Emily1081

My husband, son and I will be travelling to SC in May. My husband will be working in Columbia for several weeks and we are tagging along. Our plan is to spend one or two weekends in Charleston while we are there. We'll drive down on a Friday after my husband is done working and will have all day Sat. and Sun. each weekend. We absolutely love Charleston, We were there once before when visiting family, but only had a day and a half. We spent one day exploring the historic district and toured the USS Yorktown. We also toured the Ft. Sumter museum. We ate at Magnolias (delicious) and Poogan's Porch (also delicious). But, I know we still have so much to see. That being said...I've got a few questions:

1. We'd like to tour a plantation while we are are there this time. From what I've read on this forum, it seems Drayton Hall and Middleton are most recommended. If we only have time for one, which would you suggest? Or, should we make time for both? Our son is four, if this helps, but like his momma and daddy, he loves anything that has to do with history - and of course, a gator or two would make it all the better.

2. We'd like to spend some time at a beach. We'll be staying at the Renaissance in the historic district (my husband's firm uses Marriotts for travel), so someplace within a 30 mintue drive would be great. I was thinking of maybe going to the beach in the afternoon and staying for dinner. It seems Folly's beach, Sullivan's Island and Kiawah are mentioned most often on this forum (I'm not familiar with any of these beaches). We usually travel to North Myrtle once a year for a big family get-together because it's kind of central to where we all live. On this trip, we'd like to experience a different kind of SC beach, if possible. We love North Myrtle, but would like to experience something less commercialized. I know it will be too cold to swim, so a place where we could walk on the beach, do some shelling, see some wildlife etc. A dinner recommendation would also be most welcome.

3. What is the best way to tour the historic district? We spent an entire day walking around the last time we were there - we basically just let ourselves get lost. We still can't get over the gorgeous homes and all that history. We still feel as if there is so much to see. Are there any "not to be missed" sites you could recommend? Our son is very good about hopping in the stroller if he gets tired, so walking is not a problem. We actually like it because that means we get to eat more!

If you have any recommendations outside of my questions, please, have at it. All suggestions are welcome. Thanks much for your help!

bachslunch

Re plantations -- if the house is of primary importance, I'd pick Drayton Hall. If the gardens are more important, I'd pick Middleton Place. Note that the only place I saw alligators was on the Nature Train tour at Magnolia Plantation -- this tour costs extra, though. It's entirely possible to see two of these plantations during a day of sightseeing, perhaps all three if you want to spend the whole day and don't do absolutely everything at each spot.

Re the Historic District. There likely are guided walking tours available here, though I didn't take one when I went. A Google search or guidebook look may yield results. You can also target specific attractions to visit here -- some houses are open for tours (such as the Edmondston-Alston, Heyward-Washington, and Nathaniel Russell Houses), there's a small but decent art museum in the area (the Gibbes Art Museum), and you can see historic spots such as the Old City Market (an open air shopping area) and the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (historic building, but not a house). Would recommend researching these to see if they're what you're looking for.

Emily1081

Thanks for the info! Will start doing a little research as you suggested.

suewoo

What are your dates of travel? The Spoleto Festival starts at the end of the month and things will be crowded in the HD.

The closest beach is Sullivans. It's really nice. Poe's Tavern and Atlanticville are good places to eat. The Boathouse on IOP is also great with beautiful sunset views.

I agree with the above poster about the plantations and the HD. I recommend a carriage ride to get an overview, but you may have done that before.

OurGreatEscape

You might want to consider purchasing the Heritage Passport: http://www.heritagefederation.org/passport.html

It can save lots of money if you plan on visiting more than one "historical" site.

Kiawah is about a 40 minute drive from downtown Charleston. There is a public county park-Beachwalker Park-open 9am-7pm May-September. Here's the webpage: http://www.ccprc.com/index.aspx?nid=256

You can make a day out of John's, Wadmalaw, and Kiawah Islands. Visit Angel Oak Tree, the Charleston Tea Plantation, Irvin House Winery.

Plan a stop at Rosebank Farms Produce(on the left before the traffic circle to Kiawah). Mr. Sidi Limehouse has quite the collection of animals There is an old school house out back too.

I have an up-to-date list of restaurants for Seabrook/Kiawah on my website: http://seabrook-island-rental.com/restaurants.html

Have fun planning and exploring!!

Gretchen

Don't miss the Aquarium with your little one. Also if you can see the Hunley. I'm not sure if it is open the public on a regular basis or not.
You might enjoy going up to Georgetown for one of your weekends and staying at the beach there. Georgetown is a charming little Revolutionary War town, and you might even like to dot the Pirate ship trip out of that harbor. It is very cute for little ones, and a fun 2-3 hour ride on a tall ship.
The beaches--Litchfield, Pawley's Surfside north of Georgetown are VERY nice. and the seafood is the best on the coast at Murrell's Inlet and Pawley's.

Emily1081

Thank you all for the great suggestions! They are most appreciated.

Suewoo, our plan right now is to arrive in Columbia on May 8. So, we will tentatively be in Charleston the weekends of May 14 and May 21.

Thanks again, you all!!!