We are planning on going to Charleston, SC over spring break. I have daughters ages 6 and 8. Can anyone recommend some places to go or things to do that would be fun for this age? Thanks!
Thanks for all the ideas!
SC Aquarium, Children's Museum, carriage rides through historic downtown, Old Slave Market shopping, Waterfront Park. Go shell searching at our local beaches - they are 15- 20 minutes from downtown. Blackbeard's Cove is in Mt. Pleasant about 20 minutes from downtown. The Ravenel Bridge has a wonderful playground/park/pier on the Mt. Pleasant side. For more ideas, go to charlestoncvb.com.
Have fun and enjoy our beautiful town!
We were just there for spring break last year and really enjoyed it. My kids are older so we didn't get there, but there is a Children's Museum. The Charleston Museum (history and general information about the area) has a fun, interactive room just for kids. It only takes an hour or two and is on the edge of the historical district. There is a replica of a Civil War submarine sitting right outside the museum. We loved the Aquarium. I was told not to bother with it, but we really liked it. It has an interactive feed the sting rays exhibit (additional charge for the food). We took the boat to Ft. Sumter, but that might be a little boring for kids the ages of your kids, it just depends on the individual children.
My kids loved eating at Sticky Fingers, kind of a more authentic Famous Dave's if you are familiar with that. Hyman's Seafood is also kid-friendly, but I found the food over rated personally. They often have a long line so it's good to go during off hours. My youngest son (11) loved the swinging bench out front of the restaurant.
Depending on the weather and if you have a car available it would be fun to explore some of the nearby beaches. Mt. Pleasant is a nice suburb not far from the city. We found an arcade/mini golf type place there. We took a plantation tour, but my boys got a little bored by that. I loved it. My boys are active and adventurous so we went kayaking through a forest with some alligators.
PM if you have more questions. If I think of other things we saw or did I'll let you know. Oh--there are a couple of fun candy stores in the market area of the historic area. My kids love the bulk-type candy stores and it's become a tradition to find one on almost every vacation. Also--if you are near creeks, ponds and more outlying areas there really are alligators all over. They will leave you alone if you leave them alone, but just be aware of that if you are in those types of areas. They were on the golf course my husband and older son golfed on the Isle of Palms.
I'm soooo jealous! I loved visiting Charleston but did not take my daughter so I have no additional suggestions beyond what others posted below. I would like to add Savannah is only 2 hours away and really awesome, too! There are actual places that George Washington slept but I don't know how impressed your kids would be. I was though!
We spent spring break in the Charleston area 2 years ago when my son was 6 and my daughter was 8. We went to the aquarium. I remember thinking that the aquarium was nice, but we have definitely been to better ones. My kids loved it though, so I know they would recommend it.
We also went to Fort Sumter. My husband, daughter and I really liked it. (I'm pretty sure that was the day my son was being a pain, so his opinion doesn't count.) There is also a battleship that you can tour at the same dock as the boats to Fort Sumter. My husband really wanted to do that but we ran out of time.
We went on a walking pirate tour around Charleston. (http://charlestonpiratetour.com/default.aspx) We all like learning about pirates, so it was fun for us. (Plus we thought the kids were still a bit young for a ghost tour.) The tour guide dresses in full pirate gear and carries a real parrot as long as the parrot behaves. A lot of people stop and stare as the tour group goes by. The tour ended up being longer (in both time and distance) but the guide was very informative and we got to walk past some beautiful houses.
We also went someplace that I can't think of the name of right now and I can't find my guidebook. It had a small zoo of animals native to South Carolina. It had a replica of a trading ship. And it has a replica of a small village from way back. And I believe there was a small museum at the beginning of it. Both kids enjoyed the zoo and the replica of the ship. My daughter enjoyed the museum too.
We were there the first week of April and it was warm enough to go swimming in the pool a few days. The kids also played in the ocean a bit but really didn't go past their knees. There were people swimming though.
We also went into Charleston and walked through the City Market on Market St. There are all kinds of shops along there and you will see people making and selling the sweet grass baskets. Some of the baskets are pretty amazing. If you decide to buy one, look around because the prices vary quite a bit.
We are going back this year and I am planning on going to a plantation. (That was one thing we didn't get in last time that I really wanted to do.) The owner of the house I'm renting said there is one that she and her kids like a lot but can't remember if it's the Magnolia or Middleton plantation. She's supposed to get back to me with which one it is.
Last time we stayed in the Wild Dunes resort area on the Isle of Palms. This time we are staying on the Isle of Palms again but we are staying outside of the Wild Dunes area. It's a beautiful area and a short drive into Charleston. And we found a way into Charleston that cut across the islands so we were able to avoid the heavy traffic area.
