Charleston, SC
 

Hubby and I are taking the 1st week of Oct off. We can't decide where to go b/c I don't want to spend the whole time driving.

Tonight we were talking and Charleston came up. We'd been talking about going there for years and maybe this year we will.

Any thoughts/recommendations from Atl to Charleston?

Thanks.

kiteflyerz lives in the Charleston area. Pm her for information :)

Is there anywhere you would like to see or do while you are there? That will help me narrow it down on suggestions. I'm a Charleston native.

You'll love Charleston - good choice! Boy, what I would give for some shrimp and grits right now . . .

You will LOVE Charleston. My fave city in the world. Best food also. (Peninsula Grill, Magnolias, 82 Queen, etc.) Stay downtown so you can walk to everything and go on the history tours that the Chamber of Commerce have. They actually explain a lot of the fascinating history. I like going through the historical mansions (while H sits in a micro brewery, ha ha). The boat ride to Ft. Sumpter is nice. Cross over the river and go to Shem Creek Bar & Grill (great food) enroute to Fort Moultrie.

http://www.patriotspoint.org

The aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown, is open for tours.

This should help...

http://www.charleston.com/

I'll make you some! That's "my dish" that I make whenever we have company over. I've had to resort to having my grits air mailed to me over in Germany. I don't even think Germans know what grits are. :p

Oh, I have to agree with you on this one. Charleston is the best city in the world. I'm counting down the time until the hubby and I will retire there!

Other great restaurants in the area are SNOB (Slightly North of Broad) and Poogan's Porch. To answer your question the way I understand it, I don't think there's too much to do in the drive from ATL to Charleston. It's all interstate and is mucho boring. My mom used to do the drive when she worked in ATL and we lived in Summerville. I can ask her tonight when I talk to her if there's anything to do in the ~4.5 hour drive.

Sis in law's mom lives in Summerville so I'll check with sil on Tuesday when I go spend the night (bro is my dentist and Wed. I have my annual checkup).

Thanks for the suggestions...hate the part about lots of walking but I have time to recover. ;)

You're coming through SC during Fair/Festival time, so depending on what you fancy, there are a few places you could stop, time permitting:

Awesome Things To Do in SC

^^^^
She's be in SC in time for the State Fair in Columbia. Moja will be going on in Charleston the first week in October.

This sounds like a winner!
http://www.gopherhillfestival.org/
;):D

We'll be in Charleston the first weekend in November. Appalachian plays at Citadel!! I love Charleston. So much to do and the weather should be great in October, almost like summer. :)

LOVED CHARLESTON!
 

So much we are thinking about moving there...probably won't.

Spent Sat and Sun at Tybee Island -- the wind was very strong so it wasn't fun to get in the ocean so we didn't stay that long..did other stuff. Had dinner at Uncle Bubba's (Paula Deen's bro). The catfish was pretty good. Can't remember what hubby had, lol.

Charleston - stayed just outside town which was fine. Can't believe how close the houses are together!! I definitely would have to consider what kind of car to buy.

Took a carriage tour around town..unfortunately, the traffic would drown out the driver sometimes. Loved the houses. Later, took a harbor boat tour..very nice and very windy, lol. Saw some dolphins but not very close.

Food..yumm!! Ate at Hyman's Seafood. We were full from having a snack, lol so I just got the appetizer shrimp scampi and a baked potato. Hubby got shrimp and grits and something else. (I was concerned that there was some kind of gravy to go with it so hubby got it on the side...not bad). Had drinks in an old church;) Was going to go to the Rooftop but didn't make it.

Ate BBQ at Sticky Fingers!:D I had the beef brisket and hubby had (why do I keep forgetting what he had, lol.) Anyway, had a certificate for a free dessert so we got the peach cobbler ala mode:D:D We wanted to get a gift for my sil's bday next weekend. There was a couple of sauce gift sets next to us so we told the waitress that we wanted one. When we got the bill, we realized that she hadn't charged us for the sauce (and we hadn't gotten it yet either). So we paid the bill and as we walked out, we saw the waitress and told the waitress that we still wanted the sauce...she went over, gave us the box of 4 or 5 large bottles of sauce and didn't charge us!!! ($16). Cool!

Also bought her a flad that says "Time Flies When You're Having Rum!".

Also ate at Wild Wings and got a chocolate truffle from the Belgian Chocolate place.

Drove by The Citadel...all the buildings are white!! Saw some cute cadets! (I guess the freshmen were the only ones doing the brisk walking...other cadets seemed to be taking their time, lol.

Overall, a very nice time. Want to go back next year and see what we missed.

Hyman's is pretty good but does get hyped up as a tourist spot. (sorry)

I'm sorry (again) but Sticky Fingers is the most hyped up barbecue place. There is way better barbecue in Charleston (and South Carolina) than this place. Their food is ok and I can at least eat it, but my mother hates it.

Wild Wings is pretty good (I guess you were on the Market).

And the freshman at the Citadel are the ones who aren't walking on the sidewalk. ;)

But I'm glad you had fun! :D

Hyman's...yea we figured it was a tourist spot...it seemed that the average age there (except for us of course, lol) seemed to be 75+.

Sticky Fingers - It was accessible, lol. We were going to go to Shem's Creek that someone here recommended but by that time, it was 8 p.m. and raining so we ran in, lol.

We do plan to go back and I'll have more time to research places now that I have a general idea of where to go and what to look for.

And avoid ((like those guys at the "Tourist Information here" places. One guy I think was trying to talk us into going to a sales pitch for a condo building or something..Pay $20 but get it refunded at the door, free tour tickets, etc. Geeesh!)

I live in Charleston, SC... here are some must go tos....

a) Magnolia Plantations,
b)The Charleston Battery
b)Waterfront Parket
b)The Market, (check out the straw baskets)
b) Rainbow Row... historic piece of america
c) California Dreamin'... expensive honeymoon type restaurant... best seafood in charleston


all b) are within in walking distance... considered "downtown"

We spent most of our time in "b". lol

Next time, we'll know to branch out.

We were saving the Yorktown for the last morning but it was raining so we passed.

Not so much hyped up tourism seafood resturants: Gilligan's (several locations)and Easterby's (sp) on SC 61 in West Ashley. Noisy Oyster in the Market is not bad either, but I do like their rolled-up windows.

I like the Battery but I LOVE Waterfront Park. Especially the swings (and if you have someone to share the swing with).

There are other California Dreaming in the state, but nothing beats the view of the one in Charleston. :) And the crossants are to die for.

yeah, but dont go to Noisy oyster... not bad if you are a charleston regular looking for a little better than ok restaurant... but not for someone who wants a good charleston experience... OH and Bubba gumps is EXCELLENT... and if you have kids, the Charleston aquarium is pretty sweet... Military freaks will love the USS Yorktown or Fort Sumter!