We headed over the incredible Arthur Ravenel Bridge that took us from Charleston to Patriot's Point to board the ferry. The bridge itself was amazing. You can see a much better picture than mine HERE.
We had to take a ferry to get to Fort Sumter. This was Peanut and Pumpkin's first boat ride. Pumpkin didn't quite get the whole riding on the water thing but Peanut thought it was pretty neat.
The fort itself was amazing. To see the bricks that have stood the test of time and battles was breathtaking. To stand on the ground that had not been there prior to the construction of the fort was incredible. They had to haul in granite to build up the existing sand bar to create the ground for the construction of the fort to begin.
The cannons that stand there today are not replicas. They are what have been there since the fort was constructed. To think of the many soldiers that used them to defend what they believed in was incredible.
The morning spent at the fort was very hot. Thankfully there was a museum and gift shop on the premises that were VERY well air conditioned. We were able to escape the heat inside. The following is a picture of the Fort Sumter Storm Flag from 1861. It is the actual flag that was lowered by Major Robert Anderson when he surrendered the fort to the Confederacy. You can read about the flag HERE. If you look closely in the picture you can see near the middle that in the fading process there is an image of a soldier's face. It is to the right of the star that is in the second row and second column.
We had just over an hour to visit the fort before our ferry needed to leave. It was a short visit but due to the heat long enough for the kiddos. On the way back to the dock we saw a dolphin in the water. Poor Peanut tried to see it but couldn't since it was swimming very fast. She kept asking me, "Mommy, did you see the 'olphin'?"
Near the dock the decommissioned U.S.S. Yorktown is in the water open for tours. The ferry got very close to it. It almost took my breath away to see how massive this naval aircraft carrier is. We didn't get to go on board this time around.
We had some hot, tired, hungry kids and adults after our visit to Fort Sumter so off we went in search of some lunch before heading to the ocean. I'll be back soon to fill you in on our ocean visit.
