I don't know if it is still there, but Magnolias in the Battery was a great restaurant. Henry's by the old slave market is also good.

Ken

Welcome to SC.
I see Shem Creek has been mentioned. It's worth another mention. Just pick any place there that has a full parking lot. Great seafood, great atmosphere. Take a short boat ride over to Ft Sumter. Instead of Maurices, you should look for Little Pigs BBQ in Columbia. Take a look around the State House. Plenty of interesting history there.

Chucktown and Hilton Head are where my friends and memories are. I like both.

Ditto to the Minnow.

Friends don't let friends eat at Maurices. Little Pigs on Alpine at 20 & 77. Docs on Shop Rd. Southern Belly on Harden St. Palmetto Pig on Devine.

Rolling thru 26 past Chapin? Farm Boys off the Columbia Ave exit 91 is what Maurices was 20+ years ago.


Rolling thru 20 between Augusta and Cola? Divert off exit 39 for a short drive to Batesburg-Leesville for either Shealy's or Jackie Hite's.

Go downtown and eat at Toast (on Meeting) or Callie's (on King) for breakfast. There may be lines - especially on the weekend or morning rush hour.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

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.

Granted I've only been here a few months, but I'm not aware of any 'great' seafood restaurants with a water view. Not saying there aren't any, but the ones I know with water views are about average. The higher end restaurants tend to be downtown amongst the old buildings. Some will be close to the water, but probably not able to see it while eating. The restaurants with water view that I've ventured to so far are happy hour type hangouts. Good food and cold drinks, but may not be the atmosphere you're looking for.

Would recommend the Vendue, it's nicer but still easy on the wallet. The views/sunset alone are worth their pricess.

[/QUOTE]

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.[/QUOTE]

This may be it, it is cheap and wonderful food. Prepare to wait about an hour.

http://www.pagesokragrill.com

quote:

Originally posted by MitchbSC:
Ditto to the Minnow.

Friends don't let friends eat at Maurices. Little Pigs on Alpine at 20 & 77. Docs on Shop Rd. Southern Belly on Harden St. Palmetto Pig on Devine.

Rolling thru 26 past Chapin? Farm Boys off the Columbia Ave exit 91 is what Maurices was 20+ years ago.


Rolling thru 20 between Augusta and Cola? Divert off exit 39 for a short drive to Batesburg-Leesville for either Shealy's or Jackie Hite's.

I concur (love Little Pigs on Alpine)- this was the first thing I meant to say. I'll stop by Maurice's for some bottles of sauce but I never eat there.

The 2 best restaurants in Charleston (and most of the country for that matter) are Hall's Chophouse and Hank's Seafood. Both are spectacular. Absolutely spectacular.

You could spend 2 days walking downtown Charleston, plenty of things to see and do there. The Fort is also worth seeing. A trip to Hilton head for a day is worth doing as well. Excellent restaurant on the North end called Skull Creek Boatworks or something like that.

I almost forgot... if you have any interest at all, take a short drive up to see the Hunley. It doesn't take more than an hour or two, but it's amazing to see that bit of history up close - way close - and the extraordinary measure being taken to preserve it.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

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.

Granted I've only been here a few months, but I'm not aware of any 'great' seafood restaurants with a water view. Not saying there aren't any, but the ones I know with water views are about average. The higher end restaurants tend to be downtown amongst the old buildings. Some will be close to the water, but probably not able to see it while eating. The restaurants with water view that I've ventured to so far are happy hour type hangouts. Good food and cold drinks, but may not be the atmosphere you're looking for.

Would recommend the Vendue, it's nicer but still easy on the wallet. The views/sunset alone are worth their pricess.

I checked out the reviews and some pictures from there on Yelp. This may be a great idea for one night, but seems like from what I read it's more of a younger/hipster/happy hour/party place. Looking for a little quieter, but not stuffy place.

It's in contention, but anyone know of a slightly fancier place? I want something with good seafood and pasta. I will never eat a steak out again after my last experience at a "good" restaurant. Only steak I will eat out is Ruth Chris or this place that's been closed for a few years and still has yet to reopen in Tyson's Corner.

Lots of great seafood places and historic sights but very hot and humid outdoors this time of year.

quote:

Originally posted by DrDan:
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?

Having lived in SC for a long time, and in Columbia for 4 years, I would recommend Hudson's over Maurice's. Sure Maurice's has some history, but the food went downhill when the sons took over http://hudsonssmokehouse.com/

The grounds at the state house are pretty cool to check out as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

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.

Granted I've only been here a few months, but I'm not aware of any 'great' seafood restaurants with a water view. Not saying there aren't any, but the ones I know with water views are about average. The higher end restaurants tend to be downtown amongst the old buildings. Some will be close to the water, but probably not able to see it while eating. The restaurants with water view that I've ventured to so far are happy hour type hangouts. Good food and cold drinks, but may not be the atmosphere you're looking for.

Would recommend the Vendue, it's nicer but still easy on the wallet. The views/sunset alone are worth their pricess.

I checked out the reviews and some pictures from there on Yelp. This may be a great idea for one night, but seems like from what I read it's more of a younger/hipster/happy hour/party place. Looking for a little quieter, but not stuffy place.

It's in contention, but anyone know of a slightly fancier place? I want something with good seafood and pasta. I will never eat a steak out again after my last experience at a "good" restaurant. Only steak I will eat out is Ruth Chris or this place that's been closed for a few years and still has yet to reopen in Tyson's Corner.

Hank's Seafood- it is EXCELLENT and a nice place right next to the slave market. The seafood alla wanda pasta dish is out of this world.

Hall's Chophouse- Rated #4 restaurant in the COUNTRY on Tripadvisor, also top 10 best in the coutry on Open Table. Over 1000 reviews on yelp and rated 4.5 stars. This IS the steakhouse OF steakhouses and will change your view completely. Excellent food (everything on the menu), excellent employees and service, it is worth the money and blows Ruth Chris away. Billy Hall is usually there and greets you at the front.

quote:

Originally posted by DEC505:
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.

First, thanks to all for their suggestions.

We just returned from 2 full days in Charleston. Here is the trip report.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverview. It is reasonably priced and offers a free shuttle to and from downtown. Parking downtown is a mess, so avoid if possible. Not the fanciest place, but clean and convenient enough.

If you do drive, beware that the various GPS mapping apps on smartphones, Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc., are not particularly accurate and old-fashioned driving sense and navigating never go out of style.

My wife did most of the planning for this trip, and after scrutinizing the online information, and chatting with a friend of hers that lives upstate, she decided against buying any tickets or packages ahead of time. So, we played it by ear, and it worked out just fine. While it is a popular place, and reservations or long lines are the norm at popular times, we managed to avoid almost all of that.

Monday morning, we got up early and bought tickets for the first trip out to Fort Sumter at 9:30 a.m.. While we did not have a chance to visit the Yorktown (next time!), we did see it, as it is moored just across from where our ferry left for the Fort. In my opinion, this is the trip to take, as it is not crowded. Too many people still sleeping off Sunday night's drunk, I suppose. The sun is not too intense, and the cool morning breezes are nice. An added bonus is that the first tour group gets to participate in the flag raising ceremony on the island. Upon hearing from the ranger about the ceremony, I asked if the public was allowed to participate in the ceremony. I was particularly proud that my Webelos Scout son had a front line spot raising the flag on Ft. Sumter with the park ranger! He was a little shy, so I stood at his side, but it was special to have him help with such a historically significant activity and re-inforce his Scout flag ceremonies. If you have any interest in history, Fort Sumter is a must. My only regret is that the tour only allowed 1 hour on the island. I could have spent an hour in the museum alone, and another hour touring the fort. Note that no firearms signs are posted on the tour, and there are Coast Guardsman on board and signs indicating bags are subject to search.

Upon our return from Ft. Sumter, we walked around the downtown looking at all the old and interesting buildings. We ate at BBQ place called Sticky Fingers. We have bought and liked their sauce, so thought easting at the restaurant would be neat. The food was excellent, but the portions were a bit skimpy. Having taken the shuttle, and not having to worry about driving, came in handy, as I sucked down a few local brews. Just the ticket after a fine morning.

We returned to the hotel after lunch for a nap, and then headed to a water park. Coming from Florida, I had no intention of paying a lot of money to play in water. But, my 9 y.o. son had nothing on his mind but that, and my wife found this: https://www.ccprc.com/1659/Splash-Zone. It is a county park, and if you enter after 3p.m., it is like $6 or $7 a head to get in. It's a great little park, and we all had fun. Bought a pizza on the way back to the hotel, and chilled for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday brought our next tour. I really wanted to visit a plantation, and there are several to choose from, including one linked in this thread. Each plantation has it's "thing." Magnolia has its gardens. Boone Hall has Gullah re-inactments. We settled on Drayton Hall, as it is a preserved site, not restored. Again, we headed out early, and there were a total of 11 people on the tour. The tour guide was very friendly and knowledgable and gave a great tour. The house is empty, as it is preserved as it was found, but we toured all floors and all but 2 rooms. The grounds are open for wandering and exploration. I asked a ton of questions and could have spent the afternoon talking to the guide. We walked the grounds, and even the grounds keepers would stop and tell stories or answer questions. It was pretty clear all the staff loved the place. Since my wife is gifted with plants, and Drayton was an amateur botanist, she really enjoyed the grounds. The 300 year old oak trees are amazing. We certainly enjoyed this plantation, though I am sure we would have enjoyed the others, as well. My wife had read a few bad reviews of Drayton Hall, but we found none of their complaints on our tour. Beware, though, since the building is in preservation, if there is bad weather, or other potential problem, they will limit tours and traffic, in order to avoid any damage. Our weather was great, so we saw it all.

The Drayton Hall tour guide recommended we see the Angel Oak. We did, and it is truly an impressive tree. This is another one of those cases where we should have just followed the direction on the leaflet the tour guide gave us, and chucked Google Maps, but we did get there.

On the advice of my wife's friend, we headed into downtown to eat at a place called Fleet Landing Restaurant and Bar, a seafood place. The parking was a nightmare, see the first paragraph, but the food was excellent. We had heard about a local dish called she-crab soup. If it swims in the ocean, and is not a submarine, the spousal unit will eat it. Not me. But, as it turns out, she-crab soup is wonderful, even knowing what is in it. If you are familiar with lobster bisque, it is similar.

Over all, we really enjoyed the trip. We could have crammed more stuff in, but my idea of a vacation is to enjoy myself and relax. Besides, we figured out that it is almost the same distance for us to come to Charleston as it is to go to the Keys. I suspect we will be back to visit some of the places we missed. As other poster's mentioned, there are a lot of excellent dining options available, and even of you don't go to the "top rated" place, you will still find excellent fare. Heck, we weren't even tempted to eat at a Waffle House the whole trip!

Sounds like a nice couple of days.

Next time, be sure to explore the market.

Take a ghost tour with BullDog Tours (not for kids - particularly the Haunted Jail Tour).

You've already mentioned Patriot's Point (Yorktown, etc.).

If you're interested at all, the Charleston Tea Plantation is the only tea plantation in North America.

Charles Towne Landing is a great place for kids if you're into the living history thing at all. Lots of open space and things to explore, along with a micro-zoo.

FYI - Waze works just fine and its maps are accurate in and around Charleston, including downtown (not like you need it downtown since it's all a grid, but still).

-Rob

Thanks for the follow up!