I have been offering Charleston walking tours for over 40 years and I recall Charleston being marketed as “America’s Best Kept Secret “ in the 1980s. Today, Charleston is a leading sightseeing destination both nationally and worldwide. Like many leading vacation destinations. Charleston has become expensive. to visit. The city places limitations on hotels and how many rooms can be placed. has made it so that prices downtown can run. can rival London. and Paris. Many people love to come to Charleston. time and time again. It surprises me how often I have people on my tours who have been here numerous times but have never taken a walking tour. I also encountered the Charleston visitor. who tells me it’s been on their bucket list to visit for a long time. If Charleston’s on your bucket list. and you don’t feel you can afford to stay downtown., Or if this is your 4th time in town, I am going to share with you how to visit Charleston on the cheap.. I am very local and I’m going to fill you in. So today, as a long-time travel planner, I’m going to give you some hints on visiting Charleston on the cheap.
Iif you want to visit Charleston on the cheap. An excellent time to visit is August or September. It’s hurricane season and the conventions aren’t here, so they’re not taking up all the hotel rooms. Hotels have deals on rooms, and they’re just naturally cheaper. September is a beautiful time to visit Charleston. Another good time to visit is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s a mild winter here and Charleston is not a city that advertises itself as a Christmas destination. Nonetheless, the city is beautiful during the Holidays. Christmas shopping on King Street is fabulous during the holidays. May is another good month to visit. Because of graduations, many people are at home for that, creating a lull between the high spring season and the summer. No matter what time you choose to travel, proper planning can save you many hundreds, even thousands, of dollars and still provide an authentic tour of Charleston and surrounding areas,
My suggestion is that if you’re planning six weeks out you arrange the rental car now. You may not need it every day. Using my strategies. you can Uber. downtown. for $12 – $20 You will need the car on the days you tour Charleston. attractions outside of the city. More on that in the next installment.
As for your hotel, I’ve got three words: Saul White Blvd.
Located at Exit 213 on I 26, these hotels are typically found in searches for Tanger Outlet or Coliseum lodging. Three hotels with ratings greater than 4.1 typically price between $55 and $100. I recommend them because I live in a community directly behind them and I walk my dog through the parking lot. These hotels do not rent to locals and have corporate weekly rentals only, so it’s all very clean and respectable.–no transients, drug dealing, or late-night activity. None of these hotels offer free breakfast but there is a Waffle House adjacent and what could be more authentic, American, and Southern than Waffle House? Free parking is offered as well.
If you want luxury hotel amenities. The Embassy Suites Airport, which is the hotel for the Convention Center, was offering two nights at $366, but adding a third night the price fell to $278 – or $96 per night, an incredible deal, in my humble opinion. If you want to combine outlet shopping or concert attendance and Charleston sightseeing and walking tours, this location is ideal.
Tanger area lodging is six miles and 14 minutes driving to the Charleston Visitors Center on Meeting Street, where you can leave your car, or exit your Uber. and get information on things to see and do in Charleston. Charleston tours can be arranged there, and bus tours of the Charleston Historic District and the Sea Islands depart from the bus shed. Attractions such as the Charleston Museum and historic house museums are nearby. Tour historic Charleston Museum houses like the Joseph Manigault House (1803) and the Aiken-Rhett House Museum (1826) just steps away from the Visitor Center. Go further downtown by using the DASH bus, free of charge, to maneuver the Charleston Historic District.
When I travel I like to find restaurants or food that I can’t find at home. In the Tanger outlet, there is. Istanbul Shish Kebab Restaurant has wonderful Mediterranean and Turkish food. For some, that may sound way too exotic. but trust me. It’s delicious meat. If you like meat, you’re going to like it. There are Vegan options also. Within a mile of Tanger lodgings is Pollo Loco, a Peruvian restaurant specializing in delicious Peruvian roasted chicken. Also within a mile is Taleo Latin fusion. featuring food from Guatemala and Honduras. And as any world traveler knows., quite often the most authentic food is found in the suburbs where the real people live. So find you some real soul food at. My Three Sons on Dorchester Road, or Nigel’s Good Food, “Food for the Soul” on Ashley Phosphate Road, and also on Hwy 78 in Ladson. I have found excellent meals and service at each of these Charleston dining establishments, Remember Charleston on the Cheap? All of these restaurants average dinner prices between $12 and $25.
Before I close out I want to relate to you my recent lunch at Nigel’s Good Food. I walked in at lunchtime At the Ladson location. and saw that they had several lunch specials at $8. I was late enough that all that was left was the pork chop. I’ve even eaten so many meals in soul food restaurants that I’ve never ordered a pork chop. After all, I can make that At home and I am no big fan of pork chops. Still, I ordered it because it was an $8 lunch. When was the last time you had lunch for $8? My side dishes. were. collard greens and fried Yellow squash. It was the best pork chop I’ve had in my entire life, thick, boneless, and perfectly fried. I will never snub a lowly pork chop again!
