Marion Square

In Marion Square, under a large tree, a crowd had gathered around this single bird of prey (I want to say it's an osprey, but I'm not sure) standing over a dead squirrel. The poor bird was nervous with all the people closely watching it, but eventually he was able to enjoy its meal.

Charleston is located on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Charleston was one of the largest cities and one of the busiest ports in America in the 18th century. Charleston Museum was founded in 1773 as America's first museum and was intended to be a world-class museum. This tradition can be seen in the museum's collection of copies of artifacts from the middle east.

Copy of a lamassu, a creature part bull with eagle wings and a human head used to protect the cities of Assyria.

One of many attractive churches found across downtown Charleston.

Charleston Holocaust Memorial in Marion Square

A beautiful fountain in Marion Square

This beautiful large bird bath doubles as a fountain.

Beautiful brick row houses.

Beautiful houses that look out upon Charleston Harbor.

The beautiful Charleston Harbor waterfront.

A reconstructed colonial house in Charles Towne Landing State Historic Park.

A reproduction of the 17th century coastal trader the Adventure. The cargo vessel would carry supplies and commodities between New Amsterdam and Barbados. You can climb on board and take a nice look around below deck.

The bow of the 17th century coastal trader, the Adventure.

The Legare-Waring House, a post-colonial plantation home built over the old colonial Charles Town.

A trio of turtles basking in the sun along the lake.

The Charles Towne Landing State Historic Park also includes a small zoo. I arrived late in the afternoon and so didn't have time to see it. But, it is a nice place to take the kids if they get bored with the history.

The New Cooper River Bridge, the second longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge includes a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle path for those who enjoy a nice walk high up over the water.

The USS Yorktown, a carrier built in 1942–1943 for WWII and later served in the Vietnam War. Now she sit at Patriot's Point, Mount Pleasant, SC, across the Cooper River from Charleston.

Parking at the carrier is $5 and then tickets are $18 per person. It seemed a little steep to me, but you would not only get to see the carrier but also the USS Clamagore (a Cold War submarine), the museum, and a reconstruction of a Vietnam Naval Support Base. If you're willing to walk a little distance from a free lot and are a big military history buff, then you should enjoy your day here.

A Marine AH-1J Sea Cobra helicopter.