2024 KLOVE Cruise USA Travel Itinerary Day 10: Visiting the Old Exchange, Old Slave Market, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum with Dinner at Gillie's Charleston!

On day 10 of our KLOVE Cruise USA Trip, we woke up early and left Jacksonville for Charleston at about 6:30am. Enroute, we enjoyed the beautiful sunrise and dropped by a petrol station along I95 (exit 33) for petrol ($22.4 for 7 gallons) as well as a 2 for $3 biggie at Wendies. Chose a sausage and egg cheese biscuit. Not too bad a deal…

Sunrise enroute from Jacksonville to Charleston

Foggy morning enroute from Jacksonville to Charleston

From Jacksonville to Charleston (Entering into Georgia)

From Jacksonville to Charleston - Beautiful Sunrise — From Jacksonville to Charleston – Beautiful Sunrise

From Jacksonville to Charleston - Entering South Carolina — From Jacksonville to Charleston – Entering South Carolina

From Jacksonville to Charleston - Stopping by Wendy's — From Jacksonville to Charleston – Stopping by Wendy’s

From Jacksonville to Charleston - Stopping by Wendy's for 2 for $3 Biggie — From Jacksonville to Charleston – Stopping by Wendy’s for 2 for $3 Biggie

From Jacksonville to Charleston - Stopping by Wendy's for breakfast — From Jacksonville to Charleston – Stopping by Wendy’s for breakfast

We reached Charleston Visitor Center at about 11am and thanks to the great folks here, we were able to visit some amazing attractions while in Charleston – such as the Old Exchange, Old Slave Mart as well as the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum…

USA Trip 2024 Day 10 – Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon Charleston

Our first stop this time was the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon at Charleston…

2bearbear at The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon Charleston

When we arrived at the Old Exchange, we were just in time for a guided tour of the dungeon. Here, we learnt about the history of Charleston – a building built in 1771.

Charleston Provost Dungeon tour started with an overview of the area

It is today, one of the 3 remaining (of 13) buildings where the US constitution was ratified. Most of the time of its existence, the Old Exchange was used for storage, concerts and meetings. It was only used as a dungeon, provost or military prison, for 2.5 years. During this part of the tour, we also learnt about how decisive battles took place at Charleston during the American revolution and how the name Charleston came about – named by settlers who were loyal to King Charles the 2nd, naming the town, Charles’ Town.

USA Trip 2024 Day 10 – Old Slave Charleston

2bearbear at Old Slave Mart Museum Charleston

Continuing our journey on the history of Charleston, we headed over to the Old Slave Mart, the actual location of a former slave market known as Ryan’s Market then. Here, we learnt about the slave trade that had 3 bounds

First Bound: From the East to the West of Africa
Second Bound: From the West of Africa to the Americas including South America
Third Bound: From the Americas to Europe

Charleston was at the heart of this slave trade. Here, we also learnt about the brutalities that slaves would be treated with. Chains, shackles and even labelling by iron was common. However, the most interesting part of this journey was that we learnt how slaves were actually brought to the Americas because of their skills. Some were skilled in growing rice, others in domestic matters like cooking and still others who were skilled as ironsmiths or barber. Some might even say that the Americas in those days were built up by these skilled workers.

Value of slaves shown at Old Slave Mart Museum

USA Trip 2024 Day 10 – Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum

At about 1:30pm in the afternoon, we arrived at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum…

Entrance of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

USS Yorktown CV-10 at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Boarding USS Yorktown CV-10 at Patriots Point Museum

What to Expect at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum consists of a few attractions including the Destroyer Laffey, Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown as well as the Vietnam Experience…

USS Laffey - Destroyer at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum — USS Laffey – Destroyer at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

History Channel video on Kamikaze pilots during WW2 on USS Laffey Patriots Point Museum

Commissioned in 1944, it was quite interesting to see how it is like inside the USS Laffey. Within, we saw the galley, bond store as well as the guns. There was also a history channel video that showed Kamikaze pilots attacking USS Laffey off Okinawa during WW2.

Historic aircrafts in hangar of USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Museum

USS Yorktown Patriots Point Museum Tour 2 - Flight Deck and Bridge — USS Yorktown Patriots Point Museum Tour 2 – Flight Deck and Bridge

Pilot's Prep Area on USS Yorktown Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum — Pilot’s Prep Area on USS Yorktown Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum

Historic aircrafts at flight deck of USS Yorktown CV-10 at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum

Next, we visited the USS Yorktown CV-10 – not to be confused with USS Yorktown CV-5 that was sunk during the Battle of Midway in 1941. CV-10 was being built in 1943 and already had another name but was renamed as USS Yorktown, in honour of CV-5 that was sunk. CV-10 was launched in 1943. During this visit, we saw the flight deck, hangar as well as an escalator installed onboard in the 1950s to bring pilots and their gear back to the ready room from the flight deck. Escalator in an aircraft carrier in 1950s? Cool!

Vietnam Experience Outdoors at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Exhibits within Vietnam Experience Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

To round up the visit, we stopped by the Vietnam Experience and learnt about how the US was drawn into the Vietnam War and at a moment in time, those who were sent to Vietnam, were not supported by the public. Just before checking-in to TownePlace Suites Marriott Charleston West Ashley, we dropped by Trader Joe’s for some souvenirs, including their peanut butter and speculoos cookie butter which are superb!

USA Trip 2024 Day 10 – Checking-in to TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley

2bearbear at TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Review

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley - Lobby — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley – Lobby

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley - Swimming Pool — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley – Swimming Pool

At about 4:30pm, we checked in at TownePlace Suites Marriott Charleston West Ashley. This time, we paid about $160SGD per night. The hotel itself was comfortable and spacious…

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley - Studio Room King Sized Bed — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley – Studio Room King Sized Bed

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley - Sofa Bed — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley – Sofa Bed

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley - View from our room — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley – View from our room

As we checked-in, we were also introduced to Gillie’s Seafood by the receptionist. This was where we headed to for dinner this evening…

USA Trip 2024 Day 10 – Dinner at Gillie’s Seafood Charleston

Gillie's Seafood Charleston Review — Gillie’s Seafood Charleston Review

Gillie's Seafood Charleston South Carolina Review — Gillie’s Seafood Charleston South Carolina Review

"Grandma's Wall" at Gillie's Seafood Charleston — “Grandma’s Wall” at Gillie’s Seafood Charleston

Gillie’s Seafood felt like a homely restaurant that served the local community. The interior decorations with the table cloths and pictures in the background, felt like we were coming home to grandma’s for a home-cooked meal. After browsing the menu, we asked about the difference between the gumbo and purloo. Turns out that the purloo is the dried version while the gumbo comes with gravy. This time, we ordered the gumbo ($21) and the fried chicken ($18). As they were out of white meat (breast), we had the dark meats (thighs and drumstick). The fried chicken came with 3 sides and we chose collared greens, cornbread and fried okra…

Gillie's Seafood Charleston Review - Seafood Gumbo ($20) — Gillie’s Seafood Charleston Review – Seafood Gumbo ($20)

Gillie's Seafood Charleston - Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Fried Okra and Collared Greens — Gillie’s Seafood Charleston – Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Fried Okra and Collared Greens

What We had at Gillie's Seafood Charleston - Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($18) and Seafood Gumbo ($20) — What We had at Gillie’s Seafood Charleston – Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($18) and Seafood Gumbo ($20)

Gillie's Seafood Charleston - Corn Bread sides — Gillie’s Seafood Charleston – Corn Bread sides

Everything was so good! The gumbo had the southern seasoning gravy that goes so well with the rice. The seafood used were all so fresh and there was quite a variety as well, including prawns, crawfish and oysters. The sausage used also added a nice flavourful dimension to the dish. As for the fried chicken, they were perfectly fried. Tender with seasoning that were better than the conventional fried chicken you get out there. The collared greens had a taste of familiarity, tasting like out gai lan in Singapore albeit with a slight sourish taste. As for the fried okra, it was probably the best of the sides, slightly batter yet moist on the inside. As for the cornbread, Kate commented that it was one of the best she’s had. Definitely a treat to have visited Gillie’s Seafood this evening!

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Stay tuned as we check out Seacoast Church as well as the other attractions in Charleston on Day 11 of our US trip!

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