A Florence standout worth returning to!…read more As a San Francisco Bay Area foodie, I'm always searching for restaurants that care about sourcing, seasonality and the entire dining experience. Town Hall checked those boxes for me a couple of years ago, so when work brought me back to Florence, I knew exactly where I wanted to eat. I looked at other options first, but nothing appealed to me at quite the same level. Town Hall's farm-driven, Southern-inspired menu, shareable plates and beautiful setting won me over again. And I'm happy to report: the second visit was every bit as memorable as the first. We started with the house-made cornbread and honey butter at our server's recommendation. Be warned: this stuff is dangerous. Hot, sweet and almost cake-like, with that honey butter melting into it. We promptly ordered another basket. Cocktails were equally impressive. I ordered a Sidecar, and when our server asked my cognac preference, my colleague volunteered Hennessy. Hennessy it was--and it made one spectacular Sidecar. For dinner, our server described a scallop special served over a shrimp étouffée-style preparation with microgreens. Sold. I paired that with the wedge salad because, well, I needed some roughage. The wedge came beautifully dressed with blue cheese, tomatoes, pickled red onion and bacon. The scallops were beautifully seared and tender, and the rich sauce underneath made the dish. My dining companions joined the fun with the house-made sausage, another order of the scallops, and a ribeye with French fries swapped in for the creamed corn--a little steak frites moment. Everything landed beautifully. What impressed me almost as much as the food was the service choreography. Our server was knowledgeable, personable and attentive without hovering. There was thoughtful table touching throughout the evening. Our dishes arrived together, and no plates disappeared while someone else was still eating. Those details may seem small, but polished hospitality lives in those details. We were far too full for dessert, so we called it a night--happy, well-fed and already talking about how good everything had been. Town Hall is the kind of restaurant I hope to find when traveling for work: locally driven, interesting food, strong cocktails, beautiful surroundings and service that understands hospitality. Two visits several years apart, and both delivered. If you're in Florence--or passing through South Carolina on your way toward the coast--Town Hall is worth making part of the trip. Life is too short not to eat well, sleep well, travel well and shop well. Get out there and find your next destination.

They were kind enough to let us order from the menu but eat upstairs. Service was a little slow but…read moreotherwise great. Such wonderful vegetarian options! The creamed corn was delicious. Collards are technically I think cooked with meat but didn't have super heavy flavors for those that may still eat meat. Corn bread was absolutely delicious. Snap peas were delightfully sautéed in a cast iron with almost a blackened flavor. Highly recommend rooftop!!

Kiawah Island really doesn't have much of a town. A convenience store next to the guard check-in…read morestation and a small well laid out shopping area that's really cute with some good restaurants, fun shops and a pretty decent grocery store. There are lots of condos & beach houses, many of them regularly rented. Several golf courses & communities dot the island and The Sanctuary is a nice high end hotel & spa located on the island. As mentioned, you must have either a resident or renters pass to access the island or you can get a short term pass for a specific destination from the guards at the entrance. Since access is so controlled, everything feels very safe here. The rental bikes aren't even locked up, which actually boggled my mind when I first saw it. That level of safety & comfort is pretty awesome. The beaches here are spectacular! The beach at low tide is about 100 yards deep and so flat and perfectly packed down that you can ride bikes on the beach. Amazing! The nearest city is Charleston, SC and it's about a 45 minute ride away from Kiawah. That's honestly Kiawah's biggest shortcoming - it's pretty remote from actual civilization. It's darned pretty when you get there, though.

Bathrooms on both sides of the building! This was where we waited for the Kiawah Half Marathon to…read morestart and it was awesome to be inside instead of freezing outside.

The building that stands at 80 Broad St. now was built between 1800 and 1804 to serve as a bank…read more However, the bank failed and by 1818 it had become City Hall. It is a fascinating building and one that most people probably do not think to set foot in for something other than City business. It's really worth the visit. The most famous piece of art is a painting by John Trumbull of George Washington during his visit to Charleston in 1791 -- and, very significantly, Washington's horse. Incidentally, City Hall is part of what Robert Ripley (Yes, folks same Ripley's Believe it or Not! fame) called the "Four Corners of the Law." The four buildings on each corner of Market and Broad represent four different arms of the law- 1. City Hall (local), 2. The Charleston County Courthouse (state), 3. The U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse (Federal), and 4. St. Michael's Episcopal Church (ecclesiastical). Admission is free and restroom too ;)

Charleston City Hall is the oldest, continuously used city hall building in the United States. It…read morewas built in 1801 originally as a branch of the National Bank of the United States. It is architecturally beautiful and is open to the public for limited tours of the City Council Chambers which includes beautiful, historic artwork on the walls. There are also very nice public bathrooms on the ground level including a water fountain. Adjacent to the building is Washington Park, a historic centuries old park commemorating President George Washington's visit to Charleston in 1791. Behind City Hall is the South Carolina Historical Society Museum which is absolutely also worth a visit if you are into historic buildings and artifacts.

This is definitely a very funny little town the town of James Island is been battling with the city…read moreof Charleston for a long time as the city of Charleston tries to annex all of the physical James Island which they've done about half of it so it's almost like the town of James Island is fighting a losing battle but they do try and you try to do some nice things I can only give them three stars because they really just haven't got the job done yet and I don't really see how they're going to do it and there's no real city center of James Island really call it A town unless they build one which maybe will happen will see

I'm only a huge fan on JI, cause it's where I'm from. JI ain't the same as when I first left it…read more It's overcrowded, way too expensive, and just too much going on now. When I was there, it was maybe around 10,000 people at the most. It was slower and people were much nicer. It's sad to see the place you grew up in, change for the worst like that. I wish I could give it a 5, but with the way it is now, it's lucky to get a 3. Sorry, it does really hurt me more than it hurts you.

Just over the Cooper River Bridge from Charleston is the Town of Mt. Pleasant. It's not merely a…read more"suburb" of Charleston- Mt. Pleasant is a thriving community. The roads here are excellent, with synced traffic lights and an access/frontage road that helps with traffic along Hwy 17. Mt. Pleasant has a dedicated Farmer's Market space and holds markets every Tuesday. If you're looking for something to do on Friday nights, there are often concerts and "Party in the Park" events. Happy Hour on Shem Creek or at one of the many restaurants is a great way to spend time, especially at restaurants on the water. Besides that you're super close to two beautiful beaches- Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island. Charleston's only one bridge away, and if you're into the more rural and rustic scene, you're not TOO far from the Francis Marion Forest. Growing up somewhat close to the area, I've seen Mt. Pleasant thrive in the last 20-25 years. I remember when Towne Center was built in the late 1990s and people wondered who would ever drive that far north to go to the mall. I also remember the "old" Wando high school. A lot has changed over the years, but MTP is a booming place to be!

I moved to MP just over a year ago. We looked all over the Charleston area and settled on MP based…read moreon drive time to work and proximity of shopping we were used to. I truly enjoy the fact that I don't have to spend 45 minutes to an hour driving to work. Parks throughout Charleston and MP leave allot to be desired and considering the amount of taxes we pay doesn't make sense. Street lighting is another failure by the city. The Waste Management department in MP is subpar. What I enjoy about MP is the shopping. MP has the shops I was used to in my previous city and has allot of upscale grocery stores spread throughout the city. The food scene has definitely improved since just year and will be even better in the coming years

Sullivan Island is a fun place to watch the 4 of July fireworks. Standing right in front of the…read moreCity of Sullivans Island town hall with the fireworks right over our heads. Very quaint little town, I would love to live here. Next year we are coming back with chairs and a cooler with water.

I love Sullivan's Island! If I go to the beach, I come here - it's definitely not as touristy as…read moresome of the others around Charleston. We would love to live here and may one day in the future. It's a quiet, quaint town and absolutely beautiful! My husband and I were married at the beach on Sullivan's island - that's how much we love it here.

The small museum and dungeon tour is worth the experience. It gives you a good overview of early…read moreCharleston's history while also covering the darker history of the dungeon. They also offered a multi-museum pass that included the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, the Slave Mart Museum, and the Powder Magazine, which was well worth the price.

We do not recommend this place. The Dungeon tour guide made a problematic comment about Native…read moreAmericans and went on to share sexist ideas about women. As we left, we let the staff at the front desk know about her remarks. The two staff looked at us, shrugged their shoulders, and said, "Oh, that's just Carol." Then, the male staff person proceeded to give us inaccurate information about another museum we inquired about. We left the museum surprised and disappointed by this behavior. We hope someone will review the tour script and suggest more inclusive and affirming language.

Nice beach to walk. Free pier to walk. The pier has nice chairs to sit in and relax and eat. Plenty…read moreof fishing spot in the Pier as well.

Folly Beach is the laid back community town at the "Edge of America!" City offices are all located…read moreon Centre Street amidst the bars, restaurants, and shops. There's a Fire Station around the corner too. This city has something for everyone. There's a pier for fishing, beach for sunning, ocean for swimming. There's a County Park at the West End, and the lighthouse at the East End. There's a nice boat landing on the Folly River just as you come onto the island. Beautiful sunset views. Watch the sun rise behind the lighthouse. Watch the posted rules at each overpass. No dogs from 10 am - 6 pm most of the year and they must be on leashes at other times. No glass or alcohol allowed. Don't walk on the sand dunes because you will destroy the precious sea oats. It's a rule with a purpose. We want future generations to enjoy what we have today. Also, pack it in, pack it out. Do not litter! When parking, make sure all tires are off the road. You also need to park in the direction of the traffic flow. There are still some free parking spots on side streets, but there is a convenience with parking and paying the station. Unfortunately, the pay stations are kind of spread out and not always easy to coordinate. You must guess how long you will be there and pay accordingly. There are pay lots on the first few blocks off of Centre, but prices vary based on the time of year.