South Carolina: Charleston Grey Line Tour

In the rear of the Visitor Center, you will find all the tour buses lined up. We chose Grayline because they offer a 10% AAA discount. Pick up is available from your hotel, just check with your concierge. You will probably need to sign up a day in advance.

Our driver’s name was Charlie. The tour lasts 90 minutes and introduces all the major areas of interest. What it did do was give us a general sense of where everything was what might be of interest to us.

Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, led the settlement of  South Carolina in 1663. At that time, the Carolina Colony’s northern boundary was the North Carolina/Virginia border, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and St. Augustine, Florida, to the south. The first settlement was made in an area that was swampy, and by 1680, the settlement had moved to Charlestown.

 It wasn’t renamed Charleston until 1734. The original town was 4 blocks by 7 blocks and surrounded by a seawall, making it only the third walled city in North America behind St. Augustine and Quebec. A small section of the seawall is visible today in the Exchange Building.

Charleston grew too fast to stay within the walls, and by 1735, 75% of it had been removed to allow for expansion. Charleston has the fourth largest port in the United States and the second largest on the East Coast. That certainly surprised me.

Some of the people you will learn about on the tour are John C. Calhoun, Frances Marion, and Wade Hampton; I won’t ruin your fun by elaborating.

Charleston is called the holy city because of its churches; there are 400 in the county and 71 in the city itself. Of the 400, 85 are listed as historic buildings. These played into quite a large part of our tour. We learned about St. Michael and St. Philip, The French Huguenot Church, and St. Matthew German Lutheran Church. The steeple of St. Matthew Church is 268 feet tall, the tallest church building in the state. No building in Charleston is allowed to be taller than that steeple.

As we traveled through Charleston, examples of their beautiful wrought-iron work were pointed out. Skilled African-American slaves created much of this. They have left a beautiful legacy.

Among the many interesting facts we learned was that the College of Charleston has been used as the backdrop for some famous movies, like "The Patriot," which is loosely based on the life of Frances Marion. Another interesting fact is that Charleston has been hit by many major hurricanes. When you see how beautiful it is, it is even more amazing, especially since it has also suffered earthquake damage. You will learn how to identify earthquake bolts. This is an interesting tour, and I highly recommend it.

Hotel review: Publick House Historic Inn and Country Lodge Sturbridge MA

The Publick House Historic Inn and Country Lodge is located in Sturbridge, MA which is best known for the historic village that is located there. It has been a favorite get-away destination for us for many years. When I was thinking about where to go this year for our wedding anniversary, I decided it was time for us to visit again. Just for your information, the village is open on Sunday but is not open on Monday or Tuesday which was news to me. I had originally planned to spend two nights, Sunday and Monday but with the historic village closed I decided one night would be enough.

You have lots of options when it comes to staying at the Publick. you can stay in the historic part of the inn, you can stay in the least expensive option, the motel type rooms at the Country Lodge, 

you can stay in one of the two buildings off-site, Chamberlain and Tillyer House. We have stayed in the historic inn and at the Country Lodge, this time we opted to stay at the Tillyer House since it is brand spanking new and the spa is also located in the lower level of the building. 

It was a very good choice, the room was spacious and modern though the desk in the Tillyer House was unmanned and required that we go to the front of the historic inn to check in which was inconvenient, to say the least. 

What was really nice was that you get a free cup of coffee or pastry for breakfast at the bakery if you want or you get 10% off meals at the inn. We had dinner and breakfast at the inn and both were excellent. 

The bed was large and very comfortable and we could look out our window and see the bakery and if I had opened the window I am sure I could have smelled it as well. I was very pleased, it was quiet and very comfortable and the WiFi and the TV both worked very well. 

I was very pleased with our stay here and I have to give high ratings to the spa, it is lovely and the price was surprisingly affordable. 

In the Tillyer House, there is a lounge where you can relax and read and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or specialty coffee 24/7. This is a very nice touch.

Hotel Review: French Quarter Inn Charleston SC

"Timeless elegance at the Market" is how they describe themselves, and I am hard-pressed to improve on that description. As soon as you enter the lower level, you know this is not going to be your average hotel visit.

The curving staircase with the elaborate ironwork soars up to the lobby, which is on the first floor. You are greeted with champagne and lady ladyfingers in our case, with the news that due to booking difficulties, we have been upgraded to a junior suite - I hate when that happens!

THE ROOM

Tastefully decorated the room took our breath away. Our two queen-size beds came with double-sheeted featherbeds. If you don’t like the pillows on the bed, order another type from the pillow menu. We relaxed on our queen-size sofa bed with a matching easy chair and lots of throw pillows. The room had three other chairs and three tables. A desk separated the two beds, and the TV was located in an armoire. A particularly nice touch was the two luggage racks, one on each side of the armoire. Our room overlooked City Market.

A favorite with us was the large Jacuzzi tub. It was perfect for soaking after a long day of walking. The shower was a separate unit.

The bathroom was well equipped with a blow dryer, makeup mirror, full-length mirror, and a wrought-iron cart holding four sets of plush towels. Amenities are provided by Gilcrest and Soames.

You will find two robes in your armoire.

FOOD

Breakfast is provided, and you can choose to have it delivered or can pick it up yourself in the lobby. An outdoor patio is provided for your dining enjoyment, as well as several couches and plenty of chairs. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 10  a.m. You can choose from French pastries, toasted bagels, blueberry muffins, fruit, juice, and beverages.

From 5 to 6 p.m., there is a wine-and-cheese reception, and from 9 to 10 p.m., there is milk and cookies. Coffee and tea are available 24/7, and ice tea and lemonade are offered from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are even M&M's and Jelly Bellies
available to snack on. In the morning, you will find USA Today at your door.

In the evening, turndown service is provided. You receive a praline and tomorrow’s weather forecast, with a copy of the breakfast menu tucked into your robe.

PARKING

Valet parking was $32 a day.

Beyond service, the staff at the French Quarter Inn here can handle anything. Joe had some packages he needed shipped home, and it was arranged for him. We needed dinner suggestions, and we had a fabulous meal and a flawless reservation. Need a map? They have it. Forget something and they will provide it. Everyone goes out of their way to be friendly and helpful. I love this hotel and can’t wait to come back.