Charleston, SC area questions

[kawc1945]

We are within driving distance of Charleston and are thinking about visiting with the kids this summer. We'd like to stay on the beach or close to it. Any recommendations for a hotel or condos to stay at? Also, what were your favorite activities and restaurants there?

 

[kawc1945]

Anyone?

Thanks!

 

[dis-happy]

I saw your post yesterday but didn't have an advice on where to stay. Will add though that Chas. isn't on the beach---if you want sand and waves and things like that, look into Isle of Palms, Kiawah Is., Folly Beach or Edisto--all are a relatively short drive from Chas (IOP is probably the closest).

Personal favorite places to eat in Chas include Hyman's and Jestine's Kitchen. HTH

 

[kawc1945]

Thanks, I should have been more specific. We would stay at the beach (checked out Isle of Palms and Folly Beach on-line), and when tired of the beach and sand, go into Charleston to check out the city and historic sites. Since we can drive there, we'll have a car so getting around is not a big deal.

 

[purplegirl247]

We were there in November. Stayed in a B&B downtown and mostly just walked around. We took a ghost tour or two (not usually that scary and it's a great way to get a walking tour of the historical areas), a carriage ride, and went out to one of the plantations that are like 20 minutes away (they're all in a row, so we just picked one).

We really enjoyed Hominy Grill, which will be featured on an upcoming episode of Unique Eats on the Cooking Channel (they were filming while we were there).

HTH!

 

[momof1princess]

we went to charleston in september, 2010, and really enjoyed the tour of magnolia plantation. it is LOVELY. we also took a carriage tour that was across from the marketplace, and we shopped the marketplace while we waited for our tour time. we got great t-shirts for cheap, and you can watch the women weave baskets. LOVED the marketplace, and the tour was very informative. i loved looking at all of the historic homes.

 

[palmettocharm]

Charleston is a wonderful place and has a ton of great things to do. We go at least once a year for a weekend trip. Eventually I want to go and stay for a week so we can experience more of it!

Since Charleston played a major part in the Civil War there are a lot of historical things to do. You can visit Fort Sumter in the Harbor, as well as the Powder Magazine and other museums.

The Aquarium on the Wharf is great, and within walking distance to downtown. There is also a pirate-themed harbor cruise that departs from the wharf as well.

Other things like harbor, plantation, or carriage tours are great to do. There are also great walking tours, either with a group or on your own.

King Street is great for shopping, and Folly Beach or Isle of Palms are great for beach days. On the tip of Folly is Morris Island Lighthouse. You can't get to it because it's surrounded by water, but you can get very close. There are other lighthouses within the area that you can tour, I believe.

There are also a number of great restaurants in Charleston, most within walking distance in downtown. Hyman's is probably the most popular (with good reason - it's amazing!) but there are also many others including Charleston Crab House, Gilligan's, and Fleet Landing.

If you decide to go to Charleston you won't be disappointed!!!

 

[EeyoreEma]

It's one of my favorite places in the world. IOP is Wonderful. I've been going there every summer and I love it there. Got engaged there, honeymooned there ... I'm a bit biased, but I'd check into staying on IOP! As for Charleston, tons to do there - great restaurants! We love S.N.O.B, Poogan's Porch, Magnolia's, Tommy Condon's, Hominy Grill. We're not huge Hyman's fans - not worth the wait to us. It's hard to go wrong with anything in the area!

 

[Sanchez]

There are also a number of great restaurants in Charleston, most within walking distance in downtown. Hyman's is probably the most popular (with good reason - it's amazing!) but there are also many others including Charleston Crab House, Gilligan's, and Fleet Landing.

I agree that there are some great restaurants but we probably disagree on the ones we consider great. It really depends what you want.

If you want quality places like Grill 225, Peninsula Grill, Oak Steakhouse, Magnolias, Hominy Grill, FIG, Jestine's Kitchen and Cypress are very good. You will find more Lowcountry cooking at these places.

Places like A.W. Shucks, Hymans, Gilligans, Bubba Gump and Charleston Crab House are more of the tourist variety. Basic seafood but not Lowcountry cooking. They are good for what they are but if you want more of a local flavor I would go elsewhere.

IOP does not have quality restaurants but there are some places to go. Mt. Pleasant has some good choices as well. Try the Boulevard Diner on Coleman Boulevard.

IOP and Sullivans do not have major hotels but you should not have a problem finding a condo or rental home. Folly is great but be advised that it has "character." Most of the homes are older and it is a bit run down. There is not as much to do around Folly though if you want to stay in a hotel the Holiday Inn is decent.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Check out the Sea Cabins on vrbo.com on Isle of Palms. They are oceanfront and have a private pool, fishing pier and parking lot. We rented one last summer for several days and had a blast. They are very close to the IoP connector which is the non-drawbridge over to Mt. Pleasant.

There are tons of chain restaurants around to eat and several seafood places over on Shem Creek (Mt Pleasant).

 

[Pembo]

We are headed to IOP and Charleston this summer. We are staying on IOP at The Palms Hotel. It looks nice, has an ocean front balcony and a free breakfast.

 

[Danibelle]

I agree that there are some great restaurants but we probably disagree on the ones we consider great. It really depends what you want.

If you want quality places like Grill 225, Peninsula Grill, Oak Steakhouse, Magnolias, Hominy Grill, FIG, Jestine's Kitchen and Cypress are very good. You will find more Lowcountry cooking at these places.

Places like A.W. Shucks, Hymans, Gilligans, Bubba Gump and Charleston Crab House are more of the tourist variety. Basic seafood but not Lowcountry cooking. They are good for what they are but if you want more of a local flavor I would go elsewhere.

IOP does not have quality restaurants but there are some places to go. Mt. Pleasant has some good choices as well. Try the Boulevard Diner on Coleman Boulevard.

IOP and Sullivans do not have major hotels but you should not have a problem finding a condo or rental home. Folly is great but be advised that it has "character." Most of the homes are older and it is a bit run down. There is not as much to do around Folly though if you want to stay in a hotel the Holiday Inn is decent.

I agree about the restaurants. I may be in the minority but I had a horrible meal at Hyman's. I really like Hominy Grill and Magnolia's (you would need a reservation there). I would definitely take the carriage tour downtown and also visit the aquarium.

Bubba Gump and Charleston Crab House are both chain restaurants (Bubba is even in NYC)!

 

[lpereira]

Don't stay on folly beach unless you enjoy sitting in traffic. Also a fondness for beer cans/bottles and urine is a must. You are much better off going to iop or sullivans if you want to go into charleston. It's cleaner and quieter there.
There are more activities than you probably have time to do. Depending on which month you go your best bet may be beach in the morning, afternoon inside someplace (aquarium or museum), & evening for exploring downtown.
There are also a ton of plantations to visit within 20 minutes of downtown. If you are on kiawah our iop it won't be hard to go see seewee cultural center.

 

[kawc1945]

Thanks for all of the replies, everyone! I am looking forward to having a great time in Charleston.

 

[beckyb29]

We spent a long weekend in Charleston last summer and fell in love with such a beautiful place. We took a boat ride out to Fort Sumter(fun, and the relaxing boat ride was amazing!). Walking along the battery and White Point Gardens was also great. There were dolphins playing out in the water! We became obsessed with the bridge, and found a beautiful park on the Mount Pleasant end of it. Parking was fairly cheap, and there were swings and benches right on the water (along with people fishing). Other than parking, it was free. There was even a small playground there. While we were there, I finally convinced my bf (who is deathly afraid of heights!!) to climb the bridge with me. Not something we'd do with the kids, but definitely provided some wonderful views-and he loved it once he got to the top (even though he never let go of the railing!)

You've gotten some pretty good suggestions on food, so I'll only throw out a few more. We had one breakfast at Virginias on King, and it was really good. Huge servings + good food, and the two of us ate (a lot!) for about $20 plus tip.

For a more casual lunch, we went to Sly's deli near downtown. Good sandwich place for reasonable prices.

Warning: we were given these recommendations at the Visitors Center. After giving us the recommendation we should have walked away....but... They, like everyone else, are trying to sell timeshares. Be careful, as they will talk your ear off, and it is very hard to get away without feeling as if you are being rude. These people surround the city (shopping and dining districts as well as the visitor centers) during the busy season, and we learned the hard way not to make eye contact!
Other than that, I couldn't complain about anything!
Have a wonderful time!