You've never been? Oh we love Charleston and go yearly at least. Take a harbor tour for sure. We stay on any one of the nearby islands - if you have time you might want to drive to one. Lovely beaches. Go to the market. Go to Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant for great seafood (although I do not eat seafood LOL). It's where the fish boats come in. Most of the restaurants have harbor view dining rooms. Kaminsky's (one in Charleston and one in Mt. Pleasant) for dessert. Many places have she crab soup - but I don't eat it! I'm excited for you - one of our favorite places.

tina

Lucky you! :)
I enjoyed the shopping in the historic King St area.

I did a walking tour of historic homes and gardens. Don't know if there is a winter version available.

Walking around downtown, the market, shopping would be one day and the next, Magnolia Plantation and Fort Sumter.

Thanks Tina, I really want to try the She Crab. Wow, you go once a year? Aren't we lucky?

Moonshadow thanks, I'll check it out. The market is on my list. I understand they make hats and crafts. Is that all they sell?

gsciencehick--I absolutely love touring homes. Maybe they'll have a winter garden. If not, I'll go eat again. (lol)

Bumblebeez, I can hardly wait to go, and walking downtown along with people watching is so fun. Yes, the person I am going with mentioned Fort Sumter.

Thanks to all of you.

.....Jane

I hope you have a wonderful time! Charleston is unique and so interesting.
I love Magnolia Plantations and if I had to choose, would pick that over Fort Sumter.

To me, the market, is not that big a deal. Yes, there are black ladies weaving seagrass baskets but overall, it''s just one long, crowded junky flea market.

Oh, the market is a good place to pick up some Benne wafers.

I think Drayton Hall is the most interesting plantation to tour because it's the most authentic. They've worked very hard to keep everything just as it was---no electricity, etc.

There are several, historic houses in town you may tour. I don't have a favorite. I love them all.

A carriage tour is good for an overall view of South OF Broad, but nothing beats walking the area. You can look through gates and see most of the houses.

Have fun in my favorite city.
Pat

LOL Jane - it's one of our favorite vacation places. We generall go in spring or fall and stay on Seabrook Island. We love the island and surrounding little towns as much as Charleston. The market is not a big deal as far as shopping but you will see some of the local "flavor". You'll see the ladies making the baskets all over the area.

We have done plantations - that will take a good bit of time. I'll be honest, it's not one of my most favorite things there. I have enjoyed seeing some of the historical homes and buildings more. Maybe my attention span LOL!! We do enjoy antiquing in the area, but most of that is too expensive in the city - we've found some great deals in Mt. Pleasant, John's Island, etc.

Slightly North of Broad and 82 Queens are good restaurants.

Do try one of the tours. Our weather is mild right now so I'm thinking Charleston will be even warmer - so unless you get rain (which we've had alot of lately), it should be nice to get out and about. We love the horse/carriage tours and my favorite is the harbour tour. You can do bus tours, etc. You'll see alot and hear alot in a short period. The visitors center is FANTASTIC and you can get tour info there. You can also get a CARTA pass which will allow you to use the bus system for a daily price. There's alot of walking and not so much parking, so the bus is really nice. We walk and use the bus as we get tired (or want to go to the other end of town LOL). You can see Ft. Sumter on the harbour tour. There's not much to do there. Patriot Point is great if you are interested in the old aircraft carrier, submarine, etc. Once is enough for me, but my husband could go yearly! He loves military history.

Go out to the waterfront park and look around. For any actual "beach" you're going to need to go to one of the islands. Where are you staying?

tina

We just loved Charleston. If you have the time, I'd suggest booking a walking tour with Ed Grimball. He was fabulous, and though it's nice to walk around by yourself, he gives such fascinating info about everything you see that it makes walking the historic district a real complete experience.

Lucky you, New Dawn! I've never been either, but I know Charleston is beautiful & bet you'll enjoy just taking it all in! When you return, please let us know how your trip went, what you decided to see & do, & what your impressions were! Also, take some pics to post here if you get a chance! Have a blast!

If I recall, Drayton Hall and Magnolia are pretty near each other, I think we've done both in the same morning.

But I still like Magnolia better for the gardens and boat ride (and the shop, what can I say).

A truly wonderful place! :)

I can highly recommend The Peninsula Grill at the Planters Inn. Gorgeous resturant -- decorated by local designer Amelia Handegan -- and a wonderful menu.

"39 Rue de Jean" on John Street -- right across from the Visitors center -- where you pick up the tour buses for the city. Just the most charming restaurant ever!

Also -- yes -- the shops along Queen Street and King Street.

And visit this very pretty shop too! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: charleston Gardens.com -- lovely!

Oh yes, The Peninsula Grill! I forgot that Teacats! What is the lovely rooftop bar/restaurant - I cannot think of the name!!! Great views.

Jane - you need more than two days!

tina

I do not have any specific recommendations as it's been many, many years since I was there. But, we LOVED it. We went twice. Stayed on the beach on one of the islands (don't remember name) the 1st time and in a pet friendly bed and breakfast the 2nd time. We had a fantastic time both times we went. Come to think of it, I am not sure why we never went back. And the time we went with our dog was great. Just about every outdoor restaurant allowed us to have him with us. We even took him on the carriage tours! Several times! The people were just so incredibly friendly. You're going to have a wonderful time.

Charleston Grill was recommended in Southern Living Mag. last month for their Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits.

The same issue had an article on best bakeries in the South. They recommended Wildflour Pastry for their scones and turnovers and fruit crips. Sundays special are Pecan-topped Sticky Buns. wildflourpastrycharleston.com

They also recommended Sugar Bakeshop for their Lady Baltimore cupcakes, filled with figs and raisins and crowned with meringue icing. Says its off the usual tourists route. sugarbake.com is addy

DH and I are going to Charleston the middle of May for an annual visit, May 15 thru May 18. We've celebrated our anniversary there for about 5 years or so. We don't have an unlimited budget but do try to go to one or two of the nicer restaurants a couple of times. Rue de Jean is a favorite lunch pick. We've gone to 82 Queen a couple of times for dinner but Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill are a little out of our reach. Can anyone tell me anything about the restaurant at Middleton Place...good food? Any other places you'd recommend for dinner?

Some friends and I are going in March for the private gardens tour but we're only staying 3 nights which gives us 2 days to do whatever we're going to do as far as sightseeing etc.

I always look forward to going there but I think I may check out Seabrook Island for future reference. We're staying in Mt. Pleasant again this year.

jude

Jane, just wondering if you made it to Charleston. What did you think about it and where did you wind up eating? Did you do anything else noteworthy?

jude

Jude31 - I wanted to ask you - where do you stay in Mt. Pleasant?

tina

Tina, we stayed at Homewood Suites last year and were very pleased with it. It's not fancy, but had what we needed. Bedroom, separate living room and a kitchen (which we really didn't use). They have a nice breakfast buffet and a rather bountiful, complimentary meal in the evening with wine and beer included. We did the evening thing once or twice. Fixings for tossed salad in particular were very fresh, moreso than in most restaurants.
DH has emphysema and can't do a lot of walking but took DD and I to the beach, we mostly just walked or sat under umbrellas. There's a small private lake very close by. that he could drive to in the meantime, and he fished a little. Then he would come back and pick us up. We ate lunch out and most of the time dinner.FWIW, we are older senior citizens.

jude