Charleston S.C. Recommendations

GMascelli

GMascelli

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GaryM
Looking for recommendations on places to stay and a short list of must see places. Mary and I are planning a December get-away at the beginning of the month.

I think we will fly into KLRO, best fuel prices and service.
 
KLRO is a better choice than all of the others. Have you seen the hotel prices?! We stopped going when you couldn’t get a decent place even on the Mount Pleasant side for less than $300 a night. A Visit to Patriot Point is a good idea.

Watch out for the two really tall radio towers near Mount Pleasant airport.
 
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We love wandering around the historic district. It's nicer on a couple of bikes, quicker and easier to stop than when in a car.

Patriot Point and tour the ships
Hunley - only open on the weekends. Week days they do work on it.
We've stayed at a B&B just off White Point Garden, what I usually call Battery Park. I love running along the Battery in the morning, by Rainbow Row and up through the Joe Riley Waterfront Park.
The Market between N Market St and S Market St is interesting.
We've done a tour on the horse drawn carriages, which gives you some of the history as well.
Love the restaurants. Haven't been there in a few years, so some we've been to may be gone now, especially with the pandemic.

We haven't been to Fort Sumter, but would like to on some trip there.
 
It's been a long while so I have no recent hotel suggestions. recently stayed in Summerville but that wouldn't really work and I wouldn't necessarily suggest that place anyway!
Patriots Point for sure. I took a big Cub Scout group there and slept on the Yorktown a couple nights several years ago...cool experience. Part of that trip was a ferry over to Fort Sumter. Also good to do if you haven't been

Wife and I used to like to just roam around the historic district, the Slave Market area, the waterfront park, shops, eateries, etc....
it's been a while, would like to go back myself.

I think they call the slave market something else now.... interestingly enough...as I understand it, it's not where they sold slaves, but where the slaves used to go to sell produce, baskets, and such. I don't understand the need to rename it... Last time I was there it was getting pretty upity and away from the flea market/farmer's market feel that it used to be. Still probably worth a tour though.

and yep, horse tours are worthwhile!
 
Oh and I’d like to add do a ghost tour. These old southern towns have a Lotta good creepy history.
 
Hall's Chophouse ($$$$ but worth it) and 82 Queen for food! Crap, now I am hungry.

Got to see the Aircraft carrier....fort Sumter sucks in my opinion.
 
Wow, lots of great info! Taking notes to make some calls this week. Horse and carriage tour sounds fun, my bride will enjoy that.
 
Place to stay: Indigo Inn, quiet, just enough off the beaten path, within walking distance of everything on the peninsula….tell Ignatius at front desk that Dr B previously of Rock Hill recommended them - he’ll take good care of you. Room 205 if available.
Places to eat: Hank’s for seafood, Husk for regional cuisine, Cru Cafe, Fig (if you can get in), Fleets Landing for casual lunch, Muse on Society St, Poogans Porch for lunch, High Cotton, Fulton Five.
Places not to eat: Hymans, Slightly North of Broad, 35 Rue de Jean (simply because it’s a loud meat market)

Walk EVERYWHERE, use bicycle taxi if necessary, we avoid horse carriage tours - hate to see horses mixing with car traffic/tourists/SC heat.
 
Belmond Charleston Place is a great hotel right in the middle of everything. Hit up Another Broken Egg cafe for breakfast. Delicious bloody Mary’s and breakfast choices. Rainbow row is series of historical houses that are rainbow colored for a nice photo op.
 
Saw it mentioned above, but I enjoy Fleet Landing. Good food and on the waterfront.
 
Not sure how long a visit but if you are going to land at KLRO you might want to consider renting a car and staying on the Isle of Palms. It is off season and rentals are cheaper. Beach is nice. Take a look a Wild Dunes.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...unes_Resort-Isle_of_Palms_South_Carolina.html

Great restaurants near Wild Dunes, Acme Low country and Long Island Grill. You are about a 20 minute drive from downtown Charleston. Take a look a Fort Moultrie at Sulivans Island.

Always a good crosswind at KLRO

https://www.visit-historic-charleston.com/fort-moultrie.html

Good BBQ can be found at Hometeam BBQ and Lewis' BBQ.
 
I've stayed at the 2 Meeting Street Inn - very nice. Prices to match.

I've also stayed at the Meeting Street Inn - a decent stay, but nothing fancy. Great location.

I've also stayed at the Ansonborough Inn - a good choice.

I enjoy the historic district and the restaurants. At night (and in the day too), you can hire a pedal cab and easily get from place to place.

The horse drawn trolley tour is nice, just for a one hour overview of the city.

The walking tours are awesome.

They do a Harbor Parade sometime around Thanksgiving. If it is warm out, that's an interesting way to spend an hour.

Enjoy the food. There are lots of great options.
 
kyleb said:
..I enjoy the historic district and the restaurants. At night (and in the day too), you can hire a pedal cab and easily get from place to place.

The horse drawn trolley tour is nice, just for a one hour overview of the city.
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I like the pedal tour idea, especially with my leg issues following our accident.

So much info. We are also exploring a few other places, going back to Sanibel or back to Key West is on the list.
 
Downtown Charleston has all the things, mostly in the French Quarter. Completely walkable once you're there. The two parks (Water Front and Battery) are awesome. There are several walking tours, but I often just wander around the cobblestone streets.
I'm a BBQ guy, so those are the only recommendations that I will give. Poogan's is downtown and is really great with pork BBQ. The best brisket is up Market a bit at a place called Lewis BBQ. They also have a pretty great Mexican place (same owner) in their parking lot.
 
Gary, hope you'll do a write up when you're back. My wife and I are planning Charleston towards end of January. To those with experience does landing at KLRO and Uber/Lyft to French Quarter make sense? I really don't want a car if possible.
 
The Ordinary is excellent if you like shellfish (and rum) and it is owned by the same folks as the aforementioned FIG (which is also fantastic). Both require reservations and they book up quickly after they come online. I believe 30 days out.

Park Cafe is very good if that’s the type of food you’re looking for. Very good sandwiches. Good cocktails.

Xao Bao Biscuit is also excellent. I love their okonomiyaki.
 
Agree LRO. Charleston Exec not really friendly to us small guys. Expensive too.
 
Gary, Very charming town indeed. We enjoyed taking a long stroll through the historic city market, waterfront parks (pineapple fountain), and some residential neighborhoods with architectural beauties. Seafoods a must (we ate at Hank’s). Enjoy.
 
Lance F said:
Gary, hope you'll do a write up when you're back. My wife and I are planning Charleston towards end of January. To those with experience does landing at KLRO and Uber/Lyft to French Quarter make sense? I really don't want a car if possible.
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I've been to LRO a couple of times. It's a bit further out from the Historic district. One time we rented a car, another our daughter picked us up; she was living with friends during a short winter internship.

CHS is a shorter ride to the Historic district. But probably quite a bit more expensive for your plane.

Unless you want to go outside the main Historic area you don't need a car. Even then for a short hop to the Hunley or Patriots Point an Uber/Lyft works well. Everything is pretty close together, so it's easy to walk to everything.

We were there for a tennis tournament one time and the rental cars on the FBO side of CHS were so pricey we Ubered to our hotel and the next day I walked over to an intown car rental location and picked up a car; we were driving over to Daniel's Island each day for the tennis. LRO was doing some construction at the time, so that was not an option on that trip. Then we dropped off the car the day before we left and Ubered back to CHS the next day. It was cheaper that way.



Wayne
 
Lance F said:
Gary, hope you'll do a write up when you're back. My wife and I are planning Charleston towards end of January. To those with experience does landing at KLRO and Uber/Lyft to French Quarter make sense? I really don't want a car if possible.
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I always follow up our trips with a blog post. If I blog about it it makes for an easy reference the next time we go there. ;)
 
wayne said:
....Unless you want to go outside the main Historic area you don't need a car. Even then for a short hop to the Hunley or Patriots Point an Uber/Lyft works well. Everything is pretty close together, so it's easy to walk to everything.
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I am a dinosaur, no uber or lyft, and I don't care for a taxi after a few crazy experiences in Baltimore's inner harbor. o_O I am happy to rent a car even if it sits, at least I have it if I need it at anytime.
 
Headed to LRO for the first time in a few days, if the Saratoga gets out of annual. I appreciate all the tips!
 
koehn said:
Headed to LRO for the first time in a few days, if the Saratoga gets out of annual. I appreciate all the tips!
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Gary's been there more recently than I have; last there in 2019. It's a nice airport. They have expanded the parking since we first went there in 2006. It's just outside the Charleston Class C, so have the Departure frequency set-up so you can get them once you are out of the pattern on the way out. On the way in they can help you with traffic.

It's a bit longer drive to the historic district than CHS, but much cheaper. If we go to Charleston for a short weekend we often go to CHS, if we're there longer we go to LRO.

You may want to call about FBO hours during the holidays.
 
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