WatsonsWander
  • Travel Journal
  • Our Airstream
  • Live Infographic
  • About Us
  • RV Resources
  • Contact

WatsonsWander

  • Travel Journal
  • Our Airstream
  • Live Infographic
  • About Us
  • RV Resources
  • Contact

Another Southern City: Charleston, SC

written by Amanda March 31, 2015
Charleston, SC

Another charming southern city

Another southern city checked off the list. Well, maybe not totally and definitively checked off since we were only there for 24 hours. But I think we’d be safe in awarding it at least half a check. First of all, before we get to the cool architecture, stunning flowers, and southern cuisine..let’s talk about our swanky overnight digs. Judging by the amount of comments and questions this photo got on Facebook, you are all really interested in our newly acquired habit of city parking lot camping.

Charleston, SC

Overnighting in a parking garage — there’s a first time for everything

Here’s the details. This parking garage has 10 RV specific spots where you are allowed to park for up to 24 hours. The fee is $16 for 24 hours. Or $1 for every 30 minutes. So if I am doing the math right, that means if you’re going to park for more then 8 hours you might as well go for the full 24 hours and get your money’s worth. The spots are somewhere between 40 and 45 feet long. Our 25′ trailer + truck + hitch measures around 45 feet, and as you can see by this photo, we almost fit all the way in the spot. There was a ton of extra space behind us so we didn’t worry much about sticking out a foot or two. The clearance listed at the top of the garage entrance is 12′ 8″. I have no idea how tall the average RV is, but I know that was more then enough room for us. And the motorhome near us fit as well.

Charleston, SC

Nice, long spots

We arrived around noon on a very busy Saturday and found plenty of open RV spaces. Some nice person had put cones in front of the spots so normal sized cars wouldn’t be tempted to hog up the spots. When we came back to the Airstream after dinner the cones were gone and the spots had filled with cars. They have a cheaper evening rate (a flat $4 fee if you arrive after 5pm and leave before 8am), and I suspect they open all the available sites to anyone after 5. So if you’re planning to get an RV spot, arriving before 5 is probably a good idea.

There are two entrances to the garage. One is on Meeting St. and only has a 6′ 7″ clearance. The other is on Mary Street — 63 Mary St. to be exact. This is where you will find the RV entrance. The RV spots are on the right as you pull in. There is no security. It’s a public parking garage. The exit is manned by an attendant, but they are not there to keep hoodlums or would-be thieves away. That said, we did not feel unsafe. It was a Saturday night and we did hear some rowdy kids late in the night, but nothing that worried us any more then if we had spent the night at a Walmart. It was somewhat noisy. We could hear cars on the street and honking horns in the distance. Luckily, most people used the other entrance so not many cars drove past. Also, we were pretty tired from walking around for hours and both slept fairly well.

Charleston, SC

The entrance at 63 Mary St.

The location was perfect for exploring the historic district on foot. The visitor center was only one block away and we stopped there first to get a map. After that we pretty much just wandered around aimlessly for hours. Warning: lots of photos coming up. I tried to narrow it down, I really did.

Charleston, SC

Charleston, SCCharleston, SCCharleston, SCCharleston, SC Charleston, SC

Charleston, SCCharleston, SCCharleston, SCCharleston, SC

Charleston, SCCharleston, SCcharleston, SCCharleston, SC
For dinner we decided to indulge in some good old fashioned southern cuisine, aka fried chicken. A few places had been recommended to us, but since they were on the outskirts of town and we were limited to places we could walk to that ruled out some of the great recommendations like the Glass Onion and Angel Oak. Instead we ended up at Jestine’s Kitchen where we both ordered a platter of fried chicken along with some traditional southern sides. Oh my god was the chicken good. Funny fact — neither of us had ever had real southern fried chicken before. Like those tasty fried green tomatoes I had last week, I won’t be making fried chicken a regular part of my diet, but as a special treat it was pretty awesome!

Charleston, SC

Jestine’s Kitchen

The next day we hemmed and hawed over how to spend our morning. First, we considered taking a horse and carriage ride through the city. But since it was only 34 degrees when we woke up that didn’t sound so appealing. Then we thought about a museum, but the one we wanted to visit, The Charleston Museum, didn’t open until 1pm. In the end we settled on a quick and simple breakfast of fresh biscuits and scrambled eggs at Kitchen 208. We had to walk almost a mile to get to the restaurant, and along the way we admired more of the gorgeous southern architecture while trying not to freeze our butts off.

Charleston, SC

By the time we got back to the Airstream it is was about noon, and time to wish our parking lot and this great southern city goodbye. Next stop: courtesy camping with small town charm.

14 comments
1
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Amanda

previous post
Skidaway Island State Park
next post
Courtesy Camping in South Carolina

You may also like

Traveling the Trace

December 5, 2015

From Louisiana to Arizona

December 6, 2019

Free Florida Camping at the DuPuis WEA

December 22, 2016

Courtesy Camping in Washington

August 15, 2013

Easy Living in Vermont

August 26, 2016

Making Miles: Texas, Oklahoma & Missouri

May 16, 2019

Ringing in the New Year Desert Style

January 7, 2016

Olympic National Park: Rainforest + Coast

August 25, 2018

Cambridge, VT

October 7, 2019

A day in Missoula, MT

August 24, 2012

14 comments

Dayami March 31, 2015 - 1:00 pm

Hi – how do you find out about where to park in cities? when I do a quick Google search all I get are campgrounds. I am not a FT RVer and we travel in our class A without pulling a car. I would love to get tips on how to find this information since we like to visit places and need a way to do it straight from our RV.

Reply
Amanda March 31, 2015 - 1:59 pm

I found this lot by searching RV Parking Charleston SC. It was on the first page. Some other bloggers had written about it. Also try checking freecampsites.net

Reply
Kay March 31, 2015 - 1:16 pm

I seem to learn something new everyday when it comes to RV camping! One more resource for a quick overnighter. Great post and pictures!

Reply
Amanda April 1, 2015 - 9:25 am

We love discovering these unexpected places. RVing can be an incredibly versatile way to travel if you are wiling to explore outside of traditional campgrounds.

Reply
Gail K March 31, 2015 - 1:49 pm

Very cool! I was at that parking garage about a week ago and saw the RVs parked there. I put that on my list of things to look up but now I don’t have to. If you’re there again try 39 Rue De Jean for the best mussels outside of Belgium and try a Victory Golden Monkey if they still have it on tap. (Only if not driving as it’s 10% alc.) I love Charleston.

Reply
Amanda April 1, 2015 - 9:26 am

Thanks for the recommendations! It really is an awesome city.

Reply
Metamorphosis Lisa March 31, 2015 - 1:52 pm

Camping almost as good as Pecan Grove RV park here in Austin! Sometimes being right smack dab in the middle of it all is the best way to go.

I can see how difficult it must have been to select from your photos…that is one seriously photogenic city!

Reply
Amanda April 1, 2015 - 9:27 am

When it comes to fun walkable cities, we really like the opportunity to be parked right in the middle of action.

Reply
Pam March 31, 2015 - 7:32 pm

We were there Saturday too! Did you have problems getting around because of the race? Good to know about the RV parking, I didn’t see too much around at all. Next time we go there are driving not flying.

Reply
Amanda April 1, 2015 - 9:31 am

Oh yeah, the race. Can’t believe I forgot to mention that. We had to take a winding route to the garage because there were a few closed roads. We read somewhere that over 30,000 people ran that race!

Reply
Laurel March 31, 2015 - 8:51 pm

What a beautiful city and great photos! There’s nothing better than springtime in the South. We really enjoy being within walking distance of everything. But I don’t think this one would work for us because we travel with our bikes and kayak on the roof of our truck. That pretty much rules out parking garages.

Reply
Amanda April 1, 2015 - 9:58 am

I really missed a traditional spring the last few years, which has made it even more of a treat this year. Sounds like with bikes and kayaks you are pretty tall, so that parking area would probably not work for you.

Reply
Marshall April 1, 2015 - 6:23 pm

Couldn’t have been any noisier than my current location at Pecan Grove RV Park in the heart of Austin…

Reply
Amanda April 2, 2015 - 9:13 am

I bet it was quieter where we were! I expected much more noise from a parking garage.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

days on the road

About The Watsons

About The Watsons

This is the story of Tim & Amanda. Since 2012, we have traveled the U.S. while living and working from our renovated 25-foot Airstream. Follow us on our crazy journey in search of beautiful scenery, fun adventures, interesting people, tasty foods, and more…

Keep in touch

Facebook Instagram Pinterest Email

Subscribe by Email

* indicates required

Wandering Threads Embroidery

Wandering Threads Embroidery
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Email

@2017 - PenciDesign. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign


Back To Top