Charleston, SC Trip Report (short)
 

Hotel (B&B)
Meeting Street Inn; 173 Meeting Street
(843) 723-1882 or (800) 842-8022
AARP discount rates
Really enjoyed this hotel! Great location in the heart of the historic district; across from The Market; easy walking distance to everything; breakfasts varied a little each day; ice water, ice tea and coffee available in lobby all day; wine and cheese in the lobby from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. daily! Very helpful staff and “spot-on” recommendations for nearby restaurants.

Restaurants
Toast – 155 Meeting Street (843) 534-0043
Poogan’s Porch – 72 Queen Street (843) 577-2337; res’v recommended
Hominy Grill – 207 Rutledge @ Cannon (843) 937-0930
Il Cortile Del Re – 193 King Street (843) 853-1888
South End Brewery – 161 East Bay Street (843) 853-4677
Vickery’s (Mt. Pleasant) – 1313 Shrimp Boat Lane, Mt. Pleasant (843) 884-4440
Harris Teeter (picnic lunches) – 290 East Bay Street (843) 722-6821
Ladles Soups - 3125 Bees Ferry Road (great when visiting the plantations)

Tours
Palmetto Carriage (big red barn) – 8 Guignard Street; (843) 723-8145 (~1 block off N. Market)
Charleston Footprints Walking Tour - (843) 478-4718; (Michael Trouche); res’v required
www.charlestonfootprints.com
Fort Sumter Tours www.fortsumtertours.com - (843) 881-7337; board @ Liberty Square @ Aquarium Wharf

Aiken-Rhett – 48 Elizabeth St.; still looks as it did in 1858; loved this house; they have not restored it, but left it as it was; can still see some wallpaper on the walls.

Edmonton-Alston House – 21 E. Battery; wasn’t particularly impressed with this house, but for no particular reason (may have been the tour guide)

Nathaniel Russell (“free flying” staircase) – 51 Meeting St.; loved this house; the woodwork was really nice.

Heyward-Washington House – 87 Church St.; rather unremarkable.

Boone Hall Plantation – 1235 Long Point Rd., Mt. Pleasant (9 miles N of Charleston); loved this plantation; beautiful drive with the “Avenue of Oaks,” huge old moss-draped trees planted in 1743; slave homes still intact; very good docents.

Caveat: DO NOT USE this shuttle service for the following three plantations (Drayton, Magnolia & Middleton). Very unreliable (from reviews and hotel staff), www.thecharlestonchauffeurcompany.com $20/pp. We found it less expensive to rent a car for the day from Enterprise and more convenient because we could move from plantation to plantation at our leisure; Enterprise picked us up at our hotel; cost was ~$30 for the day and discounted ~5% because of their deal with our hotel;
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 398 Meeting Street, (843) 723-6215.


Drayton Hall (one of oldest surviving plantations) – Old Ashley River Rd. (SC 61); loved this house. The historic society has not restored it, but has left it as it was.

Middleton – Old Ashley River Rd. (SC 61); loved this plantation; enjoyed walking the grounds and talking with the blacksmith; was a bit disappointed in that the main house was destroyed and the home tour is actually of one of the “flanker” buildings; however, it was still very nice; has café on the grounds for lunch, but we did not eat there.

Charleston Museum – 360 Meeting St.; large, well worth a visit; we only had about an hour, but thoroughly enjoyed their displays on life in Charleston.

I'm glad you were adventurous to rent a car and see the outlying areas. I've visited a bit but never actually seen one of the plantations.

I also like Toast. It fit my budget and was good food. Sometimes a good cook is better than a bad fancy chief.

Also glad you rented the car. That is really a good price also. Good to know for others who come to town without a car.
You did a lot!!

@ Palmettoprincess -- regarding Toast, my thoughts exactly. I don't eat seafood, and dressing up on vacation is a no-no for me so alot of the fancy restaurants were out. Toast had a little bit of everything for us and the prices were just right.

@ Gretchen - we did a lot, but we were there for a week. People said you only need 3-4 days, but we don't jump and run on vacation, we enjoy a nice slow pace -- in fact, I had expected to have a day or two just hanging around the hotel, but that didn't happen.

Thanks, jill_h. Great information. Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for writing such a well organized report.

Just FYI, most of the upscale restaurants are casual, since many patrons are on vacation. Sometimes you see people in work clothes, since many stay in town to eat dinner after work. The setting Vickery's one of my favorites. That new boardwalk/pier through the marsh is nice.

I'll never understand why people say 3 days is enough. I lived there for years and didn't do it all. Of course, I had that pesky job.

I forgot one restaurant -- A.W. Shucks near the market. It was forgettable as we had their hot dogs. The seafood portion of the restaurant seemed to be doing a lot of business, but we were in the mood for a hot dog. They served hot dogs in a separate portion of the restaurant. They weren't very good at all. Pretty bland -- even the Chicago dog my hubby got --and not quite hot enough. But it was lunch, it was quick, and we moved on to our next adventure.

You couldn't know, but AWShucks is a sort of franchise. We have one or maybe two in Charlotte. And near the Market, you get what you get although some are better than others.
and yes, you did have a goodly amount of time--didn't know you had that long.

Really enjoy your short and to the point report. Thanks
I am bookmarking for December possibilites.

Thanks for mentioning the car. I was wondering if we need a car for a 4-day stay in Charleston. We're stayiing in the downtown area, so would hate to have a car just sit in the hotel parking lot all that time. May follow your lead and just rent one for a day, if needed.

jill, I just found this report. I smiled at your comment regarding "jump and run". I don't know if you caught my trip report from Boston last October, but many comments were made about how much we were able to see/do in 4-1/5 days. :) I guess we never go to relax- we go to experience everything we can in the time alotted. Not a minute to waste! hahaha :)

Hi

I know this report is a few months old, but I wanted to thank you as I enjoyed re-living my own trip to Charleston in 2011. I agree 100% about the Nathaniel Russell and Aiken-Rhett House. You've given me ideas for when I return!

Best wishes, Daniel

Sarge - I did see you Boston report, and like one poster said, "I gained 5 pounds just reading it." Don't you just LOVE Boston???

Daniel - I just LOVED Charleston. I'm glad we did it on its own and didn't combine it with Savannah several years ago. It definitely has its own charm.

Hi Jill. I'm glad your report got pulled up, as I missed it the first time around. Do you mind sharing how long you spent at both Drayton Hall and Middleton Plantation? I'm planning a Charleston and Savannah trip right now, and trying to decide how much time to allocate to the plantations has been challenging. I know some people have spent all day there, but am trying to get a sense of different people's experiences. Thanks!

jv827 -- we took the guided tour of Drayton Hall, then walked down to the river, so we were there a 1.5 to 2 hours I'm sure. We didn't shop in the gift shop, and there isn't a whole lot to see (other outbuildings, etc.) but I really liked that the house has not been renovated.

At Middleton we walked around waiting for our tour time, then after the tour, spent time walking down to the well house, talking with the blacksmith and walking around the stable area. We were probably there 2-3 hours.

We did all three plantations (Boone Hall too) in one day.

Our focus is not gardens, so that takes very little of our time. If that is your interest, you may need to allow a little more time. We also don't get started early in the morning like many people, so our days are rather leisurely.

If you can work in Boone Hall, I would recommend it. i really enjoyed it too.

bookmarking

Bookmarking

ttt

You going to Charlelston, CPG?

Yes! Just booked yesterday with Savannah for early Nov.