budget,  travel

Charleston, SC: Trip Planning: How To Steps

September 23, 2020 /

I have talked more in depth about how to plan a trip on a budget and how to find lodging and food to fit your budget. I thought it would be nice to share the actual process with our upcoming trip to Charleston, SC. Here are my how to steps:

  1. Choose destination and length of trip
  2. Book lodging
  3. Brainstorm activities to do
  4. Scope out restaurants and food possibilities
  5. Pack!

Since this would make for a lengthy post, I divided it in two parts. Today I am sharing the first 3 steps.

Choose destination and length of trip

The boys have a school break in October (4 days over a weekend) and as we were discussing our upcoming trip to the beach for Thanksgiving, we decided we could use a vacation before then. It is nice to get away and spend some quality time with each other away from work stressors or other  day to day stressors. We originally had thought about New Orleans but decided we didn’t want to drive that far. My first thought was Savannah, GA and my husband’s was Charleston, SC. They are both southern coastal town full of charm and history and both around are close to 5 hours from our house. We settled on Charleston since we had not been in years (last time I think we had only one child). In choosing a location we thought about:

  • distance
  • activities
  • history
  • weather

We don’t mind a 5 and half hour drive so the distance was fine. There is a lot to do outdoors in Charleston (a plus during this time), food is delicious and there is a lot of history to learn. The weather should be similar to ours. We are also familiar with the city having traveled there a couple of times.

cars parked in front of white and red concrete building during daytime
Source: Unsplash by Cameron Stewart

Book lodging

When choosing a lodging for a shorter trip and somewhat last minute planned trip, lodging budget is paramount and you can’t beat free! We often times stay in hotels for less than a week vacation and this 3 night trip fits the bill. Free? As I have mentioned in the past, my husband travels most weeks for work and his hotel credit card points accumulate quickly. What that means for us is that we can book our hotel rooms using these points so that we do not have to pay. That includes our breakfast. That allows us to vacation more often as lodging can get quite expensive. Having free breakfast is also very helpful as there is less need for snacking in the morning and feeding 4 children get expensive!

We chose a hotel in the historic distric so that we can be in walking distance to restaurants, the visitor’s center, pretty walks and the market. We are really looking forward to a break in our routine (even with having had a week vacation in July).

Find Activities to Do

Once lodging is booked, making a trip a reality, I usually start a list of possible free/cheap activities we can do as a family. Our children range from almost 3 to 12 so we take that into account. I first google activities using different key words in my search:

  • cheap things to do in Charleston
  • free things to do in Charleston
  • fun things for children in Charleston
  • outdoor activities in or around Charleston.
green wooden door with green wreath
Source: Unsplash by Kelsey Schisler

I also usually look at the top ten things to do in TripAdvisor. Now in this case I ended up with only checking out one great website because it had such an extensive list that I didn’t need any more inspiration: www.travelerofcharleston.com

Here is the list I came up with:

  • day trip to Wadmalaw Island: Angel Oak tree (canopy spans 17,000 square feet), Deep Water Vineyards, Firefly distillery, Charleston Tea plantation
  • City hall (1800s)
  • Fort Moultrie
  • City Market
  • Magnolia Cemetery
  • Town of Summerville
  • Riverfront and Waterfront park
  • Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site ($2) which is an archeological site
  • South Carolina Palmetto trail
  • Art walks
  • Saturday Charleston Farmers Market
  • Walk the battery
  • Arthur Ravenel bridge
  • Charles Pinckeny National Historic Site
  • Rainbow row
  • Folley Beach
  • North Charleston Fire Museum ($6)
  • Morris Island Lighthouse

I don’t think we will be running out of things to do and I will have to narrow the list quite a bit. My top picks right now are Wadmalaw Island, Rainbow Row and the Battery, visiting the city market and the farmer’s market, visiting Magnolia Cemetery and the town of Summerville and visiting the archeological site. I may need a schedule!

Join me again next Wednesday where I will share my ideas/suggestions for meals and restaurants as well as my packing list.

A bientôt!

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41 Comments

  • Debbie-Dabble

    September 23, 2020 at 7:47 am

    I have always wanted to go to Charleston but I would have to go in the Winter because the heat would do my in…Thanks for sharing your suggestions…
    Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and for letting me know that you did by leaving a comment!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  • Biana

    September 23, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    Charleston is one of my favorite destinations – I’ve been 3 times now! Next time we’ll probably make it more of a beach trip since we’ve seen everything else LOL! But the food is the best!

    • mimifce

      September 23, 2020 at 8:42 pm

      Yes! We haven’t been in quite a few years so it will all feel kind of new but we do want to go by the water for at least a few hours. I do remember the food as being really tasty. Next week, I am sharing the restaurants we plan to try.

  • Shea

    September 23, 2020 at 6:43 pm

    Travel can sometimes overwhelm me so I appreciate how you broke it down here! I hope you have a great time on your trip! I’ve never been to Charleston but it is a place I’ve always wanted to visit.

    • mimifce

      September 23, 2020 at 8:38 pm

      I am definitely a planner and feel better when I think ahead. I just have to make sure to remember it is a vacation and be flexible.

  • Michelle

    September 23, 2020 at 6:56 pm

    I have never been to SC, but it sounds like a fun place to visit. That’s wonderful about your husband’s hotel points, making your accommodations free. My husband and I can fly standby for free on American Airlines as one of the perks of my husband having been a pilot for American. Right now we wouldn’t consider getting in a crowded plane though.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    • mimifce

      September 23, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      We are definitely sticking to car riding right now and when we travel we have been really good at finding outdoor things to do! It is nice to get away.

  • Himawan Sant

    September 23, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    Good travel planning and arrangement, well coordinated, friends.
    This guide is also helpful for destinations to locations other than Charleston.

    Have a nice week.
    Greetings from Indonesia.

  • Penny

    September 24, 2020 at 3:21 am

    What a great post which brought back memories of our trip to Charleston. Yes, in 1999 we had a huge adventure taking the train from Palm Springs to Philadelphia. Going by train is an interesting thing to do on a first trip to the States – we met so many people who were willing to take time and chat with the two Brits! We broke the journey in two places: Charleston and Washington. Both were wonderful in their own way. I especially loved the architecture. Charleston is beautiful – we loved our stay there and I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

  • Gail

    September 24, 2020 at 11:22 am

    Wow sounds like you have a great trip planned! I have never been to SC, I counted up that I have been to 11 states but most of my visits were for business so never got much chance to tour the sights. Is the Charleston dance anything to do with the town?

    • mimifce

      September 25, 2020 at 10:22 am

      I am sorry you had to cancel your trip. I can wait to photograph some of the houses and architecture. Need to bring my real camera!

  • Grace

    September 24, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    This sounds like such a fun trip! I’ve never been to Charleston but would love to go someday, and I can’t wait to get back to traveling (and start planning my own trips, based off your tips!). That really is such a perk that your husband gets so many hotel points. Can’t wait to read part 2!

    Miles of smiles,
    Grace

    gracefulrags.com

    • mimifce

      September 25, 2020 at 10:21 am

      Yes, I was surprised at how many he gets a year but he usually does travel every week so they add up. This year he mostly just gave the points away by booking rooms from friends!

  • Shelbee on the Edge

    September 27, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    Mireille, this is so great! I love that you get most of your lodging for free! Who doesn’t like free? It is the lodging that really is the biggest expense and it stops us from doing anything more than day trips. But we have the benefit of being military and can get free admission to many tourist attractions which saves a ton! I think finding things that are inexpensive or free really makes a huge difference! Thanks for sharing and linking up.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • mimifce

      September 27, 2020 at 8:48 pm

      Yes! I think we all can find ways to do things: it might not be what others can do but there is something for all of us according to our budgets. Like this vacation: I know we will spend more than we would at the beach on food since we will be eating out 2 meals a day but it works out because we won’t pay for lodging and breakfast. At the beach we will pay for lodging but food won’t be much because we will eat our meals at the condo.

  • indah nuria

    September 27, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    I remember visiting beautiful Charleston back in 2015. I miss this wonderful town! Thank you for all the tips and I choose this article to be featured in #OMHGWW. Cheers..

    • mimifce

      September 28, 2020 at 10:09 am

      Thank you, Indah! The nice thing is that I just realized today we had an extra day of vacation! It is a very beautiful town.