Although Charleston is mostly regarded as a historical city, it can also provide the perfect backdrop for a romantic getaway. You just have to time everything right and be prepared to spend a little bit of money. But overall, Charleston is worth every penny.
Before you make the trip to Charleston, make sure you get into town at the right time. Downtown Charleston is full of narrow roads that don’t offer a lot of parking. If you try to find a place on the side of the road and it’s during the high point of the tourist season, you’ll find yourself walking for endless minutes to wherever you want to be.
The best thing you can do so that you spend more time enjoying a walk rather than dreading it is to head straight for the parking garage closest to the hotel you’ll be staying in. There’s always room in them if you get there right before lunchtime.
Also, plan your longer walks around the night time if you go to Myrtle Beach during the summer. Charleston not only gets hot, it gets incredibly humid. In August, you can almost predict the thunderstorms to hit every day between 3pm and 6p.m. Bring an umbrella and stay hydrated.
That being said, downtown Charleston seems to be rivaling the “for lovers” slogan that the state of Virginia uses to advertise its soft spots. My favorite part of Charleston is the selection of quality restaurants downtown. There is plenty of fine dining to be had between East Bay Street and the famous Market Street.
The Peninsula Grill, already famous for it’s 7-layer coconut cake ($100 + shipping if you want it delivered to your house), gives you an extra-detailed wait staff, quiet lighting, and complicated meals like cornmeal dusted North Carolina Mountain Trout (currently priced at $30). The best feature of the grill is that cell phones are absolutely forbidden to be heard and used inside the restaurant, therefore preserving the romantic atmosphere as you dine.
Another good restaurant down the road is A.W. Shucks. My wife and I went there for Valentine’s Day and enjoyed every bit of food they had to offer. The theme is seafood on the menu, but even if you aren’t a big fan of seafood, you can still order quality steaks. The prices at A.W.Shucks are reasonable and you always get more than you ask for when it comes to servings. A.W. Shucks is a little busier than Peninsula Grill, but there is plenty of space in the mostly wooden restaurant for you to carry on a quiet conversation.
There are other even higher-end restaurants such as 225 or Rue de Jean, but being a military man I’ve never had the money to dine at those places.
Once you’re done enjoying the fine dining of Charleston, make sure you take a carriage ride around the town. Its quiet an experience since not many cities offer them anymore. Carriage rides last almost an hour, they cover 2 ½ miles of the beautiful downtown scenery. On the rides you’ll be pointed out to some great landmarks like the Charleston Battery, historic homes and the 4 huge churches that gave Charleston the nickname “The Holy City”. The ride is between 19 and 25 bucks per person, depending on if you buy tickets on the internet or at the tour spot.
Once you’re done eating and riding and feel like you’re in the mood for nightlife entertainment, I recommend The Brick. It’s a quieter, laid back type of bar that sits along East Bay Street. It offers great views of passers-by as well as potent and flavorful Martinis. If you go on certain nights, there’s often an acoustic act playing at The Brick, providing perfect entertainment for your shaken and not stirred Martini.
If you’re ever in the South Carolina-North Carolina area and you want to get away with your special person, consider Charleston. It’s at the end of I-26, so getting there takes no time at all!
