Trip Report - Charleston, South Carolina

Hi Everyone - just returned from 4 days in Charleston, South Carolina and wanted to give you a trip report (this was my first visit to Charleston).

DAY 1 - We stayed at the Inn at Middleton Place. Great room, beautiful grounds, although hardly any people there, which was very surprising! The Middleton restaurant was on the grounds and it was excellent - good food, great Sweet Tea and Pecan Pie! Everyone there was very nice! We saw swans, various birds, beautiful gardens and, of course, the Ashley River. Touring the grounds takes at least one full day (you get a map at the tourist desk). Complimentary continental breakfast at the lodge was very nice (eggs, bacon, grits, various breads, pastries, coffee, tea, juices). Most surprising, again, was how empty this place seemed to be. I highly, highly recommend this place if you are looking for an opportunity to have true peace and serenity, see beautiful grounds, and actually hear birds chirping rather than listen to traffic, etc.

DAY 2 - Checked out of Inn at Middelton Place and ventured over to Magnolia Plantation (just a very short drive - about 5 minutes - down the road). Not HALF as impressive as Middelton Place! Gardens were overgrown and boring (perhaps it may be due to the time of year - maybe they are more interesting in Spring?). We took a train ride through the plantation which was nice and serene, but not as scenic as Middleton%26#39;s carriage tour through the grounds. We did not tour the house at Magnolia, but we took a lot of pictures of it from outside. It was okay - not great. Not that much to do here, really. Spent about 2 hours here then trotted off to the historic district (about a 30 minute drive from Magnolia). Caution - roads in South Carolina can be tricky even if you are following a map!

Checked into The Elliott House Inn on Queen Street in the historic district of Charleston! Wow - what a lovely hotel with the friendliest staff you could imagine! Room was great (stayed in Room 17, which had a fairly large private patio (no view really - just saw the back of the 82 Queen Restaurant). Good size room with a King size bed, television, nice size bathroom, table with two comfortable chairs, nicely decorated, extremely clean! Spent the next few days in the historic district visiting the following sites:

- Walked around the historic district (great weather - we were there from June 4-7). Lots of shops (although they are high end and very, very pricey). The marketplace was a disappointment - mostly junk there, in my opinion, except for the beautiful sweet grass baskets (these are VERY pricey, though!).

- Visited the waterfront - very nice pier with swings and benches. Nice to see ships and sailboats coming in and out. Fort Sumter visible in the distance.

- IMAX Theater - lots of fun - 3D movie

- Ate at the Blossom Restaurant (they have a small courtroom, nice menu, great brick oven pizza!), 82 Queen Street (great atmosphere in courtyard, great food - recommend the Jambalaya dish!), breakfast at Joseph%26#39;s (don%26#39;t recommend this place - food not so good, kind of dumpy atmosphere in my opinion compared to other breakfast/lunch restaurants).

- Carriage rides were great - especially if you get a good driver and go to the most interesting areas. Of the 3 rides we did, the most interesting was the one by the Battery. You%26#39;ll see the most beautiful homes and hear of their interesting history. Other rides are simply through the sidestreets and not as interesting or scenic as the battery ride. You cannot, however, select where you will go (unless, perhaps you request a private tour, which is pricey). Carriage ride cost was $20/person for an approximately 45 minute tour.

We visited the Cypress Gardens during the day, as well. This was a 25 minute drive from the historic district. We did the guided boat tour and saw 4 alligators in the water during our trip. Very calm and serene place to visit. Basically, you just float around the water looking at cypress trees and lilly pads (and, of course, alligators on logs). Worth the trip if you are looking for a serene getaway from the historic district.

Overall, this was a great getaway, although I feel that 4-5 days is more than enough time to take everything in. There is a lot to do in the area, but not enough, I believe, for a full week. I do plan to go back in another year to visit. Nice people, great food, nice atmosphere! Highly recommend a stop here!

Trip Report - Charleston, South Carolina

Glad you enjoyed your trip so much, altho I would have to disagree that a week would be too long. There are many things you did not do. More plantations, Charleston Museum, Gibbs Art Museum, the beaches, historic house tours, boat ride to Fort Sumter, etc.

Maybe you will be able to check some of those out on a future visit.

Really glad you had a chance to enjoy some of our great food! Hopefully you will be able to enjoy it again on future visits.

Trip Report - Charleston, South Carolina

Darlene it sounds like all of our suggestions really helped you out. I am glad that you enjoyed both the Inn at Middleton and the Elliott House.

I hate to hear that you did not enjoy Josephs, I think that they have excellent food! Maybe it was just not their day? I would hope you would give them another ty next time.

I do agree with endo- There is tons of stuff to keep you busy for a week! Maybe you will think of staying longer when you return!

Thanks for the post-post!!

That was an excellent post!

Well thought out and presented, and it was easy to read. I like that you seemed overall quite satisfied, yet weren%26#39;t afraid to ';tell the emporer that he has no clothes on';, so to speak. Many people are just so gushy over every little thing, that you wonder if they%26#39;re actually sincere.

Your post was your honest opinion, and that%26#39;s what counts.

But I have to agree with my fellow posters that there are a LOT of things/places that you didn%26#39;t get to. Perhaps next time!

I also want to add that I had a great time thanks to the great advice I got from a lot of people here on Tripadvisor. This site offers great information for people, like me, who are unfamiliar with places they consider visiting. So, thank you all for making my trip an enjoyable one. I will continue to take your advice and, as I can see from the replies to this post, will have to go back to South Carolina to do all the great things I missed out on the first time around! I will definitely come back - great place to visit!

Thanks, Floski, for your comments! I appreciate it!

Wonderful TR; great insight.

My girlfriend and I are already planning a trip to Charleston next spring. Based on your report and some others, we%26#39;ve already decided to skip Magnolia Gardens and instead focus on Drayton Hall and Middleton Place, probably having dinner at the restaurant at Middleton Place. BTW, did you take a carriage ride on the grounds?

We%26#39;re hoping to spend a full week in the city, driving out to see the plantations and Mt. Pleasant (Boone Hall, Ft. Moultrie and Patriot%26#39;s Point). Can%26#39;t wait to chow down on some good ol%26#39; Southern/Low Country cooking!

I noticed you didn%26#39;t go to Ft. Sumter or Charles Towne Landing. Too bad, I would have loved to hear your take on those places as well.

SoCal,

Charles Towne Landing is currently undergoing huge rennovations! The park%26#39;s been closed for over a month and I%26#39;m hoping that when it opens (soon, presumably), it will be more marvelouser than before! I drive by every day on my way to work and they are really changing the entrance. Of course, that%26#39;s all I can see!

I do know that they are refurbishing the ketch that had been floating in the creek. It really needed it, too.

I trust that CTL will soon be a wonderful place for families to visit and enjoy more than ever.

Floski,

Thanks for the heads up on Charles Towne Landing!

I just checked the Charleston CVB site and it mentioned that the park is open only on weekends during the renovations and will resume regular operations in August 2006 (of course, we all know those deadlines are about as reliable as weather forecasts).

Funny thing is CTL%26#39;s own website doesn%26#39;t mention a thing about closures. Huh.

Anway, I%26#39;m looking forward to checking out the refurbished site next year!