Fort Sumter is somewhere else that’s most famous for its role in a different war. Built on a pentagon shaped island in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, the fort was the place where the very first shots of the Civil War were fired at 3:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861. That historic first shot wasn’t exactly a success though. The 10 inch mortar shell didn’t hit anything, but when it exploded over the fort, it was a signal for the Confederate artillery to open fire on the fort, which was then in Union hands.

Once that signal went up, it didn’t take long for the Confederates to get their hands on the fort. The Union soldiers evacuated and surrendered the very next day, even though by that point, not a single life had been lost on either side. The Confederates held on to the fort for the next four years, despite repeated attempts to take it back. During that time, it is estimated that a stunning seven million pounds of artillery were shot at the fort, yet despite that, only 52 lives were lost.

Today you can see some of the shells that were fired at the fort in the small museum there and it’s a testament to the way the fort was built, that so little blood was shed. Some of the mortar shells are huge and even the flag that flew on the island during those years is still pretty much intact and on show today in the museum. The museum takes you through the fort’s history, with fascinating information, not only on the Civil War, but also on what happened before and since then.

To give you an idea, the fort was originally built after the War of 1812, as one of a series of forts along the southern American coast. With walls five feet thick and standing up to 50 feet tall, it was designed to house up to 650 men and more than 100 guns, although during its time, it was never home to anywhere near that many soldiers or guns.

Unless you’re rich enough to be able to charter a private yacht, the only way to reach the Fort is to take the concession-operated ferry from either the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center in Liberty Square, Charleston or from Patriot’s Point Naval Maritime Museum on the other side of the harbor. The boat ride offers you the chance to get some superb views of Charleston and the beautiful historic homes lining the Battery and looking out to sea.

Boats run at least twice daily from Liberty Square and at least once a day from Patriot’s Point, with more services at busier times of the year. The ride takes about thirty minutes. Both places are great starting points for your visit. The Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center gives you an excellent introduction to the lead up to that first shot being fired, taking you through the growing problems between the North and South and how they finally erupted into Civil War.

A more appealing departure point for families is the Patriot Point Naval and Maritime Museum, whose star attraction is the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier, which later went on to serve in Vietnam and even picked up the astronauts from Apollo 8 when they returned from their moon orbit in 1968. You can also explore the World War II submarine Clamagore, the Destroyer Laffey, and Ingham, a Coast Guard Cutter.

Now back to the fort itself. Fort Sumter is a US National Monument and is looked after by the US National Park Service. As you’d expect from any of the National Park Service sites, it’s beautifully maintained and all the questions you could ever want to ask will be answered during your visit. Once you step off the boat, you’re strongly encouraged to stop and listen to a talk by a park ranger about the history of the fort, although we chose to bypass this, having heard a great deal of information on the way over in the boat.

As for the rest of the site, there aren’t many “activities” but there’s plenty to explore. Since nearly everything is outside, this is somewhere you ideally want to head for on a dry day! You can take a walking tour around the site and see the ruins of the barracks and officers’ quarters, along with the casements. It’s a very peaceful place and somewhere that we could have easily have spent more time at in spite of the fact that neither of us are Civil War enthusiasts. This is a place that will appeal to everyone.

As you leave the fort though and the island fades away in the distance, you can start to imagine how isolated the soldiers must have felt during the four years they were serving here. Wonderful though it is to visit for an hour or so, the prospect of spending all that time here isn’t one that inspires me! 

Fort Sumter is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Entry into the fort is free, but tickets for the ferry service cost $14 for adults, $12.50 for seniors over the age of 62 and $8 for children aged between six and eleven. Children under six are admitted free. It’s worth remembering that there are no restaurants or even snack machines on Fort Sumter, although snacks are available on the boat. (Bear in mind if you’re vegetarian, you won’t find much you can eat so consider bringing snacks!)


About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They’ve recently returned from a two week visit to Walt Disney World and Hilton Head Island, during which they visited Charleston and Savannah.
 

Yamabuki
by Terry Dagdagan, Guest Contributor


Wondering where to go for a restful mid-day break without leaving the Disneyland property? Yamabuki is a hidden gem in the far corner of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

This Japanese restaurant is found in Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. It is a bit of a walk, but well worth the trek if some peace and quiet and incredible food are what you crave. My family and I have eaten there on our last three visits, and we were never disappointed!

The peaceful Japanese setting and low crowds make it the perfect respite in the middle of the day. The majority of our fellow diners were dressed in business attire, so their purpose at the Disneyland Resort may not have been to visit the parks. For this reason, if you have toddlers that do not do well with a regular sit-down meal, you may want to skip this restaurant for now.

If your children are a bit older, however, they may enjoy this cultural dining experience. While the menu is complete with freshly rolled sushi and traditional Japanese dishes for adults, there is also a children’s menu. The children’s menu offers items like chicken or beef teriyaki, shrimp tempura, and udon soup (which my children consider to be a Japanese version of chicken noodle soup). The children’s menu also comes complete with coloring activities on the menu itself, as well as covered cups for beverages. Covered cups are always a plus in my book!

Now if the thought of chasing your food around the plate while attempting to capture it with a pair of pointy sticks brings visions of starvation to mind, don’t be put off. While this is a traditional Japanese restaurant right down to the chop sticks and green tea, they do offer Western cutlery when requested. You might even try your hand at a pair of training chops sticks, which involves a rubber band and rolled up bit of paper. The waitress offered these to my children, who were nine- and ten-years-old at the time. They declined (without being too insulted) since they were already old pros at the whole chopstick thing.

The menu selections are nothing short of delicious! Both my husband and I prefer the Bento Box lunch. This is a traditional Japanese meal which includes miso soup, a salad consisting of lettuce with ginger dressing, steamed white rice and your choice of meat or seafood. The meat and seafood choices include teriyaki and tempura. There are also selections of freshly rolled sushi on the menu. If you want to be up close to the chefs in action, you might enjoy a seat at the sushi bar.

In keeping with the Disney tradition, the service at Yamabuki is excellent. On one visit my daughter ordered teriyaki chicken from the children’s menu. As with most kids, dunking food is a sport when it comes to enjoying her meal. She quickly finished the sauce but still had meat. The waitress noticed this and promptly brought her two more bowls of dipping sauce so she could dunk to her heart’s content.

Another plus to remember is that this restaurant does offer discounts from time to time for various members such as Disney Visa Card holders and Annual Pass holders. On our first visit when we went to pay for our meal with our Disney Visa card, the waitress saw this and reminded us of the ten percent discount offered. She was more than happy to redo the bill to reflect our discount.

There are a couple of different routes you can take from the parks to get to Yamabuki. If you are leaving from the Disneyland theme park, you can turn right as you exit the park and walk through Downtown Disney. Another option if you are a guest of a Disneyland resort would be to take the monorail to the Downtown Disney stop. Once again you would still turn right upon exiting the monorail station.

At the end of Downtown Disney, you will turn left before entering the Disneyland Hotel. As you continue on the sidewalk, you will arrive at the back entrance to Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. Simply walk through the hotel and its lobby, and go out the front entrance. Turn right and you will come to Yamabuki’s door.

Another possible route would be from Disney’s California Adventure Park. You may use the park exit across from the Grizzly Rapids ride that leads into Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. (You may also go this way from the Disneyland Park if you have a Park Hopper Ticket or Annual Pass that allows you entrance to both parks on the same day.) This way is my favorite because it takes you through the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, which is nothing short of amazing.

Once through the park exit, you will go to the end of the walkway and turn right. At the end of this short walkway you will turn left and head toward the lobby. Along here you will see the Storytellers Café on your right and the pool area on your left.

Enter the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and walk straight through to the front entrance. Once outside you simply follow the sidewalk to the left until you reach Disney Way. Cross the street and turn left. Go past the front entrance of Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and you will find Yamabuki.

This restaurant does accept Priority Seatings up to 60 days in advance (Disney Dining 714-781-3463), so you may make a reservation if you wish. We used Priority Seating two out of the three times we went there, but found it wasn’t necessary for lunch. Yamabuki only serves lunch Monday through Friday, so plan accordingly. The lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. If you decide to try Yamabuki for dinner, Priority Seating reservations are recommended. The dinner hours are 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. every day.

Overall this is a delightful and relaxing option for a lunch away from the parks. So be a little adventurous - grab those chopsticks and enjoy!

 

About the Author: Terry and her husband Gene live in Las Vegas with their two daughters. They were excited to be aboard the Disney Wonder for its first 10-night Southern Caribbean Cruise last September, and look forward to their next stay at the Disneyland Resort this summer.

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