Congaree to Charleston
Dad and I began our morning just south of Columbia at the beautiful Congaree National Park. We made it to Charleston for lunch at Hymans Half Shell, then shopped at the Historic Charleston City Market, which dates to the 1790s. Afterwards, we toured around Charleston Harbor and the South of Broad district, with its collection of beautiful, historic homes. For dinner, we took a break from ballpark food with a visit to Slightly North of Broad.
Congaree National Park
We began our second off day of the trip with a 30-minute drive south from Columbia to Congaree National Park. The forests of Congaree are famous for the Photinus carolinus, a firefly that synchronizes its flashing light patterns with potential mates nearby, creating waves of energy amidst the towering trees. The show is brief, however, from late May to early June. Although our visit was not timed with the mating cycles of fireflies, we did enjoy the walk on the bridge-and-boardwalk path running through the largest tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the U.S.Hymans Half Shell
After another two hours of driving, we arrived in the heart of Charleston for lunch at Hymans Seafood, a spot Dad had designated a must during our planning. The great grandfather of fourth-generation owners Eli and Aaron Hyman (Aaron run's the neighboring Aaron's Deli) was a Jewish immigrant from eastern Europe who established a wholesale business at this Meeting St. location in 1890. The business passed through two more generations until it was converted into a restaurant and deli in 1986. Eli and Aaron's dad, Wolf Maier Hyman, still lives on the third floor of the building.A huge list of celebrities have eaten at Hyman's, many commemorated with a small plate at each seating spot.
Charleston City Market
Across the street from Hyman's is the main entrance to the Charleston City Market, a four-block market established in the 1790s and still very much active today.South of Broad
The area at the tip of the Charleston peninsula is known as South of Broad (for Broad St.). It contains the beautiful, stately homes you associate with Charleston, many of them brightly and freshly painted, with impressive columns and balconies.Slightly North of Broad
On our second and final off day of the trip, we elected for dinner at Slightly North of Broad, which features Modern Southern and Lowcountry cuisine served in an 18th-century warehouse. We were not disappointed.Grilled pork chop with fingerling potatoes, feta, kale, peppadew honey
BBQ Tuna with fried oysters and country ham butter