In February, 2000 we went with three couples from our wine tasting group, The Wine Syndicate, to the Middleton Inn outside of Charleston, SC for a great weekend of wine tasting, recreation and sightseeing.
I had only been “through” Charleston until this visit. I was amazed at what an interesting city it is. The tip of the peninsula is comprised of a grid of about 10×20 blocks of mostly 18th century mansions, with average values of $2-4M! It’s now a retail city, with most of the trade going to tourism, although in the past it was a wholesale city. King Street is a bit like Royal Street in New Orleans, with dozens of antique stores in just a few blocks. There are also many restaurants which feature what they call “low country” cuisine — stuff like “She-Crab” soup. The highlight of our trip was a carriage ride, which was filled with an hour of fascinating facts and stories about the old city.