Charleston has carriage rides, sightseeing helicopter rides, scenic harbor cruises, and a host of ghost tours. All of them are dedicated to acquainting you to the charm and wonder that is historic Charleston. But if you want to get an intimate, up close look at the Holy City, the walking tours are the best way to go. The guides are knowledgeable and entertaining.

It was on a walking tour I first learned about the strange green bouncy rocking boards found all over Charleston called the joggling board. Also learned some of the more intimate details of the homes and families of Charleston past that I didn't get on the carriage rides.

The Nathaniel Russell House has a self-supporting elliptical spiral staircase that ascends three floors and is an example of the ingenuity and craftmanship typical of early Charleston. There are two notable stories associated with the Edmondston-Alston House. I will only tell you one has to do with Fort Sumter and the other Robert E. Lee. Book the tour for the fine points. Both houses are part of the walking tours.

Ednondston-Alston House

Want to learn about and sample Charleston cuisine? Schedule a culinary tour featured by Bulldog Tours. The guides will immerse you in the history of Charlestons unique southern cuisine while you walk and taste your way through local eateries, markets, bakeries, restaurants, and culinary landmarks. You will also get a behind the scenes look into top chef’s kitchens and the fine dining establishments at which they conjour up their own unique creations. Bulldog Tours offer two different culinary tours.

There are tours aplenty, something for everyone. Tours designed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck from a little innocent scare and tours to raise your eyebrows as your learn about the seedier side of Charleston's history laced with stories of brothels, prostitutes, corruption, crime, scandal, and sordid affairs, an uncensored glimpse meant for adults only. Also, a tour where you can raise a glass of cold brew. All have one common thread, to inform and entertain. All tours last anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.-Vacation Rick Travel

-Bulldog Tours-Savor the Flavors Tours of Downtown Charleston and Chef's Kitchen Tours of Charleston

-The Original Charleston Walks-offer the greatest variety of routes, historical themes, utter historical accuracy, and the most outstanding guides in Charleston.

-Charleston Strolls-Home to Charleston's first and finest walking tour.

-Dark Side of Charleston-Take an uncensored look at Charleston's true history.

-“Charleston – Behind The Scenes Tour” with John LaVerne - $1,000 per person-This is really decadent.

Article written by Rick Dunbar first published on travel blog Vacation Rick. Check all the articles on things to see and do in Charleston and beyond.

Associated with the discriptions of many of Charleston's historical sites is the word "antebellum". The term refers to pre-Civil War America, especially the pre-Civil War culture in the southern states. Quite simply, the historical site existed before the Civil War. Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens is an antebellum plantation.

The large Colonial Revival house presently standing on the plantation is not the original, so the house is not antebellum. The original house built of wood in 1790 no longer exists, but the famous Avenue of Oaks, a 3/4 of a mile long run of live oaks on both sides from the driveway's beginning to the front house gates created in 1743, are still gracefully towering over Boone Hall's entrance like a portal to the past. NBC Daytime television says it is "a must see stop on any trip to Charleston, S.C."

Avenue of Oaks

Throughout the year there is always something going on at Boone Hall besides immersing yourself in Southern culture and the history of the plantation. Festivals and special events are scheduled that include something for everyone. I have attended these events in the past and plan to attend this years upcoming scheduled events, especially the one featuring Charleston's culinary lineup. Love the mahi-mahi morsels.

Piggly Wiggly BBQ Championship & Bluegrass Festival is scheduled for Sunday Sept. 5, 2010 and starts at 12 noon with the gates opening at 11am. Headline performers for this year's event: "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" also featuring "The Dillards". Don't know who "The Dillards" are? Watch re-run episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" and when you come across the episode with a hillbilly family band called the Darlings you will have the answer. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate. For children 6-12 $8 in advance, $10 at the gate.

The Scottish Games & Highland Gathering is featured each September. Experience Olympic type competition of the heavy athletics sporting events or the mastery of Scottish music with over 25 bagpipe bands highlighting Scottish country dancing and fiddling, and Celtic rock dressed in kilts.

Finally, want to see the Lowcountry's largest snow-cone? The 30th Annual Taste of Charleston will be held on October 8-10, with the Main Event at Boone Hall on Sunday where you can see the snow-cone take shape. This yearly event showcases a sampling of culinary treats from more than 45 of Charleston's favorite casual and fine-dining restaurants. Named one of the "Top 20 events in the Southeast" by Southeastern Tourism Society. Food, wine, specialty and imported bears, and live bands. Time: 10:30am-5pm. Tickets: $12.00. Full event tickets and prices.-Vacation Rick Travel Charleston.

Article written by Rick Dunbar first published on vacation blog Vacation Rick. Check out all the articles on things to see and do in Charleston and everywhere else.

We all like to be entertained with a good scare once in awhile. Remember the fun times sitting in a semi-dark room on a stormy night or around a crackling campfire taking turns at telling scary stories and seeing who could come up with the most sinister plot. That was how Mary Shelley gave birth to her first novel now known as "Frankenstein".

Sorrel-Weed House

While vacationing on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, Mary and her friends amused themselves by reading German ghost stories, prompting a suggestion they each write their own supernatural tale. Mary's scary tale was conceived in a waking dream she had one night. She wrote a short story about her horrific dream and later expanded it into the famous novel. Needless to say, her story took the honor of being the scariest tale that infamous night.

Looking for inspiration for a winning scary novel? Savannah was dubbed by The American Institute of Parapsychology as "America's Most Haunted City". The Sorrel-Weed House at 6 W Harris Street at Madison Square was featured on Ghost Hunters and is one of the top ten creepiest places in America. Be sure to take the 10:30pm tour for the greatest affect, if you dare.

Charleston's darker side can most certainly fuel the imagination and inspiration for a winning frightful tale. Travel Channel designated Charleston "America's Most Haunted Places". Take an inside look at Charleston's haunted Old City Jail, enter the Provost Dungeon, or visit Poogan's Porch where Zoe makes her presence known. Walk the streets, bars, and cemeteries while the guides of Bulldog Tours amuse you with the tales and stories of the not so holy side of the Holy City.

Take your search for nighttime fun and storytelling entertainment a step further and consider what the Footlight Theatre has to offer October 28, 29 30 and November 4, 5, 6 at 9pm. "The Weir" by Conor McPherson will be presented by the Footlight Players. "The Weir" takes place in a small tavern in rural Ireland where local men swap spook stories in an attempt to impress a young woman who recently moved into a nearby "haunted" house, but the tables get turned on them when she tells a tale of her own. Old-fashioned story telling guaranteed to send chills up your spine. Ticket price ranges $10-$15. Footlight Players Theatre is located at 20 Queen Street.-Vacation Rick Travel Charleston

Article written by Rick Dunbar first published on travel blog Vacation Rick. Check out all the articles on things to see and do in Charleston and beyond.

It is the most photographed and painted tourist attraction in Charleston. It was an undesireable part of town following the Civil War, but now is a very sought after landmark synonymous with the name of Charleston. Painted in an array of Caribbean inspired pastel hues resulted in the name by which it has become identified. Sea captains, traders, townsfolk and pirates shopped, traded, and sold their goods in this stretch of realestate located on East Bay Street. Walk through the Old Market and you will find it on plates, switch covers, shells, and just about anything with a flat surface, even bricks. It is a group of buildings called Rainbow Row. If you are a resident it is a been there, done that, but if you are a first-timer the Row should be on your must-see list.

Originally Half Moon Battery, this landmark is considered to be one of the three most historically significant Colonial buildings in the United States. The structure stands proudly at the foot of Broad Street. It is the Old Exchange Building and Provost Dungeon. All the employees dress the part. You will see them standing at the top of the steps along the front in colonial dress waving and greeting tourists. Inside are three floors of Charleston history highlighting the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. The artifacts displayed help you get a picture of the events and people that influenced and shaped the history of Charleston or specifically, Charles Towne. The Provost Dungeon, still dank and without sunlight, highlights a tour that speaks of pirates and patriots in chains, of a siezed tea shipment and General Moultrie's hidden gunpowder, and ghosts lurking within its walls.

The Powder Magazine located at 79 Cumberland Street is Carolina's oldest public building. A small brick building with walls three feet thick and four groin arches designed to implode in case of an explosion was used as a powder magazine from 1713-1770 and again briefly during the Revolutionary War. Its other uses were as a stable, a wine cellar, a print shop and now, a museum. It offers free of charge living historic presentations and showcases different period interpreters, local crafters, artists, musicians, and other historical novelties. Every Saturday in June and July there is a live performance scheduled called The Gentleman Pirate at 3:30pm – 4:30pm.

While in the area check out Johnson's Pub & Pizzeria or the Blind Tiger Pub for some cool drinks and creative dishes.-Vacation Rick Travel

Article by Rick Dunbar first published on blog Vacation Rick. Check out all the articles on things to see and do in Charleston and anywhere else.

We were looking to do a scary nighttime tour in Charleston one day, so we called Bulldog Tours for some input. Their suggestion was the Haunted Jail Tour. It housed some of Charleston's most infamous criminals, 19th century pirates, and Civil War prisoners. We decided upon the 10 PM tour and were given directions on how to get there.

The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was just right with a slight bit of a haze in the air, no wind blowing, and a dark sky. We took some pictures of the outside of the Old City Jail while waiting for the tour to begin. The weather worn brick and age stressed structure crumbling in random places set the mood for the stories to come.

The tour began outside centered around the buildings history and executions by hanging. We entered the building through an old creeky and rusty iron door. The guide talked about the high death rate among the inmates because of the living conditions, disease, and sweltering summer heat. The story about one of the heavy doors flying off its hinges and almost hitting a guide in my estimation was a bit of a stretch. At one point the lights are turned off while the guide told the story about one of its only female inmates. You will have to do the tour to the find out the moral and climax of that story. The guide also talked about the steps leading to the upper floor. In some areas of the Old City Jail there were a few reminders of the present, such as ladders and paint cans from some current restoration that somewhat diminished the eerie aspect of the jail.

It takes alot to scare me because I don't believe in ghosts, although the old House on Haunted Hill movie really frightened me. So, how would I answer the question as to whether it was truly scary? I will decline and leave it up to your judgement after you have taken the tour. It is one of the many historical tours offered in Charleston and is billed as one of the scariest. The Old City Jail's imposing structure and aged condition makes for some good pictures and, if you free your imagination, you will be entertained. It is definately not a tour to take little children on.

Old City Jail is located at 21 Magazine St, Charleston, SC. Bulldog Tours is located at 40 North Market St, Charleston, SC or call 843-722-8687.-Vacation Rick Travel

Article by Rick Dunbar first published on blog Vacation Rick