Useful Charleston Links

Seeing as how the wedding is going to be in Charleston SC, I thought people wanting to attend might be interested in learning more about the area. Things to do, places to see, where to eat and sleep...that kind of thing.
Note: The area code for Charleston is 843, not 803 as you might find in some of these web sites.

Current weather / Charleston Maps / Where to stay / Places to eat / Things to do / Events / Other useful links

Where to stay

Charleston is full of hotels and inns, both historic and more modern. Plenty of hotels to be found in the downtown area. The downtown area hotels tend to have a more historic character, and naturally are also a little more expensive.

The lodging page for Charleston at Yahoo is a good place to start
The Lodge Alley Inn is a very nice place to stay. It's on East Bay near Market St. I stayed here on my first trip to Charleston when I came down for a site visit to check out the Agfa computed radiography equipment at MUSC. That was back when I was working in Detroit MI. Nicely decorated rooms with a living room and fireplace off to the side.
Charleston Day's Inn - Historic District is located right in the middle of downtown on Meeting St, just blocks away from the ever popular Market St and Hyman's Restaurant. Nothing special, but it is very conveniently located. I stayed here when I came down for my first interview at MUSC. Pretty reasonably priced for a downtown hotel too.
There are these places called Extended Stay America, which seems to offer pretty good value. I've never stayed in one before, so I can't say much about them. They do have weekly rates which seem pretty reasonable. The one in Charleston is out by the airport, a short 10-15 minute drive away from downtown. There's also another one in Mt. Pleasant across the river from downtown Charleston.

Places to eat

Hyman's Seafood Restaurant is one of our favourite places to go eat in Charleston. Good food at a great price. And you might even have one of the owners stop by your table to check up on things! If you decide to check it out, go early or go late to avoid waiting in line. I suggest before 3 PM for a late lunch or after 8 PM for a late dinner. At the usual dinner hours, the lines are very long. In the mornings, stop by Aaron's deli just next door for a great bagel breakfast sandwich. Both are on Meeting St near Market St.
Magnolia's on East Bay is one of those places you must go to at least once if you visit. The food is absolutely fabulous. A little pricey, but well worth it.
Caribe on St. Andrew's Blvd is a pretty good place to eat if you're in the mood for Carribean food. The Jamaican patties are pretty tasty, and they have a fabulous jerk chicken.
If you're in the mood for ribs and BBQ, the Sticky Fingers is the place to go. On Meeting St just a few doors down from Hyman's, it's a great place to go. The wet ribs fall apart on your fork, and the sauce is yummy. Haven't tried the dry ribs yet, but I will soon.
For more ethnic fare, try Miyabi on Sam Rittenberg Rd. Japanese fare and hibachi style grill. We go there for the sushi bar. Pretty standard fare for Japanese hibachi and sushi. Another very good place for Chinese or Japanese fare is Osaka, on Folly Road. We go there fairly regularly.
In the mood for Mexican? A very nice place I discovered is El Dorado on Savannah Highway (Hwy 17) in the West Ashley area. It doesn't look like much, but the food tastes great. Even the refried beans were good. Very reasonably priced too. La Carreta on Sam Rittenberg is another good Mexican restaurant. The food is good and the prices are even better.
California Dreaming sticks out into the Ashley River and offers a great view of downtown Charleston for your dining pleasure. Every seat has a fabulous window view. Good food, generous portions. I recommend the salads and the ribs.
For what is probably the best pizza in the Charleston area (that we've found so far), you need to go to The Piehouse in Folly Beach. Right on Center St just up the block from Ashley St, we found this place quite by accident. We stopped to walk around Folly Beach, and decided to stop in and grab a bite to eat. As close to authentic New York style pizza as you can get around here. The owner is even from New York. Go now. Get pizza. And bring some back for us :). Call them when you leave downtown and you'll be there in time to see it come out of the oven.

Things to do

The Charleston Visitor's Center at 375 Meeting St should be your first stop when you want to head out onto the town. From here you can find out all sorts of things to do, get tickets for events, carriage rides, tours, and everything else you might possibly think of.
Market St is always an interesting place to browse through. It's an open air market with stores and restaurants on both sides. A popular place to hang out with lots of people wandering around all the time. You can also catch a ride on a horse drawn carriage and go for a narrated tour of the downtown area. When you're finished there, walk over to King St and check out the stores and antique shops.
The Battery, the very tip of the Charleston Penninsula is a pleasant place to take a stroll. Look out onto the bay and see the USS Yorktown, or the little man-made island of Fort Sumter. Go for an evening stroll and see the bay lit up by the moonlight and watch the reflection in the water.
Take a boat tour across the bay to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started. You can catch the boats at the City Marina on the west side of the peninsula. Make sure you don't miss the last boat back to the peninsula!
Visit Angel Oak on John's Island. It's a huge oak tree that's supposed to be on the order of 1400 or so years old. It has to be seen in person to appreciate the immensity and age of the tree.
Visit the new Charleston Aquarium at Calhoun and Aquarium Drive (take Calhoun east all the way to the end, you can't miss it). If you go at 3PM, you can even see the feeding in the Great Tank. That alone is worth the trip I think. The aquarium is entertaining at any time though. When you're done checking out the fishes, head out towards the Cooper River, have a seat and enjoy the view. Maybe you'll see some dolphins! Right next door is the Charleston IMAX theatre. See Michael Jordon on a 15 meter screen! Check the website for showtimes. My favourites are the 3D IMAX movies.
If it's the sun, wind and water you're after, head down to Folly Beach County Park. Set out your towel, and catch some sun on the beach.
Looking for some night club action with a Latin flair? Head on over to Salsa Fresca next to the Visitor's Center. The action usually doesn't start until about 10 PM, and there's a $3 cover charge.

Events

Join us at Folly Beach County Park on April 20 for a post-rehearsal BBQ by the ocean. We opted for a BBQ rather than the traditional rehearsal dinner to give everyone a chance to get together in a relaxed informal atmosphere. If you're in town that night, stop by and join us for the party! The festivities start at 6:30 PM. Park admission is $5/car.

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