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Parks and Recreation in Charleston

Running short of cash on your trip to Charleston?  Don’t sweat it!   The Parks and Recreation of both the City of Charleston and Charleston County have lots of inexpenive entertainment and recreation options for you and your family.  For starters, the beaches are some of the best anywhere!  You may not have thought about it but Biking in Charleston is awesome.

Find out more about the Parks and Recreation Dept. of the City of Charleston  or the Charleston County Parks and Recreation

City of Charleston Recreation now has online registration – www.charleston-sc.gov/dept/content.aspx?nid=2277 or https://rectrac.charleston-sc.gov/
Includes programs, activities and athletics as well as reserve various facilities. Payments can be made online, too.

Parks of Charleston County also has online registration/ticketing.  You need an Account to register for courses or purchase membership passes or event tickets.  Click here to get started.

Click her to purchase advance tickets for Charleston County Parks including parking for Beachwalker Park, Folly Beach County Park (currently closed), Isle of Palms Park, James Island  Park, Palmetto Island Park, and Wannamaker Park as well as Caw Caw Interpretive Center.   The last time I looked the parking was $6 a car and the Caw Caw was .75 a ticket.  Pretty reasonable, huh?

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Five Star Alliance.com names ‘Charleston Place’ as a Top 20 Luxury Hotel & Restaurant

Charleston Place is named #5 among Top 20 Luxury Hotel and Restaurants Worldwide.  Congratulations to the Charleston Place!

‘In the final days of 2011, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 20 Luxury Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, as decided by our guests.

In the #5 spot we have Charleston Place, located in the heart of Charleston’s historic downtown.’

Read on…http://www.fivestaralliance.com/charleston-sc/the-top-20-hotels-in-2011-5-charleston-place

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U.S. News and Reports’ Travel Guide names Charleston as the 8th ‘Best Honeymoon Destinations in the U.S.’

U.S. News and Reports’s Travel Guide says,

‘Now that the wedding is out of the way, you and your partner can focus on your new life together, starting with an oh-so-romantic honeymoon. To help you kick-start your marriage (without the added stress of international travel), we’ve gathered together a list of the best honeymoon destinations found within our own borders. All of these places offer a little something special to make your trip as unique as the love you share.’

Sixteen cities were cited including these cities that ranked lower than Charleston…

  • Santa Barbara
  • Lanai
  • Lake Tahoe
  • Martha’s Vineyard
  • Vail
  • Cape Cod
  • Nantucket
  • Stowe, Vt.

As for Charleston the article said…

‘Why Go: Start your marriage off with a taste of authentic Hollywood romance (Gone with the Wind-style) in Charleston. This low-key South Carolina city pours on the Southern charm like gravy on biscuits: Gas lamp-lined cobblestone streets and antebellum architecture set the scene, while gourmet cuisine followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride will set the mood.’

Read the article to find out what seven cities ranked higher than Charleston and to find out what they say are the ‘Top Things to Do in Charleston’.

http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Honeymoon_Destinations_in_the_US/

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Charleston named the No. 1 Tourist Destination

On Monday, October 10th, Conde Nast Traveler announced their 2011 Readers’ Choice Award winners.   Charleston is almost always in the top ten for the most popular tourist destination in America but for the first time ever Charleston was the top vote getter.   Last year Charleston was no. 2.  This year San Francisco is no. 2.

Charleston’s ‘The French Quarter Inn’ was named the 15th most popular hotel in the United States.  Charleston Place was the 30th most popular.  The top 200 were listed.  Other popular Charleston hotels include:

  • No. 52 – Planters Inn
  • No. 62 (tied) Market Pavilion Hotel

John Rutledge House Inn earned the 16th spot in the Small Hotels category immediately followed by Wentworth Mansion and later Planters Inn, Charleston.

Kiawah Island was another big winner.  It was listed as the 3rd most popular Island destination.   Hilton Head was also in the top 10.

Sanctuary at Kiawah Island was named in the Top 50 of the Top 100 travel experiences in the WORLD and in the top 10 of Resorts in Mainland U.S.A.

Other Resorts mentioned include:

  • Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, S.C.
  • Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, S.C.
  • Litchfield Plantion, Pawley’s Island, S.C

Read he rest of the article – http://www.concierge.com/images/cnt/pdf/2011-Readers-Choice-Awards.pdf

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Ask the Locals

AARP magazine has a useful article on traveling to a new town.  Its advice: ‘Talk to the Locals’ to find out more about the city AND about its people.  Seek out and talk to some of the following:

  • Firefighters
  • Hotel Chefs
  • Taxi Drivers
  • Maids
  • and others.

Read the article to learn more!