virginia

my bff is taking her newly pregnant (YEAH!) daughter shopping for baby things in charleston on sat oct 16th. they'll be driving down from myrtle beach, just for the day. they plan to shop in the am, then would like to find a "memorable" restaurant for lunch. bff says sky is pretty much the limit & wants great food & nice unhurried atmosphere. bff lives some distance from her dd so they won't get to see each other very often during the pregnancy so she's hoping to make lunch special. suggestions please.

after lunch they'd like to do a self guided driving tour of some historical area. i think they're mainly interested in seeing some of the older homes. i've read something about the Ashley River road. would this be a good place for them to go??

any & all suggestions appreciated.

Gretchen

bff? Text a lot?
It's a 2.5 hour drive to Charleston from MB, in case they would like to factor that in. Saturday will probably be longer.

bachslunch

The best restaurant I experienced during a trip to Charleston back a little while ago was SNOB. Excellent eats, not sure if they're open for lunch or not.

With one day or less, I'd just stick to the Historic District downtown -- there's plenty enough fine architecture and history to experience here in a fairly compact area. The Ashley River Road plantations are great, but they take a while to visit and can entail a good bit of walking if you see their gardens in any detail -- would save these for another trip.

suewoo

They'd be better off doing a carriage tour. Try High Cotton for lunch.

virginia

thanks, high cotton & SNOB both look very nice. any other suggestions?
the carriage tour sounds like the perfect idea - they'll still be off their feet, probably see more & have a guide. i just read the recent thread on the tours so will give them the names offered.

spirobulldog

I thought bff was one of the most common text phrases that virtually everyone knew?

plufmud

SNOB is closed for lunch on Saturday. Magnolia's across the street from SNOB is great for lunch. Try the fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and /or spicy eggrolls~delicious!!!

litespeedchick

Lunch: Cru Cafe and sit on the porch. Excellent food and a charming atmosphere.

tour: there's nothing to see driving up Ashley River rd unless you stop at the plantations and pay the fee and tour the plantations (Magnolia, Middleton, Drayton Hall). If the lady is more interested in plantations than in-town architecture, then I wouldn't think it's that much walking if she's "newly" pregnant, but it would eat up a one-day trip in a hurry.

2 1/2 hours from Myrtle beach? The last time I did it it was 1 1/2 hours, although that was a long time ago. Has the traffic become horrible?

better to drive around charleston yourself. Just drive down E. Bay, past the battery, and then get lost in the warren of cool streets between there and Broad. I also agree that despite it's cheesiness, the carraige tours are a lot of fun.

claire_bluesky

We vacationed in IOP for a week last summer and had dinner in Charleston several times. My favorite restaurant was Poogan's Porch. The restaurant is in an historic and very charming victorian house. There is also outside dining on the porch if you'd enjoy that. I believe it would be memorable as it was for me.

We had an alligator appetizer. We each had different entrees - jambalaya, seafood pasta, grouper and shrimp on grits- excellent food. The desserts were very good too: velvet cake, bread pudding and pecan pie.

There is a parking garage across the street just past the restaurant. Really though, we did enjoy every meal at every restaurant. (IOP is lovely too. It's a great beach vacation w/Charleston so close by!)

kfoster2047

I wouldn't recommend Cru Cafe - the last two times we have been there we felt rushed and unwelcome.

They will be there during the Charleston Fall Tour of Homes. On October 16, it will be the Church Street Tour from 2:00-5:00 PM. These are walking tours but a great way to see the inside of some of those wonderful old houses.

lovncharleston

Any of the HGMI restaurants are awesome!! Magnolias, Blossom and Cypress (High Cotton is also a favorite!):

http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/

I also LOVE 82 Queen for the quaint atmosphere. You can sit on their garden patio which is lovely for a mother/ daughter luncheon:

http://www.82queen.com/

I agree to stay in the Historic District of Downtown. There is plenty to see just walking through the streets. Here's another site that may be helpful:

http://www.things-to-do-in-charleston.com/index.html

Hope they have a great time!

Gretchen

It probably really is 2.5 hours to MB--we come down from Litchfield, and it is a full 1.5 hours to town.
There is nothing in MB that would warrant that when you have Charleston!

virginia

thanks to all who offered suggestions. they choose high cotton and were very pleased. had the blue crab soup, crab cake, grilled salmon salad and creme brulee. then they walked down to the red barn carriage ride. said it was fun, informative and that the homes are lovely. my friend was particularly intrigued with the side gates to what she imagined were perfect little "secret gardens". noted that the horses were well fed and seemed well cared for and that the guide was very interesting.
all in all you guys helped make it a really nice day for my friend & her daughter. thank you
oh and the shopping went well too.