Charleston,A Friendly Old City

Sail The Scooner Pride, take a Ghost Tour, visit Cypress Gardens and paddle a boat in the swamps with alligators, stroll on The Battery, visit Fort Sumpter, dine at many of the fine restaurants, visit Boone Hall Plantation.

Quick Tips:

If you want a coctail, order wine or beer instead. In South Carolina, they only serve from airline style mini-bottles in bars and restaurants which can get expensive,especially if you want a mixture of several typs of alchohol.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking and driving served us well.

My trip to South Carolina came right on the evening of my return from a carribean cruise, so I was strapped. I was basicaly forced into this trip on very short notice so I had to economize. Since my daughter-in-law was traveling with us, matters were even tighter. The Red Roof Inn in Mt. Pleasant to the rescue.

The Red Roof Inn in Mt. Pleasant is located close to everything, and yet it is set out and away from downtown Charleston. Best part is that it is CHEAP!!!

This Motel is clean, the grounds are reasonably nice, and very importantly has a laundry room, (a major plus after five days traveling). Located four miles outside Charleston, just off Hwy.17, it is very convenient,and there is a gas station right across the street.

The rooms are a little run down, but not bad, and the staff were very friendly. Moreover the price was right at $39.95 a night,you can''t beat it.

Check out the pictures, it really wasn''t bad for the price. Note that there is only one washer and one dryer in the laundry room, but availability didn''t pose a problem.

La Quinta Inns are rapidly becoming one of my favorite Inns for site seeing or business, and the reason should be obvious. I have stayed in several La Quinta Inns and have never had a bad stay. The rooms and service are comparable in all ways to Holiday Inn Express, yet these Inns are 30% less in price. The La Quinta Inn in Charleston was no exception to the rule. It was comfortable, clean, and convenient to the airport. At $60.00 a night including taxes, it couldn''t be beat. While these motel style rooms aren''t fancy, when I''m traveling for the purpose of seeing the area, I don''t plan on staying in the room that much anyway. I can''t see paying double the money for a room that is in a fancier hotel for no reason.

I''ve come to trust the La Quinta Inn name because I know I''m going to get a good room, period.

If you like good old down home Southern cooking at very reasonable prices, this is the place. The atmosphere here is absolutely warm and hospitable. Service was very good, and a nice fireplace with a wood fire burning was a welcome addition on a rainy day.

The food was well prepared and plentiful. I could not eat the entire meal,but I really gave it my best effort. We ate breakfast and dinner here and were well pleased with both.

I had Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast for $6.99: Two Eggs with Grits,Sawmill Gravy,Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits,real Butter,Fried Apples and a Country Fried Steak.

My wife had Blackberry Pancakes topped with warm Marrion Blackberries in sauce and whip cream for $4.99.

For dinner or a late lunch my wife and I shared a Cracker Barrel Sampler for $7.69.Believe it or not this satisfied both our appetites.

There are many of these fine restaurants around the country.Check their website at www.crackerbarrel.com

They also have a Gift Shop attached to the restaurant. For a while, I lost my daughter-in-law to the gift shop, and I almost had to drag her out of there!

My wife and I had just flown into Charleston,settled into our room,and then needed a quick,quiet,relaxing restaurant. Don Pablos fit the bill just right.

The restaurant is not fancy,a large cavernous dining room is surrounded by booths,with tables in the center of the room, and a bar in the corner,thats about it.They have tastefully decorated the place and it is really clean.

The food and service were excellent though.The prices were very reasonable,and the drinks were the best mixed drinks we had while in South Carolina.The food was great and cheap compared to what I'm used to.

I had the Shrimp Fajitas Enchiladas for $12.99.This consists of two flour tortilla enchiladas stuffed with sauteed fresh spinach and pablano,covered in mild garlic sour cream sauce and eight bacon-wrapped barbequed shrimp. Trust me, the meal was excellent.

My wife had the El Matador for $8.99.This consisted of two chicken flautas,a cheese enchilada, a beef taco,and a chicken enchilada with sour cream sauce.She was also very happy with the food.

The service was very good and friendly. I recomend stopping in at this place if your in Charlseton,you won't regret it.

Website.www.charleston.net/com/tcondons

Hours:7 Days a Week,11:00 AM - 1:00 AM. Live Music:Thursday - Saturday 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM. Smoking Section Available,Cigars and Pipes too.

Credit Cards:American Express,Visa,Master Card,Discover Card,Diners Club Card,Carte Blanche.Checks Accepted.

Parking lot across Cumberland Street,$6.00 Flat Rate. Tommy Condons is only a stones throw from The Market.

After a sailing tour of Charleston Harbor, my wife and I were pretty hungry, and decided to try a place we had seen while dining at Bocci's the night before. Tommy Condons sits right next to Bocci's Restaurant on Church Street. They bill their restaurant as an Irish Pub and Seafood Restaurant,and I would agree that it fits thAt description to a tee.

The entry way looks very much like an Irish Pub might look. There are inside tables but we opted to sit outside to avoid the noise of the bar and have a relaxing meal. This proved a wise choice as it was very peaceful on the patio.

The food her was very good and served quickly, a good indication of why the locals return. The furniture on the patio is plastic, but the patio is covered and elevated above Church Street just enough to make this quite comfortable.

I had a special that night of Steak and Baby Back Ribs coated with what they call Irish Gold Barbeque Sauce.This came with vegatables and I chose the red rice instead of potatoes, for $17.95.The ribs were tender and the steak was cooked perfectly.The red rice was excellent and in general I enjoyed myself.

My wife had Steak and Shrimp,(a full skewer) for $15.95,and was equally pleased.

The service here was excellent and the people were all very friendly.I would certainly recomend this restaurant to anyone.

Bocci's is a quaint restaurant only a stones throw from The Market, on the corner of Cumberland and Church Street. It is also right next to Tommy Condons Irish Pub & Restaurant. Parking is available right across the street in a lot for a six dollar flat rate.

Hours
Lunch 11:30 AM - 4:30 PM Daily.
Dinner Sunday through Thursday 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM.
Dinner Friday and Saturday 4:30 PM - 11:00 PM.
Smoking section is available,pipe and cigars also.


Credit Cards, American Express, Visa, Master Card, Discover Card, Diners Club Card. Checks they report are accepted.

My wife is Sicilian from the old country, and taking her to an Italian restaurant is something I usually refuse to do. She is nearly impossable to please as the cuisine has usually been Americanized. That was not the case at Bocci's-- the food is authentic, mostly of Tuscan flavor. I had the Beef Tenderloin topped with mushrooms and red wine sauce while my wife tried the Baked Ziti.

Both dishes were excellent and the service was very good. The Wine List was good and fairly comprehensive, and my wife ordered two desserts which she took back to the hotel with her. Later on she refused to even share the desserts with me.

To put it plainly, if my wife enjoyed this restaurant to this degree, anyone will. I highly recommend this restaurant.

E-Mail Address:BBall29464@aol.com

Hours:7 Days a Week,Lunch 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Dinner 5:30 PM -10:00 PM Sunday Brunch 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Credit Cards:American Express,Visa,Master Card. Checks are not accepted.

I ran across this restaurant by accident while taking a Ghost Tour. As a matter of fact, this converted house is a featured stop on almost all the ghost tours. Hearing how this restaurant was named would have been enough of an inducement to try it, but is also alledgedly haunted by two sisters who used to live in the two story residence. When the current owner purchased this two story residence in the 1970's with the idea of converting it into a restaurant, it came with a stray dog complete with a nametag with Poogan written on it. Poogan used to virtually live on the porch and hence the restaurant was named Poogan's Porch.Poogan is burried just off the porch he used to love so much and is memorialized by a small likness of himself.

This is a downhome kind of place that you would expect to find on the Andy Griffith Show or something. It's hard to tell it is a restaurant at all except for the sign.The food and service here are excellent though.

I had the Brace of Carolina Quail with country ham, cheddar grits,and black bean relish for $14.95. My wife opted for the Filet Mignon topped with Madierra demi-glaze and a little sprinkle of Clemse blue cheese for $18.95. Both meals were excellent and we split a Bread Pudding for desert, probably the best bread pudding I've ever had.

Do feel cheated about one thing however,I didn't see the ghost.

Cypress Gardens was originally part of Dean Hall Plantation, one of the larger plantations in the area. There are approximately 80 acres of open swamp filled with Water Lilies, 100' Cypress trees, and alligators. The Butterfly House is a climate controlled Butterfly Habitat.

The Aquarium showcases many of the local inhabitants and is well worth the time. Outside the aquarium you will find a couple of the less friendly residents of the area: alligators.

There are over four miles of walking paths here which lead the visitor through many fine gardens and to the water lotus pond. Further walking will take you through The Wildflower Field and The Inland Rice Field. Along this path you will encounter alligators if you are watchful, but they seem well fed and prefer sunning themselves more than bothering us tourists.

One odd feature of the gardens is a church, where no church should be. I asked why anyone would build a church on an island, 30 feet offshore, in an alligator infested swamp. The reply was quite simple: it was a movie prop for the movie The Patriot. After they finished shooting the movie, they merely left the Styrofoam and Plywood church remains. It certainly will fool your eyes as I got within 20 feet of it and could not say it was a fake for certain.

The best part of Cypress Gardens is the swamp and the fact that you can just grab a boat and enjoy paddling through the lillies, cypress, and alligators, with or without a guide. I have to warn you that my wife and daughter-in-law were not happy with me concerning this decision not to use a guide for this, but I preferred the seclusion. Besides,it was the first time I have ever heard either of these women stay quiet. The swamp here has it's own kind of quiet beauty and should be enjoyed slowly. Again my wife disagrees, she is happy she did it once though. We did see a couple of alligators near the boat, but they dive pretty quickly. I believe we had one within a stand of Lilly Pads about 20 feet from our boat.This is a worthwhile part of the experience here, and is perfectly safe.

Not many people were in Cypress Gardens the day we visited, it was perfectly serene and beautiful. The gardens are in full bloom during March and April. The cost of admission was $7.00 and that included all features of the facility, including boating in the swamp. Picnic facilities are provided, and there is of course a visitor center and gift shop. Vending machines supply candy or sodas.

They have a 5000 Sq.Ft. Conference Room with a stage and kitchen. They will rent the facilities out for concerts, special events, weddings,e ducational programs etc.

The Phone Number is (843)553-0644 or (843)553-0515.

This is a good place to relax while seeing something a little different.

One of the oldest working plantations in the south,Boone Hall Plantation is well worth the visit. They refer to themselves as,"Americas Most Photographed Plantation". After visiting this plantation you will see why they make this claim.

Founded at Christ Church Parish in 1681 by Major John Boone, this plantation once encompassed 17,000 acres. Today there are 738 acres under plantation control.

You enter off Highway 17 down a dirt road to the plantation entry where you pay $10.50 to enter. The road has remained dirt to keep things as close to original as possible. The day before we went, it had rained and that dirt road was now a clay road, slippery as snot. This takes you down the Avenue of the Oaks, planted in the 1700's. The parking area is off to the right behind the Cotton Gin House. The Cotton Gin House is now the Plantation Kitchen/Restaurant on the second floor, and of course a gift shop on the first floor. The Commissary,(formerly a school)now has vending machines and restrooms.

The Gate to the Plantation House passes through a serpentine brick wall made of brick manufactured from the abundent clay at the plantation. The facade of the house is not too impressive,this house was actually built in 1934, on the site of the original home.T ours of the first floor are offered by costumed tourguides, and are scheduled on the hour and half hour. While the tour of the house was interesting, I was much more interested in the surrounding grounds. Besides the Avenue of the Oaks and the beautiful gardens, Boone Hall Plantation is famous for some of the last remaining slave cabins in the United States.

A sign on the left side of the road points out Slave Street. Here remain nine of the original 27 slave cabins where House Slaves and Skilled Slaves lived. These Brick structures are currently under renovation as Hurricane Hugo damaged them severely. Cabin # 4 is open however. Slave Street will certainly direct your attention back to a more ominous time in our history. If the elite of the slave system lived here, what was life like for the field hands picking cotton several miles away,living in wood shacks?

Admission $10.50.

Hour: Open All Year,except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

April 1 through Labor Day

Monday through Saturday 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Phone-843-884-4371
Internet Address

The Scooner Pride is 84 feet in length and is classified as a class C Tall Ship. I had never tried sailing and wanted to try it. While the Pride is not a large Square Rigger, it is a great way to tour Charleston Harbor. This trip sails out of the Ashley River and simply sails around the harbor directed by the wind. You will get to see another view of Fort Sumpter and Moultrie.

Schedule available two weeks in advance.
Phone- 843-559-9686
Toll Free-888-571-2486
E-mail:pride@dycon.com
Internet www.scoonerpride.com

Fares are paid at boarding and reservations are highly recomended.

Visiting Fort Sumpter is best described as stepping back in history. The fort is filled with cannon and artifacts from it's long history and an excellent museum. Merely standing on the fortress walls gives a sense of the dispair suffered by it's defenders in April of 1861.

Fort Sumpter is built on a manmade island. A video in the museum demonstrates the process used in 1829 to build up the land over a shallow shoal. Named after South Carolina Revolutionary War hero Thomas Sumpter, the fort was not even completed in 1860 when Major Robert Anderson moved 85 men here to defend the harbor, hoping to prevent a confederate takeover of Charleston,Harbor. I understand that the fort was three times it's current height,and that the height was reduced by bombardment.

Visiting Fort Sumpter is a worthwhile experience, one which every American should consider. The first shots of the Civil War were fired here, and not far away,just outside Sumpter, South Carolina, on Highway 521, is a small marker and a couple of cannons. This is where the final shots of the Civil War were fired, hours after Lee had surrendered at Appomattax Courthouse.

Visit Fort Sumpter, you won't regret it.

This was my daughter-inlaw's idea, so my wife and I went along with it. Let's face it,it is almost obligatory if you're in Charleston, and you are a tourist, you need to take a ghost tour.

There are so many of these little tours every evening that finding one won't be difficult. Discount coupons are available all over town to virtually all of these tours, but really aren't really necessary as they pass them out at the shop where the tours originate.

The tour I took was probably as good as any. They made sure to walk you by some of the cemetaries on Church Street and some of the haunted restaurants. The ghost detector they passed out was a hoaky touch. I'm glad I did this once, but would not bother again.

This is a must stop upon entering Charleston, South Carolina. Here you can ask all the questions you want, brochures are abundant, coupons and discounts offered, exhibits abound. Save yourself some grief; stop here to get your bearings.

On the day we arrived in Charleston, March 19, 2001, it was starting to rain. By the next day the rain was coming down like a flood. Luckily it began to clear by early afternoon and were able to walk around the Battery and down South Battery Street. We then passed by some of the upper scale homes on Murray Blvd. Two things impressed me most about Charleston, the friendliness of the people and the cleanliness of the old city. In these two areas, of the entire city, the Battery excels.

Walking through White Point Gardens at the end of Meeting Street is an exercise in courtesy and truly a pleasure which continues as you proceed with your walk along the sea wall of the Battery and Murray Blvd. People are not in a hurry as in many urban areas I've encountered,they are here to enjoy and relax.

Continuing down South Battery will delight anyone interested in architecture I'm sure. In passing these fine older homes, you get a true sense of how old Charleston really is. The homes in this area are extremely well kept and almost all have ornate gardens to the sides of the houses.

The rains did point out one serious problem however, a lack of adequate drainage of the city streets. Some streets were difficult to cross on foot unless you wanted to seriously get wet. This problem was a minor irritation in this part of town, while in other parts of the city it was a real pain.

When in Charleston, the Battery is a must see.

Using this to display more pictures of Cypress Gardens. In the Lilly Pads, I suspect there was an alligator, a small one had visited the boat. My wife and daughter-in-law were not happy when I turned around for a closer look.

In the swamp at the Cypress Gardens, there is a church whose location defies reason. This church is on a small island about 30 feet from shore in an alligator-infested swamp. I kept asking myself why anyone in their right mind would build a church on an island when the main body of land is so close.The answer should have been easy to spot,Hollywood.

This church is made of Styrofoam and Plywood,a set for the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot.See if you can tell wether it is real or not,I was there and couldn't tell.

We arrived in Charleston South Carolina on March 19, 2001 to rain. The next day we went to explore the city and soon found that Charleston has a flooding problem on many of the streets. Thought it might be helpful to provide some pictures to warn other travelers.

Visiting Slave Street at Boone Hall Plantation is like walking down a corridor to America's past suffering. When in Charleston you have a chance to visit this historic site. These nine cabbins are all that remain of the original 27 cabins. These were built in the early 1800's to house the higher eschelon of slave society: house slaves and skilled workers. The field hands were housed in wooden shacks closer to their work. Up to eight people would have lived in each of these dwellings; the situation would have been fairly desperate. Only cabin four is open as of now- hurricane Hugo wreaked havick with the others.