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2.5 Stars - 149 Opinions
Calhoun Mansion
Living Room
Sweet Potato Pancakes
One of the Over 100 Churches in Town
I will be driving to Charleston for the Spoleto. I plan to stay outside the Historical area only because of the price. Where do we park? I hear that your public tansportation is good -more info on that. Thank you
Good luck finding parking if you are not staying in the Historic District. Charleston is walk-friendly. You might want to check with your hotel for suggestions on parking. There are paid parking lots,and free street parking, but they are usually full. There are plenty of pedi cabs available
for those unable to walk a distance.
There is a lot to do during Spoleto, you will enjoy it.
There is just so much to do here. This is quite an old city, one of the oldest in America, and it definitely reflects it in an elegant manner. Just be careful not to let the quantity overwhelm you into spending too little time on too few things. The Provost Dungeon & Exchange. Pirates, revolutionaries, cut-throats, and patriots. This museum had it all.
Charleston is known for its intimate gardens and fine wrought iron work. The most noted is Charleston Blacksmith Philip Simmons. Pictured is one of the many unique pieces of iron art adorning the city.
It is the South. If you are not from the South, try to be extra polite and nice. Say please, thank you, you're welcome, and other pleasantries as much as possible. Southerners are very polite and gracious in public, try to return their efforts to be nice.
Some may disagree that this is an off the beaten path thing, but I put it here b/c it is literally off Charleston's beaten path (follow Hwy. 17 out of the city to get there) and because it is unique among most of the plantations in the area.
As a historian, I was highly impressed by Drayton Hall. Unlike most plantation tours and visits, the house and the grounds are protected by a national historic trust, and thus the house has not changed one lick since basically the late colonial period. There's no furniture, no signs, the grounds have not been altered at all. This makes for a much more rugged, much less traditionally "pretty" experience - i.e. the way it actually was - the 17th-19th century weren't very pleasant in the low country for anyone!!
The house is one of the oldest plantations in the area, and the tour tells just as much about colonial slavery systems, lowcountry American Indians, and industrial transport on the Ashley River as it does about the Civil War. The tour guide highlighted the intimate connection between the architecture of the house and the house's industry - the way the houses' doors were set up in order to sufficiently cool it with river breeze, and the way that the basement kitchen was connected to the rest of the house to give slaves easy and unobtrusive access. The grounds were beautiful and untouched; the house to this day has no heating, no running water, etc. - just like during the colonial period. While you're in Charleston, take a look at Ira Berlin's "Many Thousands Gone," an incredibly engaging examination of slave societies in the colonial period. It will make your Drayton Hall experience all the more illuminating.
How to get there (from the website): From downtown Charleston, take Highway 17 south across the Ashley River, and follow the signs to Highway 61. Follow Highway 61 north for approximately 8 miles. Watch for the "Historical Plantations and Gardens" signs and the Drayton Hall signs. Drayton Hall will be on your right.
Early one fall, we visited the Beidler Forest from our son's place in Summerville. We visited the little information center and took a self-guided tour on the boardwalk which runs through the old growth forest over the black swamp water. It was cool, calm and peaceful in the forest. We saw a few birds and some turtles sunning on the logs as we followed the tour pamphlet.
For groups of ten or more, a guided tour is available. There are also canoe trips which let you paddle the deep blackwater of the swamp and meet alligators and cottonmouths on their turf! You can gain another perspective by taking one of the night walks.
* Admissions: $7; ages 6 to 18 $3.50; Audubon members $6
* Days and Holidays Closed: M, New Year's Eve/Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day
* Days and Hours of Operation: T-Su 9am-5pm and occasionally on Monday
Directions: I-26 W to Exit 187- L Hwy 27 (S) to Hwy 78. Turn R (W). At fork, veer R to Hwy 178. Turn right on Francis Beidler Forest Rd (1st paved right). After 4 mi.- paved road makes a 90-degree turn left, veer R onto Mims Road (dirt road). Go a mile- on the right
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Address: 2455 Savannah Highway, Charleston, South Carolina, 29414, United States
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