Georgetown, SC

We have enjoyed our stay in Georgetown and decided it was well worth the trip. Yesterday morning we walked on the Harborwalk and then through the shopping district on Front Street. We returned to the boat just before it started to rain. We appreciated the periods of heavy rain which washed the salt off of the boat. This morning we took another walk on the Harborwalk and visited the Rice Museum. Georgetown County was the first area in the US to grow rice with a topography that was ideal for it, as long as gates were used to keep fresh water in and salt water out. There were several plantations in the county between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. At one point the county was the richest in the country, thanks to slave labor. Growing rice was labor intensive and plantations would have around 1000 slaves each. After the Emancipation Proclamation the loss of slaves sent the rice plantations into decline. Georgetown, the city, thrived due to commerce and still seems to be doing quite well. We returned to Front Street this afternoon for a delicious dinner at SoCo Grill. Then we walked a few blocks inland where we saw several beautiful, stately homes which were once owned by wealthy merchants. 

Our current plan is to spend the morning here then leave with the ebb tide around noon. We will anchor closer to the mouth of Winyah Bay then leave around 5 am Sunday morning (with the ebb tide) for a 14 hour trip (motoring) to Cape Fear. Of course, it all depends upon the weather!

Harborwalk

SoCo Grill where we ate a delicious dinner today. The chain link fence on the left surrounds the former Georgetown Times building. The building will be razed and replaced with a boutique hotel. 

The tree described in this photo is in the next photo. 

South Carolina Champion Oak.