Once hurricane Irma and Maria passed us, we had a few days between storms where we could slip away and visit Charleston.  On our way, we stopped overnight in Beaufort SC.  Nice town but we were surprised how built up and populated the town and outer islands were.  Somehow we had the impression Beaufort would be a sleepy little town. NOT!

Beaufort South Carolina a few sailboats in the distance

I guess you could say the French Quarter in Charleston is the sophisticated sister of the French Quarter in New Orleans.  Lots of expensive old homes and high end shops along King Street.  We stayed right in the heart of the French Quarter at the Mills House, which opened in 1853.  A bit pricey but we had one free night from hotels.com to use so splurge we did.

Charleston firehouse

Husk is a popular restaurant here.  We had dinner on the second floor porch.

Our drinks at the Cane Rhum Bar in Charleston

Famous Pineapple fountain in Charleston

For the history buffs there is a lot of civil war history in this area.  Fort Sumter where the first shots of the Civil War were fired is out in the harbor.  We didn’t take a plantation tour but there are several in the area.

While we enjoyed Charleston, Nola is still tops on our list.