North America Travel

9 New Orleans Attractions You Must Not Miss

by Kritika Panase

New Orleans is one of the unique travel destinations in the USA, and you won’t find any other place like that in the country. It is famous for an array of things – incredible jazz music, crazy Mardi Gras celebrations, Cajun cuisine, breathtaking architecture and even voodoo. If you have your US visa ready, you must indeed plan a visit to this splendid city. I recently got a chance to visit this gorgeous destination, and here is my pick of the nine things you must not miss in New Orleans.

What To See In New Orleans French Quarter

The oldest neighborhood in the city is undoubtedly one of the best attractions in New Orleans. I had heard so much about this charming neighborhood and decided that it will be on the top of my bucket list. Also known as the Vieux Carre, the French Quarter is dotted with shops, cafes, boutiques, restaurants, and bars. Many of its historic buildings dating back to the late 18th Century when the Spanish ruled the city. I spent a lot of time walking around the street, exploring the place, soaking in the culture, and relishing some mouthwatering food. You must not miss the traditional music of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

What To Do On Bourbon Street

The infamous nightlife strip, Bourbon Street, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it features as of the most popular attractions in New Orleans for a reason. Since it was my first trip, I wanted to include it in my itinerary. The 13 blocks long street is lined with restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and cafes and is an excellent way to soak in the city’s vibrant culture. Unfortunately, I didn’t visit during the famous Mardi Gras, but this place is the hub of all festivities.

City Park

Founded in 1853, City Park houses the largest collection of live oak trees globally, many of which are more than 600 years old. It is also one of the oldest parks in the USA, and I had a great time exploring the lush greenery and serene walkways. The park is replete with lovely bridges, small ponds, and many sculptures, making for great selfie points. My favorite place here was the Couturie Forest, a beautiful nature trail featuring Laborde Mountain, the highest point in New Orleans.

Jackson Square

Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Jackson Square is a national historic landmark. You can see the statue of battle hero, Andrew Jackson, in the center. This timeless attraction faces the Mississippi River and is surrounded by historic buildings such as the St. Louis Cathedral, the Presbytere, Cabildo, and the Upper and Lower Pontalba Apartments, the oldest apartment buildings in the US.

Royal Street

Majorly flocked by art lovers, the iconic Royal Street has a bevy of art galleries, high-end hotels, and family-owned antique shops. Stretching from Canal Street to Esplanade, it is an outstanding shopping and dining destination. This bustling street also has many street musicians, and I stopped by to listen to some awesome music quite a few times. The cobblestone pathways, mule-drawn carriages, and enchanting architecture reminded me of a French 19th-century city.

National WW II Museum

Located in New Orleans Central Business District, the National WW II Museum is a sprawling complex and provides a great educational experience. Affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, this museum has many award-winning exhibits that take you through a journey of the American side of World War II. I was utterly overwhelmed looking at jeeps, actual planes, and Higgins Boats. It also has a restaurant, a theater with WWII-era musical performances, and a wonderful gift shop with unique 1940s-inspired clothing and gifts.

Frenchmen Street

I enjoy live music and jazz music a lot, so visiting the famous Frenchmen Street was a must. The liveliest section of the street is made of three blocks that offer top-notch live music venues and bands. I also spent some time browsing through the delightful bookstores, looking at the lovely Creole-style Townhouses, and enjoying coffee at one of the many coffee shops. I spent the evening gorging on a delicious dinner at The Spotted Cat while enjoying some fantastic music. Other popular eateries here are the Blue Nile, The Maison, and Adolfo’s.

New Orleans Museum of Art

Situated at the edge of the Big Lake, within City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is a treasure-trove of brilliant masterpieces. The façade itself is majestic and grand, having Greco-Roman columns and alabaster walls. The museum has more than 40,000 pieces, from modern work and the Italian Renaissance to photography and digital media. I was astounded by the stunning works of great artists such as Monet, O’Keefe, Rodin, and Degas. Don’t miss the Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden, a lush, landscaped garden that showcases the museum’s sculpture collection.

Algiers Ferry

I hopped into the Algiers Ferry to enjoy the great Mississippi River firsthand. Though it was a short ride, I got to enjoy some marvelous views of the city from the water and get the feel of this mighty river. I also spent some time strolling through the tiny neighborhood of Algiers Point that is brimming with cafes, bars, and lovely homes, oak-lined streets.

Conclusion

New Orleans, Louisiana has a very different vibe and is a melting pot of various cultures. You can find myriad influences from Spanish and French to Caribbean, West African, and Native American. Be it rich history, fantastic culture, or vibrant art; there is something for everyone in this destination.

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About the author:
Kritika is a software engineer, travel blogger, pasta-lover, adrenaline junkie, owner of a dog, and technophile. While She has her one part of the head sink into the world of changes and innovation, She tries unique experiences like exploring new cities, hiking mountains. Travelling keeps her sane. In short, for her, life is all about living in the moment.

Dzibilchaltún’s Seven Dolls

Yucatan, Mexico

by Georges Fery

What makes Dzibilchaltún – one of the oldest settlement of the northwestern Maya lowlands of Yucátan in Mexico – so perplexing are the seven crudely made figurines found buried below the altar in what has become known as the Temple of the Seven Dolls. At its peak, Dzibilchaltún which means “where there is writing on flat stones,” was a large and complex community, “engaged in the exploitation of nearby coastal resources, especially salt, and long-distance trade inland and marine.” It had more than “8,000 buildings spread over twenty square miles, most of which are one or two rooms platforms that once supported pole-and-thatch dwellings. Its population may have reached 20,000 souls; at that time, it was the biggest city on the peninsula” (Kurjack, 1979 in Andrews, 1980).

Located 7.5 miles from present day Mérida, and seven miles from the coast, Dzibilchaltún’s earliest recorded permanent settlement dates from the Early Formative pre-Nabanchè phase.1, 900BC. It was continually occupied from the middle to the late pre-Classic 500-250BC, with high and low occupation periods, up to the arrival of the Europeans in 1521. For the purpose of our story, we will focus on the city’s center and the Temple of the Seven Dolls, the easternmost major structure in the urban area where the figurines, or dolls, were found. Archaeologists refer to the temple as Structure.1-sub (Str.1-sub). It shares its spiritual powers with those of its westernmost counterpart, a temple known as Structure.66 (Str.66).

The program of investigation and restoration at Dzibilchaltún was initiated by E. Wyllys Andrews IV in 1956, with the sponsorship of the National Geographic Society and the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane University. The archaeological team realized that the 7,000 tons of collapsed ruble known was Structure.1 (Str.1) was irretrievably damaged and had to be removed, allowing for Str.1sub, which was below it, to be reclaimed. Str.1-sub was built on the base of an even earlier sanctuary, that was unlike those at other Maya sites in the Yucatán. The ancient city’s major structures and temples were painted with various bright colors, among which red was predominant. Str.1-sub, however, was painted white, and so was sacbe.1 surfaced with white limestone a “white road,” or raised causeway, that ended at the terrace in front of the temple. Traditionally, in an urban context, an east-west causeway covered with white stucco, was associated with the path of the sun. The Temple of the Seven Dolls was built on such an orientation. Of note is that the temple was named by archaeologists “Temple of the Dolls” while in all probability its ancient name was “Temple of the Sun.”

Str.1-sub is located on the easternmost side of Dziblichaltún, half a mile from the central plaza. The temple has four windows, unusual in Maya temples of that time, and two trapezoidal doors on both its east and west walls. There are two identical doors, but no windows, on the north and south walls. The importance of the play of light and shadows, that take place on March 21 and September 20 or 23 were strong indicators of the sun’s solsticial course. The first date signals the start of the seeding season, while the second that of harvesting. At that time, the sun god directed the priest-shamans’ seeding rituals in the temple. Its main doors and four windows on the east and west sides, and no windows on the opposite sides, underlines the temple sacred function.

In an agrarian based economy, the function of Str.1-sub allowed priest-shamans to observe and ascertain the cyclical rising and setting of the sun, eternal timeclock of agriculture. The monitoring of the unwavering repetition of the cycles of heavenly bodies correlates ritually with Str.1-sub as sun-fire-male-sunrise, and its opposite Str.66 as moon-water-female-sunset. The reason why the cycles of heavenly bodies were to be watched at dedicated times by priest-shamans was that since gods and deities were “mind-made” they responded, like humans, to neglect, contempt and anger. Love was not expected of them, for it had to be paid with blood and tears.

Rituals in ancient communities followed the agrarian cycles under the auspices of their respective deities. The first sanctuaries were built for these mediators between the world at large (nature) and humankind (culture), because culture could not, on its own, control nature. Priest-shamans had to ensure the accuracy of the sun (K’inich Ahau, the sun-faced lord), which never failed to reappear at the exact same place, day after day, solstice after solstice, equinox after equinox. Priest-shamans were helped in their tasks by supplication and invocation rituals during which they addressed the deities of the vegetal world and the powerful god of rain.

Solsticial and equinoxial movements were closely observed, but as important was the sun’s zenith event, that is when the sun reaches the observer’s zenith, 90° above the horizon, which only happens between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Contreras offers an interesting hypotesis for monitoring this episode. “The high ceiling of the inner room of Str.1-sub forms a tower projecting above the temple roof. Str.1-sub tower’s ceiling may have been made of a lighter material to allow for temporary removal in order to let the sun rays at its zenith to light up the floor of the central chamber below” (Jobbova et al., 2018)). Str.1-sub tower collapsed when Str.1 debris were removed in 1959, but its restoration shows a small doorway on the south side for access to its roof. At Dzibilchaltún’s latitude, the sun’s zenith at the spring solstice is traditionally associated with the beginning of the planting cycle and the rainy season.

The monitoring of the repetition of natural events was associated with the aforementioned “mind-made” deities, masters of the seasons and people’s subsistence. The character of the ceremonies, directed by priest-shamans under the auspices of the lords of the realm, were dedicated to the all-powerful rain god Cha’ak, second only in the pantheon to K’inich Ahau, the sun god. Was the Temple of the Sun conceived allegorically as the “anchor” of the sun with ceremonies and rituals traditionally associated with the seeding of the earth? Most likely.

And so were the seven dolls, which were ritually “planted” by priest-shamans down a duct three feet deep, dug into the floor at the center of the temple’s altar. Bates Littlehales rendering (1959, in Andrews.1980) depicts the re-enactment of the ceremony of the seven dolls that took place during the Decadent Period’s Chechem Phase (1200-1500). The climate record for the Yucatán shows that this ceremony took place within the time frame of recurrent droughts.

What was expected from rituals associated with the seven crudely made figurines? We do not know, and may never know. The figurines were described by archaeologists as displaying physical deformities. Andrews remarks “None of us had ever seen anything like them…we can only guess at their significance. Perhaps these little idols embodied the Maya priests’ formulas for curing disease” (1980). Of note is the fact that their number, seven, places them at the center of the culture’s spiritual world, at the intersection of the four cardinal directions, along with the zenith, the nadir, and the figurines’ position, believed to be the center of the community’s universe. The six females and one male figurines display oversized genitals (the male supports a disproportioned erect member). They are symbolic of the reproductive powers scattered by the sun, master of nature, a ritual found in many ancient cultures.

The disparity in gender, however, is puzzling and leads to the question: why six females and one male? Why not four and three, or other mix? Since there is no satisfactory answer from scholars, the next step was to ask respected local shamans (h’men) if they had any opinion on the gender disparity. One remarked, “one male and a number females in age of reproduction would secure the group’s survival, while conversely, one female among any number of males, would warrant its extinction” (2020). A stern observation that may be grounded in the survival of our species’ long lost past.

The figurines are not unlike those made by children, however, they are not “dolls.” Andrews note that “the tubular shaft at the bottom of which they were buried “psyco-duct” as we call it was not sealed but left open to, we assume, allow these spirits of the tomb to communicate their mysterious powers to the human world above” (1959:107-108). Placed at the very heart of the temple, the figurines may have been the guardians to the portal of the “otherworld,” the place where eternal life rises over death.

Scattering rituals were coincident with climatic stress during periods of decreased rain or drought. Is there a correlation between these age-old rituals and the figurines? Probably, because there is no other rationale for the priest-shamans to literally “plant” these deformed crudely made figurines below the floor of the temple’s altar. Their association with nature is symbolically linked with the roots of plants synonymous with the roots of life, for the figurines were made to never been seen. Furthermore, the scattering of human seeds was still practiced by farmers during the late nineteenth century in parts of the Americas. It was believed to periodically reaffirm a common law of the “right of blood” for farmstead inherited from ancestors, as opposed to the “right of land” claimed by invaders.

Archaeological data reported in Science (2018), show repeated phases of drought in the paleoclimate record from sediments in Lake Chinchancanab on the Yucatán peninsula. During the Maya Classic period (600-900), “…annual rain decreased between 41% and 54%, with intervals of up to 70% rainfall reduction during peak drought conditions” (Evans et al, 362:498-501). Furthermore, Metcalf and Davis, in Science & Public Policy Institute (SPPI, 2012), reported that “dry conditions, probably the driest of the Holocene, are recorded over the period 700-1200” (2007). Catastrophic natural events, and droughts in particular, were ascribed to the actions of malevolent deities that punished members of the priesthood and the nobility, who were at times overthrown as failed agents for their lack of devotion. “Planting and rain-beckoning rituals are a very common way in which past and present human communities have confronted the risk of drought across a range of environments across the world” (Jobbova et al, 2018).

Both Merida and Dzibilchaltún are located inside the Chicxulub crater created by the impact of the asteroid that struck the earth within the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) time-frame (66MYA), and caused the extinction event of the mega-fauna. The chain of cenotes or sinkholes, in this part of the peninsula is clustered outside the circle of the 93-mile impact zone, with a much smaller number found inside. In ancient agrarian societies, bodies of water, besides being vital to life, were at the heart of their religious beliefs and rituals because water was understood to be the essence of all life forms. Cenote Xlacah, (“old town” in Yucatec) is a major surface sinkhole at Dzibilchaltún. It was essential to the life of the city and its neighboring communities, given the lack of rivers in northern Yucatán and within the Chicxulub crater in particular. Xlacah’s surface area is bigger (328 feet x 657 feet) than the Sacred Well at Chichén Itzá (164×200 feet x 65 feet deep).

It also is much deeper, at 144 feet. Its surface waters, however, are less than ten feet below the rim. The rituals associated with Xlacah were complementary to those that took place in the Temple of the Seven Dolls and its western counter part, Str.66. The cenote’s waters and its associated deities were perceived to complement and balance each temple’s predominance, that of the sun and the moon. After all, Xlacah was the home of Cha’ak (God.B, Shellhass, 1904), the powerful god of storms, lightning, and the life-giving rain.

Within this mythological context, Xlacah was perceived as the anchor of the permanence and persistence of life, mediator of the nature-culture dichotomy found in the beliefs of ancient societies. In addition to Xlacah, over “ninety-five man-made wells were found in Dzibilchaltún’s twenty-plus square miles populated area” (Kurjack, 1974). They were mostly hand-dug holes, since the water table is but a few feet below the surface. Unlike small wells, however, large cenotes are replenished by circulating underground water, and cleaned by schools of tiny fish and aquatic plants. Located at the southwestern corner of the Central Plaza, Xlacah represents, in Coggins report “…the south and down, or the entrance and exit from the waters of the underworld” (1983:49-23). At its bottom, Xlacah’s floor slopes sharply down then levels off, continuing to an unknown distance in pitch blackness.

The cenote was the focus of rituals, as attested by more than 3,000 broken ceramic and water jars found at its bottom, together with portions of at least eight human skeletons and animal bones. Its waters were used for both daily needs and rituals that did not involve human or animal sacrifice. The few human remains found, therefore, were probably due to people that drowned while collecting water. Surface and underground cenotes are mirrors of two worlds, understood as the home of Cha’ak “patron of agriculture and one of the oldest continuously worshipped god of ancient Mesoamerica” (Miller+Taube, 1993). “Xlacah represent the center of Dzibilchaltún’s agrarian universe, its pivotal axis” (Lothrop, 1952, Tozzer, 1957). The powerful god of rain, lightning, and thunder was the master of life and fear, because should rain fail, the life giving maize harvest (corn-Zea mays subsp.) would wither, and lead to hunger, conflict and death. The Mayans have a deep reverence for maize for, in their mythology, the gods created them out of maize dough. It therefore is not only their main staple and daily sustenance, it is associated with their very existence, their soul.

The half-mile causeway.1 runs in a straight line from the city’s central plaza to the Temple of the Seven Dolls. One hundred forty-three feet west of Str.1sub are three structures with two rooms each, built astride the causeway, that controlled the approach to the temple, together with a high defensive stone wall in front (now gone). Access was limited through two narrow passageways, between the central pair of rooms, a reminder of the sanctity of the temple. Four hundred and forty-five feet west of the defensive wall stood Structure.12 (Str.12), a four-stairway/six-steps quadrangular platform with an eleven-foot-tall limestone monolith, Stela.3. It was covered with stucco and painted with figures of the Maya pantheon, now lost to time. It is one of about thirty such monuments on the site and squarely faces the west side door of the Temple of the Seven Dolls. Its position relative to the temple, however, indicates that it was most probably used as a sighting device reciprocal to those of Str.1-sub for the observation of heavenly bodies. Of interest is the fact that, from an allegorical standpoint, structures were important but no more so than the play of light and shadows at dedicated times, such as at solstices and equinoxes. Following the path of the sun, the shadows had the same ritual value as that of structures or select natural landmarks.

Architecturally similar to Str.1-sub, Str.66 is radially symmetrical and is located at the western end of sacbe.2. However, it has not been restored, hence the limited information on both structure and remains. The similarity with the Seven Dolls complex, however, is striking and extends to Str.63 with a four-stairway/six-steps quadrangular platform and an eleven-foot limestone monolith, Stela.21, located 145 feet east of Str.66’s plaza, and built squarely on sacbe.2. Like Stela.3 to the east, Stela.21 was covered with stucco and painted with figures of the Maya pantheon, now lost to time. Andrews refers to Str.66 as “a mirror image of the Seven Dolls group” (1961), dedicated to the moon, counterpart to Str.1-sub, which was dedicated to the sun. Like the Temple of the Seven Dolls, it also had its access restricted by Str.64 and Str.65 which were built across its plaza.

The first sanctuaries were built for deities, mediators between an unmanageable nature and humankind, to persuade them through prayers and sacrifices to provide or facilitate food. From early human history, daily sustenance was an enduring concern. Dependence on the vagaries of the Yucatán’s seasons, climate, and the “mood of the gods,” kept communities in constant dread. Natural events such as, flood, drought, or insect plagues, brought constant fear, anxiety, and hunger. It is not surprising then that communities sought solace and help from their shamans, the needed go-betweens to commune with the overbearing deities of nature, to help people carry their unpredictable burdens.

Yucatec farmers (milperos) today tend their corn fields (milpas), with the utmost devotion. After planting in early spring, a ch’a-chaak ceremony takes place in the fields. The ceremony is related to the ancient god Cha’ak, and is integral to the seeding process before the first rains. It is conducted by h’men (a term that means “he who makes”) and their apprentices (idzat), together with the milpa owner, other farmers and community leaders. All pray to the ancient gods and their associated Christian deities on a field altar that answers to ancestral rituals for its set up, with gifts of plants and fruits from the land. Young boys crouch at each corner of the altar and mimic the croak of frogs calling for rain. As in the past, the h’men’s rain-beckoning rituals are a common way to pray for the blessed rain for fear that it may be withheld or delayed by malevolent forces.

For centuries, ancient gods and deities were the heartbeat of this great city and helped people cope with environmental stress such as drought, locusts, hurricanes, and other natural events. As is the case for all rituals and prayers, they helped people contend with an inherently unpredictable nature. The shadows of centuries inexorably blurred gods and deities, but below Str.1-sub altar, undisturbed by time and events, the Seven Dolls kept their relentless watch over Dzibilchaltún.

Photos/Drawings Captions and Credits:

12 and Stela.3 – ©georgefery.com
Map of Dzibilchaltun – ©Andrews-MARI
Temple of the Seven Dolls – ©georgefery.com
The Dolls Cache.3 – ©Andrews-MARI
The Seven Dolls – ©Andrews-MARI
Dolls Burial, Reenactment – ©Andrews-MARI
Cenote Xlacah – ©georgefery.com
The Seven Dolls Complex – ©Edward B. Kurjack

Bibliography / References:

Edward B. Kurjack, 1974 – Prehistoric Lowland Maya Community and Social Organization, A Case Study at Dzibilchaltun, Yucatan, Mexico; and,
Willis Andrews.IV and E.W.Andrews.V, 1980 – Excavations at Dzibilchaltun, Yucatan, Mexico; and,
Clemency Coggins, 1983 – The Stucco Decoration and Architectural Assemblage of Structure-1.sub, Dzibilchaltun, Yucatan, Mexico.
MARI-Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Orlando Josué Casares Contreras, 2001 – Una Revisión Arqueoastronómica a la Estructura 1-Sub de Dzilbilchaltún, Yucatán – Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Merida.
Eva Jobbova, Christophe Helkme + Andrew Bevan, 2018 – Ritual Responses to Drought: An Examination of Ritual Expressions in Classic Maya Written Sources – Human Ecology
Mary Miller & Karl Taube,1993 – The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya
Evans et al, 362:498-501). Science (2018)
In 1995, Hodell, Curtis and Brenner published a paleoclimate record from Lake Chichancanab on the Yucatán Peninsula that showed an intense, protracted drought occurred in the 9th century AD and coincided with the Classic Maya collapse

About the Author:

Freelance writer, researcher, and photographer, Georges Fery (georgefery.com) addresses topics, from history, culture, and beliefs to daily living of ancient and today’s indigenous communities of the Americas. His articles are published online in the U.S. at travelthruhistory.com, popular-archaeology.com, and ancient-origins.net, as well as in the quarterly magazine Ancient American (ancientamerican.com). In the U.K. his articles are found in mexicolore.co.uk.

The author is a fellow of the Institute of Maya Studies instituteofmayastudies.org Miami, FL, and The Royal Geographical Society, London, U.K. rgs.org. As well as a member in good standing of the Maya Exploration Center, Austin, TX mayaexploration.org, the Archaeological Institute of America, Boston, MA archaeological.org, NFAA-Non Fiction Authors Association nonfictionauthrosassociation.com, and the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC. americanindian.si.edu.

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Oregon: A North American Gem

by Bill Arnott

Oregon is a favorite destination. My first visit was to Cannon Beach, seaside accommodation with a view of Haystack Rock—a rounded plinth of basalt that’s a bird sanctuary, towering from the tideline like a massive headstone. Crossing the Canada-U.S. border at the chunky white Peace Arch, my wife Deb and I drove south from BC on Chuckanut Drive, with arbutus and evergreen views of Bellingham.

In the footsteps of George Vancouver, we passed the plummeting chute of Deception Pass. A bald eagle soared beneath the bridge as water rushed through the narrows in eddies of deep jade green. We continued south over Whidbey Island’s undulating farmland. Scenery breezed by: grassy fields, berry farms and forest, frequent churches, infrequent homes, more eagles, a falcon at rest and a solitary deer. The temperature rose under sunny sky and we caught a ferry from Clinton to Mukilteo on dazzling water, the snowy blue pyramid of Mount Baker watching as we crossed.

We stopped in Redmond, Washington—an historical town rebuilt by Microsoft, a tidy planned city of trees, water and wide, curving streets. I explored the downtown on a meandering trail through pristine apartments and around a heron rookery—an oasis nestled amongst colourful newbuilds.

Early next morning I ran along the Sammamish River, slow-moving, greenish-brown water you’d expect Tom and Huck to pole along on a raft. Swallows skimmed the surface. A salmon jumped through lily-pads with a splash. A rabbit darted from undergrowth, nearly through my legs. Sun warmed the blacktop. Blackberry bushes in bloom bordered the trail and tall poplars made a private green corridor. Mallards flew by in a lopsided V, a hummingbird whizzed past and sparrows hopped through dewy grass. I saw the occasional cyclist and walker. Everyone smiled, nodded, or said, “Good morning.” And I felt as though I’d woken in Stepford. But despite the sterility of a manufactured community, people were warm and genuine.

We explored much of this inviting, rugged state—Crater Lake, Hood River, Mount Hood and Central Oregon, along the coast and up the Willamette River into Portland—a unique, left coast town, independent and eccentric, the mindset of Seattle but less refined, a green city with edge. As well as a well-established coffee scene the state boasts more craft brews and brewpubs than anywhere else in America.

Visiting Weird Portland

In addition to beer, Portland has more bookstores than any other American city, creating a delicious slice of hoppy, literary Nirvana. Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent new and used bookstore sits in the heart of the city, a trophy centring a mantel. On our first visit we’d wandered through downtown in search of it, crossing the tracks and finding ourselves in a distinctly transitional neighborhood. The store itself was a large urban block, a small town in a single building. Store maps were available when you entered, imperative to avoid getting lost.

I spent four sunny mornings running through Portland, past densely packed food trucks and loosely scattered homeless—weirdly distinct yet blended communities. A local poet’s work is carved in red granite by the river, “Mighty Willamette, beautiful friend.” And I trotted along a paved walkway, feeling that friendship.

It was the first of July (Canada Day) and a flock of Canada Geese had taken over the river, paddling in a broad, border-like line, somehow symbolic. Skidmore Fountain splashed nearby, the city’s oldest commissioned art. The towering Wells Fargo building commanded the downtown skyline, Orwellian in stature, an imposing white landmark. Gulls wheeled, pigeons fluttered overhead and I merged into a sweaty, jagged line of joggers, cyclists and pedestrians hugging the edge of the river, washed in morning sun. The Portland sat tethered in the water, a retired steam-powered, paddlewheel tug-boat, now the maritime museum. Hawthorne, Morrison, and Burnside bridges served as measuring landmarks, marking progress for joggers and the city alike. I crossed the river on the Steel Bridge, sharing the span with a whistle-blowing locomotive rattling and vibrating its way over the water.

We spent a hot afternoon under cloudless sky following trails through Washington Park before resting in shade by the Rose Garden Amphitheatre, where robins, crows, squirrels and fantails busied themselves around cedar, birch, hemlock and fern while a harp echoed across the grounds, plucked notes angelic and dreamy. By early evening it was oddly quiet. Sun slid behind tall buildings. Food trucks closed for the night and we found ourselves on a gritty downtown street. A man shaved at a drinking fountain with an overused razor and tiny round mirror—something from a dental instrument—which he held between thumb and forefinger. He was meticulous, his weathered face shiny smooth, the softest scraping sound as we passed.

I took a self-guided walking tour of Portland’s water features, a dozen fountains around downtown and Portland State University, wending my way through Pioneer Courthouse Square, Animals in Pools, Lovejoy, Dreamer, the grand Ira Keller Fountain and more. The river draws the ocean into the city but fountains in concrete, brick and bronze bring the splash of water to every hidden corner.

We explored Portland’s Pearl District, around Nob Hill and the high-end retail of Northwest 23rd Avenue, known locally as Trendy-Third. We passed Slabtown, home to Scandinavian and Chinese immigrants one-hundred-fifty years ago. Slabtown referred to slabs—mill cuttings, log edges unusable for building. Slabs were split and sold cheaply for fuel. Wealthy families had fuel storage buildings while lower income households piled slabs outside their homes, giving the neighbourhood its moniker. Indigenous Chinook were regular traders in town, travelling along the Willamette. Chinook Jargon—a Chinook-English dictionary—was a regional bestseller, as common in Portland homes in the late nineteenth century as The Best of Bridge would be a century later.

In the town of Bend, new and old houses, extravagant and modest, cling to the banks of the Deschutes River. We made the central community our home for a week. Half-hour drives north, south, east and west took us to scenic hikes: snow-capped volcanic mountains, waterfalls and towering cliffs of purples, reds, oranges and gold, the space shared by walkers, rock climbers and horseback riders. Our hikes ranged from moderate to intense as we climbed Pilot Butte, Tumalo Mountain, around Tumalo Falls and over Smith Rock State Park’s Misery Peak with expansive vistas of rivers, lakes, colossal stone and the pristine peaks of the Cascade Range.

The town of Bend is an historical hub surrounded by a gentle sprawl of squat rural homes. It’s a pleasing blend of small (about 100,000) with the amenities of a larger city, servicing a huge area in the state’s centre with a constant flow of sightseers and year-round adventure seekers.

I strolled through town on the first Friday of the month, and retailers had turned the streets into an open-air, evening market and social gathering. Complimentary food and drink flowed, live acoustic music filled every space and locals and tourists browsed and visited, one of the most inviting parties I’d ever attended. Farmers’ markets were scattered throughout town, nearly one a day through the growing season. Local fruit abounds, along with dairy and the usual array of baked goods, herbs, soaps, flowers and crafts.

Back on the coast we stayed at a cottage in Manzanita. I rode a chestnut mare on the beach near Gearhart, splashing along in zigzags as the horse tiptoed around frothy surf. Had my hair been longer, thicker, and my pecs better defined, I believe it could’ve made a fine cover for a romance novel (he said, huskily).

That evening we grilled salmon on a wood fire and made crab melts with herbed Boursin on a garlic baguette—one of the finest things we’d eaten. As our trip wound down, we decided we simply hadn’t had enough and went to a downtown Portland hotel built atop a Macy’s store. Tired of recycled clothes and in-sink laundry, we went downstairs to the department store, bought new socks, tees and underwear, and stayed for two more days.

This is an excerpt from Bill Arnott’s upcoming travelogue Gone Viking II: Beyond Boundaries (RMBooks, Fall 2021), sequel to his award-winning bestseller, Gone Viking: A Travel Saga.

About the author:

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of WIBA and ABF International Book Awards Finalist, Gone Viking: A Travel Saga, the suspense-thriller ebook series The Gamble Novellas, the poetry collection Forever Cast in Endless Time, and the forthcoming Gone Viking II: Beyond Boundaries (Autumn 2021). He’s been awarded for prose, poetry, songwriting, is the producer of Bill’s Artist Showcase, and for his Gone Viking expeditions has been granted a Fellowship at London’s Royal Geographical Society. When not trekking the globe with a small pack, journal and laughably outdated camera phone, or showing off cooking skills as a culinary school dropout, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, making friends and misbehaving. @billarnott_aps

If You Go:

Follow governmental travel and quarantine guidelines. Travel alerts are available at traveloregon.com

Most North American airlines have direct flights to Portland PDX, with many flying to Redmond/Bend RDM.

If you’re driving, I-5 is the quickest way to cover north-south distances, while Route 101 follows scenic coast.

Check weather forecasts and elevation at your destinations and pack accordingly. Oregon enjoys four distinct seasons and high summits can have snow year round.

The Serpent Shadows of Chichén Itzá

Maya Mystery in Mexico’s Yucatan

by George Fery

What we see is not always what we expect whether from nature or man-made. This is often true with archaeological remains of ancient cities or human settlements, when new discoveries shed unexpected light on old finds, leaving question marks in their wake. So, let us have a look at Chichén Itzá, the Maya pre-Columbian city in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, that is a place we thought had been thoroughly explored and visited, at last count by over five thousand people per day, but yet…

The biggest visitor’s draw take place on the spring and autumn equinoxes, when the sun plays with the angles of the northeast stairway of the Kukulcán pyramid, called El Castillo in Spanish. At that time, the course of the sun at sunset projects the shadows of the corners of the pyramid onto the vertical northeast face of the stairway balustrade, giving the visual impression of an undulating serpent slowly crawling down toward its stone head at the bottom of the stairs. Thousands of tourists gather on the Grand Plaza to witness the event. They come to simply share in a common spirit that transcends time and culture. In our age of extraordinary advance in sciences and technologies, unimaginable only twenty years ago, peoples seem to search for “something” beyond their daily lives in a swiftly changing world.

To find out how this remarkable city came to make history in the Yucatán, requires a brief look at why Chichén Itzá became such an important theocratic metropolis. Its history spans from the mid-Classic (600-900AD) to the early part of the Postclassic period (900-1200AD). The ancient city historical record, however, is clouded in uncertainty with often inconsistent description and dates. Help may be found with early Spanish chroniclers and the nine Chilam Balam books written by the Mayas in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, such as those of the towns of Chumayel, Ixil and Tizimin, among others. The Chilam Balams are collections of myths, prophesies, mythological and ritual texts among other topics. Chilam means together prophet and priest, while Balam stands for jaguar. At its height, Chichén Itzá was a major theocratic center in the lowlands, drawing pilgrims from afar with its sacred well.

From early times, the Mayas traded with cities in central Mexico, exchanging beliefs and inherent in such contacts. Toltec groups migrated sporadically to the Yucatán throughout the sixth centuries and possibly earlier. Their migration to both the west and east coasts of the lowlands intensified in the early tenth century when their objectives shifted from trade to military and political control of the peninsula. Together with the Maya-Chontal, historians call Putún, they came from Ppolè on the Yucatán’s east coast. They then united their forces at Cobá with those of the Toltecs, sixty-two miles away on the connecting sacbeh (white road), to Yaxuná, and thirteen miles from Chichén. From Yaxuná, they conquered Chichén Itzá in 987AD; this event is recorded as “the great descent.” The building of the Kukulcán’s we see today started shortly after their taking possession of the ancient city.

The Shadow and the Equinox

For the ancient Maya, the pyramid was representative of the four-sided temple-mountain, or fourfold partitioning of the world. The name of the Maya deity before the Toltecs’ Tlaloc, was Cha’ac in Yucatec. Kukulcán, that is Quetzalcoatl in the nahuatl language means “Quetzal Feathered Serpent” is a deity that came with the Toltec capital of Tula, in Mexico’s highlands. The Toltecs brought their own god Tlaloc with similar religious attributes as those of the local Maya god Cha’ak, “the longest continuously worshipped god of ancient Mesoamerica” (Miller & Taube, 1993:59). Tlaloc, like its Maya equivalent, is believed to represent the Creation Mountain. For it is the top of mountains that receive rain first in tropical highlands and holds waters in its caves helped by guardian deities. Furthermore, the pyramid is the cultural apex found in most ancient mythologies, believed to have its inverted counterpart bellow the upward structure or counter-image, in the “otherworld.”

The interface between the bases of both pyramids, is where humans and all life-forms live. This inverse perception of a world below is grounded in the belief that the vegetal world sprouts from beneath the ground. After all, are not the roots pointing down into the earth undeniable proof of nature’s perpetuation of life through its never-ending cycles of birth and rebirth? The symbolism of life’s perpetual renewal is underscored again with the serpent’s iconography that appears on numerous stone stelas, temple columns and painted on ceramics. What is seen is not the animal but its perceived power over life. The shedding of its skin was believed to be the renewal of time and life through nature’s repeated cycles. The allegorical significance of the serpent figure in agrarian cultures’ mythologies, assigns the animal shedding of its skin as its past, to live again another life.

Kukulcán is not cardinally oriented, although mythologically it is believed to sit at the center of time and space. Its corners are aligned on a northeast-southwest axis toward the rising sun at the summer equinox, and its setting point at the winter equinox, making it a monumental sun dial for the solar year. Each of the temple-pyramid’s fifty-two panels seen in the nine terraced steps, equal the number of years of the solar calendar. The pyramid’s nine levels are reminders of the nine steps to Xibalba, the underworld. Above all, Kukulcán is an instrument dedicated to the deities of nature and their role in its alternances such as night-day and life-death. The western and eastern sides of the temple are angled to the zenith sunset and nadir sunrise. The main doorway of the temple at the top of the pyramid opens to the north. The four stairways, one on each side ascending the pyramid, have 91 steps each, equal to 364 steps that, with the temple at the top, total the 365 days of the solar year, the haab’, in Maya. The north stairway is the main sacred path, that of the sun at dawn, and it is on its northeast balustrade that triangular shadows appear at sunset on spring and autumn equinoxes.

The Great Plaza, Kukulcán and the Primordial Sea

The Great Plaza that surrounds El Castillo on four sides, was completed during the New Chichén phase (900-1500AD). Symbolically, it represents the “primordial sea of creation” from which, according to Maya tradition, all life sprung at the beginning of time. The plaza’s north side, on which Kukulcán is built, was also the area where major ceremonies took place. It is bordered by the Venus Platform, close to that of the Jaguars and Eagle Warriors, behind which is the massive skull rack, or tzompantli in nahuatl. It is 164 feet long by 40 feet wide and may follow in size the biggest in Mexico-Technochtitlán. On the skull rack was a scaffold-like built of wood poles over the stone structure, on which hundreds of skulls of war captives and sacrificial victims were displayed.

On the east side of the Great Plaza is the massive Temple of the Warriors, and the no less important Ball Court to the west, the largest in the Americas – 552 feet long by 300 feet wide, with 20 feet high walls. The theocratic city inner sanctum was the Great Plaza, that was surrounded by a seven feet high wall with a number of guarded entrances, among which is the 980 feet long and 25 feet wide sacbeh.1 or “white road” that leads to the Sacred Well. There are over 34 sacbehobs (sacbeh plural), in Chichén connecting major structures and residential complexes. Most buildings are oriented 17 degrees off true north; Kukulcán is 23 degrees off.

Chichén Itza Spiritual Gateways

There are two spiritual gateways, that are linked to the temple-pyramid, one natural, the other man-made. The first is the huge sacred cenote, or sink hole, called the “Great Well of the Itza.” The name Chichén Itzá in Maya-Chontal, is made up of the words “chi” that means mouth and “chen” for well; while “itz” means sorcerer and “ha” or “á” is for water, that translate as “the mouth of the well of the water sorcerer” (Piña Chan, 1998:32). The Chilam Balam de Chumayel record an earlier name, before the Itza’s arrival, as Uuc Yabnal (“Seven Great Houses”), that is found engraved on door jambs in “Old Chichén.”

The First Spiritual Gateway is the Sacred Well, a large sink hole that was not used for domestic purposes, but for rituals. It is reached by the large elevated sacbeh.1 heading 980 feet northward from the Great Plaza. This sink hole was believed to be the place of contact with the deities of Xibalba, the “place of awe” or underworld, abode of the tantamount Maya god Cha’ak, the powerful Maya god of rain, lightning and thunder. The Sacred Well is oval shaped (164 feet by 200 feet). From its lip to the drop is 79 feet to the water and its depth 65 feet; there is a bed of mud about 20 feet thick at the bottom.

In one of the rooms of the shrine built on the south side lip of the well, was the temazcal or steam bath in the nahuatl language, to purify sacrificial victims to Cha’ak or Tlaloc. Gifts to the god were precious jade and gold, fine ceramics, jade and lives, as human remains found at its bottom testify. Of forty-two human remains, more than half were younger than twenty and fourteen were younger than twelve years old (Tozzer, 1957:212-213). Offerings in the cenote to the gods Tlaloc or Cha’ak are noteworthy for their origins, particularly gold and mix gold-copper metals (tumbaga), that were not used by the Maya, but imported from lower Central America. Atonement gifts were in reverence to the needs of the time and the demands of the deities. The archaeological record shows that human sacrifices were of both gender and of any age. In time of dire needs, however, such as persistent droughts, a community would sacrifice its best, not the sickly or the maimed. Sacrificial victims had to be able, in their prime and, the younger the better for the gods would not accept anything less.

The socio-economic organization of ancient Maya communities, as that of other ethnic groups at the time, revolved around agriculture. At the Yucatán’s latitude there are only two seasons, which meant two harvests. Hence the Maya religious organization that adhered to a close partnership with nature. The gods and deities from above and below humankind plane were those believed to drive the fundamentals of sun, rain and the vegetal world. Those fundamentals are enshrined in the Maya-K’iche’ sacred book, the Popol Vuh or Book of Counsel, which describes the creation of the universe by the gods who, after failing four times, succeeded in creating humankind out of maize dough.

The “Feathered Serpent” is a mythological deity of the Toltecs found in Late Classic architecture (600-900AD). In Guatemala the deity was called Guqumatz by the Maya-K’iche’, while the Maya-Lacandón refer to it as an evil monstrous snake, the pet of the sun god. Before the Toltecs, the Maya god of agriculture, wind, and storms was Cha’ak, “the longest continuously worshipped god associated with abundance and fertility in ancient Mesoamerica” (Miller & Taube, 1993:59). Kukulcán appears in the mid-Classic Maya period (800-1500AD), as the Vision Serpent.

The serpent sculpted on monuments at Chichén Itzá and other Mesoamerican sites is a metaphor, for it was perceived as it slithers, as the swirls of smoke following self-sacrifice by a member of the nobility or the priesthood. After a self-inflicted wound, a person’s blood would drip on thin sheets of dry bark paper that was then burned. The swirling smoke of the burning bloodstained bark paper was believed to carry the prayers of the supplicant to ancestors and deities, seeking their guidance for living another day in a dangerous world. For ceremonies, copal nodules called pom in Maya-K’iche’, are used instead of human blood. Copal is a tree resin obtained from the sap of the copal tree (protium copal), emblematic of the vegetal world’s “blood.” In the Yucatán today, for Chac Xib Cha’ak ceremonies or “Red Man Cha’ak”, fowls and small mammals may also be sacrificed to plead for rain and a good corn harvest.

The Second Gateway is the Toltec style I-shaped Great Ball Court is the second spiritual gateway. It is man-made but no less a powerful portal, located on the west side of the Great Plaza. Four temples are associated with the ball court, the Upper and Lower Temples of the Jaguars as well as the North and South Temples. For the ancient Mayas and Toltecs, ritual games played in ball courts were believed to open a portal to the “otherworld” This “gateway” however, could only take place during a ritual fateful game destined to end in sacrifice. The Book of Counsel (Popol Vuh) stresses that the deities of Xibalba in the underworld, did not play unless a ritual contest took place simultaneously above ground. It is only when ritual games were concurrent in this world and the “other” that the interplay between the participants in the two worlds were believed to materialize, that is, open the door to the underworld. Through history, secular and ritual games underline the same need to keep peace and balance within and between communities as well as with gods and deities. Secular games did not involve sacrifice and took place more frequently, with the same intensity as our games today, along with heated betting on teams and players. Essential to ritual games, however, and to a certain extent secular games as well, was the need to keep in check latent antagonism between factions of the same polity, as well as between polities.

The Pyramid Within and Balamku’s Cave Below

Building larger structures over smaller ones was a common practice in Maya and other ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The reason was that any man-made structure was the product of culture and therefore was believed to be saturated with the ancestral power of those who ordered its construction, together with that of their stone carvers, and could not willingly be destroyed. The pyramid within Kukulcán, discovered by archaeologists in 1958, has a single stairway that faces northeast; it has sixty-one steps and a temple on top with two parallel galleries. There is a triple molding on its façade and a frieze showing a parade of jaguars, shields and two intertwined serpents over its main door. In the antechamber of the inner temple was found a red jaguar that may have served as a throne for the High Priest. On the seat was an offering of a turquoise mosaic disk. The jaguar is painted red on polished limestone; the teeth are made of flint, and there are incrustations of fine jade disks for its eyes and on its body for the animal spots. Architectural similarities between the two pyramids indicate that the one within may also be of Toltec origin, possibly built 650-750AD. Was the “serpent” shadow also seen on the buried structure at spring and autumn equinoxes? Unlikely.

In 1958 a cenote or sink hole was found sixty-five feet beneath Kukulcán, its waters running from north to south. The pyramid seats on a 16-20 feet thick limestone layer above the sink hole’s dome. The discovery, together with a man-made corridor below the cenote, was sealed off from the outside world, probably for lack of resources to further its exploration at the time. The cenote and the cave system were “re-discovered” during the ongoing research project GAM-Gran Acuifero Maya (2016), that expands below the archaeological complex and beyond, including the cenotes Xtoloc, Kanjuyún and Holtún. The cenote below the pyramid is at the center of the Toltec mythical world, its axis mundi. Sink holes, above and below ground, were regarded as gateways to another side of reality, for water was perceived to be the single most important medium for the survival of all life forms. Below Kukulcán’s sink hole, a cave that was also found in 1958, was partially explored in 2018 by the National Geographic’s arqueologists Guillermo de Anda, Ana Celis and their team of investigators from the Great Maya Aquifer Project (GAM). During their investigations was found below the cenote, a 1,500 feet long corridor difficult of access.

The archaeologists called the cave Balamkú, that is Maya for “Jaguar God ” for its ancient name is unknown. The black jaguar is a central figure in Mesoamerican and other pan-American mythologies, because of the belief in the animal’s ability to enter and leave the underworld at will, while the spotted jaguar is symbolic of the deities and powers of light. Maya cave ceremonies, especially those that took place in their deepest recess, were bound to rituals performed within the underworld. Those rituals were enacted to symbolically “re-enter the womb” in addition to a sense of rebirth and renewal upon exiting the cave, inherent to initiation. Exploration of the cave system was funded in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society, in cooperation with the University of California at Los Angeles. So far, over 170 ceramic bi-conical censers and other pots were found in seven small rooms carved out of the limestone walls and were identified as those of the Toltec god Tlaloc. The ceramics are dated from the Late Classic (700-800AD) to the Terminal Classic (800-1000AD), contemporaneous with those in the nearby cave at Balamkanché. This important discovery will no doubt help rewrite Chichén Itzá’s history.

In the archaeologist Guillermo de Anda’s opinion, Balamkú seems to be what he called the “mother” of Balamkanchè located 2.5 mile away, since as he puts it “I don’t want to say that quantity is more important than information, but when you see that there are many, many offerings in a cave that is also exceedingly difficult of access, this tells us something” (2017:15). Archaeologists now have the opportunity to answer some of the most perplexing questions that continue to stir controversy among professionals, such as the level of contacts and influence exchanged between Maya highland and lowland cultures, as well as with central Mexico, and perhaps clarify what was going on in the Maya world prior to the building of the first pyramid at Chichén Itzá.

Chichén Yet to be Discovered

There still is a lot to be discovered at Chichén Itzá, since much more is hidden, as work on Balamkú reminds us. Furthermore, excavation programs in the Great Plaza, started in 2009, revealed buried structures that pre-date Kukulcán. By then we already knew about the pyramid within. Puzzling discoveries and wonders are certain to continue. We will visit Chichén Itzá again of course, since this story is only a glimpse of the ancient city’s complex history, while so much more wait to be brought to light. Understanding the “whos” “whys”, “whens” and “hows” of the city’s great past will take a few more “stories” and interpretations in the light of ongoing discoveries.

Whether or not sharing the serpent’s shadow during the equinoxes help visitors in their quest for balance in their lives, they will leave the ancient city and return home with fascination and wonder. What else does Chichén Itzá, and its great pyramid hold? And what happened to Kukulcán? After the defeat of Chichén Itzá by the Cocom ruler Unac Ceel of Mayapán in the thirteenth century, Kukukcán moved with the conqueror to the new Maya political epicenter, sixty-five miles to the west…but that is another story.

Credits for Photos & Illustrations

Equinox Shadow by Fernando Pineyro in postcardemexico.com
Kukulcan and Temple of Venus georgefery.com
A World Below georgefery.com
Chichen Itza Great Plaza georgefery.com
Sacred Well of Sacrifices georgefery.com
The Serpent and the Equinox georgefery.com
The Great Ballcourt georgefery.com
Two Kukulcans Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, 1998:21
Gateways to Another Life INAH-GAM in geofisica.com.mx
Great Plaza Discoveries georgefery.com

Bibliography – References:

Román Piña Chan, 1998 – Chichén Itzá, La Ciudad de los Brujos del Agua
Ralph, L. Roys, 1967 – The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel
Scarborough & D. R. Wilcox, 1991 – The Mesoamerican Ballgame
Linda Schele & Peter Mathews, 1998 – The Code of Kings
Ralph L. Roys, 1965 – Ritual of the Bacabs, A Book of Maya Incantations
Eric S. Thompson, 1970 – Maya History and Religion
Fray Diego de Landa, 1966 – Relación de las Cosas de Yucatan
Clemency Chase Coggins, 1984 – Cenote of Sacrifice
Mary Miller & Karl Taube, 1993 – The Gods and Sybols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya
Linda Schele & David Freidel, 1990 – The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya
Nigel Davies, 1980 – The Toltec Heritage
Robert J. Sharer & Loa P. Traxler, 2006 – The Ancient Maya

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About the author:

How To Spend A Romantic Getaway In Historic Charleston, South Carolina

by Loretta Berry

When I travel I love to learn about the history of a place and about its people. What made ordinary people seek new lands? What daring adventures did they have and what struggles did they experience to get there? What was life like in this place hundreds of years ago?

As a girl I read a lot of historical novels including those set in Charleston. I dreamed I was there – Women wearing beautiful lace, hoop-skirt dresses and dashing men in coattails and top hats strolling arm in arm down cobblestone avenues or sipping tea in the parlor of a grand mansion by the waterfront. It was all so romantic.

Charleston is full of history. The oldest city in South Carolina, founded in 1670, it is the epitome of southern charm and hospitality. History and romance ooze on every street in the historic district, like something out of one of the novels I used to read.

Charleston is also one of the most remarkably well-preserved cities in America. The restoration efforts by local groups to preserve this great American city is noticeable and is what keeps Charleston’s grand old buildings and homes, and their rich history, intact, restored, and preserved for many more generations to enjoy.

Here is my list of how to enjoy the history and find romance in Charleston:

Take a Walking Tour

We found that the best way to see Charleston is by walking around. We grabbed our tour book and headed out. You can stop by the Visitor’s Center for a free map or pick one up in your hotel lobby. If you prefer a guided tour, there are many Walking Tours available.

Must see points of interest: St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church and Graveyard, the Dock Street Theatre built in 1736, and the Gothic Revival style French Huguenot Church all on Church Street.

Nearby is Chalmer’s Street – Walk on the original cobblestone street paved in 1760. There you will find the famous Pink House, the Old Slave Mart (now a museum), and the German Fire Steam Engine Co. (a fire house used from 1851-’88).

At the end of Broad Street, on East Bay Street, stands the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (now a museum). East Bay street is also where you’ll find the iconic Rainbow Row houses.

Be sure to visit the Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park and White Point Park at the end of Battery Street to see its 160-year-old oak trees, civil war cannons, and monuments.

Enjoy a Horse-drawn Carriage Ride or Tour

What could be more romantic than riding in a carriage down centuries old cobblestone streets? Whether its just the two of you or you’re enjoying a family vacation, one of the best ways to experience Charleston is relaxing in an open carriage ride – feel the sunshine on your skin, smell the sweet fragrances of the many gardens throughout the city, hear the clippity-clop of the horses hooves all while listening to the driver’s tales of a by-gone era as he points out various historical landmarks.

There are several companies that offer horse-drawn carriage tours including Charleston Carriage Works, Classic Carriage Works, Old South Carriage Co, and Palmetto Carriage Tours.

Admire Historical Antebellum Mansions

Nothing speaks romance louder in Charleston than its historic, grandiose, antebellum mansions. You can’t miss them as you walk or drive around.

Get a glimpse into the lives of past Charleston elite and most prominent residents. Take a tour of these mansions and their magnificent English gardens. If only the walls could talk.

A few notable homes that offer tours are the Heyward-Washington House, built in 1772 by Thomas Heyward, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and where President George Washington once stayed. The three-story Federal-style Edmondston-Alston House built by a notable shipping merchant in 1825.

Williams Mansion, a fine, Gilded Age, 24,000 square foot home of business tycoon George W. Williams. One of my favorites, with its three-story “flying” staircase, is the Nathaniel Russell House. And there’s the iconic Aiken-Rhett House and Museum.

Mansion tour times, information and tickets are available online. Prices vary for each house with discounts available for multiple tours.

Visit Historic Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

All the fun and romance doesn’t just happen in the historic district of Charleston. Just 12 miles away on SC-61 you’ll find the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. This impressive 500-acre estate was acquired by the Drayton family in 1676. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the oldest plantations in the South. Once a rice plantation, Magnolia is now known for it’s 60-acres of romantic gardens. Visit anytime of year and you will find hundreds of fragrant, colorful blooms.

The estate also includes a reconstructed and restored pre-Revolutionary mansion, horticultural maze, nature trails, petting zoo, biblical herb garden, nature boat, nature train, and a swamp garden.

Hours of operation vary throughout the year. Allow 2 hours for a tour, although you might want to stay all day. Prices vary depending on tour. For information and to buy tickets, click here.

Take a Harbor Tour and Visit Fort Sumter

Cruise out to Charleston’s most popular attraction, Fort Sumter. Spend an hour exploring the small island and fortress, now a National Historic Park, where the first shots of the Civil War rang out. While cruising you’ll see the city wall, Battery Park, the skyline with its many church steeples, and the stately Rainbow Row and Battery homes along the waterfront.

Boat Tours depart from two locations: Liberty Square and Patriots Point. Tour times vary throughout the year. Ticket prices also vary with discounts for kids, seniors, and active military.

Other Harbor Tours include a 90-minute, narrated Charleston Harbor Cruise with a certified tour guide and for even a bit more romance, enjoy a multi-course dinner and drinks aboard a SpiritLine Dinner Cruise.

Be Awed by Historic Churches

Nicknamed “Holy City” for its many churches, no visit would be complete without checking out these historic places of worship. Admiring the architecture alone is worth the stop. Many still hold services. Some provide tours.

Stop and listen to the bells ringing from the bell tower of St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church (c.1836) at noon.

Admire the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church (c.1907 the original 1854 church was lost in a fire).

Visit St. Michael’s Church (c.1761). Sit in the very same pew as President George Washington and Gen. Robert E. Lee when they worshiped here.

Shop ‘Til You Drop

Believe it or not, not everyone who visits Charleston is a history buff or romantic. The good news is that there is so much more to see and do here – something for everyone. For instance, Charleston is a shoppers paradise.

The Shops of Historic Charleston on Meeting Street is where you’ll find bookstores, boutiques, reproduction furnishings, jewelry, and artwork.

Upper-crust retailers like Gucci and Louis Vuitton alongside mid-range shops can be found at The Shops at Belmond Charleston Place, also on Meeting Street.

As you stroll through the French Quarter, look for the many eclectic shops and galleries in Cabbage Row/Catfish Row (89-91 Church Street).

Upper King Street is home to the “designer district” with a bohemian atmosphere. Innovative furniture shops, home décor, and designer jewelry along with trendy restaurants and lively nightspots. While Lower King is home to Antique Row, “hip” boutiques, and art galleries.

Over 200 years old, the City Market is a “must-see” and the best place to find souvenirs. The four-block long open-air market hosts dozens of vendors with everything from spices, South Carolina treats, and hand-crafted trinkets, hats, and artwork. A must-have souvenir is a traditional African sweetgrass basket hand made by local Galluh women.

Museums And Other Interests

Charleston has its fair share of history museums, but there are others. The Gibbes Museum of Art, Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, Postal Museum, Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, and the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History.

South Carolina Aquarium is home to more than 5000 animals, from the ocean and coastal region to the forest and mountains.

For military buffs is Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum Just north of the historic district across the Cooper River. Home to the USS Yorktown, destroyer USS Laffey, submarine USS Clamagore, and 28 historic aircraft.

Nearby historic Fort Moultrie was prominent in the Revolutionary War. A palmetto-log fort, it was first attacked by nine British ships in 1776.

There is so much to see and do in Charleston. One thing is for sure, one trip is not enough – You will want to go back time and again.

How To Get There

Getting there is easy. To drive is less than five hours from Atlanta and three from Charlotte. Most major airlines fly into Charleston International Airport (CHS), 12 miles west on I-526.

Where To Eat

After a day of sightseeing or shopping you’ll want to grab some lowcountry cuisine at the many dozens of restaurants in Charleston’s historic district. Most of them serve fresh seafood as well as lowcountry favorites – shrimp and grits, lowcountry boil (sausage, shrimp, potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob), she-crab soup, crab cakes and oysters.

Some favorites are SNOBS – Slightly North of Broad Street, housed in a renovated 18th century warehouse. You’ll find upscale and refined southern cooking at Magnolias. One of my favorites, housed in an old church (of course), 5th Church Charleston. And Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar. Best she-crab soup ever. The staff is great and even the manager came out to tell us the fantastic history of the building.

Restaurants in the historic district tend to be somewhat expensive, although many have moderately priced items on their menus as well as dishes to share.

Sip n’ Shop Charleston; Sip Wine and Shop at the Finest Boutiques in Charleston

Where to Stay

There are several amazing hotels in the historic district, although somewhat pricey. More moderately priced and budget friendly hotels can be found north of the historic district as well as just across the Ashley River to the south and the Cooper River to the north.

The moderately priced Charleston Harbor and Marina Hotel to the north, next to Patriot’s Point, is what I’d consider a grand hotel. It has spacious room with balconies, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, gift shop, and Fish House Restaurant all on site. The Marina here is where you take the cruise to Ft Sumter or a fishing charter. This hotel also has a convenient, 365 days a year, hourly shuttle bus to and from the heart of the historic downtown district.

Undiscovered Charleston: 1/2 Day Food, Wine & History Tour with Cooking Class

About the author:

Loretta Berry is a freelance travel writer and photographer. She loves discovering new places and experiencing the local history, food, and drink. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States. She loves traveling with her kids and grandkids, sharing with them her passion for fun and adventure. She is a member of ITWPA and TraveMedia. You can find her on both Facebook and Instagram to follow her travels.

Photo credits:

First horse and carriage photo by Palmetto Carriage Works
All other photos are by Loretta Berry