For those familiar with Charleston

Parent Cafe
1

We are spending three nights in Charleston with D1 and her SO in a few weeks. I currently have reservations at two hotels and was wondering if any of you can help me decide. I need to cancel one of them quickly.

The hotels are the French Quarter Inn and the Vendue Charleston. Both are in the same general area.

Second question:
Is Charleston a bike friendly city? I was thinking about looking into renting a bike for at least one of the days. I noticed that my Vendue Charleston reservation confirmation mentions free use of their bicycles.

Is there anything we just absolutely should not miss out on in terms of activities?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

2

We stayed in the downtown Charleston area when we visited. It is very walkable and bikeable. Lots to see in a small area.

3

We usually stay at the Charleston Place but the Vendue would be my choice between the two you’ve mentioned. Be sure to have a drink on the rooftop garden at sunset. Gorgeous.

We love the aquarium but I imagine that wouldn’t interest everyone. It’s a good one, though, if you like wildlife and nature. Be sure to book a tour of the turtle hospital.

There are wonderful galleries and antique shops if that interests you. Walking around the Battery and promenade is fun, and those historic homes are spectacular.

The Old Slave Mart Museum is interesting.

Charleston’s Visitor Center is in a beautiful old building that is worth seeing even if you don’t need the services there.

And, of course, so many great restaurants. Have fun. It’s a beautiful city!

4

Walk around south of Broad. Original homes and some are open for tours. We saw one home that Washington slept there for 4 nights. And they had the slave quarters as they were. We toured one home where the family lives on the top floor. They overlook the water. Museum of Slavery…very unsettling interesting.

5

H and I stayed at French Quarter Inn. It is lovely and it you stay there it is a great location. The funny thing was my other contender was the Vendue. We walked by the Vendue and it was also lovely and in a nice area. I think you can’t go wrong no matter which you end up at. I ultimately went with French Quarter Inn as it was a few dollars cheaper. I thought no I found out about both hotels here on CC. If I went back I would try the Vendue as it is nice to try a different spot.
We enjoyed the carriage ride and just walking. We went in a couple of the historic houses but I can’t recall which ones. I loved all the gardens. One day we drove out to the beach nearby and we enjoyed seeing an east coast beach. We also toured a plantation.
It was one of our favorite trips.

6

I haven’t been to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston but I’ve heard good thing. In case you overlap (May 26 - June 11):

https://spoletousa.org

Charleston, and other old east coast cities, can have “sunny day flooding” where the high tide comes bubbling up the storm sewers downtown. It happens a few days a year. Not horrendous but something to watch out for.

7

Bike over the big bridge! It’s awesome and safe.

8

Middleton Place is lovely and worth a visit:
https://www.middletonplace.org

9

.^^^Wow, Middleton Place looks awesome. I like those big Mansion/estate type museums. I loved visiting the Biltmore estate in NC, so this is something I’d probably enjoy.

10

@Nrdsb4 The grounds are beautiful and your timing should be great. Take one or more of the free guided tours to get insights into Low Country plantation history.

11

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention Middleton Place so I’m glad that @doschicos did! It’s such a beautiful place and reminds me a lot of Carter’s Grove in VA, which sadly is now closed.

And having an exhibit by Alice Ravenel Huger Smith is the icing on the cake! Her art is absolutely beautiful.

12

We stayed at the French Quarter Inn in 2015 and thought it was perfect. The room was elegant yet blissfully comfortable, and the service was top-notch. There was a lovely afternoon wine and cheese hour, cookies and milk in the evening, and - my favorite thing - a high-end continental breakfast either served in the lobby or delivered to your room (guess which one we chose). It wasn’t the standard hotel continental breakfast, either - there were ham and cheese biscuits, fruit and yogurt parfaits, wonderful baked goods, quiche, etc. My second favorite thing was the beautifully set-up morning coffee bar on each floor of the hotel, with real china cups and what seemed like a real silver coffee service. Just so many thoughtful, inviting touches. Loved it!

In Charleston we also loved the food, the waterfront, Folly Beach, White Point Gardens park, and especially the Charleston Museum (brilliantly done small historic museum). We did experience a fair amount of street flooding when torrential rains hit each afternoon. The locals just went about their business, though it seemed pretty daunting to us.

13

Patriots Point and Maritime Museum is great with the Yorktown and a submarine.

14

Second the Charleston Museum.

Im not sure that Charleston fits in as a great bike town. The streets aren’t that wide, and the sidewalks don’t work for biking. Its really an “on-foot” place.

Patriots Point is great if you like military things. I do.

15

We’ve been to Charleston often, but it’s been a while since I’ve been to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. Went a few months ago when I went with my D who was running a half marathon (and is a 3rd grade teacher - state history year). Really neat and self-paced, can walk onto beach from there. Some great restaurants there. On the way stop around Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant for some other good restaurants.

16

TRIP REVIEW:

Well, we had a lovely time in Charleston! Didn’t get to do everything we wanted to do, but if D gets the internship there that she plans to apply to, we will have more incentive to get back and see more of the sights.

On Thursday, we got in town only just in time to enjoy our check in champagne, change, and walk to Charleston Place Grill for dinner. It was a lovely meal. Charleston Place is a very large luxury hotel with lots of shops on the main floor, a beautiful paneled bar with live music, and a famous restaurant.

On Friday, we slept in a bit, enjoyed our “free” continental breakfast outside on the patio of the French Quarter Inn, and then DH went back to bed to relax (his after dinner Frangelico was a mistake, lol). I took a long walk down Church Street to White Point Gardens, then back up East Bay road to see Rainbow Row and other notable homes.

For the Afternoon, we drove out to Magnolia Plantation and enjoyed the House Tour and the Slave Cabin tour/history lesson. All very worthwhile.

Got back in town in time to welcome D1 and her BF as they checked in and enjoyed their surprise glass of champagne.

Walked around some more and ate dinner at 167 Raw, which D1 had been dreaming of since her last visit. Had some wonderful raw oysters and their famous Lobster Roll, all very delicious.

Saturday we all slept in, enjoyed our hotel breakfast, and drove to Middleton Place, which was fantastic. Got back to town and toured the Old Slave Mart Museum. As everyone says, it’s sobering and very thought provoking. Enjoyed the complimentary happy hour/hors d’oeuvres at the hotel, went back and rested some more in our rooms, then ate a late dinner at Hank’s Seafood, which was quite good, though very loud and crowded.

Sunday we took a two hour walk around the market area, Waterfront Park, etc., (saw a dolphin frolicking in the water across from White Point Gardens) ate breakfast at The Daily, which is kind of a “hipster” place with simple but sort of unusual fare (D1 had guacamole toast with fried egg on top), and then we all had to hug regretfully and head back home (Dallas for us, Durham for D1).

There is so much more we could have done! Next time, I’d like to take a buggy tour or walking tour just to hear all the history of the notable homes. Charleston Museum will also be on our list. We passed the enormous Calhoun Mansion and saw a walking tour going on there, so that would be intriguing. I love looking at beautiful homes, so I’d probably do any house tour offered next time. Didn’t make Ft. Sumter or the other military places.

HIGHLY recommend the French Quarter Inn. Very luxurious boutique hotel with very nice amenities and lots of “freebies” (I know, I know, really just “included”). It’s pricey, but imo well worth it. More frugal types would probably disagree; there appear to be several other lovely places in the historic district as well that might be less $$$. We really lucked out with the weather-it was sunny and warmer than normal, but we beat the rain that is now drenching the area.

Thanks to all for the advice.

17

@Nrdsb4, thanks for sharing the write-up of your trip. Glad you had a fantastic time.

18

@Nrdsb4 I highly recommend going to Kaminskys for dessert next time , as well as a ghost tour. My son attends the Honors College at College of Charleston, and we visit often. A side trip to the beach is also fun.

19

We saw a flyer about the ghost tour. That would be so fun. :slight_smile:

20

@Nrdsb4 They are more historical than scary . We’ve done several and really enjoyed them.