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We are planning a vacation in Charleston for the middle of March. There will be 4 adults (my husband & I and my parents) and two children (9&11).
We would like to stay in a house or large villa with minimum 3 bedrooms (if one has two twin beds) but would prefer 4 bedrooms. Looking for something very nice, $$ is not our biggest issue. We are looking for something a bit upscale because we have booked cottages before and been very disappointed.
I've looked at the different islands (Isle of Palms, Kiawah, Seabrook and Folly Beach) but can't seem to decide which is best. What we are looking for is somewhere close to Charleston, plantations, etc. (we like day trips). We would like to be able to walk around a lot in the evenings, do some hiking, biking, swimming but are not really into the nightlife thing, resort meals etc. We will cook most of our own meals so access to grocery store is needed (food allergies!). Someplace where we could keep the kids busy & tired at night.
What area would you recommend? Is there another area we should consider for staying?
Hmm. If you are on Folly you will have a park at either end of the island. By park- I basically mean an area not built on, not an amenity filled place. With access to a boat you can get to Morris Island which would give you a couple of miles of undevelopped beach to wonder about- it is really nice with views of the ocean, the lighthouse and the harbor and historic significance to boot.
Kiawah/Seabrook are the closest to the main plantations but the furthest from downtown and everything else; they are pretty much resort islands. IOP will be most touristy- which can be nice if you need to fill time. Sullivans is closest to downtown and the most old-fashioned.
You shouldn't have any problem finding a nice home/condo on any of them. And if you plan you day-trips for off hour traffic any of Folly, Sullivans or IOP will get you into town relatively quickly.
I found some properties we liked on the Isle of Palms through Beachside Vacations - Beachside Real Estate. If anyone knows of them are they reputable? Before I called I'd like to know if the info and pictures they present is reliable.
I am not really familiar with them, but there are very few houses on the IOP that would look good in a picture and not be nice homes. Some of the pictures may make the view seem more appealing than they are, but most of the homes offered as rental are very nice.
I think that IOP is very nice....we enjoyed it last year when we were down in March. When the tide goes out you can find some great sand dollars!!!! Also, we went to the Charleston Aquarium which was great. My kids are 5 and 15, they enjoyed it. We are not really into doing the tourist type things......but enjoyed beaches and walking King St. in Charleston. We were really there looking at houses not on vacation, so we didn't have much time to do a lot of sight-seeing.
Thanks ackgirl. We did end up renting a house in IOP. I didn't know about the sand dollars, I will add that to my list of to do's! So far what we are planning on doing
Charleston museum
South Carolina (Charleston) acquarium
Walk, Walk, Walk in Charleston
Boone Hall Plantation
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Bike the Bridge -- (Biking company is closed by we could do on our own?) is this safe for a 9 & 11 year old?
Middleton Place
Look for sand dollars!
Perhaps a day trip to Savanah
Where would be a good place to go gentle hiking / walk nature trails?
I am a huge gardener -- what gardens should I drag the family to?
Anything else that should be on our list?
Thanks you all -- this is a great forum, I will have to remember it for all my vacation planning.
If you are going to Middleton and Magnolia- try to go to Drayton hall as well. The grounds aren't as nice but the house is really impressive. Huge Georgian brick house that you have to see in person to appreciate. They are all in a row on Highway 61 and used to offer discounts for seeing all.
In terms of gardens. Middleton has absolutely gorgeous gardens in terms of formal gardens (not a huge amount but well laid out, beautiful view and just really attractive. Magnolia seems to have more plant types and a more natural setting- the white walking bridge you see in magazines is there. Boone Hall does not have the original home (but the house that is there now has been in a lot of TV shots); the avenue of oaks makes it worthwhile. Maybe someone else can offer thoughts on Cypress Gardens or Edisto Gardens- I've talked to people who liked each but they are about a 40 minute and i hour drive respectively and I have never visited either.
The bridge is very safe because there is a concrete barrier between the car and pedestrian/buke traffic. But it is long and essentially a big hill so keep that in mind. Especially in summer when the concrete is releasing a days worth of heat. If you do the bridge you might also want to hit Patriots Point which is about 3/4 mile from the bridge. It has about a half dozen historic Navy vessels.
Also Waterfront Park to the Battery makes a very nice walk and you will see Rainbow Row and some of the more photographed houses.
I think Charleston is a great tourist town and would wager that is why half of us moved here. Enjoy your trip.
Thanks ackgirl. We did end up renting a house in IOP. I didn't know about the sand dollars, I will add that to my list of to do's! So far what we are planning on doing
Charleston museum
South Carolina (Charleston) acquarium
Walk, Walk, Walk in Charleston
Boone Hall Plantation
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Bike the Bridge -- (Biking company is closed by we could do on our own?) is this safe for a 9 & 11 year old?
Middleton Place
Look for sand dollars!
Perhaps a day trip to Savanah
Where would be a good place to go gentle hiking / walk nature trails?
I am a huge gardener -- what gardens should I drag the family to?
Anything else that should be on our list?
Thanks you all -- this is a great forum, I will have to remember it for all my vacation planning.
mrpeatie gave good info.
For hiking, you may want to try the Palmetto Trail. You will be pretty close. Palmetto Trail
The Francis Beidler Forest is about 45 minutes away, but it's a good experience.
Audubon South Carolina (http://sc.audubon.org/Centers_FBF.html - broken link)
If you're heading toward Savannah, you can go to the ACE Basin. IT's about 45 minutes south of Charleston.
RGGR is correct the Palmetto trail is a great day trip but is better if you have two vehicles so that you can put one at each end of the trail. The Awendaw branch is a little trick since it requires you to cross hwy 17 which is a busy 4 lane 60mph hwy, but if you do the second section from hwy 17 to halfway creek rd, that is a great hike and only about 10 miles one way.
If you leave for Savannah early in the morning and don't plan on coming back until late, you'll have time to detour through downtown Beaufort. Simply gorgeous old homes there...it's a small area, but it rivals the beauty of Charleston's SOB district. Spend a couple hours detouring through Beaufort and then on to Savannah!
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