Charleston, SC

Charleston is one of the most popular destinations in the World.  In Charleston you can expect to find a rich combination of hospitality and charm resonant of the "Old South."

Downtown District
Besides the historic churches, buildings, and landmarks that you'll want to see, there are plenty of opportunities for shopping.  Downtown is a convenient starting point for getting to know Charleston as it is a vibrant combination of old and new, offering diverse attractions.  The oldest part of town where a lot of the buildings and houses have been preserved, spark architectural interest. Tours, like the Historic Homes Walk, allow you to learn more about this amazing architecture dating back to the mid-18th century.  

Mount Pleasant District
Founded in 1680 and located to the East of Charleston, the Mount Pleasant District is known for its fine dining. Mount Pleasant is also the home of one of the biggest naval & maritime museums in the world, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. Tour boats are available from Mount Pleasant to view Fort Sumter.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston - Mount Pleasant

http://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/south-carolina/homewood-suites-by-hilton-charleston-mt-pleasant-CHSHWHW/index.html

We're all about Southern Hospitality here at the Homewood Suites by Hilton - Mount Pleasant!

Located close to Charleston hot spots and attractions, yet nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood, the newly renovated

Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston - Mt. Pleasant hotel is a great home base for touring historic Charleston or relaxing on Isle of Palm beach. Walk to boutiques and local restaurants or take a short drive to the attractions of historic downtown Charleston.

Suites feature separate living areas and fully equipped kitchens with full-sized refrigerators, two-burner ranges, a microwave and dishwasher. If you'd like, we'll even stock the pantry and refrigerator with your favorite groceries. All suites include free WiFi and an additional full-sized sleeper.

Enjoy a workout in the fitness center or a swim in the pool. Join us for a daily hot full breakfast and complimentary evening social* served Monday through Thursday.

Amenities

                      As a guest at the Homewood Suites, you will be treated to the following amenities:

• Complimentary Wireless High-Speed Internet Access
• Full Kitchenettes in every suite with Coffee Maker, Toaster, Microwave
• Flat Screen HDTVs with Cable and Satellite Channels
• Iron and Ironing Board
• Complimentary Southern Breakfast 7 days a week, Complimentary Evening Social with beer and wine Monday- Thursday

Hotel Reservation Info

Name

Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston - Mount Pleasant

Group Name

West Point Mini Reunion

Reservations

(843) 881-6950 (Hotel direct number)

Rate

$139.00 Sunday night - $144.00 Monday - Thursday night

Option

Come early/stay late

Cancellation Policy

72 hours in advance

Reservation Cut-off date

February 19, 2017

Room Note

King Suites, 2 Handicapped Suites with Roll In Showers Available

Special Needs

Note when making reservation

Standard Check-in

1500 hrs

SPRING FESTIVAL OF HOUSES AND GARDENS

https://www.historiccharleston.org/events/annual-festival-of-houses-and-gardens.aspx

Experience the charm found only beyond Charleston’s private garden gates and historic doorways.  The Festival is made possible by the dedication and generosity of more than 150 property owners and 650 volunteers.  Set amid the ambience of the city’s Old & Historic District, this series of award-winning tours and educational events showcase Charleston’s distinctive architecture, history, gardens and culture. The tours provide a rare opportunity for guests to go inside the private houses and gardens of some of America’s most beautiful historic residences. Tours and events vary by day. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1, 2016.  We are told tickets may be sold out by early December.  So if you are interested in this attraction you should purchase your tickets ASAP.

Patriots Point

http://www.patriotspoint.org/

USS Yorktown

The USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy.

USS Clamagore

CLAMAGORE is the only GUPPY III submarine preserved in the United States.

USS LAFFEY

The LAFFEY (DD-724) was named for the first LAFFEY (DD-459), sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942.

The Medal of Honor Museum

The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum is located on board the historic aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN.

This national museum is also home to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the most unique, and perhaps the most exclusive, organization in the United States.  The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum features interactive exhibits that explain the origin of the Medal of Honor and its distinctions. The exhibits tell the stories of brave Americans who displayed remarkable courage such as Audie Murphy, Sergeant Alvin York and Jimmy Doolittle. The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum is included in the Patriots Point admission charge.

Vietnam Support Base

Patriots Point's Vietnam Naval Support Base Camp features many of the various craft used to combat the dangers of patrolling the jungle and rivers throughout the Vietnam War.

Ft Sumter

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm

Where The American Civil War Began

Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.

Here, at the fort named for South Carolina Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Sumter, the opening shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. The fort, shown above as it appeared on the eve of the war, was begun in 1829, one of a series of coastal fortifications built by the United

States after the War of 1812. As with many Federal projects, enslaved laborers and craftsmen were among the men who worked on this structure.

The fort was still unfinished when Maj. Robert Anderson moved his 85-man garrison into it the day after Christmas 1860, setting in motion events that would tear the nation asunder four months later. The flag is the one that flew over the fort during the 1861 bombardment.

Ft Moultrie

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/fort_moultrie.htm

The first fort on Sullivan's Island was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker and nine warships attacked it on June 28, 1776. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charleston was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel. William Moultrie. After the Revolution, Fort Moultrie was neglected, and by 1791 little of it remained.  A second Fort Moultrie was completed in 1798. It too suffered from neglect and was finally destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. By 1809 a new brick fort stood on Sullivan's Island.

In December 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union, and the Federal garrison abandoned Fort Moultrie for the stronger Sumter. In April 1863, Federal iron-clads and shore batteries began a 20-month bombardment of Sumter and Moultrie, yet Charleston’s defenses held. In February 1865, Fort Moultrie lay hidden under the band of sand that protected its walls from Federal shells.

Today Fort Moultrie has been restored to portray the major periods of its history. A visitor to the fort moves steadily backwards in time from the World War II Harbor Entrance Control Post to the site of the Palmetto-log fort of 1776.

Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley

http://www.hunley.org/

THE HISTORIC MISSION

The Date: February 17, 1864.

The Location: Just outside Charleston Harbour approximately four miles off Breach Inlet in Sullivan's Island on the moonlit sea.

The Conditions: Cold. Bone chilling. Quiet.

The Situation: Desperate. Frightening. A turning point in history.

The Ship: A lookout aboard the Union Navy's largest ship was tired, cold -- but restless. Talk of a Confederate secret weapon was in and out of his thoughts. Suddenly he spotted something move in the chilly waters. A porpoise? There were certainly a lot of them around. But something about this one didn't seem right.

Contact: Below the waterline - as bullets bounced off its cylindrical body, the H.L. Hunley rammed her long metal spar into the stern area, planting a 135 pound torpedo into the Warship Housatonic. The men inside the Hunley lunged forward from the impact, then quickly backed their sub out as the 150-foot attached detonation rope played out. Within seconds, the world rocked and every man, above and below, became enveloped in a concussion of destruction.

That night history was made. At the same moment, a mystery was born. The Hunley became the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship. But why had she suddenly disappeared? What caused her to sink? And would she ever be found?

The Hunley Today:

The world would have to wait until the tools of modern technology could begin to unlock the secrets of the Hunley. In 1995, author and adventurer Clive Cussler found the Hunley resting on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Intact and remarkably well preserved, the Hunley was found buried deep within the sand and silt just outside of Charleston Harbor.

The recovery of the Hunley has turned out to be one of the most important single events in the history of South Carolina. Today, well over a century after Lt. Dixon and his courageous crew vanished, the South Carolina Hunley Commission and a private, non-profit group called the Friends of the Hunley are solving the mystery of the Hunley like a puzzle that reveals new information one piece at a time. They are engaged in the single most important archaeological investigations of the century and are everyday coming closer to solving the mystery of why the Hunley never came home.

The Gardens at Middleton Place

https://www.middletonplace.org/

Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens. The Garden Club of America has called the 65 acres “the most important and most interesting garden in America”.  Centuries-old camellias bloom in the winter months and azaleas blaze on the hillside above the Rice Mill Pond in the spring. In summer, kalmia, magnolias, crepe myrtles and roses accent a landscape magnificent throughout the year.

House Museum

Built in 1755, the House Museum interprets four generations of Middleton Family, with extraordinary family furniture, silver, porcelain, rare books and portraits on display. Birthplace of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Middleton Place and the Middletons have played an important role in American history. The property has miraculously remained under the same family stewardship for some 320 years, and today, successfully preserves history for visitors to enjoy.

Plantation Stableyards

In the newly rejuvenated 18th and 19th century Plantation Stableyards costumed interpreters demonstrate the skills once performed by enslaved Africans. The Stableyards bring to life the sights and sounds of a Low Country rice plantation.  Craft artisans include a weaver, blacksmith, potter, and cooper/carpenter. Many heritage breeds are found in the living history Plantation Stableyards including Cashmere goats, Guinea Hogs, River Water Buffalo, Brown Swiss and Jersey cows, as well as Dominique and Rhode Island Red chickens.

The Charleston Tea Plantation

http://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/

The Charleston Tea Plantation is located on historic Wadmalaw Island in the heart of the Lowcountry of South Carolina. 

Home to The Charleston Tea Plantation, Wadmalaw provides the perfect environment for propagating tea.  With its sandy soils, sub-tropical climate and average rainfall of 52 inches per year, Wadmalaw possess idyllic conditions for the Camellia Sinensis plant.  This plant is currently used to produce both black and green teas and exists in over 320 varieties on the 127 acre grounds of the Charleston Tea Plantation .  Open 7 days a week, with the exception of a few holidays.  You will learn first-hand how tea is made during an informative Factory Tour.  You can also take an enjoyable Trolley Ride through the tea fields, shop our unique Plantation Gift Shop and help yourself to all of the iced American Classic Tea you can drink. 

The Original Firefly Distillery

http://www.fireflyspirits.com/

The Firefly Story

Nothing is better on a hot, lazy summer day than sittin’ on the front porch, sippin’ a glass of sweet tea.  Jim Irvin and Scott Newitt couldn’t agree more—as long as it’s sweet tea with a kick.  Firefly is the brainchild of Jim and Scott, southern gentlemen with a passion for the South and all that makes it unique.

 “It doesn’t get more Southern than sweet tea,” that is 'genuinely Southern.'  Our vodka is distilled on Wadmalaw Island.  Our tea comes from our friends at the Charleston Tea Plantation.  The sugar we use is from Louisiana, it is pure cane sugar.  We do not use any artificial ingredients."

The Distillery

Firefly Distillery is largest micro-distillery in South Carolina.  Firefly Distillery has a tasting room, where people may taste Firefly products and purchase bottles. Visitors may partake in wine tastings and winery tours within the 11 acres of muscadine grapes.

Original Sweet Tea

Firefly is the world’s first hand-crafted sweet tea flavored vodka. Keeping true to its Southern roots, Firefly is distilled four times, infused with tea grown on a plantation five miles from the distillery and blended with real Louisiana sugar cane. It tastes just like real sweet tea, but with an even sweeter kick!

Tours

Typical Carriage Tours

• How long does an Olde Towne Daytime Historic Carriage tour last?
  The ride lasts approximately one hour.
• What exact areas do you visit?
  You will see the historic old market area where commerce has taken place for over 250 years, historical houses maintained in timeless fashion, beautiful gardens, artistic wrought iron gates and decorative entrances to the many mansions as the tour winds through the 25 - 30 block area.  In addition, you will see parts of the old walled city and several of the many churches that give Charleston its nickname of the “Holy City”. Your tour guide will acquaint you with the history and architecture which make Charleston one of the truly grand jewels of the South. Most importantly you will gain a better understanding of the people that lived and traversed over the past three hundred years, on the very streets you are traveling.
• Is the carriage ride narrated?
  Yes, the carriage tour is fully narrated by a professional tour guide.

Typical Walking Tours

Charleston, South Carolina is a town of unimaginable beauty and is unrivaled in her preservation and historical significance. The Historic District - with its hidden alleys, majestic homes, manicured gardens, and tree canopied streets - is simply perfect for walking freely and discovering a bygone era.  Tour where carriages and motorcoaches are not allowed as you take a fascinating stroll with stories and traditions revealing Charleston’s rich history and colorful past.  This two hour tour through America’s most charming historical district is sure to be the highlight of your visit.  Some of the highlights include:

• Rainbow Row
• Historic Waterfront Battery
• Antebellum Mansions
• Four Corners of Law
• A visual tour of Fort Sumter
• Hidden Gardens & Courtyards
• Historic Churches & Graveyards
• The Revolutionary and Civil War

Sunset Harbor and Creek Tour

You will enjoy a cool coastal breeze while unwinding during our Sunset Cruise. You will relax and enjoy light hors d'oeuvres with a cash bar serving beer and wine as you cruise through the Charleston harbor. You will see a maritime forest as we meander down a salt-marsh creek or two depending on the tides. You will see sites such as the forts, the Battery, the islands, and the lighthouses. Charleston's church steeples add to its unique skyline as they come alive at this hour of the day. The harbor's abundant wildlife comes out to play during the "bluing hour". Dolphins and birds entertain us with their whimsy. With the Holy City as your backdrop, you will enjoy peaceful and breathtaking views of sunset-silhouetted steeples while cruising along its waterways.