Girls Gone South Part 2: Family Friendly Charleston, South Carolina

My mom, daughter and I visited Charleston for four days and we packed a lot into our multi-generational getaway. If you’re planning a trip to family friendly Charleston, read on to see my recommendations. As mentioned in Girls Gone South Part 1, we loved staying at the centrally located Embassy Suites Charleston hotel.

Here is a recap from our trip and my family friendly recommendations:

INDOOR FUN: The day we arrived was cold and rainy so our first stop was the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry which was a few blocks away from our hotel. Little kids really need some unscheduled time to run around on vacation and if you can’t be outdoors, a children’s museum is always a great option. The museum was large (yet uncrowded by New York standards for a rainy day) with several fun, interactive sections (a boat, a science area, a water area, an arts and crafts area, a castle, a mini-supermarket, etc.) to explore. If you ask my daughter, she will probably say this was her favorite part of our trip. Look for BOGO coupons in the visitor’s guide before you go.

GETTING AROUND: We stopped by the nearby Charleston Visitors Center to get some maps and finalize our plans and I found the staff very friendly and welcoming which was a nice change from our typical NYC days. Charleston boasts a free downtown trolley service called DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle) which has several routes connecting to most of Charleston’s attractions. This is a great resource for traveling families since adults don’t need to deal with directions or parking and kids will love riding the trolly. Once you get your bearings, it is very easy to navigate and I was so surprised by the nice, patient drivers. Another fun way to get around (especially at night) is by pedi-cab. Just have the restaurant call you one and within minutes, your chariot (and warm blanket) will whisk you right up to your hotel’s front door. Now that’s what I call Southern hospitality!

AQUARIUM FUN: The next day was still cool so we headed to the South Carolina Aquarium. My daughter is obsessed with dolphins and sea creatures so this was a big hit. The exhibits were very well done and there were several interactive displays, touch tanks and play areas. The floor-to-ceiling fish tanks towered over my daughter who ran from window to window checking out the pretty fish, sharks, turtles and other animals. The Madagascar Journey area was especially fun as children got a passport to stamp as they explored the exhibit. The aquarium is relatively small and easy to navigate in an hour or two making it a great option for families with small kids. Be sure to check out the famed Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge views from the lookout decks.

EXPLORE BY SEA: From there, it was a quick walk over to Charleston Harbor Tours where we boarded the Carolina Belle for a 90-minute narrated harbor tour. We sat in the windowed downstairs area because of the cold weather and there was plenty of room for my daughter to roam around. This is a great way to get your bearings as you sail by Charleston and famed attractions like Fort Sumter, USS Yorktown and the stately waterfront homes on the Battery. The sights are stunning but my daughter’s favorite part were several dolphin sightings along the way.

EXPLORE BY LAND: The weather warmed up a bit the next day and we opted for a sightseeing tour with Palmetto Carriage Works. This horse and carriage tour kept us entertained as our driver pointed out historic sights and described the area’s different neighborhoods. We shared our carriage with another family and their young son and the one-hour tour was just long enough without boring the kids who especially enjoyed learning about the horses.

EXPLORE BY FOOT: Charleston is a very easy place to explore by foot with several distinctive areas. We especially enjoyed strolling along the King Street shops, exploring around the City Market area (great for souvenirs) and checking out the Rainbow Row neighborhood. For a small city, Charleston has some amazing shopping with everything from small mom and pop stores, family friendly clothing stores, local art shops, jewelry stores and fancy shmancy boutiques. Kids will especially enjoy the many candy, cupcake and ice cream shops. My favorite finds were some Bourbon and Bowties bracelets, made by proud Southern hands!

CHECK OUR CHARLESTON’S FAMED PINEAPPLE FOUNTAIN: A trip to Charleston is not complete without a visit to the city’s famed Pineapple Fountain and I was so happy when the sunshine came out so we could make our way over to check it out.  Waterfront Park features several large family sized swings, grassy areas, scenic lookout points, waterfront paths and the gigantic Pineapple Fountain where tourists (and locals) are invited to wade. My daughter jumped right in and had a ball dancing around. If you like to take pictures on vacation, this is an awesome backdrop.

TAKE IN SOME HISTORY: The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon is a family friendly spot that showcases various aspects of Charleston history during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. Children and adults will enjoy the Provost Dungeon where docents lead you through its eerie confines with entertaining tales of pirates and patriots. My daughter was a little spooked by the dungeon so we spent most of our time upstairs “signing” the Declaration of Independence but older children will love it.

SAMPLE A CULINARY TOUR: Since my mom is a big foodie, I booked us on a Culinary Tour of Charleston with Bulldog Tours.  While this 2.5 hour tour is not recommended for children under 12, my 5-year old daughter has taken foodie tours in NYC so I figured she’d be ok (I also had crayons and a coloring book just in case).  Our guide was super informative and the many shops and restaurants we stopped in were all very accommodating to our group.  This was a great way to sample some of the area’s famous flavors including: stone ground grits, Charleston Benne Wafers, locally made chocolates, southern pralines, sweet tea, collard greens, Lowcountry barbeque, spices, teas and more. We all had a great time and I highly recommend this if you’re a foodie family.

GO BACK IN TIME: On our last day we visited the Joseph Manigault House.  I never know how much history a five-year old can handle but I was impressed how my daughter listened carefully to the tour guide.  It was fun to see her little brain churning as she saw the old fashioned toilets and children’s toys and she was genuinely interested in how families lived way back when. If our trip was longer, I would have added in a visit to one of the area’s famed Plantations.

VISIT AMERICA’S FIRST MUSEUM: Our last stop was the Charleston Museum conveniently located across the street from our hotel. The museum, founded in 1773, is relatively large with a very wide mix of historic artifacts (think Revolutionary and Civil War armory and uniforms, ancient Egypt, Rome and Greek art, dinosaur tracks, slavery badges and more), interactive exhibits, life sized animals and skeletons (and a gigantic whale bone frame) and an engaging kids section. My daughter insisted we all dress up in the hoop dresses and I loved watching her prance around like it was 1800-something. If you’ve got children in elementary or middle school, this is definitely a great spot to visit.

EAT, EAT, EAT: Charleston has a wide range of restaurants offering everything from Southern fare and Lowcountry barbecue to high-end dining and dive-diners.  We sampled several family-friendly restaurants and I was impressed with their kids menus (featuring Hush Puppies and Charleston history word searches) and staff. Some of my favorites were Magnolias (Southern fare), Peninsula Grill (Fancy with must have Coconut Cake), Virginia’s on King (Southern comfort food), Fleet Landing (classic seafood favorites with a view), Fish (innovative, high end seafood) and Dixie Supply Bakery & Cafe (casual Southern fare for breakfast and lunch).

Want to see more? Check out this video:

NOTE: We visited in November. If you’re planning to visit during spring/summer be sure to check out the area’s family friendly beaches.

Bon voyage!

Special thanks to the Charleston Area CVB for providing us with a VIP Pass to explore Charleston. As always, all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!