The campground at Myrtle Beach State Park is a great campground with a six minute walk to the beach.

We cannot says as much for Myrtle Beach, the city. It is huge, has its own international airport, and miles and miles of hotels, entertainment, and restaurants. It is like Las Vegas with less neon.

Drove down to Charleston. After setting up camp at a KOA campground — not our cup of tea, but the best available near Charleston— we took a two hour guided van tour of Charleston. Excellent tour guide.

Charleston(started as Charles Town after King Charles II) was established in 1670. Since then it has burned and been rebuilt five times. Most of the town is built on reclaimed swamp land. 

Charleston was originally the center of the slave trade and rice plantations. The Citadel is a public military college established in 1842 in Charleston with about 2300 cadets. Although about 30% of the graduates earn a commission into the US Armed Forces, it is not connected to any of the branches.

Gullah is the language and culture developed by the enslaved population around Charleston in the 1700s. KumBi Yah is a Gullah spiritual.

Thanks to an active preservation organization, much of the Charleston architecture has been saved and enhanced. I took way too many pictures.

Charleston seems to have an upbeat vibe. There was a concert in the park, people in costumes heading to Halloween festivities, and lots of people dressed up for dinner or the several weddings we saw.