Charleston South Carolina

[mommykds]

Hi, we are looking at 2-3 days in Charleston. Would anyone have ideas as what to see & do & dine in that time period? It would be me, DH, & 3 kids (9,10, 14)

Thank you!

 

[tammymacb]

I live in Mount Pleasant which is a suburb of Charleston.

You have a few options for your lodging, you can look at Isle of Palms or Folley Beach if you want to stay on the beach. Or you can stay downtown, in the Historic district. It would depend on what your kids like.

There's lots of good restaurants including- Coast, Rue de John, The Mustard Seed, Oak Steakhouse ( fancy places ) and I can give you lots of unfancy ones, too.

Let me know if you have specific questions.

 

[mommykds]

I live in Mount Pleasant which is a suburb of Charleston.

You have a few options for your lodging, you can look at Isle of Palms or Folley Beach if you want to stay on the beach. Or you can stay downtown, in the Historic district. It would depend on what your kids like.

There's lots of good restaurants including- Coast, Rue de John, The Mustard Seed, Oak Steakhouse ( fancy places ) and I can give you lots of unfancy ones, too.

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Staying on or near the beach sounds great. As far as dining we'd probably want casual dining that is kid friendly.

Besides Fort Sumter what else woud you suggest as far as attractions/history?

Thanks for your reply.

 

[blana]

For history, there's the Hunley museum: http://www.hunley.org/main_index.asp?CONTENT=TOURS

 

[tammymacb]

Boone Hall Plantation. Middleton Plantation. Going to see the Angel Oak on Johns Island.

Taking a walk in the Market is a tourist must ( though IMO they sell mostly junk ) and walking Rainbow Row. I personally would recommend the ghost walk. It's a lot of fun and even non tourists enjoy it. But, watch the sidewalks, we see lots of trip and fall injuries from uneven cobblestone.

When you're downtown, you can have dinner at Tommy Condon's on Church St. Except for Monday and Tues they have an Irish band, who are really good ( and also friends of mine ) I think they have a prime rib special one night...There's lots of shopping on King St and a nice outdoor mall in Mount Pleasant ( The Town Centre- it also has a 16 screen theatre )

If you need anything else, let me know.

 

[java]

I have 4 kids and we LOVE that area. It's our number 2 vacation spot after Disney.

We enjoy the tourist traps of Hyman's good basic seafood and the kids loved their choices as well
http://www.hymanseafood.com/

For breakfast we LOVE
http://www.josephsofcharleston.com/

We even liked
http://www.charlestoncocktail.com/kingstreetgrille.html
AMAZING salads! And again good kid's choices

I would LOVE to live in Mount Pleasant it's beautiful there and seems like a great neighborhood. I can dream........

 

[PlutoPony]

Consider an evening ghost tour, lots of fun and maybe a little spooky

Carriage ride through the historic district

Definitely Fort Sumter, in addition to the Fort you get a great look at the city from the water

Patriots Point Naval Museum is wonderful, you can wander around an aircraft carrier complete with planes, go down inside a submarine, check out a Coast Guard cutter and other things like that. Check out the website, it's very good.

Water should be fine to romp around in if you stay at the beach (my son was in the ocean at Isle of Palms in mid-March )

There are some good small boat trips available that go back in the estuaries and marshes to see dolphins, waterfowl, wildlife, etc. Should be able to find those things via google or typically you'll find brochures at the hotels for things like this.

My son was middle school aged when we visited, he had a great time (low expectations I think) and would go back if we said the word. Have a good trip!

 

[cm8]

Boone Hall Plantation. Middleton Plantation. Going to see the Angel Oak on Johns Island.

Taking a walk in the Market is a tourist must ( though IMO they sell mostly junk ) and walking Rainbow Row. I personally would recommend the ghost walk. It's a lot of fun and even non tourists enjoy it. But, watch the sidewalks, we see lots of trip and fall injuries from uneven cobblestone.

When you're downtown, you can have dinner at Tommy Condon's on Church St. Except for Monday and Tues they have an Irish band, who are really good ( and also friends of mine ) I think they have a prime rib special one night...There's lots of shopping on King St and a nice outdoor mall in Mount Pleasant ( The Town Centre- it also has a 16 screen theatre )

If you need anything else, let me know.

agreed! We live on Daniel's Island and it is just beautiful to drive around and sight see. We have lots of "island" restaurants and shoping for the locals and visitors. I think you should also drop by the waterfront park in historic charleston and the waterfront in mt. pleasant. The ravanel bridge replaced the old cooper river bridges used for the bridge run, but if you like to walk over them , it is a great bridge to walk/run over and it is very scenic. The battery in downtown charleston is also nice to walk. Grill 225 on eastbay at the market pavilion hotel is also lovely and in the same vicinity, you have lots of restaurant choices, like sandwich shops, seafood, candy store, arts and crafts and japenese all in walking distance too! I forgot to mention the children museum opened not too long ago and it is very neat, we also have the aquarium and it is very neat as well.
Hope you have a blast when you get here

Edit: forgot to add this website for you to check out. It is very useful to have too! http://www.sciway.net/

 

[Mommyof4Cuties]

I've been to Charleston a few times with family, and some of the kids were only a couple of years older than yours. The aqarium is nice, it's right on the ocean. The open air market is also nice to just wander through and look at the locally made jewelry and food. I'll agree that Isle of Palms is a nice beach, it's my favorite one down there. If you're looking for something with more of a history aspect of it, you could go to Yorktown Battleship.

I love Charleston, I hope you do too!

 

[RadioNate]

I used to live in Mt Pleasant.

People have all had some great suggestions and I really don't have anything too much to add except I miss Charleston.

Such a great area. Maybe we'll hop on up there this summer to show the kids.

 

[minniebeth]

We just did Charleston with our kids similar to your ages over spring break. It was a short visit, but we got a lot done. You can do a lot in your time if you want to try to get it all in or go at a leisurely pace. I would say do 2 days of all day touring and spend one full day at Folley Beach and enjoy the beach, stores and restaurants.
In addition to what has already been mentioned, we would suggest a carriage ride tour (can connect at the City Market), the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. The aquarium is also next to one of the Ft. Sumter boat locations.
Have your kids complete the Jr. Ranger program at Ft. Sumter. They can pick up the workpage with the Park Rangers inside the museum where you get the boat and once it is completed, they bring it back to the Park Ranger for a badge.
If you are interested in a Ghost Tour (Bulldog was recommeded to us) then book it early, as they fill up quickly. We missed out because we decided too late.
A great tip would be to use the Trollys, walking the city is best but it is tiring.

We ate at: 39 Rue de Jean, very good yet casual for the kids, we had excellent service.
Poogan's Porch....awesome elegant southern cuisine in a beautiful southern home with a cool theme (Poogan is a dog). Lots of charm...
Hyman's Seafood/Deli definately a tourist restaurant, but we were really surprised that the service was excellent and the food surprisingly good. Huge portions and something for everyone on the menu. Can order anything off the seafood or deli menu.

In the future, we want to try Queen Anne's Revenge, Hank's Seafood, Virginia's on King

Your kids will love Charleston, have fun!

 

[HOGFAN]

Hymans or Ah Shucks

aquarium

Fort Sumter

We always stay at the old Citadel which they converted to a hotel. One of the chains runs it now but its still neat.

 

[minniebeth]

Hymans or Ah Shucks

aquarium

Fort Sumter

We always stay at the old Citadel which they converted to a hotel. One of the chains runs it now but its still neat.

I think the old Citadel is now the Embassy Suites. ?

 

[mommykds]

So many good ideas, thanks everyone!!!

 

[Sanchez]

It would be nice to stay at IOP or Sullivans and rent a house/condo for the weekend if your primary destination is the beach. If not, you will spend a great deal of time traveling to and from downtown. The downtown hotels can be fairly expensive, however it depends on your vacation dates. A good alternative is Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant.

With kids ages 9-14 I recommend the following:

1. Beach - Sullivans is best followed by IOP. Beachwalker Park at Kiawah is nice but is one hour trip from downtown.
2. Carriage Ride - sounds like tourist hell, however they are fun and informative. One of the best things to do in Charleston.
3. The Citadel - best when school is in session (Friday afternoon parades.) This is a unique college with a rich history. Visit the library (the museum is in the same building) and chapel (pick out all of the state flags.)
4. Walk the Cooper River (Ravenel) Bridge - Great views. Best to park on the Mt. Pleasant side at the new park.
5. Yorktown aircraft carrier (Patriot's Point). Very good tour for kids.
6. Fort Sumter - The fort is not necessarily exciting for kids unless they like history. At a minimum, the boat ride is great.
7. Minor league sports - Riverdogs (baseball) have a great stadium near The Citadel. Battery (soccer) also have a nice stadium on Daniel Island.

The market is so-so. Most trade junk (not even local junk) and kids may be bored unless they like to shop for jewelry and the like.