Anyone live in Charleston, South Carolina?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This Friday I will be taking a three-day trip to Charleston, South Carolina for the first time and would really appreciate some tips on areas to visit while I am there. I have been doing some research on the area and have found so many places that I’m having a difficult time narrowing it down to those I can cram into my three-day time period. I have come up with a list of possibilities. I would love to have some input on what you think of my list as well as any other places you love that I have missed.

  • Take in an overall view of Charleston’s Historic District by using one of the sightseeing tour services

  • Water tour

  • Town of Mt. Pleasant

    The Old Village
    Shem Creek
    Boone Hall

  • Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

  • Folly Beach

  • Cypress Gardens

  • Nature Tour

  • Ghostwalk (too touristy?)

  • Wildlife Refuge (I love wildlife so I would love to take a hike through one of these)

    Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
    Ace Basing National Wildlife Refuge
    Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge
    Santee Coastal Reserve
    Francis Beidler Forest
    Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
    Congaree Swamp National Monument
    Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

These are some of the main places that seemed to keep coming up in my reading. In addition to sightseeing I would also appreciate suggestions on area restaurants, particularly those with good seafood. I read that 82 Queen is a favorite.

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I don’t live there, but I’ve been a tourist there, which might be useful given the OP…

I’ve done the Ghostwalk (or one of them, anyway) and while it is a little touristy, we enjoyed it. It’s a nice thing to do at night, especially when there’s nothing else to do (stores and museums closed).

82 Queen is very good. Also in its class are Anson (scrumptious) and Carolina’s. I’ve not been to the latter, but I’ve heard wonderful things about it. Magnolia’s is good for lunch (dinner too) but it does tend to be popular with the tourists. That’s why I like it for lunch. Most of these places serve “low country” food which will include some good seafood, although they don’t sell seafood exclusively. Poogan’s Porch is a little cheaper, same sort of menu. I haven’t eaten there.

A very popular thing is to take a tour via horse-drawn carriage. Your guide will narrate as you go. You don’t have a say in where you go–each tour is given a random-drawn number by the city that determines one of 4 routes. So it’s luck of the draw–you might not get to see the battery, but they try to make every tour interesting. And there are historic sites all over the place.

The city’s museum is a nice place to start, too. Gives a good overview of the area’s history so you can enjoy everything with a more knowledgeable eye.

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  • Take in an overall view of Charleston’s Historic District by using one of the sightseeing tour services
    Not a bad idea, although I’ve never done it
  • Water tour
    ditto
  • Town of Mt. Pleasant
    Great restaurants, but are you looking for anything else?

The Old Village
I had never heard of the “Old Village.” I mainly go for the restaurants.:smiley:
Shem Creek
Restaurant Row
Boone Hall
I’ve been there for the Oyster Festival (it was just a few weeks ago), but no other time. A nice place to visit, but the staff seemed really snooty.

  • Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
    ** Never done this, but I’ve heard it’s nice**
  • Folly Beach
    ** One of Charleston’s two main beaches This one is on the south side. The other is the Sullivan’s Island/Isle of Palms area on the north side. The northern beaches are a little more touristy, where Folly is a little more homey.**
  • Cypress Gardens
    no info
  • Nature Tour
    These can be fun, or awfully dull, regardless of where you go. It’s always a crapshoot.
  • Ghostwalk (too touristy?)
    Unless you believe in ghosts, I wouldn’t bother.
  • Wildlife Refuge (I love wildlife so I would love to take a hike through one of these)
    see comment on "Nature Tour"

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Ace Basing National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge
Santee Coastal Reserve
Francis Beidler Forest
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
Congaree Swamp National Monument
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
These various areas are as far away as two hours north of Charleston (like the Sandhills), and almost two hours south (like Savannah). Most of the others are within an hour or so

And 82 Queen: That is without a doubt Charleston’s pearl among restaurants–at least by reputation. The food is good, no doubt, but portions are small, and prices are high. It might be good to do it just to say you have, but I go to Charleston several times a year, and I haven’t been there in many years.

Some restaurants that I can vouch for though:

Vickery’s: There’s one downtown, and one on Shem Creek. I’ve been only to the one on Shem Creek, and I can recommend it very highly. Bring an appetite, and save room for dessert (and that can be a challenge).:smiley:

Shem Creek Bar & Grill, Ronnie’s, RB’s: All on Shem Creek. All are good.

South End Brewing: This is downtown (on the peninsula). A wide variety of foods. (They have a website, but I don’t know it off-hand. You can check out their menu there.)

Gilligans and Gilli’s: These are on the south side (of the peninsula). Gilligan’s is a seafood restaurant, and Gilli’s (in the same shopping center) is a throw-peanut-shells-on-the-floor steakhouse. Just don’t order the “Buffalo Burger.” State law requires them to be cooked to the point that they’re slightly harder than a brick the same size.

Coconut Joe’s: Isle of Palms. This is a good seafood restaurant.

T-Bones: Several locations. I always go to the one in the market area on the peninsula. Obviously, a steak joint.

Garibaldi’s: Also in the market. A little more expensive than the others, but the quality of their seafood is without question.

Also in the market, and in numerous downtown stores, you can see markers in buildings that show the water level when Hurrican Hugo stormed ashore in September 1989.

Visit the Battery (the end of the peninsula), and take a gander at the old houses in the Tradd St area.

If I think of anything else, I’ll post again.

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Thank you, CrankyAsAnOldMan and Mjollnir, for all of your helpful input.

Since you made a good point about museums and stores being closed in the evening (I hadn’t even thought of that), the Ghostwalk does sound like it may be fun and may also be a nice way to see the town in the evening.

Also, I called about the horse drawn carriage and that, too, sounds like a nice idea. Do you know if all the companies have the random-draw approach to their routes? Either way, though, it still sounds worth it. Beforehand, I think the city’s museum will be a beneficial start.

Mjollnir, as far as the town of Mt. Pleasant . . . some places mentioned in one particular guide book were Boone Hall Plantation (too bad I missed out on the Oyster Festival!), the Charles Pinckney Historic Site, Palmetto Islands County Park, and Fort Moultrie. By I do think we would be visiting that area mostly for Shem Creek and its many restaurants.

I was trying to decide on beaches and your advice helps to make up my mind. I would prefer the more homey beach of Folly. I had forgotten about Hurricane Hugo; that will be strange to see the water levels.

The Battery and Tradd St. are also on our list now as well.

Ah, and now the restaurants. After reading your posts I went ahead and made reservations for 82 Queen. I went to their online site and their menu looks very tempting. YUM!! Mjollnir, I think I will have to make a hard copy of your restaurant list and try some of them while I’m there. I now have plenty of places to choose from; I appreciate your recommendations. There is nothing better than getting good advice from people who have been there.

Thank you both so much for your ideas! This will be a fun trip!

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While the northern beaches are a little more touristy, they are in no way the big-hotel-clusters-on-the-water orgaudy neon assault on the senses that you get from, oh, say Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, or Daytona Beach. You do see more ocean-front condos, but in comparison to the beaches farther up north, they’re much more low-key. In Folly, a place just opened called the “Folly Beach Crab Shack.” It had just opened in the past year or so. It’s a good place to kick back with a brew, munch on peanuts (restaurants with peanuts are very big on my list), and enjoy seafood.

(And I misworded the stuff about “Giligans” and “Gilli’s.” I should have said that they were south of the peninsula, not on the south side.

Just in case you didn’t already know, the heart of the “Market” area is Market St, between King St and East Bay.

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I got married in Charleston.

You can do all the tour stuff if you want to, but I’d recommend reading a good history of the area, maybe picking up a few novels set there…DuBose Heyward’s PORGY or MAMBA’S DAUGHTERS, or Owen Wister’s LADY BALTIMORE…and just strolling the streets of the Market District and soaking up the atmosphere.

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Sullivan’s Island is really nice; a quiet little town.

I recommend walking Church Street at night, especially to the Battery and back down East Bay. Actually, just walking around the Market area–into the residential district, along the Battery, near the Calhoun house–at night is fantastic; the houses are all so beautiful.

There’s a great little French restaurant on Market and Meeting called Mistral with a live Dixieland band on weekends that kicks serious ass…the food’s good, too.

Oh! I remember the best restaurant: Poogan’s Porch, on (I believe) Queen Street. Great seafood, wonderful atmosphere. Hyman’s on Meeting isn’t bad either, but it’s more of a crowded family place.

Hope this helps…I love Charleston.