As you enter the Charleston Museum, you are introduced to an example of the natural history portion of their collection in the form of a large whale skeleton, which hangs from the ceiling.
This is just the beginning of your adventure. Take time to examine the funeral carriage and then visit the special exhibit. As you move along, you will receive an education in the art of ironwork in Charleston, as well as historic preservation.
Whatever you are expecting from the Charleston Museum, the scope and variety of their collection will astonish you. It is a combination of natural history, decorative arts, and history museums. Billed as America’s first museum, it was founded by the Charleston Library Foundation in 1773.
A fire destroyed the initial collection in 1778. Originally, items were collected from around the world, but today are collected only from Charleston. Certainly, the museum has enough to keep the whole family entertained for many hours.
I began my tour by going through the silver collection. They have an amazing, deep collection, including George Washington’s christening cup.
I am a lover of snuffboxes, and they have a fine collection. If tea is your interest, there are cases filled with all the accouterments of a good English tea. Another interesting display introduces those delightfully Victorian utensils: the melon fork, mustard spoon, marrow scoop toddy ladle, asparagus server, and the like.
Bountiful Coast is an exhibit on the forest and the animals that thrive there. It includes a formal Low Country table setting, a colonial kitchen, and a very interesting display of what a typical meal would have consisted of for the different classes of Southern Society, especially the privileged.
One room holds the original Charleston Museum exhibits from 1790. It is intriguing to see what our ancestors would have thought worthy of a museum. Some of it seems quite simple in this day and age, but much of it is extraordinary enough to have stood the test of time. A two-headed brown water snake grabbed my attention.
As you continue through the museum, you will come upon the item preferred by most children - the Charleston Polar Bear. He was taken from a frozen section of the Arctic Ocean in 1961 and is a beauty.
The history section at the Charleston Museum has an outstanding costume collection. There are all the usual items, covering about 150 years: Civil War uniforms, skirts, dresses, and the like. I walked through in reverse order, so I was on a trip back in time. I think it might be wiser to do it chronologically. Watch Charleston evolve through the Revolutionary War, the rise of the rice culture, the Civil War, and beyond.
In the rear of the Visitor Center, you will find all the tour buses lined up. We chose Grayline because they offer a 10% AAA discount. Pick up is available from your hotel, just check with your concierge. You will probably need to sign up a day in advance.
Our driver’s name was Charlie. The tour lasts 90 minutes and introduces all the major areas of interest. What it did do was give us a general sense of where everything was what might be of interest to us.
Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, led the settlement of South Carolina in 1663. At that time, the Carolina Colony’s northern boundary was the North Carolina/Virginia border, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and St. Augustine, Florida, to the south. The first settlement was made in an area that was swampy, and by 1680, the settlement had moved to Charlestown.
It wasn’t renamed Charleston until 1734. The original town was 4 blocks by 7 blocks and surrounded by a seawall, making it only the third walled city in North America behind St. Augustine and Quebec. A small section of the seawall is visible today in the Exchange Building.
Charleston grew too fast to stay within the walls, and by 1735, 75% of it had been removed to allow for expansion. Charleston has the fourth largest port in the United States and the second largest on the East Coast. That certainly surprised me.
Some of the people you will learn about on the tour are John C. Calhoun, Frances Marion, and Wade Hampton; I won’t ruin your fun by elaborating.
Charleston is called the holy city because of its churches; there are 400 in the county and 71 in the city itself. Of the 400, 85 are listed as historic buildings. These played into quite a large part of our tour. We learned about St. Michael and St. Philip, The French Huguenot Church, and St. Matthew German Lutheran Church. The steeple of St. Matthew Church is 268 feet tall, the tallest church building in the state. No building in Charleston is allowed to be taller than that steeple.
As we traveled through Charleston, examples of their beautiful wrought-iron work were pointed out. Skilled African-American slaves created much of this. They have left a beautiful legacy.
Among the many interesting facts we learned was that the College of Charleston has been used as the backdrop for some famous movies, like "The Patriot," which is loosely based on the life of Frances Marion. Another interesting fact is that Charleston has been hit by many major hurricanes. When you see how beautiful it is, it is even more amazing, especially since it has also suffered earthquake damage. You will learn how to identify earthquake bolts. This is an interesting tour, and I highly recommend it.
The Publick House Historic Inn and Country Lodge is located in Sturbridge, MA which is best known for the historic village that is located there. It has been a favorite get-away destination for us for many years. When I was thinking about where to go this year for our wedding anniversary, I decided it was time for us to visit again. Just for your information, the village is open on Sunday but is not open on Monday or Tuesday which was news to me. I had originally planned to spend two nights, Sunday and Monday but with the historic village closed I decided one night would be enough.
You have lots of options when it comes to staying at the Publick. you can stay in the historic part of the inn, you can stay in the least expensive option, the motel type rooms at the Country Lodge,
you can stay in one of the two buildings off-site, Chamberlain and Tillyer House. We have stayed in the historic inn and at the Country Lodge, this time we opted to stay at the Tillyer House since it is brand spanking new and the spa is also located in the lower level of the building.
It was a very good choice, the room was spacious and modern though the desk in the Tillyer House was unmanned and required that we go to the front of the historic inn to check in which was inconvenient, to say the least.
What was really nice was that you get a free cup of coffee or pastry for breakfast at the bakery if you want or you get 10% off meals at the inn. We had dinner and breakfast at the inn and both were excellent.
The bed was large and very comfortable and we could look out our window and see the bakery and if I had opened the window I am sure I could have smelled it as well. I was very pleased, it was quiet and very comfortable and the WiFi and the TV both worked very well.
I was very pleased with our stay here and I have to give high ratings to the spa, it is lovely and the price was surprisingly affordable.
In the Tillyer House, there is a lounge where you can relax and read and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or specialty coffee 24/7. This is a very nice touch.
"Timeless elegance at the Market" is how they describe themselves, and I am hard-pressed to improve on that description. As soon as you enter the lower level, you know this is not going to be your average hotel visit.
The curving staircase with the elaborate ironwork soars up to the lobby, which is on the first floor. You are greeted with champagne and lady ladyfingers in our case, with the news that due to booking difficulties, we have been upgraded to a junior suite - I hate when that happens!
THE ROOM
Tastefully decorated the room took our breath away. Our two queen-size beds came with double-sheeted featherbeds. If you don’t like the pillows on the bed, order another type from the pillow menu. We relaxed on our queen-size sofa bed with a matching easy chair and lots of throw pillows. The room had three other chairs and three tables. A desk separated the two beds, and the TV was located in an armoire. A particularly nice touch was the two luggage racks, one on each side of the armoire. Our room overlooked City Market.
A favorite with us was the large Jacuzzi tub. It was perfect for soaking after a long day of walking. The shower was a separate unit.
The bathroom was well equipped with a blow dryer, makeup mirror, full-length mirror, and a wrought-iron cart holding four sets of plush towels. Amenities are provided by Gilcrest and Soames.
You will find two robes in your armoire.
FOOD
Breakfast is provided, and you can choose to have it delivered or can pick it up yourself in the lobby. An outdoor patio is provided for your dining enjoyment, as well as several couches and plenty of chairs. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. You can choose from French pastries, toasted bagels, blueberry muffins, fruit, juice, and beverages.
From 5 to 6 p.m., there is a wine-and-cheese reception, and from 9 to 10 p.m., there is milk and cookies. Coffee and tea are available 24/7, and ice tea and lemonade are offered from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are even M&M's and Jelly Bellies
available to snack on. In the morning, you will find USA Today at your door.
In the evening, turndown service is provided. You receive a praline and tomorrow’s weather forecast, with a copy of the breakfast menu tucked into your robe.
PARKING
Valet parking was $32 a day.
Beyond service, the staff at the French Quarter Inn here can handle anything. Joe had some packages he needed shipped home, and it was arranged for him. We needed dinner suggestions, and we had a fabulous meal and a flawless reservation. Need a map? They have it. Forget something and they will provide it. Everyone goes out of their way to be friendly and helpful. I love this hotel and can’t wait to come back.
A country house tour: Ickworth House
In a country of countless country houses, Ickworth House stands out for its unique architecture. It is built in the Italianate style with a central rotunda and 2 curved wings going off it. As you visit the rooms on the Rotunda the uniqueness of the curved exterior walls is a delight to the eye and yet still surprises as you move room to room.
Ickworth was constructed by the Earl Bishop, Frederick, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. The family name of the Earls of Bristol was Hervey. The house is not currently in the possession of the family, it belongs to the National Trust and the east wing has been turned into a four-star luxury hotel.
Construction on Ickworth House began in 1795, and the Earl Bishop viewed it as more of a museum than a comfortable home. His extensive art, silver and furniture collections are now on display in the house.
The rooms
The first room you visit is the Dining Room - it has 6 large silver candelabra, on the right-hand wall is a lovely picture of the Hervey Sisters in identical white dresses with blue sashes. The library has 4 pillars. They are ground marble over a wood frame and hollow. The silk on the curtains and couches is made in Sudbury. There is a very nice painting by Benjamin West of the death of General Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham.
The Drawing Room has a beautiful portrait of Lady Elizabeth Foster by Angelika Kaufman and a portrait of the Earl Bishop by Viger Lebrun. The chandeliers in this room were made in Birmingham. A man came with scroll designs and stood on a stool so they could pick which one looked best in each room.
The Pompeian Room has several gorgeous tables made of mosaic and marble from tombs along the Appian Way in Rome. The ceiling of the room is a dome, amazing. When you first go upstairs, there is a beautiful display of the fan collection of the 3rd Marchioness of Bristol. Some of the fans are from as early as the 18th century.
One of the bedrooms has a beautiful and unusual Venetian Murano Glass chandelier. It is very colorful and the guide in that room said that people seem to either love or hate it, with most women loving it. I have to admit that yes, I did love it.
The Museum Room housed some of the massive silver collection. A silver baby rattle and a huge wine cistern were among my favorites, as well as cases of miniatures. Included is a beautiful portrait of Georgiana Devonshire and Elizabeth Foster who shared the love of the Duke of Devonshire and yet remained close friends, as well as snuffboxes and perfume bottles.
We ended our tour with a visit to the gift shop and a bit of play acting. Some really interesting hats are offered for you to try on and model and of course, we did.
Be sure to check their website or the National Trust for opening times and fees.
Let me begin by saying this was an amazing tour. I love visiting presidential sites but let's be honest, Franklin Pierce is not exactly a household name and when it comes to boring presidents of very little account, he may be very close to the top of the list. And yet, this was such an interesting tour. It just goes to show if you have an enthusiastic docent giving the tour, it makes for a very good time.
We came here the last weekend in September and our tour had 11 people on it. Seriously, 11 people I was shocked, was it "Let's visit the home of a boring president weekend"? It seems as though it was and people were from as far away as Wisconsin.
Hillsborough is not close to anything really. It is out of the way but I am going to encourage you to actually make the trip, you won't be disappointed. While Franklin may be a lackluster president once you visit here, it will all become a lot more clear and many very interesting stores will be told about his father and brother and Franklin himself before he became president.
The homestead was purchased by Franklin's father the same year he was born so though he wasn't born here he did spend all of his formative years in this house. I was disappointed that no photography was allowed in the house because there were lots of interesting things in it.
Adam was our tour guide and his love and enthusiasm for this property were evident throughout the tour. They offer a video while you are waiting for the tour to start but we arrived too late to see more than a minute or two.
While the Pierces weren't wealthy they were comfortable. The farm was originally 200 acres and they had local girls who helped around the house who also stayed with the family. It was a good job and they could be assured of not too hard work and plenty to eat.
The house has an addition that is older than the original house, it is an older house that was brought here and added to the home. We began the tour in the kitchen and learned a lot about life in the house in the time when Franklin was growing up.
Benjamin Pierce was from Chelmsford, Mass and he ran a pub. The front of the house was built to be a pub and it was run as one in the early days. He was quite successful and served two terms as the governor of New Hampshire.
Franklin married Jane Means Appleton when he was not quite 30 and she was 28. Her father according to our guide Adam was the most repressive minister in the history of America. Knowing about Cotton Mather, this made me want to learn a bit more about the Rev. Appleton.
Jane hated Hillsborough and she and Franklin moved to Concord after 4 years. She appears to always have been a rather depressed woman but losing her children at young ages didn't help and the loss of their last child Benjamin at the age of 12 in a tragic train accident on the way to Washington sent her into an extreme depression from which she never recovered. Luckily, her husband adored her and was very patient with her.
Franklin was very anti-war after he was fought in the Mexican War. He was great friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jefferson Davis.
The tour of this homestead is filled with great information and I can't believe I am saying this but I think we will go back and do it again, it was that good and there is also the house in Concord, NH that can be visited.
I highly recommend a getaway weekend and a visit to the Franklin Piecere Homestead, you won't be disappointed.
When it comes to boating holidays in England, there are several different options to choose from. Canal boating is a popular pastime on the rivers of England and there is the Lake District which has lots of boating opportunities. Here are a few suggestions about where you might want to spend your boating holiday in England.
What could be more fun than a canal boat company called "The Black Prince"? It offers a variety of launch points and the launch points offer a variety of different boating experiences. One of the launch points is in the Peak District. The base is at the Festival Park Marina in Etruria, Stoke on Trent. There are four route options to choose from and all of them offer a different boating experience.
For those who prefer to take a longer trip, there are two routes that are over 100 miles. Both of them are active routes with lots of locks and require traveling for up to nine hours a day. For those who prefer a more leisurely trip, there is one route that is only 42 miles. It requires only three hours per day of floating and then there is one that is middle of the road and requires about six hours of travel per day and goes 82 miles through 26 locks. Their boats can accommodate from two to ten people.
The boats have all the modern conveniences. Kitchens with cookers and fridges, color TV with DVD, showers and toilets. It will be a home away from home for your boating holiday. Cost depends on the number of travelers, time of year and length of the holiday. This is just one of many canal boat options that are available in England.
The Lake District is in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. Only one of the bodies of water in the Lake District is actually called a lake, Bassenthwaite Lake, the rest are called meres or waters. Windermere is one of the larger bodies of water and it has the option to rent a houseboat. The houseboats are offered by
Windermere Lake Holidays in Bowness on Windermere. The houseboats are moored, so you don’t actually move on them, however, if you want to boat there are sailboats and dinghies for rent at the same marina where the boats are moored, the best of both worlds.
If you want to learn to be a skipper there are boating holidays that can provide that opportunity or you can just lay back and let someone else to the piloting for you. You can choose to cruise the canals, lakes and the coastline, whatever suits your fancy.
These are just a few of the boating holiday opportunities that England has to offer. If you enjoy boating, England has a holiday to fit your tastes and your budget. Boating holidays are also offered in Scot and Wales.
