Charleston, South Carolina: When To Go
 

My husband and I would like to go to Charleston in March or April. We can get a great deal on a luxurious room at the beginning of March. But if we take it, we will miss the garden and house tours that start in the middle of March. Does it make sense to go early in March and miss those tours? Or should we scale down our hotel needs and plan on going in April and seeing the open gardens and houses? We have never been to South Carolina and will stay about 5 days.

While I can certainly appreciate a deal on luxury (my periodic stays at the Waldorf=Astoria can attest to that!), I'd suggest taking the opportunity to visit when you can tour homes and gardens. I visited for my first and, so far, only time in January of last year, and had some very fine weather, perfect for walking all over the beautiful historic areas from Marion Square all the way south to the Battery (and its views out to Charleston Harbor on one side and imposing mansions on the other).

The historic area is very compact, and five days will be ample time to get a real flavor of the place. I was there for a weekend (Friday-Sunday) and managed to cover a lot of ground. In addition to all the walking around town, I spent some time at the Aquarium, which was a nice diversion.

Grab yourself a copy of the little city guide that Fodor's put out on Charleston and Savannah -- it's so handy and has terrific walking tours and hotel/restaurant recommendations.

Begining of April is the Bridge Run and you'll probably have a hard time finding accommodations so skip that time.

Because no one knows when the azaleas bloom, I would not worry about exact dates.

March is a great month.

You can still do walking and garden tours of Charleston. One of my most memorable experiences was a walking garden tour that ended with tea in the guide's backyard garden.

As warm as it has been this year, you will probably have gorgeous azaleas at the beginning of March.

There are a number of historic homes that are open year round for tours. Since this is your first trip, I think you can home-tour yourself silly with just those.

I THINK some names are:

Edmond Alston house
Nathaniel Russel house

locals correct me if I have those wrong.

As GoT said, the Bridge Run is the 1st weekend of April and with an expected 50K runners, it will be very difficult to find a room any where in town that weekend and then the following 2 weekends are the Family Circle Cup so rooms will again be at a premium.

I would come at the beginning of March as you'll get that great deal on a room and it will not be as crowded so you can enjoy the homes and gardens more than when the big crowds are in town.

If you're going to be in town the 1st weekend of March, there's also the Charleston Food & Wine Festival (www.charlestonfoodandwine.com) which should be a great treat...especially if you're a foodie.

While we don't know when the azaleas will be in bloom, there should be a beautiful array of flowers blooming in March. While you're in Charleston, if you are walking around and notice a garden gate open, that is the owner's way of letting you know you are invited to come in and enjoy the garden. However, if the gate is closed, the owner's are not accepting guests. During the Spring many of the gates to Charleston's gardens are open and I would suspect you would see plenty of beautiful gardens that way.

As far as homes to visits, many of the historic homes in Charleston have gardens that are quite grand. The Heyward-Washington House (www.charlestonmuseum.org/topic.asp?id=21) on Meeting Street (south of Broad Street) has a great garden amongst the outer buildings. The house tour is also very nice...they have some beautiful pieces of Thomas Elfe (one of Charleston's most famous 18th century cabinetmakers). The Nathaniel Russell House (www.historiccharleston.org/experience/nrh/) also on Meeting Street, The Edmondston-Alston House (www.middletonplace.org/default.asp?catID=4515) on East Battery, and The Aiken-Rhett House www.historiccharleston.org/experience/arh/) on Elizabeth Street are also beatuiful homes to visit while in town.

Of course, you can see beautiful gardens out at our plantations. Middleton Place (www.middletonplace.org) and Magnolia Gardens (www.magnoliaplantation.com)would be great places to visit in March. En route to both of these plantations which are on Ashley River Road is Drayton Hall (www.draytonhall.org)...one of my most favorite places to visit in Charleston.

Five days will be a nice time to give you a taste of Charleston and most definitely make you want to return. Enjoy your visit!

Late May/early June is the Spoleto arts festival. I think this is the best time to be in Charleston even though it is peak tourist season.

Travelgirl has given you some wonderful suggestions of homes to visit. One tiny correction...the Heyward-Washington House is actually on Church St. The huge bookcase in the upstairs is worth the cost of admission! The Edmonston-Alston House is fascinating, because it has been inhabited by relatives of the family for so long, the Nathaniel Russell house has a gorgeous cantilevered staircase, and the Aiken-Rhett house has a self-guided tour with a great headset narration. There are so many gorgeous homes open to the public that I don't think you would miss too much by going earlier in March. Also, if you stop in at the visitor's center, you can get a pass...shoot, I can't think of the exact name, maybe Charleston Heritage Passport(?), but for one price, you can get into most of the more popular homes and museums. If you are going to be there for five days, it would definitely save you money.

Thanks for catching that Betsy! You are right about the pass, it's called the Charleston Heritage Passport and it is such a great value! The website is www.heritagefederation.org/passport.html...I almost did this when some friends were in town but they told me 1 historic house was probably all they could take so we took a pass. But I think all the homes on the pass are so different that it would a great way to spend a week in Charleston!