We drove to Charleston where we browsed the City Market, had a wonderful meal at the Lowcountry Bistro, walked through the Waterfront Park and White Point Garden, viewed the historic homes along the Battery, and attended mass at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
The next day we crossed the Arthur Ravenel Bridge to Patriots Point, where we took a cruise through the Charleston Harbor to Fort Sumter National Monument (now called Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park). Two days after our visit to the fort marked the 155th anniversary of the first shots of the Civil War, which were fired at this location. After exploring the fort, we cruised back to Patriots Point for some up-close views of the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier.
We also spent a morning touring the Boone Hall Plantation and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. Later, we drove north to Congaree National Park where we hiked the elevated boardwalk trail.
In Columbia, we visited the South Carolina Statehouse and the Woodrow Wilson family home, then drove north to Kings Mountain National Military Park, which is also a site on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Finally, we drove to Cowpens National Battlefield where we had an audio tour while driving the park road.