Anybody been to Charleston? What should I see if I only have one day there?

Fort Sumter
The Battery
The Aquarium
Walk up and down King street
That’s a full day.

One of the great plantations(some here) although it is the wrong season for the magnificent blooms of azaleas and rhodies. Seeing the slave quarters is sobering.

And find a high-end restaurant for one decent meal, with some grits.

The ideas that @josie mentions are excellent; just stroll around and look at the domestic architecture and the wrought-iron and the harbor.

It is worth a stop, no matter how short.

And eat some great food!

All good info. Thanks!

My experience will not be helpful, but it’s kind of interesting. I was there for weekend meeting in November. We stayed at a lovely hotel that had a courtyard with a fountain. There was a cold snap and the fountain had icicles hanging prettily around the rim. No one had brought anything warm to wear, so except for one scurrying trip to a nearby restaurant, we stayed in the hotel. Who’d a thunk? Take one sweater.
I’d like to go back.

Fort Sumter is a National Historic Site so it’s probably closed thanks to the government shutdown, but I think The Battery should be open.

@ETpro Hope and expect that by Christmas time this banana republic will be up and running again.

The Old Slave Mart Museum is a real eye opener.

If you’re staying overnight, I would look at beach rentals. When I was there for a couple of days, I had a teeny Folly Beach cottage for less than the cost of an airport-area motel.

Anyone know how far it is from I-95?

@jaytkay Are the beach rentals near the city or a ways out?

Charleston Farmers Market (kinda the center of the historic/tourist area) to Folly Beach is about 25 minutes by car.

I’m a big reader of Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons so I’m really intrigued by the area but since we’ll be in a bit of a push to get down, I can’t stay long.

I live an hour from Charleston.

From I-95, Exit 33 is the Charleston exit onto Hwy. 17, which takes you straight into downtown Charleston. I believe that’s how you get to Isle of Palms, if you want to be on the water.

King Street is good for shopping and restaurants, as others have said. The Boone Plantation is alright if you’re into historical stuff. We like to do the walking ghost tours, because we’re into that.

Charleston is okay, but any beach in Florida is probably prettier. Charleston is good for history buffs, but other than that it’s pretty boring. Myrtle Beach is a lot more fun.

As for the aquarium, skip it. It sucks.

We’ll be at beaches aplenty in Florida.

@janbb I like those authors! Reading their descriptions really makes me want to spend more time there.

The only time I’ve been to Charleston was a few days last year. IIRC it was about 45 minutes from 1–95. We mostly wandered around the cute, quaint downtown. There are tons of interesting little shops and galleries, and all of that is pretty close to the Battery, the waterfront promenade at the tip of the peninsula.

I really wanted to see the Angel Oak tree, but it ended up being a lot of fun just walking around the downtown. The architecture is really cool and there are a lot of interesting historic buildings. Compared with where I live (DC), it was just a really neat-looking place with a lot of character. I was there in February and the weather ranged from about 50–70 degrees.

It was a relaxing, peaceful trip. If you’re into stuff like that, it’s so worth stopping there.

OK, beaches are out.

After that, what I liked best were the aforementioned slave market and the big houses down by the battery.

If there are any house tours or museum-houses down there, that could be good.

@janbb can you think of any highlight you really liked in some other city?

Maybe Charleston has something along the same lines.

@jaytkay If I had more time, I would love to do the beaches around Charleston too. But I think the Old Slave Market and the Battery and just getting a feel for the city will probably be all be can do in one day. A plantation could be cool too in an ironic sort of way. I am traveling with a friend so I want to get some ideas to present to him. We will be in somewhat of a push to get to Florida.

We will be staying in a cottage for a few days in Sanibel later in the trip.

If you have a car at your disposal, you can get out to Boone Plantation and see enough in half a day to vet the slave quarters and the general set-up (unless there are scheduled guided tours. I remember that Al and I did a lot of wandering around for free.)

The Slave Market is compact and fairly small and filled with vendors now selling hand-made baskets and jewelry and won’t take more than an hour. The walk about the Battery and the genteel old homes that great-uncle Beauregard owned is also an easy stroll…with benches and food vendors. These parts of the city are not too far apart. it is not like going from Bunker Hill to Beacon Hill

I was in 2005. Yes, it’s worth it. We enjoyed walking around in the center admiring the architecture of the buildings.