Learn me: Charleston, SC vacation

After having a gazillion people tell mrs. p00p and I how awesome Charleston is, and needing a weekend getaway that's less than a day's drive, we're considering giving it a shot.

Recommendations on food/lodging/entertainment? We'd rather eat at the best dive than the average upscale place, and I'd like to spend less than $100/night for a room, unless we're talkin' a whole house/cabin - deal. We enjoy outdoors-stuff; hiking/state parks, etc., art, and music.

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!

I lived there for awhile and still go down every-year. It is awesome!

For seafood, you can't beat hyman's (sp?) downtown.

I was always fond of the east end brewery also (microbrew) with kinda expensive food.

The library (its a restaurant on the roof of a building) is good for views and lunch type food.

If you get up early enough, the tour of Fort Sumter is Awesome! (if you are into the history stuff).

For the beach, I would recommend Isle of Palms, NOT FOLLY BEACH! Folly Beach is like the college kid hangout beach.

There is excellent public transportation all over town with little bus trolley things. You shouldn't have to drive anywhere (except the beach) if you stay downtown.

There is a GREAT visitors center that has discounted prices on things and they can tell you about everything the city offers. It is on the West side of downtown off King Street (if I remember correctly) There are signs from teh interstate that you can follow to the visitors center.

Also, you can check out a bunch of retired Navy vessels (an aircraft carrier, a sub, a destroyer, etc...) The carrier is the Yorktown. There are signs for this too.

Great town! I usually stay just a little out of town on I-26 to get MUCH cheaper rooms (all sorts of chain hotels). I then drive downtown and park the car at the visitors center and walk or ride the trolleys wherever I want to go all day. You have to pay for parking at the visitors center, but you have to pay for parking at the hotels downtown too.

Hope this helps,

Rob

Oh yea, market street is pretty cool too. There is a candy store on the west side of market street before you get to the water at the end of the street. it is pretty cool and they usually have glass bottle cokes (which are very refreshing on a HOT Charleston day). There is a restaurant right beside the candy store (on the north side towards teh water) which has pretty good food. I can't remember the name of it something clams maybe? anyway if you find the candy store you will see the restaurant.

edit: found it!

Noisy Oyster Seafood Restaurant 24 North Market Street Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 723-0044 noisyoysterseafood.com‎

And teh Library:

(You have to find the elevator to ride to the top!) 19 Vendue Range, Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 577-7970 vendueinn.com‎

Hyman's: 215 Meeting St, Charleston, South Carolina 29401 (843) 723-6000 ‎ hymanseafood.com

A downtown hotel I have stayed in and was nice Holiday Inn Hotel Charleston (Historic District) 125 Calhoun Street Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 805-7900 holidayinn.com‎

Hope this helps,

Rob

Thanks man!

If you wish to spend a little less on a hotel but not stay too far from down town try Mt Pleasant just make sure you get as close to the bridge as possible as in only a few miles from Down down there are at least 6 hotels at the foot of the new bridge (Arthur P Ravanel Bridge) from Mt Pleasant to Downtown and the prices are half what you pay on the pennisula. Stay away from the Master's Inn Economy though it is a real rat hole, learned that the hard way. As a bonus you are on the side of town that Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island are on which are the nice quiet beaches. I reccomend a carraige tour if you want to see Historic Charleston from a interesting perspective. (I like Palmetto Carraige aka The "Big Red Barn" personally) Also it is worth going to White Point Gardens (also known as The Battery) at the point of Charleston Pennisula and park and just walk around the Historic District. The houses are incredible. and you can see where the first shots of the Civil war were fired on Ft Sumter. The Charleston Aqurium is cool but really pricey like 20 bucks a person, in hindsight I might have passed on it if the S.O. hadn't really wanted to go. Ok thus endeth my mile long dissertation.

You cold always stay with me in Goose Creek, or Toyman in Mt Pleasant (Mt P) and see how the (poor) locals really live. Hotels, well, the closer you get to downtown the more expensive it is. The reasonably priced bed n' breakfast does not exist.

The Boathouse out on the Isle of Palms is a great place. http://www.boathouserestaurants.com/ You can drink like a fish, eat good seafood and watch the dolphins swim in Breach Inlet. Best dive: The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene http://www.wreckrc.com/ Don't confuse this with another 'Shipwreck' in Mt P that (IMHO) sucks. The decor is, er, eclectic. Anything downtown is going to be pricey, which may or may not matter. Anson Restaraunt is pretty darn nice if you don't mind pricey. http://www.ansonrestaurant.com/

Just walk around downtown (avoid the carriage tours) and check out the houses. Go into the old churchyards and graveyards and look around; it's amazing what's in little out of the way places. Or even in not so out of the way places. Like the Hat Man:

Make sure you do this during the day, because 1) you'll see a lot more and 2) it's not so safe at night unless you are real close to the tourist traps. The Battery is cool up till around 11 PM or so, then the gangbanger wannabees and those who pursure the, er, alternative lifestyle pretty much take over.

Fort Sumter is worth the ferry trip, doesn't matter which side of the 'recent unpleasantness' you fall on.

Sullivan's Island was an Edgar Allen Poe hangout, he wrote 'The Gold Bug' while he lived there.

Folly Beach is called The Edge of America. I've never been to Key West but people who have tell me that Folly is a lot like it, maybe just not quite as 'anything goes'. I've been there many times, it's always been a decent day trip to just lay on the beach and do nothin'. If you get tired of laying in the sand, go up (north) to the lighthouse that's being stabilized. Cool to check out, if nothing else.

Not far from Folly is John's Island. It's so much like Africa or other exotic places that parts of movies set in those locales are shot there. The Angel Oak is there also. The picture doesn't do it justice.

If you drive up, try to take I-95 to where Highway 17 branches off (just north of Coosawhatchie) and goes toward the coast. It's called Charleston Highway and ACE Basin Parkway. It starts out 4 lane, then goes 2 lane through some of the most beautiful places you will ever see.

Jensenman/Curmudgeon is dead on.

Folly beach is the best beach. The Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island have been bulldozed by developers long ago and the place has lost all of its old beachy charm. Also, alcohol is illeagal on Isle of Palms and Sullivans beach, It's not that way at Folly(just no glass containers or cans, pour it in a cup). Folly has tons of old beach cottages left on it from the 1950's and 1960's. Plenty of interesting folks. IOP and Sullivan's are just so plastic, It made my face hurt... Almost like Daniels Island, Manufactured happiness for the transplants with money.

Go for a Drive up Ashley River Road in West Ashley. It's a great drive with tons of nice Live Oaks arching over the roadway. I've been told before Hugo it was even better. Too bad. Go to a plantation.. All are different, none are bad.

Go to http://www.thefathen.com/ On Johns island. It's freaking amazing.

Hymans is for Chumps. Totally touristy crap. Go one block over and get a table at Hanks.

Go to the Wreck of the Richard and Christine, Jensenman is right.. It's Awesome. I loved the restaurants there when I lived there...

It's closed for the season now, but http://www.bowensislandrestaurant.com/ Is a famous dirty crappy oyster shack that serves amazing seafood.

http://www.jackscosmicdogs.com/ <--- awesome

http://www.sesameburgersandbeer.com/ <-- SUPER AWESOME

http://evopizza.com/ <-- awesome.

http://www.hometeambbq.com/ <-- Firey Ron is my homeboy

http://www.ilovetheglassonion.com/ <-- Heard it's good, but never went.

For Breakfast: http://threelittlebirdscafe.com <-- Good but not too scenic

http://www.lostdogfollybeach.com/<-- Go there for breakfast. Go early the lines can get long and then go for a nice walk on Folly in the morning.

South End Brewery in Charleston is OK, not great. Try to find something from Coast Brewing on tap.

You won't go hungry in Chucktown.

The best kept secret in Charleston is http://www.dinewithsal.com/ . That restaurant group has some of the best and cheapest restaurants in the city. The quality is top notch, and the prices are rock bottom. Amazing specials every night and before 7pm mon-thursday it's half price bottles of wine. The Mustard Seed and Boulevard diner are my favorites.

The Angel Oak is awesome.

We went on a great night walking Ghost tour a few years ago.

Listen to these guys. They obviously spent more time there than I have!

Why didn't you guys tell me this stuff whern I lived down there?

P.S. I would still recommend the visitors center.

Dang, dudes. Thanks a bunch! DEFINITELY won't go hungry now. Really do appreciate all the suggestions.

poopshovel wrote: Dang, dudes. Thanks a bunch! DEFINITELY won't go hungry now. Really do appreciate all the suggestions.

For a fun time go to Red's Ice House http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54354-d476203-Reviews-Red_s_Ice_House-Mount_Pleasant_South_Carolina.html

It's right on a creek that runs out to the bay. You can sit there sip a beer and just watch shrimp boats go in and out.

http://www.fredhollandrealty.com/ <-- If you are going there during the off season call Fred and get an on island beach rental for the weekend for very little money. I stayed at a place on the beach for 2 months(Like open front door, walk over dune on the beach), for about $500 a month from Fred during the offseason. It was a small studio, but it was good.

Also the as mentioned by others, the visitor center is really good and fairly close to everything. Keep your wife off of King Street, Many fancy and expensive shops. However, if you need a suit I highly recommend http://www.gradyervin.com/. I bought my interview suit there and it was a steal. I also bought two of their "own brand" suits made in Canada (same company that does many expensive other suits) for $99 a pop.

http://www.charlestowne.org/ is also pretty cool.

Ohh, and I 2nd Jensenman's nod to just walking around downtown charleston with a camera. I've been on about 3 carriage tours, while with out of town relatives, and the quality varies greatly depending on the guide. Some are smart and good some have some factual issues, some are just horrible.

I got plenty more ideas, but I think I've left you with enough!

Bringing this back to the top as it already has been a huge help and I knew someone had already posted on this subject.

I just hope it doesn't rain all the dang time next weekend when the wife and I visit.

I just got back from Folly Beach. Make sure to bring some bug repellent.

I spent a few days on Kiawah Island last year and we drove all around Charleston. What a gorgeous area - loved the moss-covered trees. And the food was to die for.

I somehow missed this thread when I went back in April.

When I vacation, I tend to lead with my stomach. Two top-notch places I will recommend for dining in Charleston: Fig (232 Meeting St) and Slightly North of Broad, aka SNOB (192 E Bay St). Fig wins hands down for superior service, fresh-as-get-out seafood, and just pure deliciousness. I had some "Capers Blades" oysters that were to die for. I don't know if they're still in season or what, but oh my. I may have just had a crisis remembering them.

SNOB is also highly rated and I had very high expectations. I think it -could- be a great place, but a) they overcooked my "rare" tuna and b) the appetizer and dessert just didn't live up to expectations. I got a bad bounce on this one, other people I trust loved it. But between the two, I'd go back to Fig every time. I wish I could go there right now.

I found Red's Ice House to be too "Spring Break"-y for my tastes, but that may have been a weekend night. I went next door to RB's Seafood (I think that's the place) and sat outside in their nice quiet rooftop deck. Attentive service, good food. Not SNOB or Fig, but good enough.

It's too late in the season to be really pretty, but Magnolia Plantation in springtime is just beautiful.

I did a blackwater swamp kayak tour with Nature Adventure Outfitters, which ended up being self-guided because the host had a vet emergency. It was a lot of fun, but would have been better with a group. I'm not sure I would survive it in the August heat though. Saw lots of gators and other wildlife.

Man, it may be fate. I have a really hard time going on vacation, as it means I'm not making money for a couple days. Dumb, I know. But mamma has been pushing me to tell her what I want for my bday and I finally said "I dunno, take me on vacation."

Also, a couple days after I posted that last time, business slowed way down, so leaving the shop for a few days was scary. Now business is crazy, and I can't get caught up enough to justify leaving. So it goes.

So, beach & oysters sound really good. I think we may give it a shot.

To finish this topic off, at least for myself, WHAT A BLAST!!! The wife and I can't wait to go back.

We stayed at the Days Inn Patriots Point. As much as the reviews say it sucks, I have paid more for much less and worse hotels before. The wife didn't like my choice of the Glass Onion. The revolving menu options sort of put you in a bind if you liked something previously or have never been. The quail I had there was good. I kind of didn't care for Toast for Sunday's breakfast. It was good, but dang felt like I was paying through the nose of about $5 worth of meal. I mean $2.79 for a single person's serving of coffee?!?!? We both agreed Fleet Landing and Charleston Crab House on James Island were excellent choices. Mmmmmm.... Shrimp and grits plus the Buffalo oysters. Mmmmmmmmm.

For attractions, walking downtown was fun, but saw a lot of more things to do driving around looking for a parking place this morning that we couldn't do. Fort Sumter was OK, but seemed expensive for what you end up getting. We hit up IOP at about 10pm Friday, that was a blast to walk on the beach at night. We went to Folly the next day, swallowed way too much saltwater, and got baked bright red. Of the two, I prefer Folly. Didn't need the bug spray either.

I even snapped some pics and posted them on the Book of Faces: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2238003800379.127908.1556526431&l=5234530959&type=1

Just my $1.20 worth of opinion,
Brian

EDIT: Just one question, why is SC so damn dark at night? Trying to save power to run the AC during the day? I have never been to such a dark city before.