We are heading down to Charleston Sept 10-13th and am looking for some recommendations. We%26#39;ve never been down that way before, so I%26#39;m open any suggestions! It looks like we might have a hotel on Bay Street. Is that a good area to stay in? Is there a better place to look for a hotel?
Also interested in sightseeing - a tour of the city, plantation visits (Boone Hall), etc. Any recommendations there would be greatly welcomed! Might try to get in a big of shopping, too. We%26#39;re really not interested in museums, but do want to take a trip to Fort Sumter. Any restaurant recs would be great, too - not big seafood people and we%26#39;re looking for more casual dining, not real fancy places.
I%26#39;m interested in getting some information on times, how long we should plan for the tours/plantation, etc. Also interested in visiting some of the local areas, Shem Creek, Folly Island, IOP, etc. Are these resonable for day trips, or should we move around hotels and stay there?
Thanks for the help!!
First timers w/questions
Charleston is laid-back and easy to get around, your hotel on Bay sounds like the perfect location for being in the heart of downtown. East Bay Brewery and Charleston Crab House are reasonable restaurants downtown, there are so many to choose from, though, you almost can%26#39;t go wrong. I%26#39;ve heard Jestine%26#39;s is good and cheap for soul/southern food. It%26#39;s about a 20 minute drive to Ashley River Road and there are several planatations, Middleton Place, Boone, Drayton Hall. Tours shouldn%26#39;t take too long and if you like history it%26#39;s really interesting. Bring bug spray, though, the mosquitos can be bad by the river! King Street (downtown)has swanky shopping on one end and morphs into more reasonable Banana Republic/Starbucks/Ann Taylor Loft type stores so it%26#39;s a fun street to peruse. I personally love Shem Creek and there are several outdoor, seafood-y, inexpensive restaurants with decent food and sometimes live entertainment. Don%26#39;t know about Folly Island except the beach, which is decent but might be chilly by the time you visit. Just walking/driving around is fun, you can stumble onto historic houses and churches downtown easily, be sure to go across the J. Arthur Ravenel bridge and hi upt the kitschy shops on Market Street. Some fun coffee, sandwich, and ice cream/candy stores line this area, too. Kaminsky%26#39;s is usually busy but has great desserts for sharing! ENJOY!
First timers w/questions
A few notes on the posts - you will be staying on East Bay Street; there is no West, it is all East Bay. This is a great area to be in as it is walking distance to the Market area, Waterfront Park, and lots of bars and restaurants.
It will definitely be warm in early September! August/September are the hottest times of the year. Fall doesn%26#39;t start until about November here.
East Bay Brewery is actually Southend Brewery and they have great oven-baked pizzas. Also casual on Market Street is T-Bones, Wild Wing Cafe, Mad River Grille. Cru Cafe and SNOB are both a little more upscale but non-seafood restuarant. If you go to the beach Poe%26#39;s on Sullivan%26#39;s Island is excellent, and Acme Cantina on Isle of Palms is a great local place.
Shem Creek is great, but you are getting mostly seafood which you said you are not a big fan of.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the replies! I%26#39;ll be checking into those suggestions! And I%26#39;m glad to read the Bay St hotel is a good place to be. Thanks again!
I wanted to mention that I%26#39;m interested in seeing IOP, Shem Creek, Sullivan%26#39;s Island because I%26#39;m a big fan of Dorothea Benton Frank%26#39;s books set in those areas, and after reading about them I%26#39;m really excited to be able to visit there!
Then you must go to Poe%26#39;s (as already mentioned) for lunch before you explore I%26#39;on Street on Sullivan%26#39;s and then drive over to Breach Inlet, stop at the Boathouse for a cool drink; drive up IOP towards Wild Dunes and just pull over somewhere where there is a beach access path and go for a nice stroll on the beach, looking for shells.
Everything is so close it%26#39;s not really a day trip - you just need a few spare hours.
I personally like Boone Hall and enjoyed visiting the Charles Pinckney site across the street from Boone Hall as well.
Enjoy!
Welcome to Charleston! Soon, anyway! Just for my two cents on dining since I%26#39;m not a seafood lover either...The best restaurant on the peninsula is Magnolia%26#39;s on East Bay, just south of Market St. It%26#39;s true Southern food, but not in a greasy spoon sort of way. If you like salads, their herb chicken salad is to die for! Other ones we like downtown: Southend Brewery, Sermets and Cypress (this one is a pricier). On Sullivans Island, Poe%26#39;s is great. Just over the bridge onto IOP is another of our favorites, The Boathouse- they have the best mac and cheese I%26#39;ve ever had! Most of Shem Creek will be seafood, but Vicary%26#39;s had very good land lover meals, too. And finally, if you make it to West Ashley (the other side of the peninsula), Triangle Grille on Savannah Highway is really good! Enjoy your trip!
Another restaurant that%26#39;s good, casual and inexpensive is Papa Zuzu%26#39;s if you%26#39;re in the Shem Creek area for lunch. It%26#39;s Greek but they have great personal-sized pizzas as well as great salads and gyros.
You might want to try the Boulevard Diner on Coleman in Mt. Pleasant for dinner. It%26#39;s reasonable and good.
I%26#39;ve tried to send this twice now! okay, poogans porch for a quaint evening meal. jestines for lunch gullah tours of the city are the best. King George IV B%26amp;B; tell Terry Jon and Laura from TX say hi. they are great ask for room 6 it is nice.
let me know how you do. watch out for plantation visit. don%26#39;t take the one that goes around to the outside of the plantation to the swamp. it%26#39;s a rip off. can%26#39;t remember the name. make sure to walk or drive the battery. it%26#39;s so fun.
bay street is very expensive. let me know how you do!
Jon and Laura
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