Stories and photos by Elsa Dixon (unless otherwise indicated)
Visitors flock to Charleston, South Carolina, to enjoy its rich history, culture, architecture, fine food, and easy living. Residents appreciate all these attributes and more. I am fortunate to live ‘on the water’ on Daniel Island, a piece of land between mainland Charleston and the Mt. Pleasant residential areas. Since I am surrounded by the Wando and the Cooper Rivers. I would like to introduce Charleston as seen from these waters and beyond.
Daniel Island Waterfront Park
Daniel Island Waterfront is a fine starting point. Using the Park as a springboard, visitors and locals can enjoy many recreational activities, such as picnic facilities, a small beach, and a hiking trail along the Wando River.
The Dime (Daniel Island Market and Eatery) offers excellent coffee, delicious bagels, wraps, and other breakfast items. At the same time, Kingstide Restaurant, besides its sweeping river views, has upmarket dining downstairs and outdoor casual bar menu upstairs.
Daniel Island Ferry on the Wando River
The Daniel Island Ferry runs return services between Daniel Island and Downtown Joe Riley Waterfront Parks. One can hop on for a leisurely cruise while sipping a glass of wine and have enough time for a relaxed meal before the return journey. The dock near the Downtown Waterfront Park is a short walk from quite a few reputable restaurants. Check the ferry schedule online for days and times of operation.
Blue Crabbing on the Wando River
One of the pleasures of living on Daniel Island is exploring the waterways of Charleston with my friend, Julie, a Charleston-born native who belongs to the local Carefree Boat Club situated at the Daniel Island Waterfront Park. Blue crabbing is a popular pastime for seasoned islanders. The first time I went crabbing, Julie demonstrated how to secure a piece of chicken with a plastic zip tie in a wire drop net. “That should do it, “she smiled. “Now, we just lower it down the side of the boat and wait for the crabs.” The crabs stay alive in a cooler box until it is time to prepare them.
Charleston, South Carolina, is known for its fresh seafood, and there are plenty of blue crab recipes to choose from, such as blue crab dips, crab cakes, crab salad, and blue crab soup. We had cruised along one of the side tributaries of the Wando River and were enjoying the tranquility of our secluded spot. Not far away, an alligator’s snout drifted past while a heron flapped its wings and flew off. A perfect day. Julie slowly retrieved the basket, and there was a beautiful blue crab specimen. We caught a few more before setting off down the river towards the harbor.
Exploring the Wando River by Boat
We passed exciting landmarks. During the Second World War, the Wando River played a crucial role in navy operations. We passed an old drydock used for the maintenance and repairs of water vessels during that time. Now it serves as an ideal resting site for waterbirds and other creatures.
We continued our journey underneath the James B. Edwards (Wando River) Bridge, which is part of Interstate 526, a four-lane freeway looping around Charleston from West Ashley to Mt. Pleasant. The engineers chose a construction technique for the bridge that would reduce the impact on the marshes along the river. This method involved transporting and putting in place pre-cast cement segments.
We passed the very active Wando Welch Terminal, South Carolina’s largest container port. We counted at least 20 cranes ready for action. On researching what the terminal offered, we learned that the port had 65 container cranes, 10 top lifters, and 28 empty container handlers.
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
We motored around the tip of Daniel Island, where the Wando joins the Cooper River. The confluence of these two rivers is near the Arthur Ravenel Jr (Cooper River) Bridge, linking downtown Charleston and Mt. Pleasant. What an impressive sight, passing underneath the 13,200 feet long cable-stayed bridge. It is the longest of its kind in North America and the tallest structure in South Carolina. In April, every first weekend, about 50,000 people turn up for the annual Cooper River Bridge Run. The route starts in Mt. Pleasant and ends at Marion Square in downtown Charleston.
Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum
The USS Yorktown (also called “The Fighting Lady”) came into sight. This grand aircraft carrier served during World War ll and the Vietnam War, and also recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968. The USS Yorktown is part of the Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum complex. The 1,000,000 square feet of exhibits also features the USS Laffey and a Vietnam experience.
Castle Pinckney in the Charleston Harbor
This masonry fortification, built by the United States government in 1810, sits on a small island in the Charleston harbor. The Confederates used it briefly as a prisoner-of-war camp and it served as an artillery position during the American Civil War. Although named in the National Register of Historic Places, Castle Pinckney is not being maintained and is allowed to go to ruin.
Fort Sumter, Site of the First Shots of Civil War
We sailed around Fort Sumter, located on an island in Charleston Harbor. On April 12, 1861, the Confederacy fired the first shots of the Civil War on the U.S. garrison of Fort Sumter. The battle lasted 38 hours resulting in the soldiers capitulating to the Confederacy. Visitors can take a boat tour from Patriot’s Point to explore the fort.
Crab Bank Bird Sanctuary
Crab Bank, a man-made island and bird sanctuary, is situated near the mouth of Shem Creek. It is an essential colonial nesting site for about 5,000 seabirds, including Eastern Brown Pelican, Royal tern, Laughing Gull, Black Skimmer, and American Oystercatcher. An active Crab Bank Renourishment Project is underway whereby the army corps of engineers dredge the harbor bottom to expand the size of the bird sanctuary.
A Floating Tiki Bar and Shrimp Drop at Shem Creek
We had organized a ’shrimp drop’ before setting off that morning. Circumventing the paddlers standing on boards, the canoes, and the Tiki Floating Bar, we chugged slowly up Shem Creek between rows of waterside restaurants. Footnote: The slogan for the Tiki Bar is ‘Why go bar hopping if you can hop on a bar?’
To our delight, three dolphins accompanied us part of the way. We called Mt. Pleasant Seafood to tell them we had arrived, and a few minutes later, a young man came sauntering down the ramp to hand over the shrimp to us waiting in the boat. What fun!
Sullivan’s Island on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
We cruised further north, in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), a 2,000-mile inland route of saltwater rivers, bays, sounds, natural inlets, and man-made canals found behind the beach dunes of the open sea. The Atlantic ICW runs between Boston and the Florida Keys.
Our tour now took us underneath the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge, connecting the town of Mt. Pleasant with Sullivan’s Island. There is an operator house in the middle swing span. For tall boat traffic, the bridge swings open from its central axis.
Isle of Palms
We cruised slowly past the barrier island town, Isle of Palms. This popular resort has miles and miles of white sandy beach. We enjoyed viewing the beautiful homes and docks lining the inland waterway. Taking the creek between Dewees Island and the end of the Isle of Palms, we turned and headed back down the coast.
As we sailed back into the open sea, seagulls squawked overhead, flocking around a shrimp boat, preparing to head home. South Carolina has a booming shrimp industry with three species of penaeid shrimp found in its waters. They are brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), and pink shrimp (Litopenaeus duorarum). Visitors to Charleston should try ‘shrimp and grits,’ a favorite local dish.
Stay Tuned for More on Charlestown
A follow-up article will take the reader on a cruise between the Cooper and the Ashley Rivers, from the Charleston Harbor to West Ashley and the plantations.
With acknowledgment to Juliet O’Day for her invaluable advice.
