Adventures of an Alaskan Transplant: boat ride

This spring we took an extended spring break to the southeast portion of the East Coast. We split the trip into two sections: a week in Charleston (and a day in Savannah), and a week at my parents' in Florida.

This was our first time to both Charleston and Savannah, and we made the most of it. Our first day in Charleston we took a horse drawn carriage tour of downtown. It was a great overview of the city and the history of the area. I loved all of the varied architecture and landscaping!

Charleston's famous Waterfront Park

The next day we checked out a local church and then tooled around a suburb of Charleston called Summerville (what a great name!). It is the birthplace of sweet tea - and the home of the world's largest sweet tea!

Monday we drove up to Sullivan's Island and drove across the famous Ravenel Bridge. We also checked out a local fort, Fort Moultrie, and a nearby beach.

Our last day in Charleston we went back downtown and walked around their local college that is in central Charleston - the College of Charleston. It is a gorgeous campus!

The next day we drove down to Savannah and took a hop-off, hop-on trolley tour of the town. This tour also gave us a great overview for our short time in Savannah that kept us snapping pictures left and right.

Taking a break from walking on the trolley!

After a day in Savannah we headed south. We drove down to Jacksonville Beach and had lunch with some friends, and then headed west to my parents' on the Florida panhandle. As we entered Destin, a huge thunderstorm hit and we drove through torrential rain, high winds, and thunder and lightning. Quite an experience for us Alaskans! The weather cleared though, so we were able to head out on the boat the next morning. We toured the Destin harbor, and had lunch at a restaurant on the water in the Shalimar area. We even saw dolphins when we were in the harbor!

The next day my older sister and her son flew in. We spent the next week enjoying the sunshine, beach, seafood, and family. It was a fantastic spring trip!