Hilton Head & surrounding area (Charleston, SC)

Upon arriving in Charleston, SC we headed straight for the Visitors Center to check out the brochures, coupons and available tours.

We decided on a 90 minute Historic District tour which included main points of interests including a replica of the Hunley, Rainbow Row, The Citadel military school, River Street and much more. This tour with Adventure Sightseeing was extremely informative and interesting. This tour company also allows you unlimited on/off privileges on their routes and even gave us a schedule so that we could tell how long the buses ran for each route.

We got off the tour bus at City Market where everything from hand woven baskets to jewelry was being sold.

After a day of touring and shopping we decided to have dinner at Hyman's Seafood. Throughout the day we kept hearing that they had the best seafood and that they'd been voted the #1 seafood restaurant in Charleston by Southern Living magazine. When we arrived, there was a line outside but it was definitely worth the weight . . . I mean wait :-).

Quick Tips:

Be sure to stop at the Visitor's Center. There you can pick up a tour or browse brochures for extremely helpful information in planning your day. They also have coupons available.

Best Way To Get Around:

If touring the city, it's best to go with a tour company that offers unlimited on/off privileges. That way you can park your car at the Visitor's Center. There is a fee to park at the Visitor's Center, but depending on when you go, it's worth it because parking can be scarce.

Throughout our day in Charleston we kept hearing about Hyman's Seafood. That they'd been voted the #1 Seafood restaurant in Charleston by Southern Living magazine. Also the restaurant is only a few blocks from City Market so we decided to change our dinner plans and walk to Hyman's. We were all glad that we did.

When we arrived there was a line outside, but we decided to wait. While waiting we were served hot hush puppies and there was a video playing showing how they made various dishes. This in addition to a copy of the menu gave us an idea of what to expect. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very casual and the food EXCELLENT. You can pick your fish and its preparation. Decided to go with a combo for two and ordered their signature fried flounder, buffalo shrimp, fried shrimp, scallops, and calamari. This combo was only $28!

The seafood was extremely fresh and the portions generous. This was definitely a place we want to return to.

City Market is an open market under roofs of adjacent open buildings. Local artists sell everything from handpainted tiles to T-shirts. You can buy jewelry, candy, spices, etc. On either side of the Market are buildings that contain small shops. There's even a Harley store. The vendors start closing up around 6pm so come early.

By the time we arrived in Charleston, we'd done quite a few tours, but this was by far the best. We decided to go with Adventure Sightseeing, which also offers unlimited on/off privileges as long as their buses are running. We were even given a schedule of their different routes and how long the buses run on each route.

Our tour guide, although originally from Texas, was extremely informative. Our tour covered many sights including the downtown Historic District, City Market, the Hunley replica, historic homes, war stories, beautiful parks, the Citadel military school, and more. Be sure to check out their website noted above for more tour info and prices.