All Things Charleston 411

[ChucktownSteve]

Hiya Cyber Kat,

Boy that’s some post.  But here goes. My best cruise ever was on Azamara but ours was three days in St. Petersburg Russia. Their Azamazing evening is just that. You’ll have a great time aboard the Yorktown. 

 

However if you can squeeze it in, I’d take the Fort Sumter tour out of Patriots Point so you can also tour the Carrier Yorktown, Destroyer Laffey, the diesel cold war sub Clamagore and the authentic almost 3 acre Vietnam naval base with brown water navy boat.  That’s all included in the price of admission along with their 28 historic aircraft from several wars.  Check into the Water Taxi which will take you to Patriots point from downtown. It’s $12 all day http://www.charlestonwatertaxi.com/ They go out of the Maritime Center or Waterfront park within walking distance from the port.

 

Restaurant wise, I’d go with Fleet Landing over Charleston Crab House.  Carriage tour, I’ve always preferred Palmetto Carriage over Old South.  I liked the owners of one because of their tourism philosophy and their involvement in the tourism community.

Regarding a house tour, I recommend the Edmondston-Alston museum house on 21 East Battery overlooking the harbor and Ft. Sumter. They’re owned by Middleton Foundation which also owns Middleton Place Plantation.  About 80% of the furnishings are original to the families who have owned the house.

 

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you’ll have a most enjoyable Charleston Visit.

[TruckerDave]

19 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

Hello all!

 

We have a 2.5 day port stop in Charleston on a rather unusual Azamara Journey cruise this week.  We arrive on a Friday at 1pm and don't leave until Sunday at 11pm.  It's a Perry Golf thing and while all the golfers are off on the courses, we will have 2 and half days to explore lovely Charleston.  This will be my first visit.  DH was there in the Navy - but it was so long ago we aren't going to count that 😄

So what to do?  He wants to visit Fort Sumter.  Fine with me, I get a boat ride and some photo ops.  I think we will do that from Liberty Sq because if I'm reading correctly, it's not far from the Cruise Port.  We won't have a car.

I want to do a horse and carriage tour.  I'm looking at Old South and Palmetto - any preferences?  I would also like to do some sort of architecture tour - maybe tour a house.  Is there such a thing.  I saw a High Society Walking Tour that might fit the bill.

I thought about a plantation tour, but I don't think we want to invest the time.  I think I'd rather spend more time walking around the old historic parts of town.  I'm more of a Town Girl than a Country Girl.

I'd also like to have a lunch somewhere not too fancy.  We don't do fancy for lunch.  My husband will have a burger and I want some seafood - I might try Shrimp and Grits.  Grits never appealed to me, but I hear I've been eating them prepared incorrectly 🙂   Kind of interested in She Crab soup, and/or maybe crab cakes.  I'm thinking Fleet Landing.  Would that be a good choice? My other interest is in Charleston Crab House - sounds like my kind of place, but I think we would both like that Fleet Landing is on the water.

Last but not least, I'm wondering about the Hunley.  I think my husband would really enjoy that, but it would require some sort of plan and transportation.  Any suggestions - besides Uber - on how to get there.  I understand they do the tours on the Weekend, so Saturday would probably be best for that.  We would have to choose between the Hunley and Patriot's Point and Azamara is taking us to a USO show on the Yorktown Sunday night.  It's one of their Azamazing Evenings.

So for those who like a list instead of chat:
1) Fort Sumter from Liberty Sq
2) Horse & Carriage Tour
3) Some sort of architecture tour - with possibly a house tour
4) Yummy lunch
5) Hunley, or maybe Patriots Point or maybe just a leisurely walk around

So am I trying to fit too much into 2.5 days.  It seems like a lot of time considering most cruise only stop for a few hours, but I have a feeling that the time will go quickly.  Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather, or we will be visiting museums and the Aquarium.

In the time you are here what you want to do is quite doable.  You can do Ft Sumter on friday afternoon from downtown. The boat ride out and back are the longest parts. You are only at the fort for 30min or so if I remember correctly. (and while i am a history nerd...after the ranger talk there really isn't much out there. It is mostly just being there that is the attraction in my opinion.)   If you are already going to the Yorktown for a show on Sunday night then I would just make that my patriots point day (Patriots point is where the Yorktown is located).  You can go to the Hunley in the morning as it is will only take you an hour or so to visit. You will need ether a taxi or uber to get there. It is located on the old navy base. (there is also a nice little park on the other side of the shipyard. Its a bit of  a walk but its nice and has some displays from the navy days and the history of the base/shipyard if you are into that stuff like I am).   You can kill a whole day sat just downtown with the carriage tour and visting other places downtown. (city market and old exchange and provost dungeon are just a couple that come to mind off the top of my head).   With the exception of the Hunley, pretty  much everything you want is within reasonable walking distance or via water taxi and downtown. 

[sddsddean]

Speaking as a foreigner 😁, even though I'm very interested in history, I though the trip to Ft Sumter was a waste of time. You have to go on the official boat, you have to stop for the allotted time...and that is only an hour or so, and then you have to get the same boat back, so you really can't wander at leisure. Despite its importance in the Civil War, I really think the Parks Service are missing a trick with how to visit this historic place...as usual, just my opinion.

I wanted to see the Hunley as I'm a Clive Cussler fan and found it really interesting. We had a hire car, so no transport problems. My god, those guys had some balls to crew the sub...such a confined space (and one of them was 6' 3"!!). Bear in mind, Hunley is only open weekends (at least it was when we went).

Yorktown was interesting, but the few days we were in Charleston (Aug 2017), it was incredibly hot and there is no A/c on the ship (well there is, but it no longer works!!). It did get quite oppresive in the bowels of the ship when the thermometer hit 32C(90F).

 Just my thoughts.

 

Simon

[Cyber Kat]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:28 AM, TruckerDave said:

In the time you are here what you want to do is quite doable.  You can do Ft Sumter on friday afternoon from downtown. The boat ride out and back are the longest parts. You are only at the fort for 30min or so if I remember correctly. (and while i am a history nerd...after the ranger talk there really isn't much out there. It is mostly just being there that is the attraction in my opinion.)   If you are already going to the Yorktown for a show on Sunday night then I would just make that my patriots point day (Patriots point is where the Yorktown is located).  You can go to the Hunley in the morning as it is will only take you an hour or so to visit. You will need ether a taxi or uber to get there. It is located on the old navy base. (there is also a nice little park on the other side of the shipyard. Its a bit of  a walk but its nice and has some displays from the navy days and the history of the base/shipyard if you are into that stuff like I am).   You can kill a whole day sat just downtown with the carriage tour and visting other places downtown. (city market and old exchange and provost dungeon are just a couple that come to mind off the top of my head).   With the exception of the Hunley, pretty  much everything you want is within reasonable walking distance or via water taxi and downtown. 

 

Thanks!  We will wait until we get there to decide - have to see what the weather will be like. But this is very helpful!  

[waterbug123]

On 4/7/2019 at 3:34 PM, Cyber Kat said:

We have a 2.5 day port stop in Charleston on a rather unusual Azamara Journey cruise this week.  We arrive on a Friday
 

 

On 4/10/2019 at 6:58 AM, Cyber Kat said:

 

Thanks!  We will wait until we get there to decide - have to see what the weather will be like. But this is very helpful!  

 

Forecast here for Friday/Sat/Sun:

high each day of 77-80, overight low in mid 60's; chance of rain each day 40-50%.  Pretty typical for this time of year

[Cyber Kat]

We are back from our cruise, and I thought I’d stop back to thank @ChucktownSteve and @TruckerDave for their help, and to say how much we enjoyed our visit to your beautiful city.  Love your Ravenel Bridge!  I’m a bit of a bridge fan and it’s quite lovely. 

 

We didn’t get out to the Hunley, but we did get to most of the other things on our list. 

 

On Friday we hiked up to Patriots Point and just caught the boat out to Fort Sumter. Nice ride out watching all the boats racing around the Harbor for the Charleston Sperry Race Week.  We picked just the right day for it as well April 12 - Anniversary of the first shots fired. The National Park Service Ranger gave an excellent talk - very interesting. It’s true there isn’t much there, but we found the boat ride and the trip worth our time. 

 

We hiked back to the ship!  Some parts are a bit tricky, but it’s not a bad walk. 

 

I booked the combo harbor tour and carriage ride with Charleston Harbor Tours through their website when we returned to the ship, and this worked out well. The boat ride around the harbor was very nice and we were able to get some great shots of our ship. The tour guide was fun and entertaining. 

 

After that we did the carriage ride with Palmetto and I was impressed with how they treated their horses. Our driver told us we got the luck of the draw with the most requested route, and it was a lovely ride.  Hat tip to Dana and Woody.

 

On Sunday we walked down to the Battery kind of following the same route as the carriage tour.  We toured both the Edmondston-Alston House and the Calhoun Mansion - a nice study in contrasts. 

 

We wanted to go to Fleet Landing for a late lunch but it was mobbed every time we looked (we could see it from our balcony), so we went with the Charleston Crab House and were very pleased.  The She Crab soup was delicious and the Shrimp and Grits were quite tasty. I was surprised to find grits a lot better than I thought with all that lovely gravy and shrimp. 

 

We had a fun time on the Yorktown for our USO show with Stacey and Lacey and the Legends Band. 

 

All in all a great 3 days and I hope to get back there again soon!

 

 

[Lois R]

Hi, I was on the same cruise as Kat and will post some of my thoughts too.   I have been to Charleston before (not recently) and forgot how much I love it  You have some of the best restaurants!!

 

I did not do any tours/excursions.   My days are getting mixed up LOL......I know on Friday I walked through the market and went to Magnolia's for lunch......DELICIOUS.  One of the gal's at the Market told me the next day (Sat) was the first "Farmer's Market" of the season at Marion Park.  So I decided to go to that on Sat morning and then went to Paw Paw's on Bay for lunch and watch golf......then went back to the ship thinking

I could watch on board......nope.....they did not televise Sat or Sunday.  So guess what? I walked back to Paw Paw's to watch more golf (Yes, I am big fan)...along with lots of other people LOL

 

Then on Sunday, after realizing the ship would not be showing the final round on tv either? I went to "Meeting at Market" which is another local establishment that opened at 11am.   If anyone is a golf fan, you will know this year the Master's final round started at 9am due to incoming weather...…..So, I walked up to  Meeting and got there at  11 and tv's were already on with the golf. So, I ate, drank and watched golf along with quite a few other folks.  

I ended up leaving about 1:30 and had to meet a friend to let her know I was not going on a tour and wanted to see the rest of the golf.... I ended up walking over to Mac's on Bay and watched the final holes with others and Tiger won

 

So, I found 4 establishments and enjoyed all of them!!! Magnolia's. Mac's, Meeting and Market and Paw Paw's!!!!!!!  You can tell what I did on this trip LOL

 

oh....one other thing...…..Charleston has some of the most friendly folks anywhere!!!  I live in the south and when people talk about "Southern Hospitality"....ya'll are definitely part of that genre.

 

[TruckerDave]

10 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

We are back from our cruise, and I thought I’d stop back to thank @ChucktownSteve and @TruckerDave for their help, and to say how much we enjoyed our visit to your beautiful city.  Love your Ravenel Bridge!  I’m a bit of a bridge fan and it’s quite lovely. 

 

You missed it by a little bit, but we have a 10k run across the bridge. (The Cooper River Bridge Run). It is one of the biggest 10k's in the country. Last number I heard was about 35,000 folks did it this year. (Yes I was one of them😬).   It starts over in Mt Pleasant and ends downtown at marion square.   But anyway, glad you had a good time. 

 

 

[mom2oneXY]

I've posted on this thread before about some options for our departure from Charleston in August.  We've narrowed our options down and I'm looking for recommendations for hotels that allow you to park your car while on the cruise.  We don't need a shuttle as we plan to Uber to and from the port.

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited May 12, 2019 by mom2oneXY

[NCTribeFan]

I'm sailing to Bermuda in late October.  Think I last sailed from Charleston last fall.  Someone in our Roll Call said they've changed the embarkation process.

 

Anyone got details?

 

Need to book a hotel.  Prices higher than they were a year ago (of course).  Was so disappointed in my at Fleet Landing last time (after several meals that were excellent) that I'll have to try somewhere else for my Shrimp & Grits fix!

[Ombud]

1st of all, I did not read all 13 pages. Apologies.  I'm interested in exploring on my own. I've decided to visit Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim at 90 Hassell St as my primary interest is Jewish American history. Can I walk there? Are there other historical sites along the way? 

 

Alternatively: 5 best things to do in downtown Charleston 

Edited May 29, 2019 by Ombud

[waterbug123]

15 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 Was so disappointed in my at Fleet Landing last time (after several meals that were excellent) that I'll have to try somewhere else for my Shrimp & Grits fix!

 

Most good restaurants here will have their chef's version of shrimp and grits on the menu.  Some are good, some are ok, and some you just have to shake your head and wonder why the chef felt the need to deviate so far from anything that could reasonably still be called shrimp and grits, LOL.  That said, if I recall correctly, High Cotton does a pretty good version of them.  East Bay Street, a block south of Market Street.  Make reservations well in advance.

 

7 hours ago, Ombud said:

1st of all, I did not read all 13 pages. Apologies.  I'm interested in exploring on my own. I've decided to visit Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim at 90 Hassell St as my primary interest is Jewish American history. Can I walk there? Are there other historical sites along the way? 

 

Alternatively: 5 best things to do in downtown Charleston 

 

The "best" things depend entirely on your personal interests, time of year, budget, etc.  Many first time visitors want to take a carriage tour, and walking tours are also available.  There are also numerous historical houses that offer tours if you like that sort of thing.  (Calhoun Mansion, Aiken-Rhett House, Edmonston-Alston House and others).  The SC Aquarium is downtown, and you can get a ferry over to Ft. Sumter from downtown.  Just across the river from downtown (a quick and easy Uber ride), in Mt. Pleasant, you can visit Patriot's Point Maritime Museum aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown (they also have a sub and a couple other watercraft you can visit while there).  There is shopping along King and Meeting Streets and plenty of good downtown restaurants. 

If these things don't interest you or you don't want to spend the money, walk around on your own.  South of Broad Street is a pretty tony residential area.  You can stroll along the sidewalks, admiring the beautiful historic homes, often shaded by ancient live oaks.  Many have beautiful gardens and courtyards that can be seen from the street through the wrought iron fences.  Walk past historic Rainbow Row, often see on postcards, and continue down to the tip of the peninsula to the battery along the harbor.  There's a sidewalk around the edge, and you can take a break under a shade tree in adjacent White Point Garden.  As you walk back toward the business/touristy part of downtown, go to Waterfront Park.  If it's hot, take your shoes off and wade through the zero entry pineapple fountain.  You can stroll along the water, relax on a bench or on one of the porch swings out on the covered pier.

Oh, and splurge on a cocktail at the rooftop Pavilion Bar, at the Market Pavilion Hotel, corner of E. Bay and Market.  The setting is gorgeous and you have views of the cruise ship dock, Ravenel Bridge and harbor.

 

[NCTribeFan]

I stayed at the Andrew Pinckney Inn a couple of years ago.  At that time (think it was just prior to Labor Day), there was an offer for free valet parking, and then I just parked at the port the next morning.

 

Sadly, just checked for my date and the same room is almost $400.  Nope!  Shame, because the location was great and the wine & cheese happy hour on their veranda was also a nice perk.  I even think breakfast was included and all at just under $200.

 

Now, one night with parking and shuttle over on West Ashley is pricing at around $200. 

 

I'll check to see if there are any recent reviews for sailing out of Charleston and see if anyone has comments about embarkation.  I've sailed from there probably 7 or 8 times and am familiar with the quirks that are needed because of the old terminal and just wondering how they might have changed it.

[Ombud]

34 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

The "best" things depend entirely on your personal interests, time of year, budget, etc.  Many first time visitors want to take a carriage tour, and walking tours are also available.  There are also numerous historical houses that offer tours if you like that sort of thing.  (Calhoun Mansion, Aiken-Rhett House, Edmonston-Alston House and others).  The SC Aquarium is downtown, and you can get a ferry over to Ft. Sumter from downtown.  Just across the river from downtown (a quick and easy Uber ride), in Mt. Pleasant, you can visit Patriot's Point Maritime Museum aboard the aircraft carrier Yorktown (they also have a sub and a couple other watercraft you can visit while there).  There is shopping along King and Meeting Streets and plenty of good downtown restaurants. 

If these things don't interest you or you don't want to spend the money, walk around on your own.  South of Broad Street is a pretty tony residential area.  You can stroll along the sidewalks, admiring the beautiful historic homes, often shaded by ancient live oaks.  Many have beautiful gardens and courtyards that can be seen from the street through the wrought iron fences.  Walk past historic Rainbow Row, often see on postcards, and continue down to the tip of the peninsula to the battery along the harbor.  There's a sidewalk around the edge, and you can take a break under a shade tree in adjacent White Point Garden.  As you walk back toward the business/touristy part of downtown, go to Waterfront Park.  If it's hot, take your shoes off and wade through the zero entry pineapple fountain.  You can stroll along the water, relax on a bench or on one of the porch swings out on the covered pier.

Oh, and splurge on a cocktail at the rooftop Pavilion Bar, at the Market Pavilion Hotel, corner of E. Bay and Market.  The setting is gorgeous and you have views of the cruise ship dock, Ravenel Bridge and harbor.

Thank you! Always ask a local 😊

[Ombud]

Waterbug123, how far is it from where we dock to downtown where the carriages are and Waterfront Park?

[Ombud]

On 1/21/2017 at 11:57 AM, waterbug123 said:

The market and Waterfront Park are only a couple of blocks from where you'll disembark. Continue to the far end of the market and Charleston Place sits catty corner from it. Husk is just a couple of blocks away. No need to uber to any of these places. They are easily walkable. 🙂

Found your earlier post 👍 letting others on the Caribbean Princess July 26 FL to Quebec roll know

[waterbug123]

16 hours ago, Ombud said:

Waterbug123, how far is it from where we dock to downtown where the carriages are and Waterfront Park?

 

11 hours ago, Ombud said:

Found your earlier post 👍 letting others on the Caribbean Princess July 26 FL to Quebec roll know

 

Great!  The northern end of Waterfront Park is only a block or two from the ship; the pineapple fountain there is another block or so further into the park.  Carriage tours start on (I think) either Guignard or Anson Street, again just 2-3 blocks from where the ship will be.

[TruckerDave]

Just be aware on the carriage rides if it gets to hot they shut them down.  The last week or so we have had a heat wave and they have shut down the horses because it got to hot for them.   Unusual for this early in the season, but when the heat/humdity gets cranked up in the middle of summer those afternoon rides can get stopped at a moments notice. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by TruckerDave

[Ombud]

Yeah .... unfortunately I'm there in July. So I think maybe the carriages in the morning then the Waterfront finally drinks on the Pavilion Bar. Does the bar have water misters? We turn them on here when it gets to 100°F

[waterbug123]

On 6/2/2019 at 12:00 AM, Ombud said:

Yeah .... unfortunately I'm there in July. So I think maybe the carriages in the morning then the Waterfront finally drinks on the Pavilion Bar. Does the bar have water misters? We turn them on here when it gets to 100°F

 

Not that I recall, and I was there for lunch just this past Saturday.  But there is a rooftop pool with fountain jets that shoot across the water.   If it's breezy and depending on where you are sitting, you might get a bit of overspray.  There are umbrellas over tables so you can be in the shade, and there is often a breeze that high up.

And just to clarify, use of the pool and lounge chairs if for hotel guests only, but it's right in the center of the roof, surrounded by the bar and numerous high top tables with chairs and umbrellas and those are open to the public for food/drinks.

[Ombud]

Dress light .... cotton or linen only. 😅

[Ombud]

Bump. 

[cc75]

I'm going to be booking an Uber from home for my parents who will be sailing later this year and staying just over the bridge in Mt. Pleasant.  Has the boarding procedure or address to use with UBER changed any with the Sunshine in town or is the same route as when the smaller ships used the port.

[NCTribeFan]

Post #313, last paragraph - still hoping to get info on just how the embarkation process has changed (if it has) since I sailed last fall.

[cc75]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRJ3SPuqV1c            Skip to the 4:00 minute mark.  It appears everyone is going into one of the old parking warehouses and being bussed to the terminal on tour busses.  From what I was able to find over the weekend they're using the warehouse as checking and releasing people to the terminal in groups to go thru security so the old terminal isn't overwhelmed.  

Edited July 1, 2019 by cc75