Downtown Charleston during Christmas

I was EXTREMELY surprised by the lack of Christmas decorations within historical Charleston.  There were a lot of wreaths with red bows, but really not a lot of lights. Some businesses had Christmas trees in the windows, but again, there was really no “holiday feel” within Charleston.

When doing research, Charleston was one of the cities that came up to visit during Christmas Time. The city itself was very charming, and I loved exploring it during the day. But as soon as night fell, the city was dark with hardly any Christmas lighting to see. There were a few buildings here and there, but nothing that gave you that warm feeling of Christmas.

Speaking of “warming”….Charleston was very warm during our visit. High of 78 degrees during the day and at night it was cooler, but not really. I would definitely compare it to Miami weather – which is what we were trying to escape.

Overall our stay was very pleasant and fun, but if you are looking for that Christmas spirit, I would not recommend Charleston for that. Great city to visit, don’t get me wrong, but didn’t really have that Christmas vibe we wanted.

And like Ghost Hunters say – ON TO THE NEXT! (McAdenville, North Carolina)

Horse Stable - one of the only places with Christmas lights

Wreath with Red Bow Number 1

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Holiday Festival of Lights - James Island

Since the Holiday Pub Crawl didn’t work so well for us, our next Christmas Stop was James Island County Park which hosts the Holiday Festival of Lights. We went on night two of our two day excursion to Charleston.

It was very quaint. The entrance to the park was by FAR the best part of the lights in my opinion; however the other areas you get to drive through were nice as well. It is about 3 miles of driving you do around the park through different themed areas of lights. Taking pictures is really hard because of the darkness.  We were using Michael’s nice Nikon camera, but to be honest, taking pictures via the phone came out better (less blurry).

Once you drive through the lights you can park your car and enjoy the activities they have.  Most activities are kid oriented (Santa’s Lap, Carousel Ride, Rock Climbing etc), but if you are feeling giddy, it is enjoyable for adults as well.

They have a fire pit area where you can create smores (you can buy the kit or bring your own supply). They also have “carnie” food – big turkey legs, hot dogs, pretzels etc. 

The Enchanted Forest was neat because you could walk a path through the woods decorated with lights, huge Christmas trees, and dancing Christmas lights that blink to the beat of Christmas music. That was the most enjoyable for me because you were not being rushed by other cars behind you.

All in all the experience was nice!  There were a lot of families there, as well as older and younger people. Definitely a MUST if you plan on spending some time in Charleston during the Christmas season.

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Holiday Pub Crawl BUST

So I was hoping the Holiday Pub Crawl I mentioned earlier was going to be the kick off to our Christmas time celebration in Charleston – but I was completely wrong.  Well I wasn’t – the company falsely advertised the “Holiday” in  “Holiday Pub Crawl."

We were told that this “3^rd Annual Holiday Pub Crawl, Back by Popular Demand!” was going to include holiday themed cookies and treats, along with an altered tour to take us to more “Christmas Lit” areas in Charleston. They also indicated we would receive two appetizers at two of the pubs/bars we were going to visit, along with samples of local beers and drinks.

When I ordered the tickets ($30 per person = $60) the middle man ticket seller told me that the tickets were nonrefundable even if it rained. That should have been a red flag. But I was so excited based upon the description I read, and what the seller was telling me about the tour, that I purchased the tickets anyway.

When we got to the tour place to check in, Michael pointed out a highlighted note that said “It is illegal for our tour guides to buy you drinks at the bars,” which really says “No drinks are included on this tour.”  NO DRINKS INCLUDED? What kind of Pub Crawl is this anyway?? So that was upset #1.

• Upset #2 – I asked the lady at the front desk what was the “Holiday” for in “Holiday Pub Crawl.” She told me that it was because we would receive a FREE holiday drink recipe (which they found online) and some hot chocolate (Packets of Nestle Chocolate Powder).
• Upset#3 – Michael and I ate a light dinner at the Cru Café because we knew that we would be receiving appetizers at two of the 3-5 bars we would be visiting. We only received one appetizer, and it was pretty much loaded potatoes in nacho format (which we split among 6 people) – YUCK!
• Upset#4 – Although our tour guide (Ben) was extremely nice, and very knowledgeable about Charleston’s history, the actual history part of the tour was totally underwhelming. I do confess that the other people on the tour were not making it easy for the tour guide to truly talk about the history he had planned. So in this case I put the blame on the other people.  Although they were very nice, their main goal was to just go bar hopping, and not really learn anything.
• Upset#5 – We saw NO holiday lights whatsoever (as promised prior).

Needless to say this tour was a total FLOP! I think they totally took advantage of the Holiday aspect because they knew people like me were wanting a holiday feel during vacation in December.

In the end I felt like I just spent $60 to have fake friends to go drinking with…



Happy that the tour was almost over!



Exploring Charleston

Although this road trip was planned to explore the "Christmas-ness" of cities, Michael and I wanted to check out Charleston during the day.

Charleston has many great places to explore, as well as many great places to eat. And anyone who knows Michael and I, we love trying new eateries.

Great places to explore in Charleston:

· College of Charleston

· Kings Street (many great antique shops, as well as main stream shops)

· Battery Park

· Tradd Street (Beautiful Row Houses, plus the smallest house in South Carolina - Great to see by bike)

· Rainbow Row (Off of East Bay Street there is about 2 blocks of row houses painted in a rainbow like color scheme - very nice backdrop for pictures)

· North Market Street (Great bars along this area - however there is  an open air market that is VERY touristy, so don't be fooled by their "discounts")

· East Bay Street by North Market (Great bars)

Great Eateries and Bars:

· Cru Cafe 18 Pinckney Street (Amazing Fried Oyster Salad and Grilled Swordfish with Shrimp and Grits)

· Pearlz Oyster Bar 153 East Bay Street (You have to try the Oyster Shot – Raw Oyster, Pepper Vodka, cocktail Sauce with a squeeze of lemon – if you like that sort of thing)

· Patat Spot Friet & Falafel 41B George Street (Amazing French Fries with a variety of dipping sauces – everything is made to order!)

· Tommy Condon's Irish Pub 160 Church St (Great beer selection with a lot of local beers brewed right in Charleston)

· Freshberry Frozen Yogurt Café 39 George St. (Creamy yogurt goodness – that is all I have to say!)

· The Blind Tiger 38 Broad St. (Great atmosphere, rustic outside area – definitely brought me back to my college years! Did I mention $2.50 New Castles!)

· TONS MORE, but Michael and I only got to experience these.

Exploring Charleston on Bike

Mansions by Battery Park

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The Governor's House Inn - Charleston

So arriving into Charleston we went straight to our Bed and Breakfast to check in. It was called The Governor's House Inn located off of Broad Street (one of the major roads in the city). 

We stayed in the room called "St. Michael's" which overlooked St. Michael's church. Needless to say Charleston is filled with MANY churches, which is why it is called the holy city.

The room was very nice, and was located on the third floor. It was a trek, but well needed exercise considering we were sitting for almost 6 hours (would not recommend if you have problems climbing stairs).

The location of the B&B was fantastic - it was central to everything.

So here we go - the pros and cons of our experience at The Governor's House Inn:

Pros:

• Breakfast was good - they alternate one sweet/ one salty meal every other day. I do not like sweet breakfasts (bananas foster), but was able to choose an alternative meal.
• Cat named "New" - although this feline friend was 14 years old, he had spunk like a kitten. Slow moving, but extremely nice. He roamed the Inn like he owned it.
• "Free" Bikes - they lend bikes out for free to see the city. Amazingly comfortable cruisers, Michael and I were able to see many parts of the city. However, do not ride a bike down Kings Street - it is filled with many people on the sidewalks (a lot of shops) and traffic is not friendly toward bikers (learned the scary way).
• St. Michael's Bed - Either I was extremely tired at the end of the day, or that bed was just amazingly comfortable... I will go with the latter.
• Unlimited water bottles - Michael and I love water, and they supplied many bottles no questions asked. Not like hotels where they charge $12 per bottle.
• Location (as mentioned above)
• FREE Parking!

Cons

• Staff was a little disconnected. Although attentive - they were not the most "warm" individuals - well at least to us.
• No 24/7 coffee - Like water, Michael and I are addicted to coffee. They did not have 24/7 coffee like some B&Bs we have stayed at in the past. Out at 7:30am, taken away at 10:00am.
• Afternoon snacks were on a tight schedule as well - meaning out at 4:30pm, taken away at 5:30pm. You would think they would leave out the made daily snacks until all was eaten. Nope - not the case.
• Tacky - yes yes yes B&Bs are suppose to be homie with charm, and with a little mismatch here and there...but the actual common areas (not the bedrooms) were a little outdated and, well, just plain tacky. It lacked a warmth that I have felt at other places.



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Arriving in Charleston, South Carolina

Michael and I made it after 5.5 hours and 3 (maybe 4) pit stops along the way. The entrance to Charleston isn't very quaint, but once you cross the bridge to downtown historical Charleston you are sure to be delighted. Feels like you are going back in time - I compare it to Savannah, GA, only bigger.

We arrived at our awesome Bed and Breakfast which has a 12 foot Christmas tree at the foot of the staircase. I look forward to tonight's activities since that is when we are really going to see the Christmas side of Charleston.  We are having dinner at the Cru Cafe and then heading to a Holiday Pub Crawl to get a taste of the local taverns, stroll the streets decked out in Christmas gear, and of course hear about the history of Charleston.