That was our plan and we were ready to go, although maybe we could have gotten a bit of an earlier start.
The plantation was both pretty and interesting. We visited Magnolia plantation. We toured the plantation house, took the Slavery to Freedom Tour and walked the gardens.
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| The Plantation House |
We learned so much history, and all about the owners of the plantation up through current day. Overall, it was a really great experience and would make anyone appreciate how lucky we are to have basic freedoms and choices in life.
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| On tram to our first tour |
I stepped into one of the small, refurbished cabins and thought I could live here. It was cozy and quaint, much like our cabin in Georgia. The furniture was old, but nice, pulled from the main house, I envisioned families living, eating and sleeping in the cabin. I wondered if they found happiness in the simple things or longed for a better life.
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| Antique Artifacts inside one of the cabins |
The one thing that truly hit a nerve for me were the ships used to transport slaves to the United States. It was so cramped, humans were treated as inventory, placed in any position, in every crevice, with no regard for comfort, or basic human needs. Slaves would be stacked on shelves and forced to lay in one place for months at a time, they were only allowed on deck a few times in one voyage. Looking at photos was truly disturbing, and they were only sketched diagrams of the interior of a ship.
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| Reflection |
African history is fascinating, I wonder if the youngest generation truly empathize and try to understand the strength and hardships their ancestors endured. Only the strongest survived, it is a true survival of the fittest recipe. I was thoughtful much of this tour.
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| This tree has seen many lives it represents strength and survival |
After our plantation tour, we made a quick pit stop by Lori's friend's childhood home, a fun little expedition.
We found a hole in the wall, home cookin, soul restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. It was called Martha Lou's Kitchen.
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| Martha Lou's A local favorite, blown up |
I wonder what Martha Lou's ancestor history is? She had four generations of family working with and around her. We met her great granddaughter and her daughter as well as her brothers. I would bet her granddaughter, who was not present, is an equally strong woman as the others. The great granddaughter has a lot to live up to, but you can tell there is a strong influence that transcends all the generations.
Martha Lou is a minor celebrity in her own right. She has been on Bizarre foods and written up in the New York Times by a well known food critic. She has meet many, yet her fame has not fazed her one bit. She cooks because she loves it, she smiles as satisfied customers enjoy her food with big smiles. Everything is fresh and delicious.
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| Happy & Friendly, Martha Lou answered all our questions |
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| Margaret's dinner |
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| The rest of us ordered the Chicken |
Martha let us bring in our own beverages.
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| BYOB at Martha's |
I would highly recommend going to Martha Lou's on every trip to Charleston. It was like stepping into someone's home and feeling extremely welcomed.
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| Five well feed ladies |
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