Water taxi, the best bargain

Whenever I go to a new city, I always try to take a Hop on Hop Off bus tour, as that gives me a good overview of the place. Better yet, I can come off if I like a particular place, explore then get back on to any other bus from the same company, without further cost.

 On a recent visit to Charlston, South Carolia, I discovered to my chagrin that they had no such thing, so bought a regular tour through Expedia.

Big mistake, for that turned out to be somewhat of a red neck tour. But more on that anon.

So, I bought a pass on their water taxi which follows the same principle as the hop on hop off bus.

Much cheaper and more enjoyable.

When they promised the possibility of seeing dolphins I was over the moon, as those are among my favorite animals.

I even had illusions of them swimming beside our boat and doing their famous surfacing in unction, beside us as we sailed along.

That was not to be at all!

Not even one jumping up as in the pic above.

We did see about four, but no big jump, just the fins.

Oh well what can I expect for a $17 boat trip?😏

Oh well, for that price I got to see Charlston from the water, Fort Sumpter, an actual retired air craft carrier and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

Built in 1929, this is the third longest cable stayed bridge in the Westen Hemisphere. It crosses the Cooper River and connects downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. It has a main span of 1,546 feet (471 m).

It is 2.7  miles long  and we were told that it has a jogging lane, so is a favorite among outdoor lovers in the area.

An actual air craft carrier which once was manned by 3000 sailors.

It is now retired and just a tourist attraction.

The marina

Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island near Charleston. It was being constructed to defend the region from a naval invasion, after British forces captured and occupied Washington via a naval attack, during the War of 1812. 

It was however still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle of Fort Sumter occurred sparking the American Civil War, but it was then severely damaged and left in ruins.

 Although there were some efforts at reconstruction after the war, the fort as conceived was never completed. 

Since the middle of the 20th century, it has been open to the public as part of the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.

This water taxi trip was definitely a better option than the land tour I took earlier.