There are dozens of Sea Islands in the Charleston area, including the nature preserve Bulls Island. At the north end is 'The Boneyard,' where skeletal trees greet the day

The Ravenel Bridge connects Charleston to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. 

This Gothic Revival abandoned church in Georgetown routinely draws history buffs as well as ghost-hunters to the 170 year-old site

Another common sight: white egrets fishing in the waters behind our house. 

Even in the summer, there's plenty of shade provided by Live Oaks throughout the city. 

The Citadel offers stunning stained glass windows, including this floor to ceiling masterpiece. 

Charleston is home to the last building paid for with British funds before the American colonies severed ties with King George III

There's something especially striking about the older sites in the Holy City, dating back centuries but still alive and vibrant today. 

Everything is lovely here, but nothing beats the beach! 

Little remains of this centuries-old church except parts of the exterior walls, and a cemetery with graves dating back to the American Revolution