NYE in Charleston

December 16, 2009 5:38 AM

What can't I miss in Charleston, SC over the NYE weekend?

Eight good friends are renting a house in Charleston, SC (Isle of Palms) for the New Years weekend. What can't we miss? Is there a hip/fun place to go? Or a sophisticated public soiree we may never see again? Other dining recommendations are appreciated.

Mefites have scored 100% in my previous travel/dining questions. Thanks in advance for your amazing insight.

posted by Classic Diner to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

I can highly recommend Moe's Crosstown Tavern as a place to get away from the tourists and have a friendly drink.

Downtown, the Blind Tiger is an interesting inside/outside bar to hang out in, it probably will have something lush and swanky on NYE.

Pick up a Charleston City Paper to see what all's happening, they usually do a NYE special with all the options.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 6:14 AM on December 16, 2009

I'm from Charleston, SC and I think that NYE ought to be spent downtown. Start with dinner at Basil, the amazing Thai restaurant on upper king (get reservations now). Then make your way up king street (in the direction of Marion Square, the big park), one of the main arteries of shops, bars, and other neat hang outs. Marion Square will be a fun place to talk through after dinner, then keep walking up king street until Market Street, and take a left (shortcut tip- instead of taking a left on Market, take a left into the Charleston Place hotel and walk through it. It will dump you out at the same place). Go up Market Street and there will be plenty of neat jazz clubs, bars, what have you along the way. Feel free to stop in any of them (I like Mistral a lot). When you get to East Bay street take a right. Avoid the bars and restaurants for the next couple blocks. Tsunami is a rip off, Wet Willi's is, well, you get the idea. Keep going up East Bay until the Library Restaurant and Rooftop Bar on Vendue. If the weather is right, that's a great place to hang out with friends. After that, if you're up for it, Waterfront Park is right up Vendue and it's a great place to frolic. Another food option in the vicinity is Meritage, a fun tapas bar on East Bay (you would take a left from Market Street to get there). Call ahead because they have a weird habit of closing and reopening for weeks at a time at random. Some say it's a drug front, but they have some freaking excellent fondue. Plus when you're hanging a left onto East Bay from Market you'll pass by some stupid candy shop in a big church, which used to be the location of my parents' first restaurant. You can see the second-floor apartment where I grew up from the street!
posted by farishta at 6:18 AM on December 16, 2009

Reading 1f's comment, I will say that this is the more touristy route, designed for jumping into the NYE energy of the city. I myself will probably be at Moe's Crosstown come New Years, but only because I don't do the high-octane celebratory thing.
posted by farishta at 6:20 AM on December 16, 2009

Both of the above suggestions are good, but be wary of getting back to IOP from downtown on NYE. It's about a 20-30 minute drive most likely. Taxis will be scarce unless you call well in advance, and they don't generally respond to hailing. There will be plenty of police out checking for drunk drivers. I would probably also not advocate staying out on the Isle of Palms if you want to do something other than have a beach party NYE. We normally get a hotel room or stay with friends downtown, even though we just live about a 5 minute drive over one of the bridges from the peninsula.

And there are plenty of great restaurants in Charleston, from casual/inexpensive to formal/fine dining. It seems like several downtown restaurants are having special prix fixe-type menus, so be aware of that before heading out somewhere. If you can give us an idea of how much you'd like to spend and what kind of food you like, we can help narrow down some of the choices.

Charleston is great for the large soiree, but I'm not sure how many of them are open to the public, or are advertised. Go to the City Paper website to see what might interest you, although they'll have a more NYE-specific addition available around that date.
posted by This Guy at 6:50 AM on December 16, 2009

You could stay on IOP NYE and hit the Windjammer.
posted by cdmwebs at 8:38 AM on December 16, 2009

If you're up for it, I'd take farishta's advice and hit downtown. But, to round it out, here are a few restaurants to check out closer to where you're staying. On IOP, there's Banana Cabana, which is a dark little dive with good food and cold beer (Google Streetview captures the vibe a lot better than the miserable website does). Down the road, on Sullivan's Island, is Atlanticville, which is more upscale but has very tasty seafood and a nice, quiet, vibe. Dunleavy's and Poe's Tavern, on SI before you get to Atlanticville, are both sure to be festive. If you make it over to Mt. Pleasant, Sette is my favorite spot for Italian, and The Boulevard Diner has great southern comfort food.
posted by wheat at 1:24 PM on December 16, 2009

Downtown Charleston is an awesome place to eat. Unfortunately, Meritage has recently closed (or, at least, is no longer on East Bay). If you want to go really upscale and special, you can look into McCrady's or Tristan's. Meals I will remember for a lifetime. Tsunami's (sushi joint) on East Bay street also is pretty happening on NYE. Lots of beautiful people and free champagne toast. Definitely pick up the City Paper, as others have said. Copies can be found all along the sidewalks and shops on East Bay, Market and Cumberland Streets. Be careful walking those cobblestone walkways after you've been drinking!
posted by Hdog at 3:01 PM on December 16, 2009