Rio Travelers: CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Our next to last stop was in Charleston which is one of my favorite cities. We stayed outside the city in Oak Plantation RV Park for 3 days and had a very busy schedule. Our first full day included a bus tour of the city where our guide pointed out many of the highlights of Charleston, including all the beautiful homes and the Citadel which is a private military college. We stopped at the City Market for lunch and some shopping then went on to visit the country's only tea plantation as well as the Magnolia plantation and gardens. The tea plantation was an independent venture but is now owned and operated by Bigelow tea company and it was very interesting to learn how tea is grown and cultivated. Magnolia plantation was a rice plantation (not cotton like I assumed) and has been open to the public for tours since after the Civil War.

We had a free day for everyone to explore the area and the next day had us driving to Patriot's Point to visit the Navy ships on display. There was the aircraft carrier Yorktown, a destroyer escort and a submarine open for tours. After lunch, we took a boat ride out to Fort Sumter which is a National Monument. The weather was great and everyone had a good time.

Evenings had us gathering for social hour and playing some games. Karen was able to catch the most pencils one-handed and won a bottle of Rogue beer. Cathy was able to get all the ping pong balls out of the tissue box tied to her back but, as you can see Jim gave it a good try. We celebrated Lon's birthday with pizza and cake. Social hours are never "mandatory" but most everyone returns for them at the end of the day.

ITS TIME FOR "MINUTE TO WIN IT"