Sometimes you can trust your GPS to get you there… sometimes your destination is unattainable.
Of course, any place with the word “castle” attached to it immediately arouses my curiosity. Castle Pinckney is listed on all the “Top Places to go in Charleston” lists, so I put it on mine. I didn’t look it up, but supposed it was on a beach like Fort Moultrie and I could drive down there anytime I wanted.
So yesterday morning, in pursuit of early-morning coffee-fueled adventure, I put the castle in my GPS and set off.
I was headed downtown, and that should have been my first sign that something was amiss. I’d been downtown plenty of times but never seen signs of a castle nearby. Still, I kept faith and drove on.
Finding parking is easy to do in the morning hours! I set off down a cobblestone street to find the castle, scanning the shoreline. My GPS said it was down this road… and then this… and then…
There was an empty wharf.
As it turns out, Castle Pinckney is on an island, only accessible by ferry. Even if I got on a boat (there seemed to be plenty at the marina next to me), the ruins aren’t accessible to the public. It’s a national historical place, but not one I could explore. Watch this short video to see the ruins and learn more about the place.
I hope one day the site is restored enough to be accessible to the public. Til then, tourists like me will be left staring at the end of an empty wharf.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~