Plantation Tour - Chicora Wood

Another stop on the Home and Plantation Tour was the lovely property of Chicora Wood.  Chicora Wood is a very large estate backing up to the Pee Dee River, which was another rice-producing plantation.  The current owners have restored the entire estate, including the gardens, the main house, the original house (back wing), and numerous outbuildings.  The house is also notable for being the home of Mrs. John Julius Pringle (Elizabeth), who is the author of A Woman Rice Planter, and she lived, planted rice, and wrote at the home until her death in 1921.  The grounds were stunning, and it was evident that the owners have spent a lot of time and effort to restore this property to its current state.

Georgetown Plantation Tour - Arundel

The second two plantation sites we visited were Springfield and Arundel.  The Springfield Plantation no longer had an historic house on the property and the tour was merely a drive through of the grounds.  The Arundel Plantation was named for Arundel Castle in England.  As with many of the plantations in the area, Arundel was owned at various times by the Allston family.  The plantation now remains in the Qattlebaum family from Florence.  The house was quite beautiful, though we noticed it was in need of major restoration work. 

Entry Alley of Oaks and Azaleas 

View of the marsh 

Main house

Georgetown Plantation Tour - Arcadia

Ben decided we should have a little weekend adventure, so one Saturday in March we headed across the bridge for the Home and Plantation Tour hosted by the Saint George Winyah Episcopal Church in historic downtown Georgetown, SC.  The two day event allows attendees access into numerous historic homes and plantations in Georgetown County.  Friday was the south of Georgetown tour, which we were unable to attend because of work, and Saturday was the north of Georgetown tour.  They flip the schedule each year, so we are hoping to go back next year to see the other plantations and homes we didn't get to see this year.

We arrived before the doors opened at the church to get our tickets, and being second in line, we quickly devised a plan of action as soon as we got our tickets and map.  With 17 stops on the list, we needed to move and act quickly.  Scanning the list we decided Arcadia would be our first stop.  We had heard that the grounds were beautiful, and the home is hardly ever open to the public.  We jumped in the truck and were the first guests to arrive at the house.  These photos really show the beauty of this historic property without other visitors to distract from the scenery.

Plantation Tour - Churches

 Prince Fredrick Summer Chapel

 Booth Numbers at Prince George Parish Church in Georgetown

 Ruins of Prince Fredrick Church

Main Sanctuary burnt down leaving just the Nave 

Blessing of the Inlet

The 16th annual Blessing of the Inlet celebration is held the First Saturday of May, This festival is highlighted by the “Blessing of the Inlet” Ceremony administered by the Reverend Dr. Mike Alexander and the Reverend Marty Nason.  In addition there are countless local vendors and artist with booths selling their goods.  After browsing through the book sale and through the vendors, we headed over to the children's area and got a sno-cone.  We found a shady spot and watched the ceremony.  We then samples some of the delicious local cuisine before hitting the road to Conway. 

Carolina Cup 2012

Tradition could also be a synonym with culture here in the South. The Carolina Cup with its 80th running this year is a classic example of this tradition.  Year after year thousands of fans brave the often unpredictable Southern spring weather for a day of socializing and horse watching.  This was our third year at our current spot, which is along the South rail facing college park.  The weather was perfect Friday night as we all hung out on the porch.  With some rain overnight, Saturday morning started off looking less than promising. We all got dressed up and heading to the Cup grounds expecting the worse but hoping for the best.  Around mid morning the rain clouds cleared and the remainder of the day was some of the best Cup weather in memory. The races were great, minus two separate jockeys getting thrown on the same jump.
We had a wonderful weekend with friends and hope you'll consider joining us next year for this South Carolina tradition.

 House we stayed at on Lake Wateree

 Cup spot all set up with Johanna's keen eye

 Us

 The girls

 Horses 

Saturday night sunset over the lake

Men and their Cars

In addition to St. Patrick's day this weekend, it was also the annual Myrtle Beach Classic Car Show.  This event draws a huge crowd and thousands of cars every year.  This year's show was no exception with a wide variety of cars.  You can't help but feel nostalgic with all these cars around.  It's the feeling of the open road, the hope that there is always more beyond the horizon. Modern cars have lost the style and grace of their predecessors, they have become tools of function. I believe the automobile was not invented for convenience but as an extension of the same curiosity that drove explorers across the Atlantic, into the Brazilian Jungles, and towards the South Pole. Looking across the rows of cars I couldn't help but feeling the wind in my hair cruising the open road off to adventures unknown.