2024 KLOVE Cruise USA Travel Itinerary Day 11: Visiting Seacoast Church, McLeod Plantation, Magnolia Plantation and Hyman's Seafood in Charleston

On day 11 of our KLOVE Cruise USA Travel trip, we visited Seacoast Church in the morning, after a hearty meal in our hotel at TownePlace Suites Marriott Charleston West Ashley…

2bearbear at TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Review

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast - Eggs, Sausage and Ham — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast – Eggs, Sausage and Ham

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast - Biscuit and Gravy, Muffin and Fruits — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast – Biscuit and Gravy, Muffin and Fruits

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast - What We Had for Breakfast — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Charleston West Ashley Breakfast – What We Had for Breakfast

You can choose from waffles, eggs, bacons, sausage and biscuits in sauce. There’s also cereals, milk, yoghurt and fruits as well. So, pretty much to choose from for an American breakfast.

USA Trip 2024 Day 11 – Visiting Seacoast Church Charleston

One of the reasons why we chose to visit Seacoast Church is because it is also the home church of Brandon Lake – worship singer of songs such as Praise You Anywhere and Gratitude. Although we did not see Brandon Lake this time, we did hear a pretty good message about relationships from

Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

To win the battleground of relationships, we were told that it included giving up of ourselves. Hence, the weapons in this battleground of relationships included:

1. Weapons of Confession – Which brings about the death of Pride.
– God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6
– Confess and pray for each other and be healed. James 5:16

2. Weapon of Forgiveness – Which brings about the death of Self-Righteousness
– Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8
– Forgive others. Matthew 6:14-15
– No one is righteous, not one. Romans 3:10-12
– Father forgive them for they known not what they do. Luke 23:44

3. Weapon of Vision – Which brings about the death of Complacency
– Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” Habakkuk 2:2

Great to have contemplated about confession, forgiveness and the vision given by the Lord this morning! Amen!

USA Trip 2024 Day 11 – Visiting McLeod Plantation

Our first attraction this morning was the McLeod Plantation – pronounced as “Mac Cloud”…

2bearbear at McLeod Plantation Historic Site

Oak trees that line the McLeod plantation today

This visit to McLeod Plantation was unique because the guides here share about what actually happened to the slaves along with actual stories that took place on the plantation. Here, we learnt about how William Wallace McLeod senior utilised the 25 enslaved individuals from his father-in-law to grow the sea island cotton on his plantation to make him wealthy. During the visit, we found that there were several reasons why sea cotton was grown here:

1. It produced a finer garment, similar to that of silk and was 4 times more expensive than ball cottons (or upland cotton – usually used for denim).
2. It was too humid for tobacco to be grown.
3. It was not hot enough for sugar plantations.
4. It was too close to the sea (aka salt water) for rice to be grown.

We also learnt about how the enslaved had to learn skills at the age of 6 and by 12, to do the same work as full grown adults. Enslaved people were the main assets of the plantation owners. Up to 60% of a planter’s wealth could be derived from the enslaved which in turn could be used as a line of credit, dowry and even insurance. The 4 main factors that determined the price of an enslaved included the age, gender, skills and skin tone. For instance, a younger woman who was able to produce more children and thus more slave (aka wealth), would be priced as high as a male who would be in his prime for work. As for skills, there are rural skills that included the know-how for cash crops at farms and carpentry as compared to city skills such as building of structures and mechanical skills.

None of the sea island cotton exists today, this row of cotton was created for the tours on the McLeod plantation

Tourists are able to bring home a little bit of the sea island cotton at McLeod Plantation

Slave cabins at McLeod Plantation Charleston

A look inside the slave cabins at McLeod Plantation Charleston

John Carpenters cabin with a wall for privacy at McLeod Plantation Charleston

We also visited the 6 remaining cabins (of 23) on the McLeod Plantation. A 300sqft cabin, used to house between 8 to 14 people at the same time. We also heard stories about John Gathers, a carpenter who built and modified some of these cabins along with stories of his children. Interesting and at times, tragic to hear…

USA Trip 2024 Day 11 – Visiting Magnolia Plantation

Admission Tickets Magnolia Plantation Charleston Review

Magnolia House Tour at Magnolia Plantation Charleston

The Magnolia Plantation on the other hand was structured more like an attraction. Although you could hear stories about the slaves and their lives on the plantation, they were common stories about the poor living conditions (i.e. swamps, mosquitoes and crocodiles) rather than the mistreatments that happened. The Magnolia Plantation was started by the Draytons who were already plantation owners in Barbados when they came over to the United States in 1679. They had sugar plantations and wanted to do it all over again in the new English colony but found that rice was the best crop then because of the “Carolina Gold” rice which was worth its weight in gold then. 9 in 10 of the wealthiest planters then were rice planters. “Carolina Gold” then came to be known as rice for kings because it came up to $30 per pound! 😲

Cabins at Magnolia Plantation Charleston - From Slavery to Freedom Tour — Cabins at Magnolia Plantation Charleston – From Slavery to Freedom Tour

Inside Cabins at Magnolia Plantation Charleston - From Slavery to Freedom Tour — Inside Cabins at Magnolia Plantation Charleston – From Slavery to Freedom Tour

One of the sad things we learnt about the slaves here in Magnolia Plantation was that even when slavery was abolished in the 1860s in the USA, many slaves still remained on the plantation as they had no jobs, no education and no prospects outside. This time, although they earned a salary from the planters, they had to pay rent for their cabin and food. It was slavery all over again. This time, economic slavery as they called it. This lasted actually till the 1990s – though many were willingly working here as gardeners, which to the joy of visitors today, are indeed a sight to behold. This is also why Magnolia Plantation is a site for many wedding photography sessions as well…

Iconic White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation Charleston where wedding photos are taken

2bearbear at path next to the Ashley River in Magnolia Plantation Charleston

2bearbear at Ashley River of Magnolia Plantation Charleston

Alligators chilling on the ramps within the gardens of Magnolia Plantation Charleston

While you’re there, check out the BOGO (Buy One Get One) Beers at Peacock Cafe. We thoroughly enjoyed the interesting craft beers of Eggnog Shake IPA and Apple Pie Gose Westbrook while sitting on the tram that covered the plantation’s premise.

BOGO Beers at Peacock Cafe Magnolia Plantation - Eggnog Shake IPA and Apple Pie Gose Westbrook — BOGO Beers at Peacock Cafe Magnolia Plantation – Eggnog Shake IPA and Apple Pie Gose Westbrook

Train ride around Magnolia Plantation at 1:35pm

USA Trip 2024 Day 11 – Dinner at Hyman’s Seafood

For dinner, we decided to visit a local favourite – Hyman’s Seafood. As it was a Sunday, parking in town was free. So we took the opportunity to also take some photos by the Charleston Waterfront Park. But, it was SO WINDY this evening!

Beautiful architecture seen from Charleston Waterfront Park to Hyman's Seafood — Beautiful architecture seen from Charleston Waterfront Park to Hyman’s Seafood

2bearbear @ Hyman's Seafood Charleston Review — 2bearbear @ Hyman’s Seafood Charleston Review

One of the reasons why we wanted to visit Hyman’s Seafood was because of the She Crab Soup. We had googled around in town and there weren’t many restaurants that ordered this dish – which is supposedly a local dish. Hence, given Hyman’s reputation, we decided to give it a try here. While waiting for our turn, we could visit the General Store next door, which is also owned by the same company.

Inside Hyman's Seafood Charleston - A Huge Marlin Hangs on the Wall — Inside Hyman’s Seafood Charleston – A Huge Marlin Hangs on the Wall

Hyman's Seafood Charleston Review - Walking up stairs to level 2 — Hyman’s Seafood Charleston Review – Walking up stairs to level 2

Hyman's Seafood Charleston - Table where Martha Stewart Ate — Hyman’s Seafood Charleston – Table where Martha Stewart Ate

Hyman's Seafood Charleston Review - Salad served on the side — Hyman’s Seafood Charleston Review – Salad served on the side

She Crab Soup ($12.95) at Hyman's Seafood Charleston Review — She Crab Soup ($12.95) at Hyman’s Seafood Charleston Review

Hyman's Deviled Crabs ($19.95) at Hyman's Seafood Charleston Review — Hyman’s Deviled Crabs ($19.95) at Hyman’s Seafood Charleston Review

This time, we ordered the She Crab Soup ($12.95) and the Hyman’s Deviled Crabs ($19.95), which also came with salad and brussel sprouts on the side. One of the owners, Eli Hyman actually came over to ask how things were and we reflected that we had ordered 4 Deviled Crabs but only 3 came. As Eli reminded a staff and we also told another waitress of the mistake, eventually 2 more Deviled Crabs arrived. As for the taste, we found the She Crab Soup to be very creamy but a tad too salty. The reason why She Crab Soup is named as “She Crab” soup is because in the past, the roe-carrying crabs were used, which resulted in an orange-coloured soup. As for the texture, we could taste quite a bit of crabs in the soup as well. The Deviled crabs on the other hand had less traces of the crab meat. Nonetheless, the capsicum and potato mixed in was rather enjoyable. Accompanied by “The Secret Sauce” – a mayo-based sauce with hints of sour cream and lemon, livened up the dishes this evening.

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Stay tuned as we share our trip on Day 12 of our travels in USA to Charlotte!

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