A carriage tour near Battery Park. Beautiful carriage and a majestic horse pulling it. As a side note, there’s a big controversy in Charleston about the horses being used this way. Many see it as very harmful to the animals and there’s a movement to stop it.

This is one of the homes used in Gone With the Wind.

Historic Charleston has blocks of beautifully restored Civil War era homes, many still owned and occupied by descendants of the original owners.

Claudia and Tuck strolling down Battery Park. An amazing place for sure.

Get Tuck around water and it won’t be long until he finds a way to go in…which he immediately did here at the fountain in Battery Park. Fortunately it was early in the day and not many people were around. He loved it and bless his heart, it was already a really hot day.

This shot reminds us of France….beautiful flowers and colorful shutters. Magical combination.

I poked the camera through an iron fence to take this shot of a beautiful garden.

An unusual house….one side has curved balconies and the other has the typical straight ones. Guess they couldn’t make up their mind, so they did both. Maybe if we take a carriage ride, the guide can explain it.

Another view of the home with multiple balconies. And why not…it faces the harbor and Battery Park.

A carriage ride is a great way to see and learn about Charleston. This one was easing by Battery Park and as we listened to the guide, we learned that the house across the street from this one was used in the film Gone With the Wind.

I’m glad I don’t have to maintain one of these…but then again, if you’re rich enough to own one, you’ve got the money to keep it up.

Check out this house….it’s maybe 12’ wide. As in many old cities, land in town was very expensive and you were taxed on the size of your lot…hence the narrow home you see here. It was perfectly restored and super cute.

The main fountain in Battery Park. Check out the cruise ship in the background….a real blend of old and new. There’s no doubt in my mind that the fountain will outlast the cruise ship.

This gives you a view of the scale of these homes….they’re massive!

Just as in many cities in Europe…a lot of the homes didn’t face the street, but the narrower alley between a row of homes. The carriage guide was telling his riders that one of the reasons was to avoid the smells from the street, which were apparently very bad during the mid 1800’s before indoor plumbing.

Another view of the beautiful trees in Battery Park.

Another shot of the beautiful walkway. Notice the cruise ship in the background. Charleston has a very deep harbor and it’s used by cruise ships, merchant ships and US Navy ships.

One of the giant canons mounted at Battery Park in Charleston. These were used to protect the harbor during the Civil War. As with everything in historic Charleston, they’re beautifully preserved.

Battery Park is absolutely beautiful and it sits right on the harbor. It’s a must see when visiting Charleston.

One of the brick walkways in Battery Park….beautifully done and spotless. You don’t see any trash in downtown Charleston…they keep it pristine.

Flowers are everywhere in the old town.

Many of the old carriage houses have been repurposed into very expensive homes. Here’s a great example.

As we walked along Battery Park, I took some quick shots of the homes across the street. These homes look out on the harbor and it’s amazing to me that they survived the Civil War intact.

A beautiful flower garden on the path. Out in the distance is Ft. Sumter, where the first shot was fired that started the Civil War.

As we walked down Battery Park, members of a local auto club drove by. It’s fun to think of all the changes in transportation these old homes have seen since the mid 1800’s.

Another beautiful mansion by Battery Park. Notice again how some of the homes faced inward and away from the noise and smells of the street.