It’s a 2 hour flight going south, and 1½ going north to New York. At US Airways at Laguardia airport, use the shuttle entrance to get a better shot at carry-on luggage because they are more lenient with shuttle passengers. Taxi ride into town is $25 and half an hour. A few hours walk around is all you need, but we did it several times and enjoyed it each time. Wentworth Mansion remains a very nice place to stay; rooms feature working fire places and we had a sun room annex. In fact, there was a small fire in our hotel early Saturday morning; someone left their ottoman chair too close to the fire place. I even liked their pillows! Bring your own slippers. Its restaurant, Circa 1886, was excellent on the starters and main (had great vege soups) but its deserts were not so great. Planters Inn is a Relais Chateaux property in dead center; the Wentworth requires a 10 minute walk into town. Charleston Place hotel is a zoo in the center of town and worth avoiding but its restaurant Charleston Grill is good and has good deserts. Another charming place is Two Meeting Street Inn, but you need to book it far in advance, and it is also a walk away from center of town. Original Charleston walking tours is on Broad Street near Meeting Street and has good walking tours. We took the City Tour and the Historical Homes tour; the homes tour is a good buy because the tickets alone cost as much as the tour. Old-South gives 1 hour carriage tours with horse and buggy in the historical district; their tour guides seem to be well qualified. These tours go all the time; pick them up along Market Street in city center. In the historical district, there are less than 100 people below age 18; it is for adults only and very pretty but pricey to live. Shopping is interesting, as there are a good number of independent stores in Charleston besides the usual chain stores. Late Saturday night we went on a Jailhouse Ghost Tour to an abandoned jail; with the hail and lightning overhead it was quite spooky. Sunday featured a 90 minute visit to Middleton Plantation with pretty home and gardens; it is a 30 minute ride from city center. Take along a Travel Scrabble for use in airports and on Saturdays. We certainly used it when our returning flight was delayed for 2 hours due to air traffic control delays over New York.
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April 15, 2024
