightened by such stories of ghosts and things that go bump in the night, there are plenty of iron gated mansions with gardens to tour that are filled with real life artifacts, not to leave out the beautiful plantations, each with a documented history of its own. Fort Sumter guards its harbor and greets the passing cruise ships. The South Carolina Aquarium gives you a quick peak at its topography and wildlife.

The fact of the matter, Charleston is both facsinating and entertaining. Its hotels are a testimony to its hospitality and grace. Its restaurants are a declaration to its unique blend of Lowcountry cuisine. Its numerous tours and historical carriage rides will familiarize you to what is the beating heart of the South.

Come, step into the antebellum past for a day or a week. As an added bonus, immerse yourself into everything the present has to offer in the way of sandy beaches, boating, fishing, golfing, and shopping. Click on Charleston Attractions for a complete list of things to do.