There are few people on this forum that actually live in the area so they can probably fill in the details. I go there from time to time and my favorite things about the area are: The farmers market downtown on Saturday mornings, not the big tourist market (which is also fun) but the actual farmers market where plenty of people sell plants and veggies and herbs. Buying plants at Magnolia plantation (if not Magnolia it was one of the bigger plantations), great variety of camelias and tea camelias (different leaves than the tea camelias offered where I'm from). Not sure of the name but one of the bigger garden centers has a good selection of Delphinium seedlings, delphiniums are used as a winter/early spring bloomer there and the selection is much broader than what I can find here in Raleigh. I bring them home and baby them through the winter and in early summer have 5-6 foot blossoms.

Charleston has a lot of charm and there are plenty of things to see and do - not all of it has to cost money. There are some great and extremely inexpensive diners outside of the tourist area and within walking distance of anyplace downtown. The plantations are ok, unfortunately on my last trip I was with some foreign friends who wanted to visit every single plantation in one weekend, I was bored after the second one. And I don't care much for the civil war aspects of the area and that seemed to be all the plantation tours were about even though they had sooo much more to offer.

First timers to Charleston should begin their sightseeing at the excellent visitors center. One can park there all day and use the trolley service to move around town, hopping on and off at spots of interest. Also, the sightseeing trips which originate at the visitors center are well worth the money and give an excellent overview of the city. Charleston is a city of hidden gardens that one peeks into on walking trips. Many of these gardens are open to the public in March when the annual house and garden tours take place. This is the best time to visit the city. When you are at the visitors center ask them to mark the streets to walk and look through garden gates into the private world of southern gardening. At this time of year the Camellias are in bloom and a trip to some of the plantations outside of the city should be of interest. Also the tea plantation on John's Island.

John, when next in that area with some extra time ask how to locate Bonnie Doone Plantation. This is open to the public but not on regular tours, owned by a church. There is a beautiful Camellia japonica garden designed by Umberto Innocenti that is in full bloom during the winter. This is a must see garden off the beaten tourist path.

Nandina gave excellent advice. We visited Magnolia Plantation in November and I loved the gardens. The gardens were formal until the mid 1800's and the owner decided to make it in informal English garden. There are beautiful vistas and ponds/bridges, etc. The camellias, I'm sure, are wonderful about now. The Shem Creek Inn in Mt Pleasant is a reasonably priced place to stay...get the creek side and you'll be able to watch the boat traffic in and out of the creek. The restaurant next door..The Water's Edge... has shrimp and grits to die for. :)

The visitor's center does offer walking tour maps for a small fee.

If you *are* interested in Civil War history, the Daughters of the Confederacy run the museum at the city market and it's wonderful. Hours can be iffy, so just check ahead. We were there for the funeral of the CSS Hundley crew last spring. They are buried at Magnolia Cemetary.

Have a great trip!
Pam

Oughta see & these are all free:

Angel Oak---Johns Island (stunningly huge oak tree)
Hampton Park---peninsula Charleston (has walking path with lovely gardens surrounding. Original Noisette rose garden is there too)
Folly Pier---cool view of the beach.
East Bay Battery & White Point Gardens---wonderful view of the harbor, bridges, Ft Sumter, and the stately homes.

Walk the streets of downtown and when you see an open garden gate, it is an invitation to enter. Enjoy Charleston! We sure do!

And thanks to all of you for your hints. I'd picked out some of the sites you've recommended, so it's good to get approval from others.

I'll remember the open gate tip- I'll at least stick my head in!

Susan

This post was an invaluable resource for us! We plan to go for the first time this year from the W-S, NC area. Many, many thanks! We almost got involved in a time share seminar deal BUT ended up canceling it once we saw how hard it was to book a hotel when and where we wanted. Never again. Naturally our anniversary is at one of the busiest times there, May 27th. We wanted so much to do that for our 4th anniv, but hotels were impossible. Temps would be perfect in March as suggested above, right or wrong? We wont go when it gets too hot to enjoy walking all day, so please a cutoff date to avoid heat. Looking fwd to seeing the noisette Roses. When do they begin blooming?

Omigosh, I remember the first time we visited Charleston was sometime in June. I awoke early, about 6am and after a shower went down to the hotel lobby to get coffee. When I opened the door and stepped out I was literally shocked- the humidity hit me like a blast furnace! I thought no way it can get worse than this, but as the day progressed it can and DID! Whew!
I love Charleston except in high summer and SO agree with walking thru all the neighborhoods, unbelievable the amount of small yet beautiful gardens you see tucked in back and side yards! I think my vote weather wise would be to visit in April......

Quirkpod and everyone!!!!
I hope this is of some interest....

If you are gonna be in SC sometime in March/April....

Call, write, or somehow, just get directions to "Roses Unlimited" in Laurens SC and "Ashdown Roses" in Campobello SC... The only 2 places in SC that I will allow my money to be spent, Ever!

1) Roses Unlimited:
The very best rose nursery around...and an absolutely stunning place to visit when the gardens/greenhouses are in
bloom. About 35 minutes south of Spartanburg maybe 10 minutes off of I-26. And lots of the beautiful and heavenly aroma'ed noisette roses, and I guess they have every Buck rose ever developed. Beautiful healthy bushes for you, your yard, your garden, your world........GO THERE!!!!!
Click the link, you'll be glad you did....

2) Ashdown Roses:
http://www.ashdownroses.com/
Quite the selection, especially my second faves, Hybrid Musks, Maybe 15 miles from I85/I26 just north of Spartanburg SC.....and since SC-11 is the I-26 Ashdown exit. No then, SC-11 is a very nice trip from I-85 north of the Big Peach near Spartanburg to just north of the GA/SC border at the lake. it's a 487.673 times nicer a ride than the same country covered on I-85. GO THERE!

If just one of those two would move to NC, Tn, Va,, I would never ever again see any of SC that can't be seen from I-85 and would never again spend as much as $.001 in SC, ever again....

But regardless of my personal lunacy....Have a great trip!!! And remember, buy nothing and spend $0.00 in all of SC on anything except for roses, and get yer gas in Georgia if yer close, cheapest gas in all of DixieLand!

And if you are heading south towards SC on either I-77
South or on US 321 South be sure to stop at Almost Heaven Antique Rose nursery. Lots of antiques, and quite the assortment of miniatures too.... The Rickards are some very nice people with some very nice roses....
http://www.almostheavenroses.com/

I hope this is of some interest....

Here is a link that might be useful: RosesUnlimited.....a wonderful place

Wow.... I might be opening a can of worms here, but why the bad rap on SC spun?

I am curious about the bad rap , too.

I am within 45 minutes of both these nurseries but it is about 3-4 hours from Charleston so I see no relation to the original topic.

Whoa...Why are you knocking SC, Spun? I was born and bred in this state. If you don't like it stay away. Matter of fact I'm from the same city as Roses Unlimited. Trust me SC is a lot better than some of the other states in the South. If those two places are the only places you will spend your money, than trust me they don't want your money.
As for those of you who are planning a trip to Charleston, have a great time. My husband and I are thinking about going in late summer.