By | April 13, 2010
Fran Bennett guides members from Joint Team Charleston through the Newcomer?s Tour in downtown Charleston, S.C., April 1, 2010. The tour is open to service members and their families to spend the day sightseeing and getting a taste of Charleston. Throughout the day the tour passes through one of America?s first and most historical neighborhoods. When a devastating earthquake rocked Charleston in 1886, the city was too poor to tear down and rebuild its structures due to the Civil War. Therefore, Charleston?s authenticity and charm was maintained through a series of repairs to the already existing architecture of the buildings which date back to the 1700s. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Lauren Main)
A horse drawn carriage in downtown Charleston is one of the many sites for Airmen and their families to behold on the Newcomer?s Tour sponsored by the Airman and Family Readiness Center on Joint Base Charleston. The tours are held the first Thursday of every month and leave the base at 8:15 a.m. and last until 3:30 p.m. It is free to all who participate with the exception of meals. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Lauren Main)
Second Lieutenant Susan Carlson reaches for a blown glass necklace while on a shopping excursion during the Newcomer?s Tour in downtown Charleston, S.C., April 1, 2010. The tour is sponsored by the Airman and Family Readiness Center and is a day-long outing, which consists of walking tours, food, shopping and a chartered tour through the oldest historical neighborhoods in America. Charleston is also home to numerous filming sites for the movie ?The Notebook.? (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Lauren Main)
Shirley Manigault sits surrounded by hand woven baskets on Market Street in downtown Charleston, S.C., April 1, 2010. Sea Island basket weaving is a folk tradition whose origins date back to the end of the 17th century. This art form was born out of the rise of South Carolinian rice cultivation during the 1680s. Originally known as fanners, the circular baskets were approximately two feet in diameter and used as tools for winnowing rice. The traditional artists displays are one of many sites to behold on the Newcomer?s Tour sponsored by the Airman and Family Readiness Center on Joint Base Charleston. The tour is free and offered to all service members and their families. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Lauren Main)