Charleston getaway report
 

Hello!

As you may recall from some of my other posts, I have been in Charlotte NC for several weeks for my job. I have been taking this opportunity to travel a bit and see some places I've always wanted to see. A few weeks ago I went to Asheville. This weekend I went to Charleston. I LOVED it!

I'll break out the report by accomodations, food, and "touring". First, accomodations. Warning: lots of details!

I stayed at the John Rutledge House Inn located at 116 Broad St. John Rutledge was an original signer of the constitution. George Washington visited the house in 1791.

I stayed in room 16, on the first floor of one of their two "carriage houses". I was concerned at first about being on floor one, but heard no noise from above at all.

Things I loved about my room:

*The huge king sized 4 poster canopied Temperpedic bed
*The size of the room, very spacious, a breakfast table with two chairs, a chaise and a small TV hidden away in an armoire (which I did not turn on once). Roomy closet with iron/ironing board.
*Large spotless bathroom with Gilchrist and Soames bath products. The BEST soap, one side was exfoliating. One of the nicest touches I thought was a small baggie with cotton balls and Q-tips.
*Small fridge which was stocked each day with two bottles of water.
*Dark chocolate on the pillows at turndown
*Room darkening shades!! Where I am staying now it feels like there is a spotlight in my room every night. I was so happy to have those shades (it's the little things...)!

The room was nicely decorated in an antique reproduction way. Be aware that the carriage houses are newer so not as "historical" as staying in the main house, but I absolutely loved it.

You choose what time and where you would like to eat breakfast, either in your room, the courtyard, or the "ballroom". Breakfast did not include eggs etc unless you wanted to pay extra. I had a croissant, coffee and juice the first AM, and Rutledge bisquit with hot sherried fruit (delicious) the 2nd AM. I ate in the courtyard, and it was so nice to sit outside. It was very peaceful.

There is an afternoon "tea" in the big ballroom from 4-6 with port/sherry and some snacks from their sister restaurant Circa something or other. The innkeeper Kathleen was very cordial, asking everyone if they needed any help with dinner reservations etc.

A couple of minor issues prevent me from giving the John Rutledge House Inn a 5 star rating. One was that the service was a bit cold when I arrived. I was immediately asked for my credit card. He then warmed up a bit and asked how my trip was etc. I was given misinformation about where the Ft. Sumter tour left from, fortunately I noticed it before I arrived at the wrong pier. Also, a wake up call I requested never happened, I didn't oversleep, but still. Finally, directions to a beach were a bit off, the printed copy they gave me was correct, but the person at the desk had crossed one part out thinking it was wrong, but it wasn't.

Those were minor issues, and I would certainly stay there again in a heartbeat. I loved the quiet location, near the King St. antique shops, close to everything for the most part. I did take a rickshaw to the the Liberty Square dock and back.

TripAdvisor classifies the Inn as a B&B, but it is as one person noted, more like a small hotel, but definitely with a B&B feel, with the ballroom and innkeeper etc, but not quite the same as an owner onsite and the full cooked breakfast that B&B clients may be used to.

Parking is out back and $10.00 per night.

I highly recommend staying here. I enjoyed it immensely. More to follow.

I must say you are making the best of the summer in Charlotte, Traveler. Loved the report so far, keep it coming.

Any chance Winston-Salem will be one of your weekend destinations? If so,let me know. I am full of suggestions for a visit here.

Thanks cmc! I didn't have plans for Winston-Salem, I am going home this weekend, and then just one more week here. I do have a week back in Charlotte again in Sept., so I'm going to try to tack Savannah on the beginning or end.

On to: FOOD!

82 Queen: I ate here Friday night. About 4 people had recommended it and it was very close to the Inn. It was about 9:30 by the time I got there so didn't eat a full meal. I had a glass of Pinot Noir, and the best cheesy garlicky bisquits! I think GoTravel mentioned these in her report awhile back! I had my first taste of she crab soup, heavenly! I also had shrimp cocktail martini style, the cocktail sauce was in a martini glass and had some Grey Goose mixed in. The toothpick with lemon also had two olives on it. A cute way of serving it!

I absolutely loved the courtyard of 82 Queen. It was all lit up with little white Christmas tree lights. Very sparkly, very twinkly! The setting was just beautiful, one group was eating in a gazebo. The chairs had butterfly backs. I just sat and took it all in. A great beginning to my weekend.

Sat. AM I ate at the inn, did some touring which I will comment on later. For lunch I went to:

Poogan's Porch: Located a few doors down from 82 Queen. A touching story behind Poogan's Porch, Poogan was the dog who loved to sit on the porch of this house. When the original owners moved, Poogan stayed (I didn't quite get this part, was he abandoned? Anyway, apparently he was content to keep sitting on the porch). I got teary when it said he died (this was all on the menu), and "we still miss him". :( If you've ever lost a pet, you'll understand.

Here I ate banana-pecan pancakes and bacon (yes, I know, I had breakfast twice in one day!). Pancakes the size of a plate, two of them, I ended up sharing some with the women next to me! If I come back again I want to try the crab omelet. Everything was great, quick efficient service.

Coming up: Dinner at Magnolia's.

Continuing:

My final full meal was Saturday at Magnolia's. Sadly I had developed an intense migraine headache that I had been pushing off all day that caught up with me so I wasn't able to enjoy this meal as much as I should have. I didn't even order dessert :(.

I had a glass of prosecco and silently toasted myself hee hee... For my meal I had the signature shellfish (lobster, shrimp and scallops) over grits. Normally I would have been in seventh heaven over such a meal, but like I said, I just wasn't feeling well. I would have tried the peanut butter mousse cake for dessert had I been feeling better though! The portions were human sized, service friendly and efficient.

Coming up: some details about touring (walking tour and Ft. Sumter)/shopping/browsing....

Onto touring:

In the AM after breakfast I went and made a reservation for the Charleston Walk by Original Charleston Walks. Before meeting up with the group I took a walk to the Waterfront Park to see the fountains. I knew right away I was going to just love Charleston. It reminded me a lot of New Orleans, in that it was very walkable, with so many unique shops, restaurants, galleries, musuems, all in one area.

I met the group at Washington Park at 10:30. Nina was our guide and she was wonderful. We got a great overview of the history of the city, some architectural background about the "single" houses and the piazzas. She pointed out the carriage steps, took us down little alleyways, told us about preservation efforts etc. We went into a church where George Washington visited! I sat in his "stall", #43 I think.

After the tour and lunch, I took a "pedicab" or rickshaw to the Liberty Square dock to take the boat over to Ft. Sumter. I enjoyed being out on the water, and there was a running commentary on the boat with historical information. The fort was fascinating. There was a museum inside with a timeline showing the start of the war until the time that Ft. Sumter was taken back by the Union. I learned quite a bit here.

Once back at the Inn again I just went out walking around, to the Market area. Most of the stalls were closed by this point, but it was good to see the area, I figured I would come back in the morning.

After dinner I headed to bed to try to get rid of the migraine that was plaguing me. I refused to let it ruin my fun time! Had I been feeling better I would have gone for a drink at the Market Pavillion rooftop as per GoTravel's suggestions! Next time!

Got up early the next morning walked down to the Battery Area, and back up Meeting St. It was so quiet, peaceful and just pretty. I heard the bells of the Episcopal Church ringing and remembered Nina had told us there was a live video feed of the bell ringers. I was close by so stopped by to watch that.

Browsed and did some souvenier shopping in the market area, and then it was time to check out (Check-out at noon makes a big difference!). Next up-a beach visit-or rain rain go away!!

Continuing: After checking out of the Inn (and I left my little credit card holder at the desk, the front desk person found me in the parking lot thank goodness! That would have been a disaster!) I headed to Folly Beach.

What a lovely public beach. It was only $5.00 to park (at home the beach I love is $20!!), there were facilities to change, shower, restrooms, food stand, and beach chair umbrella rentals. Two chairs and umbrella for $20 for the day, $16 for one chair/umbrella.

There had been big clouds following me (yes, following me specifically ha ha!). I was hoping they would go another way or just a quick shower, but as soon as the guy put my umbrella in the sand the skies opened up, lightening, the whole nine. I did get a refund on my rental.

I hung around for about an hour hoping it would pass but no luck, so I headed on back to Charlotte.

I really missed my husband on this trip, I think he would have loved it as much as I did. Our 5th anniversary is next May, so my wheels are already turning for a return trip. I barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do, can't wait to get back and discover more!

Great report. Do make a return to celebrate your anniversary. You might enjoy reading "Mrs. Whaley's Charleston Garden" which is a delightful oral history of one Charleston doyenne. A fun read and it gives you some feel for the city culture.

thanks for the great report. Charleston is on my "to-do" list.

Nothing wrong with two breakfasts in one day!

Thanks for the report!