I find it hard to believe nobody has asked anything about Charleston. I've lived here my whole life, so if anyone has any questions about the area, feel free to ask anything you want.

Yes! My family and I will be visiting Charleston in the next couple of weeks. Is there an area that is more reasonably priced and family oriented to stay rather than the historic district?

If you like hillbillies in tuxedos, Charleston should be perfect for you. The so-called Lowcountry is an expense account waiting to explode. Don't get me wrong there isn't anything better or worse than any other town. It's just that businesspeople here think you owe them a living, and they charge for the high life.

The Charleston area is a wonderful destination for familes, for a guys or girls getaway. I'm not sure what Truthbeknown is talking about.
I've lived in the Charleston for 13 years, having moved here from New England.

Is Charleston expensive to vacation? Well it depends where you are visiting from. It is a travel destination city - always ranked in Conde Nast's Top 10 American Cities.
Charleston is beautiful beaches, a myriad of golf courses, historical plantations, parks, museums and a very culinary oriented scene too!

Cost is going to depend on where you want to stay and during what time of year. Tourist Season; or as we well-mannered Charlestonians call it, Visitor Season; is May through Labor Day.

It will also vary on where you stay. It is costlier to stay in downtown Charleston and private beach communities such as Kiawah, Seabrook and Wild Dunes. There are plenty of hotels, inns along with bed & breakfasts downtown.

Hotels in beach communities can be found on Isle of Palms and Folly Beach along with inside Kiawah. There are many hotels in Mount Pleasant (the mainland to Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island)and in the West Ashley area of Charleston.

Depending upon the size of your traveling group - a large beach house on Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, Kiawah or Folly Beach can comfortably accommodate from a family of 4 to multiple familes with sleeping for up to 18 people.

Museums & family activites abound in Charleston. From the interactive Children's Museum, The South Carolina Aquarium, the Charleston Museum (the oldest museum in the US) to informative carriage rides through the historic district - you can easily take up a day and a half exploring downtown.

Spend some more time exploring Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. Check out Old Charlestown Landing park in the West Ashley area of Charleston where the city was originally established on the Ashley River.

Take a harbor tour and explore Fort Sumter (where the shots were fired upon from Sullivans Island). You'll also see the Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown - a decommissioned WWII era aircraft carrier and home of the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum. You'll pass by the historic homes along downtown Charleston's picturesque battery.

Explore some of Charleston's plantations - Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant, Drayton Hall and Middleton Plantation on the Ashley River in the West Ashley section of Charleston. Informative and beautiful. Boone Hall has done extensive archeological work on the still standing slave cabins.

The beaches are clean and protected by dunes - it is not overbuilt like Myrtle Beach. Soft yellow/white sand and lots of seashells! There is not fee to go on the beach as there is in Delaware, New Jersey and many areas of the northeastern US.

Local seafood is king - this is shrimp and oyster country! Ask a local where to go for seafood, concierges sometimes get 'rewards' from visitor-oriented restaurants downtown - some of these places use frozen seafood and are known as tourist-traps.

Fine dining is abundant - but this doesn't mean you have to be dressed up. Ouside of 1 or 2 downtown restaurants that request jackets for men - you can come as you are. Some great upscale places are High Cotton, Slightly North of Broad, Peninsula Grill, Cypress, Halls Chophouse and Oak.

Basil is a fabulous Thai restaurant downtown. Check out Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant - a gorgeous area with restaurants that local go to and the Charleston shrimp fleet is based. Fabulous BBQ on Sullivans Island at Home Team and amazing Baja-inspired dishes at Acme Cantina on Isle of Palms. Don't miss Morgan Creek Grill at the Isle of Palms Marina for gorgeous Intracoastal Waterway views at Sunday Brunch.

Lots of nightlife as well both downtown in the upper King Street and Market Street areas. Plus nightlife in the Avondale section of West Ashley Charleston, Mount Pleasant and one of the best live music venues, The Windjammer on Isle of Palms. The 'Jammer is also on Esquire's Top 100 Bars/Clubs in America list.

All in all, Charleston is NOT Hillibillies in tuxedos - it is full of born and bred Charlestonians and many transplants from upstate, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, and the Northeast.

Charleston does not dissapoint - it is a vibrant, beautiful, charming and polites city - well worth a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation.