1st Trip to Charleston
 

My daughter is visiting Charleston soon for three days. She is interested in moderate priced (and one "splurge") restaurant. Also, what is the best beach area? She doesn't travel much and I want this to be a good experience. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Charleston is a beautiful city although it will be rather hot this time of year. A few good restaurants include: Carolina's, Magnolia's, Anson, and Fulton Five.

Charleston is a beautiful city although it will be rather hot this time of year. A few good restaurants include: Carolina's, Magnolia's, Anson, and Fulton Five.

Hi, <BR> <BR>Our favorite restaurant in Charleston was "Magnolia's Uptown Downsouth", (went to dinner there twice - everything superb!) A really good hotel deal is Hampton Inn- Historic District. Hope your daughter has a great time!

We were in Charleston last week and had an excellent meal at Anson. The she-crab soup was outstanding, as were our entrees. The service was superb. I would suggest she make a reservation if she goes there - we were there on a Monday night and it was packed. It cost about $70 for 2 of us. For a moderately priced restaurant I would recommend Hyman's Seafood. It was delicious. But get there early because the wait can be really long. I would also recommend that she take one of the horse carriage tours of Charleston. We were glad we did. I don't know what the best beach in the area is but we stayed at Kiawah Island in the inn and liked it.

<BR>The above tips are all right on the money. I'll second the votes for Kiawah Island for great beaches as well as Hyman Seafood (get there during an off hour - it gets crowded) and Magnolia's (for the splurge). Lunch in the courtyard at 82 Queen can be nice also. One final dinner recommendation - Poogin's Porch. Have a great time - it's a wonderful city.

My favorite splurge in Charleston is 82 Queen -- the shrimp and grits are out of this world. Poogan's Porch had good she-crab soup and is more moderately priced. We went to Folly Beach which I think is the closest -- what we liked best about it was that it was not crowded at all. Not the largest beach and not upscale like Kiawah but an easy 10-minute ride from Charleston and not bad!

Oh yes -- and tell her to take one of those horse-drawn carriage tours of the city. They are fun and you can learn a lot from the tour guides. I have gone twice and both times the tour guides were history students at local colleges and loved to answer questions about the city's history, architecture, etc. Your daughter should have a wonderful time.

If she likes scenery, she must visit Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in North Charleston... tell her to rent a bike there! Also, there are ghost tours and tours of houses in Charleston that I heard were wonderful!