Just saw the efares and noticed that Charleston is available for next weekend from Chicago. I know that it will be warm, but is it too HOT to walk around and view the history etc? I like warm weather, but not oppressive. Any hotel or restaurant suggestions? We were thinking of using points and staying at the Ren. but a quaint place would be nice. If not Charleston we are off to northern Wisconsin. Thanks

It gets hot intensly hot in Charleston this time of year. It is the type of hot that makes it hard to breath and fogs your sunglasses when you walk outside. The humidity compunds all of it. It i a beautiful place to visit. If you plan carefully, going indoors to museums etc.. during the afternoon and drink plenty of water you could enjoy yourself. However, the "bring a light jacket" rule will not apply!!

gosh, what a tough call. It won't be just warm it will very definitely be HOT and HUMID...but does that mean you pass up on a great chance to go??? What I'd probably do is plan my day(s) to make the most out of my time in the a.m and late pm - after the sun goes down. I'd spend the builk of the day at the pool or at the beach. Do what the natives do(who don't go to the mtns)...drink water and iced tea (usually sweet), move more slowly and fan yourself, dress in loose clothing and eat light. In the evenings head for the cool dark bars and drink mojitos or mint juleps or Carolina blonde or other beer. Lots of great shopping in downtown Charleston from antiques to art galleries - you could always just go from AC to AC stopping for haagen daaz or Ben & Jerry's along the way.

tatmtr7, hasn't it been unseasonbably warm and humid in Chicago? Maybe you won't even notice that much a difference going to Charleston. Sometimes good travel deals "encourage" us to tolerate more than we might otherwise. ;-)

I was in NOLA a few weeks ago, couldn't be any worse than that...go for it...

It will be very hot, but there are ways to stay cool. You can take the mini bus tours, which give you an excellent overview of the city. A variety of these are located in the back of the visitors center. You can visit the aquarium, shop, take a boat ride to Ft Sumter, etc.

Thanks to all. Now I am trying to decide on hotels etc. We could stay at the Ren on reward points, any suggestions? And of course suggestions for restaurants and do we need a car for just a short weekend?
Again thanks for helping me make my decision.

I'm not much help for hotels but I can tell you that you do NOT need a car! It is certainly a walking city!

We're going to Charleston the end of Sept. and I got the Renaissance for $135/night on Priceline. Marriott's website rate was $299. My first time using Priceline, read up about it on biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com. Followed others advice on how to bid and got it the first try. It is the only 4 star in the historic district on Priceline . . . might be worth a try.

Pack your deodorant and GO!

GO.

You don't have to have a car. It is a wonderful walking city..IN COOL WEATHER. This time of year, you might be miserable. With a car, you can at least ride around if you find that you simply cannot handle the heat any more.

Honstly, if I wanted to go somewher I would never ask if it's too hot. Go for crying out loud.