This morning we decided to visit Angel Oak. It’s only about 9 miles outside of Charleston, in John’s Island. Google said the tree was closed until 1pm, but we were like, it’s a tree, it can’t be closed. So we drove out there and…. the tree was closed. Which meant that it was enclosed by a chain link fence, so we couldn’t get close.
But the tree is just awe-inspiring. It’s a live oak, estimated to be between 400-500 years old (which means it’s about as old as the country!). It shades over 17,000 square feet, and is absolutely beautiful. The picture just doesn’t do it justice.
After lunch at a nearby spot that must have been owned by a New Yorker – there was a subway map painted on the wall, along with other NYC icons – we took another walk around Charleston. This time we wandered into the ‘I have untold amounts of money’ part of town:
Every house was bigger and more beautiful than the next. I can’t even imagine how anyone manages to furnish those houses, I couldn’t make that many decisions if you paid me.
We had a nice dinner in a converted church. The decor was definitely better than the food – they paid a local artist to write the entire book of ‘The Art of War’ on chalkboards set in the vaulted ceiling. I have no idea how they came up with the idea, but I can definitely see why once they thought of it they just HAD to do it.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Charleston and head into the Blue Ridge Mountains for some hiking. We’re looking forward to it.