My sister and I will be in Charleston May 9 through May 12. What should we not miss? Where should we eat? We are on a budget.

You can do a walking tour of the historic homes on your own. Be sure to go to the market and to visit the sidewalk basket ladies selling their wares. The visitors center is a good place to start and gather maps, etc.

First of all, do a lot of walking! It's a wonderful walking city. Stop at the visitors center first. You'll get some good input on walking routes.
Also, drive out to Middleton Place plantation. You can easily spend the better part of a day there. There are a few plantations in the area. We were told Middleton was the best.

Plan to do a lot of walking. It's a wonderful city for walking. Stop, first, at the visitors center (very helpful) and get solid input on routes to follow. There are a variety of walking and vehicular tours.
Also, drive out to the Middleton Place plantation outside the city. Fascinating. Worth a several hours' visit. Enjoy!

Charleston is a wonderful city for walking. Stop first at the visitors center where you'll get some solid tips on good walking routes. There are lots of mansions to see. You should probably buy some sort of guidebook there.
Also, drive out to Middleton Place, the best of the plantantions in the area. It's good for a solid several-hours visit. Enjoy your trip.

Candy...Where will you be staying? That will determine where you would want to eat! Also, what are your interests?

If you like history...definitely do a bus tour or the Battery area. Go to a restaurant near the Market and get a to-go pack and take it to Waterfront Park for a picnic while you sit in oversized porch swings overlooking the Cooper River. (We've even had Papa John's deliver us pizzas to the park.)

For more info check out:

http://www.charleston.net/


Click on the first down arrow and select Tips for Tourists and print it out. There are a lot of info regarding tours, plantations, restaurants, prices, etc. at this site.

If you have any questions, just e-mail me. Hope you enjoy visiting Charleston and much as we love living here.

PS: You might want to take a half hour drive to the Isle of Palms County Park for some time at the beach.