Charleston Trip Report

I was in Charleston February 18th to the 20th to meet up with my cousins for their first visit (I have been several times before). I arrived at the Charleston Mills House at 9:30 am and was pleasantly surprised when they said my room was ready and I could check in. We loved this hotel. Comfortable, nicely decorated, and so very convenient to all the attractions. The weather was rainy until the afternoon, but manageable with an umbrella.

We started off at the Nathanial Russel House at 51 Meeting St. Admission is $10, but if you plan on touring the Aiken-Rhett House (which I recommend), purchase tickets for both for $16. The Nathanial Russel House is a beautiful home and the tour guide was wonderful. This home is beautifully decorated and furnished. Tours are every half hour, with the last one at 4:30 pm.

We headed to Joseph%26#39;s for lunch and were dissapointed. We had ordered a pastrami %26amp; swiss, a reubin, and a wrap. The wrap was good, but the sandwiches were not so good. If we had ordered low-country food, we probably would have been pleased. That%26#39;s what you get for ordering ';northern'; sandwiches in the south - kind of like ordering shrimp %26amp; grits in the north.

We then headed to the Aiken-Rhett House at 48 Elizabeth St. This, in my opinion is a must see. The home is not restored as the others are, this home is preserved (which means it everything is original to the home). This is the only urban plantation around, filled with history and has the original slave buildings. You take a self-guided audio tour and it is wonderful. There is staff around the house, should you have any questions.

We then headed to the Heyward-Washington House at 87 Church St. The cost is $9. Tours are every half hour, with the last one at 4:30 pm. This home is very nice with beautiful antiques and a complicated history.

That evening, we had dinner reservations at North of Broad on East Bay St. Our reservations were at 7:45pm and they were packed on a Monday, so I would suggest making reservations. We had ordered quail, duck, and tenderloin. The quail and duck were fabulous, but the tenderloin was tough and not a very good cut.

The next day we took the 11:00 am ferry to Fort Sumter. It was so very cold and windy. The fort is now ruins, and I was dissapointed that I froze for the two hours to see it. I will say that the narrative given by the park employee was very informative and interesting.

We had lunch at Poogan%26#39;s porch and found it to be very, very good. The she crab soup and biscuits were fabulous.

Left there and headed towards battery park to Calhoun Mansion. This home is not mentioned in the official visitor%26#39;s guide you get, but it is the most spectacular home in Charleston and a DO NOT MISS. The tour costs $15 and is worth every penny. The archetecture is spectacular and the home is filled with THOUSANDS of antiques from all over the world and every time period. It%26#39;s like walking into an antique museum. You tour the first two floors and the tour guides are very, very well informed about both the history of the home and all the wonderful antiques. If you cannot do anything else in Charleston, you must do this one - you won%26#39;t be dissapointed. My last visit to Charleston was prior to 2004 and the home was a private residence not open for tours. The current owner purchased it in 2004 and opens it to the public (even though he lives there - on the same floors you tour). It is closed for special events and parties on occassion.

We then went to the Edmonston-Alston House at 21 East Battery. This historic home has a fabulous view of the harbor and was one of the first homes to be built on Charleston%26#39;s High Battery. This home%26#39;s history is tied in to the Middleton Plantation. Tours are every half hour with the last being at 4:30 pm.

We had dinner at the Barbados Room in the hotel and it was very good.

The last day we went to Middleton Place Plantation. We purchased a ';spend the day package'; for $45, which included the tour of the home, gardens, stable yard %26amp; craftsman, as well as a carriage tour. It was wonderful, and well worth spending the whole day there. We arrived around 10:45 am and left at around shortly before 5:00 pm. One bit of advice, do not let small children run around by the butterfly lakes - there are large alligators there and they like to sunbath along the shore. You may not see them, but they are around. We had lunch in the restaurant there and it was so, so, so good. It costs $16 and is a three course meal. You choose your appetizer (the she-crab soup and ocra soup are wonderful), main course (best fried chicken I%26#39;ve had and the sampler platter was very good), and dessert.

Sorry this report is long, but I wanted to give as much information as possible to those who will be coming to Charleston for the first time. I absolutely love this city and love to share it with others. If you would like any additional information, send me a private message.

Charleston Trip Report

we also have just returned from a week in Charleston. The only thing I would add to this is that you should go to the visitor center on Meeting St and purchase the historic homes pass, which includes admission to 3 historic homes (Nathaniel Russell and Edmonston-Alston are 2 of them) PLUS admission to Middleton Plantation and Drayton Hall PLUS the Charleston Museum, which was really interesting. I think it was around $40, but it was a really good deal if you%26#39;re going to all of those sites.

Charleston Trip Report

Great report! Glad that you had a good time!

Thanks for the reports! Especially the add about the pass at the visitors center!

I just called the visitor center. According the the lady who answered the phone the two day pass (must be used in consecutive days) are $39.95 and include admission to the Aiken Rett house, Heyward-Washington hosue, Joseph Manigault house, Nathanial Russell house,Edmondston-Alston house, Charleston Museum, Drayton Hall and the stablyards and gardens of Middleton Place. This is a great deal. It is worth purchasing this pass even if you are not going to do everything. If you wanted to take the carriage ride or tour the home at Middleton you would have to pay the extra ($10 for house tour and I%26#39;m not sure about the carriage ride).

I never go to the visitor%26#39;s center (I will next time), since I don%26#39;t need maps or such - but I will now for that great pass. Thanks for the info.

With apologies to Maxwell Smart - ';Thanks, 999!';

Wonderful TR! Thanks for your candid observations and especially the info on the Calhoun Mansion.

Hey, it%26#39;s only 1:45 down the road, so come back soon!

Great report!

Sorry that Joseph%26#39;s (one of my all-time favorites) didn%26#39;t go so well for you. You are proBably correct about regional cuisine. Coming from New York, it would never occur to me to order a Reuben or a pastrami sandwich at Joseph%26#39;s!

Next time try anything involving oysters or shrimp or creole sauces. The fried green tomatoes are nice. Curiously, they also do a first-rate grilled cheese sandwich!