Hampton Roads travel club takes in the history and food of Charleston, South Carolina

The Pack Roadtrip Travel Club members came from as far away as Mechanicsville, Williamsburg and Suffolk to meet at Indian River Road Park & Ride in Virginia Beach. The Friday morning sun started to climb in the sky as 30 people, including me, loaded a Venture Tours bus with Preston Ricks at the wheel. Our destination: Charleston, South Carolina.

Andrae Marable, owner of The Pack, has spent a decade curating travel experiences with delectable food and drinks in mind. Charleston was the perfect fit, with its rich history and culinary scene. I loved the idea of exploring the city like a local for the next three days.

Our second food stop before hitting Charleston was Buc-ee’s, a popular chain known for everything, including its fare. I had never been but Marable said it was like Walmart on steroids. He was right. Our group was swallowed up in hundreds of other visitors picking up ready-to-eat Texas brisket sandwiches and shopping for Buc-ee’s souvenirs. I could barely move my handcart through the crowd, but I managed to grab some items that YouTubers swore by, such as the Beaver Nuggets (a caramel-coated puffed corn snack), jerky, fudge, hot roasted cashews and a chopped brisket sandwich. All were tasty. I understood then the cult following and can’t wait for the New Kent location to open.

We rolled into North Charleston around 3 p.m. Hotels were plentiful and the rates were cheaper than downtown.

A welcome reception was held — about 10 minutes from our hotel — at the Starlight Motor Inn, a 1961 restored motel. A lot of us took pictures of the landmark sign before entering the two-story building. The lobby’s retro vibe took me back in time with its wood panels, green and blue floral seating, and a picture of a young Little Richard sitting with two friends in the lobby. We went to the bar on the second floor, and it had its own cheerful patrons rehashing the day’s events. I could tell from the black and white photos of sailors drinking and a couple doing the bump, a popular dance from the ’70s, that it must have been a happening place back in the day. Sounds like it still is.

The Cocktail Bandits — Charleston bloggers Taneka Reaves and Johnny Caldwell — prepared two cocktails for the group: Reclaiming My Time, with Bacardi rum, Aperol, agave and pineapple and lemon juices; and a Ciroc Limonata spritz, with prosecco and lemon juice. Later in the trip, they would curate other events, host a private tasting at our hotel and give us some mixology education to re-create concoctions at home.

At dinner downstairs, the buffet stretching across the center of the room displayed some of my favorites: barbecue chicken, collard greens and buttermilk fried whiting. The red rice reminded me of New Orleans jambalaya. It’s a Lowcountry side dish that was brought here by the enslaved from West Africa. The Southern-style cooking of the collard greens was too. Marcus Middleton, chef and owner of Keoni’s, gave us a taste of the diaspora that left an impression on our palates.

Other fare did too. The next day, the shrimp and grits hit the spot at Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails, a restaurant inspired by family recipes. Some historians believe the dish originated in South Carolina or Georgia. What I knew for sure, though: Yummy layers of flavor tickled my taste buds with succulent shrimp, cheesy grits and spicy sausage. That wasn’t up for debate.

The restaurant is named after Rose “Roza” Mibab Goldberg, a Holocaust survivor who passed away in 2020. It is known to have some of the best fried chicken in town. Her daughter continues the legacy. I planned to get some on my next visit.

One of my memorable stops on the trip was the International African American Museum at Gadsden’s Wharf, the largest single point of entry for enslaved Africans, according to the Preservation Society of Charleston. About 260,000 entered South Carolina from 1670 to 1808.

I browsed through the core exhibit, which contained more than 150 historical objects, more than 50 pieces of art and nearly 50 films. I sat in a re-created praise house and read about how food ingredients from West Africa, Europe and Native Americans were part of the food traditions of the Gullah Geechee people, who descend from West and Central Africans. I also took a picture of the Jah Defender, a masquerading suit made by Demond Melancon and worn during Mardi Gras, among other things. It brought back memories of living in New Orleans.

Every exhibit reminded me how resilient my ancestors were. I wanted more time to digest the content, but I left with a heart filled with pride and hope for the future.

On Saturday afternoon, the group took a carriage ride through downtown Charleston. Palmetto Carriage Works has operated since 1971. Our horse, Trevor, knew where to take us, and his handler, Trey, told us stories of yesteryear.

Wealthy people resided in large homes near the street while slaves lived in separate, smaller quarters in the back. Downtown was the heart of Charleston before the Civil War. In December 1861, a wind-driven fire destroyed much of the city. Trey pointed out the differences in structures as Trevor trotted down the street. We began to see less brick being used. Side porches were influenced by European design, wrought iron fences created by the enslaved, and buildings reconstructed after fires and storms. History was everywhere and I was enjoying the ride.

The bus driver took us to Johns Island on Sunday to see the Joseph Fields Farm. Chef Amethyst Ganaway, a food writer and recipe developer, had a spread of crab rice, squash, zucchini, baked chicken and whiting when we arrived. She picked the vegetables earlier in the day from this farm. Fresh and delicious.

Joseph Fields, a third-generation Gullah Geechee farmer, pulled us around the 50-acre certified organic farm on a tractor-trailer. I felt like a kid on a hayride. He stopped occasionally to pick bell peppers, cucumbers and green tomatoes for us to consume or take home. Justin and Owen, brothers and the only kids on the trip, helped him pick. Fields’ smile revealed how proud he was of his harvest and the chance to share this moment with us. Before we boarded the bus, he cut up red and yellow watermelons. Sweet. Juicy. Delicious.

What else was pleasing? Shopping at Charleston City Market, which was built in the 1800s. I walked the four-block complex looking at jewelry, art and other goodies. The beauty of sweetgrass baskets, handcrafted by Gullah artisans, caught my eye. The weaving technique originated in Africa. Some group members purchased the baskets to bring back to Tidewater.

On our final evening, a few of us attended the Spoleto Festival USA at the College of Charleston. The performances celebrated Gullah history with a fusion of jazz and praise house melodies. More than 20 South Carolina artists, including Grammy-winning musician Charlton Singleton, filled the night air with rhythmic wonder. It escaped through the surrounding iron fence, moved through the giant live oak trees and vibrated in the nearby neighborhood. It accomplished what music does: Bring people together.

I couldn’t think of a better way to end our trip.

Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekayagibson@virginiamedia.com, on X, @gibsonrekaya