Hello- we used to live in Charleston.

Beach- go to Sullivans- the water is very calm/no waves and there are family friendly places for lunch etc. Not as crowded as IOP.

Food:
Poogans Smokehouse- its good BBQ and they also have healthy sides in nice atmosphere thats OK for kids
Lunch- Taco Boy- good outdoor area kids can run and be loud, good margs
Breakfast- Vintage Cafe in Mt. Pleasant- they have a playground in the outdoor seating area and the food is very good.

Marion Square Market- Saturday AM only. great breakfast and little shops. they also have live music kids dance to and typically also a bounce house.

please feel free to email me about any of the restaurants you consider going to-- we have been to most....
whitney.r.irish@gmail.com

We live in Mount Pleasant in a neighborhood next to Boone Hall. I would go to Shem Creek or Pitt Street bridge to watch the dolphins, take a car over to Sullivan's Island much easier to walk around Fort Moultrie than take the boat to fort Sumter with kids, I would consider one of the boat trips out of Isle of Palms marina that would take you to Capers Island to look at marine life and hunt for sharks teeth. Other things like waterfront park and the battery downtown for sure. I would personally steer clear of the children's museum, I feel like if you have seen one of those you have seen them all.

Agreed with other poster about the carriage ride. We go once a year and my kids get bored.

Anonymous wrote:We went to one of the plantations. Farm animals for kids to see and a beautiful setting for pictures

Wow. Yes, the scene of rape and torture for thousands of slaves is a wonderful photo op. Would you say the same to someone visiting concentration camps in Poland, PP? Good lord. I hate when people visit plantations and act as though they were just happy little family farms.

We went to one of the plantations. Farm animals for kids to see and a beautiful setting for pictures

The children's museum is great, and the aquarium. We went to dinner at a place called butcher and bee, it was a short drive from downtown, but they had a nice outdoor patio that was empty at 5 and the kids could run around. We stayed at the embassy suites, which had an outdoor pool and free happy hour every night! Not the newest or fanciest hotel, but being able to close the door on the sleeping kids and hang out in another room was worth it. It was right on Marion square, which was great for the kids to run around and check out the fountain, and a yummy Venezuelan restaurant nearby, plus a farmers market on Saturday. We went to Sullivan's island for an afternoon, home team BBQ was delicious and the kids played at the beach (not sure if that would be ideal with a baby, my kids are 5 and almost 2).

Anonymous wrote:Children's museum, horse drawn carriage tour and the aquarium for those ages.

-1 horse drawn carriage tour. Those horses don't live great lives. Plus I can't imagine a toddler wanting to sit still on one of those. S/he will probably get enjoyment out of seeing them drive by though.

Children's museum, horse drawn carriage tour and the aquarium for those ages.

Anonymous wrote:Ft Sumter may not be good for those ages

+1. It's a longish boat ride over there. Not real suitable for an infant.

Ft Sumter may not be good for those ages

We just went to Kiawah and visited Charleston a couple times. It was our first time there with our toddler (1.5). The aquarium was great, and she LOVED running around the Battery park. The Waterfront park was nice too. If we had more time, we would have gone to the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry and taken her to a plantation. If you have a car, Boone Hall is not a far drive outside Charleston. I can't remember how kid friendly it is as we visited pre-kid.

Anyone?

Hi - we'll be heading to Charleston this summer with a toddler and an infant. We know we want to do Fort Sumter, but everything else is up in the air. Any recommendations for a family of four (two parents, an almost 2-year-old, and an infant)?