Charleston, SC hotels

[TruckerDave]

And the Quality Inn & Suites Patriots Point at the MP right foot of the bridge. :D

 

I was just going off the top of my head. :D I did skip the "nice" Days Inn though. ;)

[Racegirl6]

We searched and searched, and tried bidding on Price line, and was finally offered the Sleep Inn at 79.00 per night. It is located in the West Ashley area. It has really good reviews on Tripadvisor.

[ladysail2]

Thanks to everyone for all your helpful hints about a stay in Charleston. I leave on a cruise out of there in November and was deciding whether to stay a couple of days. I think you answered my question about that ;)

 

I do have a few questions....

 

1. If I wanted to see a plantation house....is it feasible to take public transportation to it? Would you recommend one over the other?

 

2. Does Charleston have a HOHO bus or similar general touring company to get an overview of the city?

 

3. How does one get an Uber taxi? I won't have my cell phone, and I don't know much about them, except for the controversies.

 

I haven't decided where to stay...but it will either be in the Mt. Pleasant area or the airport area....

 

Thank you for any help.

 

Joyce :D

[ChucktownSteve]

Thanks to everyone for all your helpful hints about a stay in Charleston. I leave on a cruise out of there in November and was deciding whether to stay a couple of days. I think you answered my question about that ;)

I do have a few questions....

1. If I wanted to see a plantation house....is it feasible to take public transportation to it? Would you recommend one over the other?

2. Does Charleston have a HOHO bus or similar general touring company to get an overview of the city?

3. How does one get an Uber taxi? I won't have my cell phone, and I don't know much about them, except for the controversies.

I haven't decided where to stay...but it will either be in the Mt. Pleasant area or the airport area....

Thank you for any help. Joyce :D

 

I'll answer question 2 first because that's the easiest. No HOHO in Charleston but there is a free CARTA DASH trolley system downtown that has three routes. No tour info but it does get you around downtown.

http://www.ridecarta.com/riding-carta/routesmapsschedules/carta-dash-trolley-map-times

 

Regarding your plantation question, I'll share my opinions trying to be factual. However there are other valid opinions too. I suggest first you determine which plantation you want to visit for which reason. There are three older plantations up Hwy 61 (Ashley River Road) in West Ashley and one on US 17 in Mt. Pleasant.

 

I personally prefer Middleton Place because it's the oldest landscaped gardens in America. The have a formal garden and butterfly lake overlooking the Ashley River. They also are said to have the oldest Camellia in the United States brought over from England. The gardens, structures and interpretation are kept true to the period. They also have a house tour and full service restaurant on the property with bar service. ;)https://www.middletonplace.org/

 

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is more a botanical garden where they experiment with several cultivars to keep their plants/flowers blooming year round. This is an excellent choice for someone with mobility issues because they have a tram you can buy tickets for that take you around the property. Their plantation house is not original to the property but was moved there when they developed as an attraction. They have a snack bar on property. http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/

 

Drayton Hall Plantation is a National Trust for Historic Preservation property. Unlike the other plantations, they try to preserve the property from deteriorating instead of restoring it. http://www.draytonhall.org/

 

Boon Hall Plantation is where they filmed the TV series North & South. They've recreated the working plantation. They have some of Charleston's largest outdoor events like concerts, the annual Lowcountry oyster festival and more. They bill themselves as the most photographed plantation. http://boonehallplantation.com/

 

If you stay in Mount Pleasant, the obvious plantation to visit is Boone Hall. If you stay in North Charleston, the closest plantations are in West Ashley.

 

Getting to the West Ashley plantations will be expensive by taxi or Uber since they're in a rural area. I'd suggest considering a motorized tour that will include a plantation. There are a couple that include a package to Magnolia or Boone Hall in 17 person vans. http://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/tours-attractions~204/motorized-tours~1154/

 

If you want to go to Middleton, I found a private licensed tour guide that does a totally personalized tour in a Lincoln Town Car for up to four people. I don't know anything about her so check to see if she's rated on TripAdvisor. http://www.charlestontoursandeventslc.com/index.html

 

I'll let others help you with Uber since I haven't bitten that bullet yet. :D

 

Hope some of this information helps.

Edited June 23, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ladysail2]

Thank you very much for all that information Steve. That gives me a lot to 'chew' on. I would love to see a plantation home. Maybe that would be the focus of my trip, besides the cruise!!

 

Thank you again!

 

Joyce. :D

[ChucktownSteve]

Thank you very much for all that information Steve. That gives me a lot to 'chew' on. I would love to see a plantation home. Maybe that would be the focus of my trip, besides the cruise!!

 

Thank you again!

 

Joyce. :D

 

Well then if you want to get the full plantation experience you might consider the combination of Middleton Place and the plantation owners in town home on the High Battery. Middleton Foundation also owns the Edmondston-Alston Museum House at 21 East Battery. http://www.edmondstonalston.com/

 

About 80 or 85% of the furnishings were original family owned and the house is kept period correct. That way you can get the full story from both perspectives. You can also see the effects of the Charleston earthquake of 1886 on the downtown house.

 

The house tour at Middleton place is actually in a remaining flanking house. The original house in the center and the other flanking house were destroyed during the Civil War I believe. Debris of those structures are still there. But they'll have to give you the accurate story. :D I'm just going from memory.

Edited June 23, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ladysail2]

ChucktownSteve...thanks to you I've planned a very nice pre-cruise vacation for myself!!

I'm staying in the Historic District on Meeting Street...taking the Middleton Place tour one day, and the day trip to Savannah the next day. I'll still have a day to explore the Historic district on my own.

Thank you for all the links and information. I know this isn't enough to see all of it...but it's a start and ya never know, I might be back.

 

Joyce :D

[ChucktownSteve]

ChucktownSteve...thanks to you I've planned a very nice pre-cruise vacation for myself!!

I'm staying in the Historic District on Meeting Street...taking the Middleton Place tour one day, and the day trip to Savannah the next day. I'll still have a day to explore the Historic district on my own.

Thank you for all the links and information. I know this isn't enough to see all of it...but it's a start and ya never know, I might be back.

 

Joyce :D

Have a GREAT time. Many Charleston visitors return regularly. Maybe you'll join their ranks.:cool:

[ladysail2]

Have a GREAT time. Many Charleston visitors return regularly. Maybe you'll join their ranks.:cool:

 

Maybe...it's certainly easy to get there!! :D

[waterbug123]

 

I'll let others help you with Uber since I haven't bitten that bullet yet. :D

 

 

We use Uber frequently. As far as I know it's app driven, meaning you need the app on your phone to summon a driver, and everything is built into the app; you can't just call a number and speak to a live person and request a driver.

 

How it works: You create an account and register a credit card number so payment is automatic to that card when you use Uber. When you open the app it shows you where potential Uber drivers are in the area and estimate how long you'll wait for a driver. You enter the address where you want to be picked up and the address where you want to be delivered. The Uber drivers in the area get an alert and one will accept your request. At that point, you'll get the individual driver's number and can call or text if there are any special instructions you need to give. You can follow along on the map to see where the driver is in relation to you so you know how close they are and can track their progress as they approach you.

 

Just curious: I can understand not wanting to use your phone on a cruise, but why wouldn't you keep it with you on pre- or post-cruise travel days? :confused:

[ladysail2]

We use Uber frequently. As far as I know it's app driven, meaning you need the app on your phone to summon a driver, and everything is built into the app; you can't just call a number and speak to a live person and request a driver.

 

How it works: You create an account and register a credit card number so payment is automatic to that card when you use Uber. When you open the app it shows you where potential Uber drivers are in the area and estimate how long you'll wait for a driver. You enter the address where you want to be picked up and the address where you want to be delivered. The Uber drivers in the area get an alert and one will accept your request. At that point, you'll get the individual driver's number and can call or text if there are any special instructions you need to give. You can follow along on the map to see where the driver is in relation to you so you know how close they are and can track their progress as they approach you.

 

Just curious: I can understand not wanting to use your phone on a cruise, but why wouldn't you keep it with you on pre- or post-cruise travel days? :confused:

 

Thank you for all the Uber information. It's still a hot-button topic here. I'm glad I know how it works now.

I do bring my phone with me...but being a Canadian phone..there are roaming charges in any foreign country so it's more for a true emergency than for daily use. My Canadian service provider teams up with AT&T...so I have service, but as long as I don't dial anything..nothing roams. I tend to keep it off to protect against accidental button pushing. I can buy a 30-day US plan..but I'm only in Charleston for 4 days, so it doesn't seem worth it.

 

:D

[TruckerDave]

a day trip to Savannah? You do know that depending on what day you do this is could be up to 3 hrs each way down there and back. Traffic at the SC/GA boarder backs up ALL the time on I95 and those 100 miles each way can feel like an eternity. But anyway enjoy our fine city as November will be a nice time of year, the temps will be a bit below blast furnace level. :D

[ladysail2]

a day trip to Savannah? You do know that depending on what day you do this is could be up to 3 hrs each way down there and back. Traffic at the SC/GA boarder backs up ALL the time on I95 and those 100 miles each way can feel like an eternity. But anyway enjoy our fine city as November will be a nice time of year, the temps will be a bit below blast furnace level. :D

 

The tour is with a tour group, so I'm sure they are familiar with all kinds of highway problems. The trip is on a Thursday. What the heck...have been through worse. I'm not going to miss the ship unless the trip takes more than 2 days....:p

[ChucktownSteve]

a day trip to Savannah? You do know that depending on what day you do this is could be up to 3 hrs each way down there and back. Traffic at the SC/GA boarder backs up ALL the time on I95 and those 100 miles each way can feel like an eternity. But anyway enjoy our fine city as November will be a nice time of year, the temps will be a bit below blast furnace level. :D

 

Wow, I'm sure glad I haven't driven I-95 when you did. I have never experienced the 1.5 hour trip taking twice as long. Is this a recent occurrence or has it been going on for years?

 

U.S. 17 from I-95 MM35 to Charleston is delightful compared to what it used to be.

 

I remember when it was only one lane each direction with an occasional passing zone. Now THAT was backed up all the time by one slow driver. Since the widening, it's absolutely wonderful. Two lanes each direction the whole way! OMG

Edited June 30, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ladysail2]

Wow, I'm sure glad I haven't driven I-95 when you did. I have never experienced the 1.5 hour trip taking twice as long. Is this a recent occurrence or has it been going on for years?

 

U.S. 17 from I-95 MM35 to Charleston is delightful compared to what it used to be.

 

I remember when it was only one lane each direction with an occasional passing zone. Now THAT was backed up all the time by one slow driver. Since the widening, it's absolutely wonderful. Two lanes each direction the whole way! OMG

 

I'll just hope for the best. I think that Trucker Dave meant that there is some sort of border back-up. Anything can happen that's for sure. I'll just hope that it's clear 'sailing' all the way, and back again...:D