Getting Around SC - Help please!
 

Hi everyone --

My parents are considering retiring to SC and I am taking my mom there in March to check it out. I've actually always wanted to visit the state so I'm rather excited but neither my mom nor I like to drive on highways (we're from Phoenix and admittedly, we're a little crazy because of our terrible traffic and crazy drivers here)...especially highways we don't know in a state we've never been to. So I guess what I need to know is what kind of public transport is available if any?? If we are forced to rent a car, how bad is the traffic getting out of Charleston?

The plan at the moment is to fly into Charleston and make our way upstate... We are eventually going to end up in Ashville NC to see the Biltmore Estate but all the way inbetween is to find somewhere for my parents. They are essentially interested in areas away from the coast (along with driving phobias my mom is terrified of even the word hurricane! haha). They are considering (strongly) Aiken and maybe the greenville area??? Aiken appeals to them because they were involved with horses most of their life and it sounds like a nice smallish town. Real estate also appears MUCH cheaper than Phoenix so they can buy a nice house. Honestly, they're not sure where they want to be...We just found SC on the list of great places to live and the more we read about it, the more lovely it sounded. I think they just really want out of the rat race, however, they do still need access to medical care and they would really like a movie theater.

Are there buses (safe ones?) that could get us upstate? Trains?? Or if we could take a bus to Aiken and then rent a car from there, will we have bypassed the scariest of traffic??

I would truly appreciate your help with planning this trip. Thank you so much in advance.

Public transportation in the South is not great. You really should drive to have any kind of travel flexibility. The traffic is not bad in these cities like it might be in Phoenix. I think you will find Aiken to be lovely--and a nice size. Beaufort is also wonderful . . . but in hurricane territory. Spartanburg is a nice size and near the mountains.

Goodness...I've just returned from 2 weeks driving in Phoenix, and if you can drive there comfortably, you'll be fine in SC. In Phoenix, as pretty as it is, every neighborhood , whether it be Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa, Ahwahtukee (or whatever it is :) ) looks the same and unless you (or I) know Camelback from South Mountain, I never have a clue what direction I'm facing...all that in heavy traffic. Street names (Frye) are north and south in Chandler, north and south in Mesa so you have to also know what city, north or south, you are in on that street at any one time with no signs to identify them. If you can drive <i>that</i> mess successfully, trust me, you'll do just fine in SC! It'll be a piece of cake.

Get a car when you leave Charleston. That can be seen without a car. You will have no problem on SC roads and small towns--you'll be delighted with traffic compared to Phoenix.

Not so sure I'd be keen on leaving AZ. I was pretty darned impressed with what we saw around Phoenix in relation to places we've lived recently...Tampa, Savannah, and San Antonio. Phoenix's zoning restrictions are fabulous. My DH and I got lost just marveling at the lack of 30' high billboards as we drove around, so enamoured that we missed our turn from Alma School to Frye. Heavy traffic or not, it's a lovely area. The grass isn't always greener...cheaper, but not greener. :)

Driving in SC will be no problem. Public transportation (between cities) is not an attractive alternative.
Aiken is lovely. Camden might also be a candidate. Greenville with the university is very nice. There is a very nice retirement community there I understand--The Cliffs.
You might want to look at the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area of NC also and Tryon, NC on the way to Ashville. Tryon, while in the foothills of the mountains, is in a thermal belt that keeps it warmer comparatively.

My wife and I often stay in Camden, SC. Depending upon what your parents want, it may be worth a visit. It is not far from Columbia and has a wonderful historic residential area, near a small old downtown. It is in horse country. It's no metropolis. It is charming in many ways.