Things to do and see in and around Charleston, SC - November 8-11th
October 11, 2014 9:04 AM
My teenage (14) daughter and I are going to a wedding in Charleston. Yay! The wedding is on a Friday, but since school is out for us part of the next week we thought we'd make a vacation of it! So we'll have Saturday through Monday free, leaving on Tuesday. What's good to do with a teenager in and around Charleston, SC? Are there any amusement parks or other cool tourist attractions within say a 3 hour drive of Charleston? Any teen-focuses Charleston-ish recommendations would be appreciated!
There are lots of things to do in and around Charleston but it might help to know some of you and your daughter's interests. For instance, Charleston is well known for it's preservation of colonial era homes so just walking (or taking the horse drawn carriage tour) of the area South of Broad St. is highly recommended. Charleston is also historically rooted in the slave trade and the Civil War so you could take the ferry out to Fort Sumter and see where the first shots of the Civil War occurred or tour the H.L. Hunley, one of the very first submarines which was lost during the Civil War, found in 1995, raised in 2000, and is now on display.
Definitely go to one or two of the plantations...Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, Boone Hall Plantation, and Drayton Hall are a few of the more popular.
Charleston has many artisans ranging from Philip Simmons' wrought iron gates that are found all over the city to sweetgrass baskets that you'll see being made in the Market.
You could check out a play at one of the historic theaters...Dock Street Theater or Footlight Players.
That's just a small sampling of the many things to do in Charleston!! If it were me, I wouldn't think of driving to other destinations. The plantations are about as far as I'd venture (most are about 45 minutes outside of downtown Charleston). One thing to keep in mind is downtown Charleston is completely flat so it's very walkable. In fact, if you're downtown walking is highly recommended since there are so many alleys and narrow one way streets with little parking.
Have fun and let me know if you have any specific questions. I'm no longer living there but have lots of fond memories and am looking forward to visiting family there at Thanksgiving. It really is a special place.
posted by hangingbyathread at 10:53 AM on October 11, 2014
Definitely go to one or two of the plantations...Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, Boone Hall Plantation, and Drayton Hall are a few of the more popular.
Charleston has many artisans ranging from Philip Simmons' wrought iron gates that are found all over the city to sweetgrass baskets that you'll see being made in the Market.
You could check out a play at one of the historic theaters...Dock Street Theater or Footlight Players.
That's just a small sampling of the many things to do in Charleston!! If it were me, I wouldn't think of driving to other destinations. The plantations are about as far as I'd venture (most are about 45 minutes outside of downtown Charleston). One thing to keep in mind is downtown Charleston is completely flat so it's very walkable. In fact, if you're downtown walking is highly recommended since there are so many alleys and narrow one way streets with little parking.
Have fun and let me know if you have any specific questions. I'm no longer living there but have lots of fond memories and am looking forward to visiting family there at Thanksgiving. It really is a special place.
posted by hangingbyathread at 10:53 AM on October 11, 2014
Not a tourist thing but as it so happens that Saturday there is YALLFest which is the Charleston Young Adult Book Festival. So if your daughter is a reader she might want to look through the schedule and the author list to see if anyone she likes might be around (schedule here, author list here).
posted by pie_seven at 2:21 PM on October 11, 2014
posted by pie_seven at 2:21 PM on October 11, 2014
Unless your daughter really really loves amusement parks, I would skip them. It would be a shame to spend 3 hours in a car or at an amusement park just like the ones in any other city when your time there is already limited. You won't run out of interesting actives right in the immediate vicinity of Charleston. If you really really want to take a trip within a trip, Savannah is nearby and lovely as well.
An interesting quirk of South Carolina weather is that even in November, you might get lucky and have beautifully warm, sunshiny days, so don't discount a beach trip if you guys enjoy beaches but don't often get a chance to visit any. Don't plan on it, but if you're flexible, bathing suits won't take up a lot of room in your luggage.
I also think everyone who visits Charleston should try to get to the Old Slave Mart museum, Angel oak on Johns island, and gallery row. But all that depends in how much you guys like history, nature, and art, of course.
posted by lesli212 at 12:13 PM on October 12, 2014
An interesting quirk of South Carolina weather is that even in November, you might get lucky and have beautifully warm, sunshiny days, so don't discount a beach trip if you guys enjoy beaches but don't often get a chance to visit any. Don't plan on it, but if you're flexible, bathing suits won't take up a lot of room in your luggage.
I also think everyone who visits Charleston should try to get to the Old Slave Mart museum, Angel oak on Johns island, and gallery row. But all that depends in how much you guys like history, nature, and art, of course.
posted by lesli212 at 12:13 PM on October 12, 2014
Savannah Bee Company. Great hand lotions. Their honeycomb also tastes fab with brie and apple on toasted baguettes.
posted by oceanjesse at 12:17 PM on October 12, 2014
posted by oceanjesse at 12:17 PM on October 12, 2014
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posted by workerant at 10:21 AM on October 11, 2014