Charleston on the Cheap?

[rlduvall]

That is a lovely hotel and in a great location! Sounds like a good rate too.

Thanks for the quick response, graceesmom. I was hoping I made the right choice. We are really looking forward to it.

 

[jojosam]

A friend and I did a weekend in Charleston at the end of January. Chilly weather but low crowds! We stayed at the Hampton in the historic district for $159/night and it included a carriage ride and the ferry to Ft Sumter for both of us. Besides just strolling the streets and discovering hidden graveyards, we managed to fill a Friday evening and a full Saturday with

* Dessert at Kaminsky's (Yummm!)
* Aquarium
* Ft Sumter
* Market
* Carriage Ride
* Ghost walk

Plus a lot of yummy food!

If I get back again in the spring I really hope to get out to a plantation or two. I highly recommend a hotel in the Historic District, as you can easily walk to anything in the area. We probably logged 7-10 miles per day, but they were easy strolls and the exercise may have balanced out some of that food!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[winkytink]

Charleston native here. *raises hand*

The plantations are beautiful at this time of year but all are expensive.

It's sneaky and underhanded but you can get onto the Middleton Plantation grounds without paying. Park in the lot just off the road and just walk through the pasture and you're in. You can't tour the house or join an official tour but there are enough markers around to read that can help you, brochures are free, and a book for $20 at Barnes and Noble can get you all the info a tour guide would tell you.

Watch out for alligators and those swans? Are mean!

 

[idofabric]

I live just up the road in Summerville...we did a Bakery Crawl a few weeks ago in search for the "perfect" bagguett...my DH is from France/Germany(military brat/retired..). We hit 9 bakeries in and close to Charleston and found that we love the baked goods at Brown's Court on St. Phillip. It has great breakfast goods and coffee. I bit of a walk, but doable for you.
I think that if you like window shopping any of the streets in downtown will be great. And there are a ton of churches, The Circular Church is great. And we have one of the oldest Jewish populations in the USA...There are great churches that are open free, and the cementaries have some famous people in them.
Also the gardens at the foot of Charleston are a short but nice visit. And the houses on Rainbow Row are great... in fact the Charleston Museum used to have a ticket that allowed you to visit several of the historic houses and other attractions in town for a lower cost then if you do each alone.
We do have some no-see-ems from now to Nov...on and off. And we do get some rain, but even with all that it is a great town to just walk in. It used to be that if a garden gate was open you could walk in and look around...but not sure that is true any more. The Charleston Visitor Center on Meeting St has more info and they will send it to you, they are online.
Hope you all have a great trip... been in the LowCountry for about 20 years now. When we moved here it was my 36th move in less then 35 years....love it here!

 

[Nina1]

Charleston is one of our favorite places in the world. Husk and 82 Queen are our favorite restaurants (at 82 Queen, try to sit in the courtyard). Go to Magnolia plantation. Park at the Battery and just walk through the historic district. Get a cupcake at Cupcake. Take a carriage ride. Go to John's Island and see the Angel Oak (must be seen to be believed). Spend the day on the sand at Kiawah. Tour Ft. Sumter. Take a house tour. And, keep an eye out for Rhett and Scarlett.

 

[poohguys]

We were there for the day the first week in April. Trying to do super cheap (DH just laid off). We went to Ft. Moultrie on Sullivan Island. It was about 15 mins outside of Charleston and a lot cheaper than the boat ride to Ft Sumter. It is a National Park and only $3 per adult, Kids under 15 (I think or maybe 17) were free or there is a family rate of $5. It was very interesting as the fort spans from the Revolutionary War up to WW2. We just drove around in the city of Charleston since it was late in the afternoon. We also went to check out Folley Beach. It would have been nice if it had not been super windy! Hope you have a nice time. I would love to go back when we can spend a few days there.

 

[alexensmom]

Just found this thread and really appreciate the info from the locals! My parents are having their 50th anniversary next year and I would love to vaca with them in Charleston. My Dad's side of the family has ties to Charleston so the tours sound like a great idea but my two kids will revolt unless they can get some beach time. What beaches are close to Downtown/plantations? Google earth is my extent of knowledge about the area. Would it be prudent to stay outside of Charleston and drive in? My parents always prefer a condo type vacation vs a hotel room. Is that possible near Charleston? Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[MOREMICKEYFORME]

Thanks for all the great tips

 

[ReneeA]

Subscribing for our trip this summer.

 

[idofabric]

And if anyone hasn't booked a hotel or B&B yet...for our DS wedding my FIL and family booked a whole house for 4 days! It was about $600 in Nov. And it had 4 bedrooms, a wonderfull kitchen, 3 1/2 baths, PARKING!!! free....and it was close to downtown. No one remembers the exact way they booked it, but my SIL said she just searched for "house for rent" in Charleston and looked at rating. It was the best deal to sleep 5 adults, only 1 married couple.

 

[barbmouse]

Thanks for the tips! Subscribing for upcoming visit!!

 

[lauradis]

Can the locals tell me the name of bbq in the historical district, the place was a dump (floor ripped up etc) but the food was awsome and cheap.

Ghost tour was fun always lots of fun history

 

[christineann]

Sticky Fingers Barbecue?

 

[tar heel]

Sticky's isn't a dump, so no.

We used to always eat there when in Charleston but don't now that we have one five minutes from our house.

 

[reesecup]

Thought I would my input in, in case someone is still planning a trip. My husband and I went in January this year and had a wonderful time. One of my favorite places to eat was Poogan's Poorch. If you are a dog lover, you will appreciate the story behind the name. We did brunch and it was so nice. We lucked up on weather and were able to sit out on the front porch.

We also did Ft. Sumter which was nice.
We stayed at the Charleston Harbor Resort. There was a great deal that i found and I can't remember where but thinking on Snique Away. It was nice but it's not in downtown. It's across the Cooper River bridge BUT they had a Trolley that took us to downtown so we did not have to worry about driving and parking. It was a very nice experience and the staff was wonderful. They also had an Oyster Roost while we were there. Lots of people turn out for it...band, etc. That was very nice as well.

We, then, stayed a couple of nights at Wild Dunes Resort at the beach. Walked the beach and enjoyed that aspect as well.
We just walked around downtown ourselves but next time we will do a carriage just so we can hear more about the history. We also did the market. And got hot, just out of the oven, Southern Pralines...yum

Did not go to the aquarium but our kids did on a school trip and they liked it a lot. And our son found TONS of shark's teeth (big and fossilized ones). He can not remember the place was that he found them, though.

Charleston has become one of our VERY favorite places!!

Have fun to anyone going.
Very jealous!!!

 

[DawnM]

We went to Charleston about 2 weeks ago. We did not stay there, it was a day trip from another beach where we were staying.

We did the horse/mule tour ($22 plus tip) and ate at Hyman's Seafood. Hyman's found out we had never been there before and brought us several appetizer size trial dishes to taste and sample. I was stuffed when we left!

The above trip was with my girlfriends and not my boys, so we were free to relax and enjoy without kids asking if we can go already!

We have been to Charleston in the past WITH the family and did the tour of the USS Yorktown (in fact, we went with the boyscouts and slept on the ship!) and Ft. Sumter.

Dawn

 

[princess barbara]

Another questions for the locals and not to hijack... back in the early to mid '80s I was in Charleston in late March or early April I believe. There was a weekend driving tour with open houses of plantation. Basically you'd pay for a pass and were given a map and in one weekend you could drive and gain entrance in as many of the plantation as you cared to drive to and visit. Is this still an option?

 

[winkytink]

Just found this thread and really appreciate the info from the locals! My parents are having their 50th anniversary next year and I would love to vaca with them in Charleston. My Dad's side of the family has ties to Charleston so the tours sound like a great idea but my two kids will revolt unless they can get some beach time. What beaches are close to Downtown/plantations? Google earth is my extent of knowledge about the area. Would it be prudent to stay outside of Charleston and drive in? My parents always prefer a condo type vacation vs a hotel room. Is that possible near Charleston? Any info is greatly appreciated.

Best way to find a condo for rent is to look into VRBO. Not a lot of rental condos outside of Charleston to my knowledge.

There are several beaches in Charleston; your parents will likely prefer Isle of Palms and Sullivan's. They are more "high-end" and quiet. Kiawah is another good one but more isolated from the rest of the city - but there are a BUNCH of VRBOs as well as a hotel. Sometimes they release sea turtles there and lots of celebrities have homes on Kiawah and Seabrook.

Folly is undoubtedly the biggest local favorite beach, and much more popular with the younger crowd. On the west end of the beach is the county park beach, with lifeguards and showers, and paid all-day parking ($10 per vehicle entry I believe). However, you can park on the side of the street on Folly and not pay for parking just as long as you keep your tires completely off the road. On the east end of Folly is a cul-de-sac where you can park your car, but get there early for a spot there. Next to the cul-de-sac is a road blocked off to cars but pedestrians are allowed through. Walk down that road and you will be able to see Morris Island Lighthouse up close and personal. DO NOT SWIM to the lighthouse; you will get caught up in a rip current. Watch out for cacti down there too...I speak from experience. I used to live on Folly as an adult and grew up there each summer (family has a beachhouse). Eat at Lost Dog Cafe, pick up souvenirs and snacks from Bert's Market. Avoid Woody's Pizza! It will give you...uhhh...digestion issues.

Bill Murray lives in Charleston; you can sometimes catch him around town, especially at a Riverdogs baseball game (he owns the team). He came up to my brother years ago while he was eating lunch at a restaurant, picked up a fry off his plate, put it in his mouth. Looked him square in the eye and said, "Nobody will believe you when you tell them about this," and just walked off. Brother named his next dog Murray in tribute. lol

 

[honeybunches]

Love Charleston, we used to go several times a year. Definitely budget for parking. We got 2tickets when we parked on a side street for dinner last year.