Hi all!

Thank you so much for all of your help on my previous post; now, I'd love your thoughts about my very preliminary itinerary:

4/9 - arrive
- visitor's center

4/10
-Nathaniel Russell house
-Heyward Washington house
-Glorious Gardens tour/House and Gardens

4/11
-Ft. Sumter
-Aquarium
**lunch : Five Loaves

4/12
-Charleston Culinary Co. tour/downtown
-Farmer's market
-Gullah tour 3pm

4/13 (sunday)
-Magnolia Plantation

4/14
-Patriots Point/Yorktown
-lunch: Blvd Diner
-Open

4/15
-Barrier Island Eco-Tour
-High Tea/Charleston Place

4/16
-Civil War Walking tour (morning)
-Pirates tour


***** Charleston Cooks cooking demo : not sure what day this will be; they are not booking for April yet.


I know that having two tours in one day is a bit much, but a lunch break should relax me and I will undoubtedly need the excercise. Plus, I am a Civil War buff AND am very interested in pirate lore - I can't give either of those up.

I've tried to leave sufficient time for shopping and walking around. I really wanted to see the Charleston Museum, and if it rains, I will, but I may not have a chance this trip. I hope I do.

Thoughts? I really respect and appreciate your opinions and would love input; I want to get as much out of this trip as I can.

Thanks!

While it is good to know where you are going, much of your itnerary will depend on weather.
I love just walking down King St. and exploring the side streets. Save time to swing in one of the huge swings by the river.
P.S. This is controversial - but my favorite restaurant is California Dreaming right over the Ashley River. It is very relaxed and they have good ribs. I like watching the boats come and go in the marina. No it is not an authentic Charleston restaurant, but it make the trip for me.

Hi Palmetto Princess

Hopefully it will be nice at that time - it should be, but if not, I can certainly make time for the Charleston and Gibbes museums (I may still do that on this itinerary, but I wanted to be sure that I left some time open just to relax, walk around, etc......). If the weather doesn't cooperate, I'll adjust.....Once I went to South Beach for a fun in the sun vacation (which I never do because I'm not a sun worshiper and I normally get bored to tears laying out) to de-stress and I had absolutely miserable weather - go figure. One day, it rained so hard I stayed in my hotel room the whole day. I had to make do there and Miami doesn't have the appealing options (IMO) that other cities have if the weather is lousy. If I have bad weather in Charleston, no problem - there's still a lot of incredible things to do.

I might suggest you take the Gullah tour on your first day as it will take you all over the downtown district and get you familiar with the "lay of the land". Lots of information and a great way to see the city.

Hi Trvlmaven

I've been to Charleston before, so getting the lay of the land isn't quite so important. I might have considered that anyway, but I'm doing the Glorious Garden's tour/House and Gardens on my first day and I'm not sure that I can do the tour and the Gardens walk on the same day......It might work if I have a really quick lunch.

Thanks for the suggestion - I will consider it!

Just a couple of thoughts regarding your itinerary...
First, April 12th is the anniversary date of the firing on Fort Sumter, so you might want to look into booking those tickets in advance? Secondly, I've been on the Civil War walking tour which leaves from the Mills House and it is excellent. Lastly as you describe yourself as a Civil War buff, you should really try to get in to see the H. L. Hunley in North Charleston. http://www.hunley.org/ Unfortunately this Civil War submarine is only open to the public on weekends, but worthy of a change in your itinerary IMHO.

Hi Retired Teacher

I saw the Hunley on my last visit and I had a great time. In fact it was shortly before they had the funeral and burial of the remains of the Hunley crew. The story of the gold coin is amazing, and I had a chance to chat with some of the men who were standing guard (in Confederate uniforms). I wonder if I should do it again....?

I'm planning Ft. Sumter for Friday the 11th, not the 12th - although that would be pretty spectacular to tour it on that day. I may just change my plans - I was planning to do Ft. Sumter in the morning, but I guess there's no reason not to do it in the afternoon (as I'd have to on the 12th) and it's pretty hard to pass up the chance to tour it again on the anniversary date.

I'm thrilled that the Civil War tour is so good -I'm really looking forward to that. There's nothing like learning about history at the scene of much of the action.

Thanks for the tips - time to update my itinerary now!

I think Spring Festival will still be on, so you might want to take one or two house and/or garden tours--they are special. Magnolia Plantation is wonderful, but can be seen in 1/2 day.

Hi xkenx

I've already bought my ticket for the house & gardens tour - figured I'd do that first since it's very popular.

There's really nothing I can do about Magnolia - I don't think I'd need a whole day either, but the only way I can get there without a car is by tour. All the tour companies seem to offer only 5 hour tours. It shouldn't be a problem - I like the idea of doing the tram and boat tours, and some of the 5 hours will be spent travelling between Charleston and the plantation.

Just located the book I purchased from the Civil War guide I mentioned previously with regards to the excellent walking tour which starts from the Mills House. His name is Jack Thomson and his book is entitled Charleston at War The Photographic Record 1860-1865. It's full of then and now photographs of various landmarks around Charleston. You might even want to try to purchase it before you go in order to have it your entire time in the city? Publisher is Thomas Publications, Gettysburg PA 17325

Thanks, Retired Teacher! That's definitely a book I'd like to have........

How long one enjoys touring Magnolia Plantation is such an individual thing. I don't think a five-hour tour is at all too long. There's so much to see and do there, and some people like to stroll, some people move faster. I think you'll love it and not regret a minute spent there, Betsyp.

Hi Elsie!

I don't mind the 5 hours, actually. I mean, they don't have plantations in NY so this is something completely different to me. I enjoy tram and boat tours and I'm very much looking forward to seeing the gardens in bloom.

I visited Drayton and Middleton a few years ago and enjoyed them very much, although it would have been nice to see Middleton in full bloom (it was November when I went). If I could, I'd even do them again, but that's not possible this trip. Oddly enough, I just found my pictures of Middleton along with some really old pictures of other trips - the photos bring back many memories.

I wish I didn't have to wait 4 months for my trip, lol - but on the other hand, that's all the more time to look forward to it!

Betsy, I highly recommend you get a copy of "Mrs Whaley's Charleston Gardens" to read before your visit. It can be ordered from the Charleston Historical Society if you can't find it elsewhere. It is a delightful insight into the society of Charleston and the importance of the gardens.
Enjoy your visit!

Hi Cmcfong!

Thanks for the tip; I doubt I'll be able to find it in NY, so I'm going to check out the CHS website and order it. It sounds like fun reading....and it will give me something to do between now and then (besides tweaking my itinerary)!