Star Traveler: Carrie Preston's Charleston
True Blood actress talks about why Charleston, SC is one of her favorite places to unwind
She deals with vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghosts in her day job as Arlene Fowler on HBO’s True Blood, so when actress Carrie Preston has some downtime, she knows exactly where she likes to go to unwind.
From vacationing in historic Charleston, S.C., to visiting her hometown of Macon, Ga. and the theater where she got her start, Preston tells FoxNews.com all about her favorite places on the map.
Ashley Dvorkin: Charleston, S.C. -- what do you like about Charleston?
Carrie Preston: My husband (Michael Emerson) likes to call it New Orleans' grandfather.
It definitely has that kind of history and feel to it. It's got a real interesting, kind of chilly, kind of ghostly feel to it, that's wonderful, and the architecture is like no other.
AD: What’s your favorite thing to do there?
CP: I had the great fortune of performing at The Dock Street Theater which is actually the oldest building that was specifically built to be a theater in the United States. I think it was built in 1809 or something. It's been around a really long time and it's got so much history and you can feel it in that place, and they've recently renovated it.
AD: What about the food in Charleston?
CP: You could get some really good barbecue there and then some seafood. There's a lot of stuff down on Kings Street you can go to.
Then as far as where to stay, I would recommend the Pinckney house, it’s a B&B, and it’s an old house that they use for accommodations and it's very charming. You can even get a horse and buggy to come and take you around from the Pinckney house.
For more on Charleston cuisine, check out our Travel Guide >>
AD: You’re originally from Macon, Ga. What do you like best about your hometown?
CP: My descent is from some of the first settlers of the town, so you know, there's a great amount of history from my family there.
The town was built in 1823, around there. It started off as a fort then it started expanding and it's just full of so much history and it's just very well preserved there. We have these southern mansions that have been there since the beginning.
Down on Cherry Street there is a community theater there that was started by my mentor when I was in high school. He's had this theater there since the mid 80's and they do wonderful community theater and people really come out and support it.
AD: Is that where you got started?
CP: I started doing plays when I was in the 4th grade or something. I would do plays at school, I would do plays at the community theater, and then I started writing and directing plays. I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life.
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