After school was done, we decided to celebrate with an impromptu long weekend in Charleston. And, we delighted our children by staying in a Hampton - for some reason, they have a fondness for Hamptons and every time we drive by the one near us, Fi screams out, "Our Hampton!" and Will asks if we can stay there the next time we drive to Michigan (we always tell him no).We got to the Hampton in time for dinner and there was a great restaurant right next to the hotel. After dinner we took our usual pre-bedtime swim and then went up for bed. The kids weren't having it, so around 10 or so, I asked Brent to see if there was any milk in the breakfast area, thinking that this might calm them down. Well, he came back with both milk AND cookies AND a fantastic story about how he had to wrestle a bear and put him into a headlock in order to steal the milk and cookies from the bear. Brent's a really good storyteller and the kids LOVED it - in fact, everywhere we went the rest of the weekend
We got up Friday bright and early, ready to take in all of Charleston. We started with a trip to Fort Sumter, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. We went around the little museum they had and tried to get the kids interested in artifacts from the Civil war (no dice). But, after a wait, we all boarded the ferry boat for the island. The kids had a really great time on the boat (I think the hot dogs helped) and Will kept talking about the other boats and the large suspension bridge.
It was really, really hot that day, so Fi was very cranky by the time we got to the Fort - she wanted no part of it. So, I kept her occupied while Brent and Will looked at all the canons and the rest of the Fort - Will was really, really into it. We all ended up in the museum on the island - it had air conditioning.
We made it back onto the ferry and went back to the main land. Everyone was pretty tired at this point so we headed back to the hotel for nap time. I love nap time on vacation - Brent stays in the room with the kids and naps while I escape somewhere and read. It's awesome!We ended the day walking around Charleston and getting dinner downtown.
Saturday was "Military Charleston" day - we went on the USS Yorktown air craft carrier and the USS Clamagore submarine at Patriots Point. We spent 6 hours there - they had 6 different self-guided tours that showcased different parts of the Yorktown and we had to do every single one (those of you who know me and my family know I get this from my dad, who's nickname on trips is "Tour Guide"). 
However, Will was having such a good time running around, seeing everything that I don't think he would have let us leave anyway. We saw all the airplanes, the pilot rooms, the bridge control room, the flight deck, and engine rooms. We saw where the crew stayed - Boy Scouts get to do overnights there (Will already said he wants to do that) - and everything else that was open. And, we had lunch on the Yorktown (more hot dogs) too.
After our last tour we took a ride on the flight simulator - we all went in this little box and pretended we were flying a jet on a Desert Storm mission. I wasn't sure if the kids would like it, but they loved it - I came out of there wanting to puke. After a brief Sprite break, we went through the Medal of Honor museum, which Brent was really, really excited about. It was very nice and I hope they can expand it one day.
Our final stop on Military Day was the USS Clamagore submarine. Going through the one passage through this 1945 sub really provided an appreciation for the men who had to work and function in a tin can (and I questioned their sanity a little - some bunks where right under piping for water and electronics). It was also funny watching the kids slip right through the doors while Brent and I had to pivot and watch where we were going. The kids loved it all, and for weeks afterwards, Will told everyone about the air craft carrier. He wants to go on one that moves now - I told him no way.
We rounded out our Military Charleston weekend with a stop Sunday at the Hunley Submarine museum. The Hunley was a Civil War sub that was the first submarine to successfully fire up and sink a ship. The kids are sitting in a replica of the submarine - it was moved through the water by pushing and pulling the bars you see. The actual sub is sitting in a pool in the museum (which is really more like a warehouse currently) - this mystified Will who couldn't understand why we couldn't go in it and touch it. I'm not sure the kids appreciated this stop, but Brent was very excited.All in all, it was a great weekend and I hope to see the more historic side of Charleston when we go back (maybe without kids). :)
