My family and I are going to take a quick trip to S. Carolina next week. We will definitely be passing through Columbia, if only to stop by Maurice's, but are thinking about spending most time in/near Charleston. Any suggestions on must see or must do in the lower part of the state?

We like the Lighthouses on the coast but it's been too long to be more specific...

And I always wanted to see the 400 year old Angel Oak Tree in Charleston

And if you get lost or carried away there is the Biltmore Estate up in NC.

From an older video. Meet the people.

Battery Park on the water front. If you head out to the beaches; Sullivan's Island/Isle Of Palms, you see some great restaurants in Mt Pleasant on the way and the beaches themselves are gorgeous with miles of white sand. Of course there are a bunch of great restaurants in the city and a pretty cool open air market....maybe just on the weekends.

Piggy backing here. Need a excellent restaurant suggestion for isle of palms/Charleston area for special occasion.

What y'all got?

http://www.boonehallplantation.com/

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Piggy backing here. Need a excellent restaurant suggestion for isle of palms/Charleston area for special occasion.

What y'all got?

Right on the bridge going into Mt. Pleasant there's a great place to eat....the name escapes me right now....if it's even the same, but you can't miss it. Actually, there are a couple of good ones there. Ronnie's I think is one of them.

Dr. Dan, the wife and I are headed to Charleston in October. Let us know what you find.

Also going to make a stop in St. Augustine at TGS.

Is Doc Stevens still there ? I haven't seen any posts from him lately.

My parents visited a tea plantation, apparently the only one in the US, outside of Charleston and found it interesting.

Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant has a handful of restaurants that present a great atmosphere. Think dolphins in the creek, shrimp boats tied up and great sunsets. The food is good, but nothing to write home about. Another very laid back place is Bowen Island, fried seafood overload, out towards Folly Beach. Overlooks an expansive marsh and wonderful sunsets too. Folly Beach does have lots of little places too, more along the lines of hole in the wall. On Sullivan's Island there's Poe's Tavern. Be prepared to stand in line, but if you're not in a rush it's worth the wait.

For nicer places there are countless ones. I like FIG and Hall's is a great steak house. There's a ton more that I haven't tried, but suggest reservations for any of them as it's crowded here now.

Sullivan's Island is the Beach we usually head to. It's low key, plenty of free parking usually, just pay attention to the signs. Decent little strip of places to eat and shop. IOP is nice, but more of rental vacation area. As suggested the Angel Oak tree is cool to see. You can park downtown by the Battery and just wonder for hours too taking in the eclectic mix of homes, buildings and shops. The Yorktown is here too, but again expect a wait.

Take a boat ride out to Fort Sumter for a little history refresher.

Forgot to mention The Vendue downtown. It has a great rooftop that you can enjoy a drink or meal on. It's actually where we got married, the views from the roof are some of the best in downtown.

I can't express just wondering downtown enough. The old buildings, homes and streets provide endless hours of photo ops and sites to talk about after you've left. Plenty of old cemeteries and churches that will take you back in time. Lots of places offer tours and there's several tour guide companies. Some stories may stretch the truth as they're told, but still entertaining.

It's worth it to stop at the Capitol in Columbia and do a lap around the building.

I just got back from visiting the H.L. Hunley submarine in Charleston. I was named after Horace Hunley, the inventor, who is my first cousin three times removed. I really enjoyed the tour, but I am probably a little prejudiced. Tours are only on Saturday and Sunday.

https://hunley.org/

Tavern and Table on Shem Creek has great and fairly priced food - the chef was a Beard award winner, Top Chef winner and she beat Bobby Flay.

if you're going to C'ton, bring your appetite. It's a wonderful city with a lot to do and more great restaurants per capita than any other city I've ever visited. Magnolia's, Husk, The Ordinary, High Cotton, and about 20 more.

Ft. Sumter and the Yorktown are highlights.

Holy City Brewery is a nice stop if you'd like a cold one or three.

Would recommend FIG as well. Definitely need reservations, but should be on your shortlist of places to go.

Had to come back to edit, and add these two places:

Adding Lewis BBQ for Texas Style Q and
Rodney Scott's BBQ for Carolina Style

Lewis had some really really good Brisket. Went on a Sunday and had some CFS. Was really good.

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
Forgot to mention The Vendue downtown. It has a great rooftop that you can enjoy a drink or meal on. It's actually where we got married, the views from the roof are some of the best in downtown.

I can't express just wondering downtown enough. The old buildings, homes and streets provide endless hours of photo ops and sites to talk about after you've left. Plenty of old cemeteries and churches that will take you back in time. Lots of places offer tours and there's several tour guide companies. Some stories may stretch the truth as they're told, but still entertaining.

This will (hopefully) be an engagement dinner. So I will look into this place as well as any other suggestions people make. I'm looking for excellent seafood with water view. Like the rooftop idea. I've been before to Charleston, I know most restaurants I've tried were good. Just want to find somewhere special for one night.

quote:

On Sullivan's Island there's Poe's Tavern. Be prepared to stand in line, but if you're not in a rush it's worth the wait.

This place is a must!! Especially if you like burgers.