Guide to Best Hotels Charleston SC Plus Things to Do!
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Looking for a great travel destination, then consider Charleston South Carolina. It has been named #3 on The Conde Nast list of Top Ten Vacation Places to visit! Discover the charm of Charleston, fully restored to it's ante-bellum days.
There are also several historic Charleston hotels that Condé Nast has put on their list of Top Hotels in the U.S. The most elegant
Charleston Place Hotel is #26, our favorite Charleston SC Bed and Breakfast, The Wentworth Mansion is #51, The Market Pavilion Hotel #50 and the John Rutledge house is #69.
Get big savings on Charleston hotels in Historic district as well as all of Charleston's best hotels. Find lodging from a Charleston Bed and Breakfast to unparalleled luxury accommodations in historic Charleston hotels. Snuggle in a cozy four poster bed, enjoy a gourmet breakfast, walk out your door and see the gardens of Charleston or tour the lovingly restored historic homes. Search all best hotels in Charleston SC and pick the one that suits you best.
You'll never run out of things to do in Charleston SC, take take ghost tours, historic home tours, walking tours and don't forget to tour the historic plantations along the Ashley River. There are many exciting shops at Charleston Place and the antiques on King Street will take you back to an earlier time.
Charleston is steeped in tradition and is one of our oldest cities. The grandeur of beautifully restored old mansions and hotels give you an idea of the culture and workmanship from the 17th and 18th Century. Today many are used as elegant bed and breakfast inns!
After our most recent trip to this fair city, we want to share with you some secrets of Charleston, considered the South Carolina Lowcountry.
We planned our trip for early April, to take advantage of all the house and garden tours with their outstanding plants and appeal that transform Charleston into even more of a wonderland. It is truly the most perfect time of year. Thousands of azaleas were in bloom and the city was bustling. We chose the historic Charleston hotel Wentworth Mansion Inn as our bed and breakfast and what a happy choice it was. Just a little off the beaten path, but still close enough to indulge in historic tours and walk to most attractions. Quiet and serene, in a residential setting, The Wentworth Mansion dates back to 1866, and was converted into sumptuous accommodations in 1998. It is luxurious, with just 21 rooms. From the 4th floor there is charming spiral staircase that goes to the "cupola" for outstanding 360 degree views of the city and the new note-worthy bridge.
Our breakfast was an outstanding European type with cold cuts and cheeses, as well as the expected display of juice, fruits, breads and cereals. We could walk to all the best restaurants, and believe me we were beginning to need the walk. Our choices were 82 Queen, Magnolia's, and The Charleston Grill. Every one an outstanding delight. I had emailed the restaurants ahead and each one had a wonderful table saved for our reservation. We did not walk home, we took a "pedicab", I rather felt sorry for the cute college boy who was pedaling the bike. He really got a workout.
All the attractions in the downtown Charleston make this a pretty busy place, so be sure to book lodging well in advance. Hotels and inns South of Broad, Riverview locations, The Battery and the Marketplace are especially in high demand.
Charleston Place is the newest addition to things to do. The wonderful Charleston Place Hotel is the anchor for an outstanding shopping experience. If you go during the holidays, you'll view a couple of hundred of the best and most unusually decorated Christmas trees imaginable. And Christmas in Charleston is so spectacular with candle light walking tours through the historic homes and a very festive atmosphere. You can visit the Citadel and view the military parade that takes place there every Friday afternoon and watch with pride some of the youth of today!
 City Market is a popular shopping spot and today bustles with sellers and their wares, with local prints of Charleston artists, food stuffs and trinkets of every description. Not always such a harmless place though, as 150 years ago slaves were sold at this marketplace.
Spoleto Festival is a main Charleston event, taking place every year in May. If is named after the famous Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Charleston version is a celebration of fine arts that includes orchestral and chamber concerts, dance, opera, theater, puppetry, mime, jazz, poetry readings, crafts fairs, and many other venues.
Walking tours include walking along the battery, exploring downtown historic streets and touring historic homes. It's the perfect city for walking. A walk down King Street is better than traveling to an English antique market. Many antique shops, displaying authentic antiques brought here in the 1700's are on display. Silver is in great demand and the offerings are fabulous...and the gardens of Charleston are renowned for their beauty and detail.
There are special garden tours in the spring and one garden will outdo the next. A peak into the courtyards will show what we mean. The climate is ideal for all the same flowers and plants that grow in England, and in fact most were brought from there. If you can't make it to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, try our garden tours instead. When the tours are not under way, remember if the gate is open, that is your invitation to enter and enjoy the garden.
Magnificent ante-bellum plantations abound outside the city limits. Middleton Plantation is world renowned for it's hundreds of years old oaks and plantings, their gardens are world-famous ...and you won't want to leave without buying a handmade sweetgrass basket from one of the "basket ladies" who weave their baskets in full view at the market and various other downtown locations, as well along Hwy 17 going north to Boone Hall, another famous plantation available for tours.
If you love historic homes, beautiful gardens, English antiques, ghost tours and great restaurants, then you will totally love Charleston South Carolina. The area south of Broad Street has been fully restored to it's ante bellum beauty, painted houses with side porches to capture the breeze and the view.
Rainbow Row is one of the most famous scenes depicting Charleston, a row of several beautifully restored houses located on East Bay Street, it is the epitome of what this historic city is all about and gives the city it's carefree air.
You too will "remember Charleston". One of the top U.S. vacation destinations.
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