lodging, dining, attractions recommendations

We have a second trip to Kiawah Island %26amp; Charleston in as many years. Looking for lodging, dining, attractions recommendations for our 1-2 days in Charleston in July. Stayed at Best Western King Charles Inn last time...really liked the location and we weren%26#39;t in the room very much. Recommendations??? I%26#39;ve had great success bidding on hotels on PriceLine. Anyone with experience bidding on PriceLine for Charleston hotels???

Ate diner at Hyman%26#39;s mainly due to the convenient location and I%26#39;d rate it was 2.5 to 3 out of 5. Want to try restaurant specializing in seafood/Low Country cuisine. Hominy???

Our son is now 9 and he would like to visit the Aquarium again. We went to see the Hunley and the USS Yorktown on our last visit. Fort Sumter is on our list. From what I%26#39;ve read, we%26#39;ll probably go to Middleton (and also eat lunch in the restaurant) over Magnolia, Dreyton, or any of the others.

How%26#39;s the renovation to Charles Towne Landing progressing? We went to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown last summer in advance of son%26#39;s studying Colonial America in school. Will a trip there be worth it?

THANKS!

lodging, dining, attractions recommendations

Did you do the carriage rides?? I really think that is well worth the money. It is rich in history and very interesting no matter what age group. We mostly stay at the Embassy Suites.. b/c of the excellent staff, great free breakfast, and money saving evening free drinks. We have also stayed the Indigo Inn..which is one block over from the market. VERY nice..and friendly staff. The also have morning pasteries.etc.. and a wine and chesse tasting in the pm. There is a courtyard in the middle of the hotel/inn.. with trees and birds and fountain. We went there for a getaway.. and we loved it. Good luck!

BTW ~ I did the priceline thing 3 times for charleston.. and ended up at 3 different places. All 3 were ok... with the exception of the Holiday Inn on the river. Yuck! The other 2 were Springhill Suites...across the river and Marriott.. which had a nice view of the river.

lodging, dining, attractions recommendations

Hiya.

Well, I can%26#39;t say much about the hotel situation, since I

never need to stay at one here. ;-)

As for Restaurants, I would recommend Tommy Condon%26#39;s

if you are looking for some awesome Shrimp and Grits.

It%26#39;s downtown just off the market (State St, I think).

There are, of course, dozens of good seafood restaurants

here, but we like Captain D%26#39;s the best. Okay, that was just a joke. But The Wreck is a good place - very casual, not cheap, but the food is good. Also, the Charleston Crab Shack (4 locations) is a good place to eat some good seafood. Locklear%26#39;s is good.

Funny, I live less than a mile from Charles Towne Landing, and

have no idea how the renovations are coming. I don%26#39;t think that they%26#39;re very deep into it yet.

I know this doesn%26#39;t help much, but perhaps it will get some

other posters to reply.

Enjoy your stay!

Wow, as low as this forum is, I can%26#39;t believe someone posted

at the exact same time as me.

Puppydogeyes - I agree with you on the carriage rides. They

are a lot of fun and you get to see the city at a nice pace. And, if you%26#39;re lucky, your horse (or donkey or burro) will

award you with the pleasant memory of the aroma of his or

her lunch. ;-)

Regarding Colonial Williamsburg: I%26#39;d think your son would love it here. Lots to see and do and participate in hands-on history. Marches of the Fife and Drum Corps most days in summer and the living history museums of Jamestown and Yorktown within 15 miles of Williamsburg.

All in all a great family vacation.

Thanks all for your posts re: Charleston. Since we did a self-guided walking tour last trip (with the help of Fodor%26#39;s), for our stay in Charleston, so we%26#39;ll probably try a carriage ride.

I%26#39;m still wondering about...

1. Which plantation to visit - probably Middleton over Magnolia?

2. the completion date of the rennovations at Charles Towne Landing. Again, we went to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown last summer and Charles Towne Landing might fall short by comparison. I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s worth adding to our itinerary.

Welll....I did this once and it didn%26#39;t post so I%26#39;ll try again! :o)

We were just down in February and love the area so much.

If you%26#39;re looking for inexpensive but clean and nice, try the Andrew Pinckney Inn. Right downtown. Read the posts here though and ask for your room carefully. We had the one on the side street and it was very noisy. More expensive but really nice is the Vendue and their breakfast buffet is to die for! Best sausage gravy and biscuits!

For dining, try Hank%26#39;s for seafood. Hubby said his food was great! I am not a seafooder and had a chicken dish and it was awesome! Looks very pretentious when you first walk in, but it really isn%26#39;t. The locals love it and they should know! A gentleman we met there also recommended High Cotton and that is on our list for next time. For quick and easy lunch/dinner I would go to Wild Wing Cafe. Fun and easy on the wallet. They even do a wing buffet at lunch that your son would probably love. Really cold beer too! Jestine%26#39;s was terrible! I had so looked forward to going there and not only was the food bad (overcooked and dried out chicken....and no they wouldnt%26#39; do anything about it) the owner was just a rude, snotty *fill in the blank*.

Definitely do a carriage ride just so you can see the architecture and gardens from a different perspective.

For tours, the Ghosts and Graveyards was okay but.....we met a really super guy named Walter who gave us a tour that was unreal! He hangs out at the slave market at the building farthest in from the river. The building with the black gate across the public entrance. He will take you places that you can%26#39;t see on any of the tours because of who he knows in town. Pay him well! He is really worth it.

Middleton is amazing. The beauty and history make it a must see. We didn%26#39;t even bother with the flanker house because the other buildings and gardens were so great. Wait till you see the ***BIG*** tree on the grounds! Didn%26#39;t hear anything good about the food there.

Make sure you make time to go to the pier in the afternoon and watch the dolphins too. Great way to spend an hour or so.

Have fun and enjoy!!!!