Charleston, South Carolina: sites, activities, dining, breweries, Happy Hour

December 2019

Marion Square December 2019

Sites, transportation...

We visited several areas from the Homewood Suites; we walked everywhere, or took a no charge bus ride on the DASH. The bus stopped just north of our hotel on Spring Street, just south of the hotel at the Visitor Center, and at several other areas around town. You can find more information on the transportation website.

Time capsule stone by the monument in Washington Square

Charleston, South Carolina: Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston Historic District

December 2019, Weekdays, 3 nights, 2-queen beds suite #302

We arrived back from our cruise on a Tuesday, and then stayed at Homewood Suites Historic District for three nights using points. The hotel is one-mile from the cruise port, and people had told us we could not walk to the hotel. We did walk to the hotel with our luggage, and it was not difficult. There were not many people out yet in the morning, and there were sidewalks the entire way.

Arrival, check-in, diamond perks

Since we arrived early in the morning, we were delighted to be able to get our room right away. The agent said she could not give us an upgrade, because the hotel was sold out. I had reserved a king studio, and there were no king studio rooms available when we arrived. We were able to check into a queen suite, so the guestroom was actually kind of an upgrade. It was not the bed type I had reserved; however, it was a suite with a bedroom door, rather than a studio guestroom. She also offered bottled water.

Sunset from guestroom 302 at Homewood Suites Charleston Historic District

I had not checked in online before we arrived, although I had looked at the floor diagram on the mobile app before we went on our cruise. Guestroom 528 looks like a great location, and I imagine that guestroom would have been a nice upgrade. I am sharing the guestroom diagram from the back of the door below.

Guestroom 302

The guestroom was comfortable and clean. It is located near the end of the hall, and we did not hear any noise from outside the guestroom. The room is kind of long and narrow. The photos on the hotel website match this guestroom type, except this guestroom does not have a window in the living room.

Photo taken from vanity area outside bathroom

Carnival Sunshine Cruise: 4-day Bahama Cruise from Charleston, South Carolina

November - December 2019 Spa cabin 11001

Next to Alchemy Bar in Ocean Plaza on Carnival Sunshine

Pre-cruise

We previously sailed on Carnival Sunshine from New Orleans shortly after it had been refurbished in 2014. We had a balcony cabin near the back of the ship for that cruise. We had some water problems in our cabin then, as did others. I was not very interested in another cruise after some of the things that happened on that cruise; however, my feelings have changed since then. Our initial travel plans this trip were to visit Charleston, and we decided to extend our trip a few more days on the cruise ship, because the price was good. 

You can find more details about the Carnival Sunshine in my previous blog post. I am providing information here that is new or different since then.

View of bridge between Charleston and Mount Pleasant from Carnival Sunshine

Arrival and VIP check-in ~ Charleston cruise port

This was our first experience cruising from Charleston. I had read that check-in begins sometime around 10:00 or 11:00 AM, so we submitted a request for an Uber ride from our airport hotel shortly after 10:00 AM. The information online says that the drop-off address is 32 Washington Street, which is the address I used. Our Uber driver arrived right away, and we arrived at the port just after 10:30 AM. We were told it would be about five minutes before we could enter. I inquired whether we could walk in so our driver would not have to wait. There was one other vehicle waiting, and our driver said he would wait with us. About five minutes later, our driver drove us into the cruise port area, and dropped us and our luggage off.

Directions to VIP check-in were clear, and security was a breeze. We arrived at the check-in desk right away. We then stood at the desk for over five minutes, because there was some kind of issue with our check-in. I do not know what the problem was, and the agent was apparently unable to correct it. She finally just checked us in again, and then had to take a photo of my husband. My passport photo showed up on the screen, and his did not. We had a similar experience last time we cruised, and I do not understand what the problem is. We renewed our passports together, we always check-in together with the same credit card on the account, and we always have the correct documents when we arrive.

After we checked in, there is a VIP waiting area near the shuttle boarding area. There is only one restroom at this end of the building, and the line was quite long. I walked back to the other end of the building to use the restroom. There was also a line there; however, it was not as long as the VIP line. Soon after, we boarded a shuttle bus for a short ride over to the ship and boarded. We were on board before noon. We were the first ones to arrive at Red Frog Pub; however, the bartender did not know anything about the first beverage being free for the first guests. I do not know if Carnival did away with this, or if the bartender was just uninformed.

Interior spa cabin 11001 on Carnival Sunshine

Spa interior cabin 11001 4S

Our cabin was ready when we boarded. This was our 19th cruise, and our first time in a spa cabin. We chose this cabin because it looked like it was located in a quiet hallway, and because it is located near Serenity deck. The rate when we booked was not much more than a basic interior room.

Interior spa cabin 11001 on Carnival Sunshine

Charleston, South Carolina: Crowne Plaza Charleston Airport - Convention Center

November 2019, Thanksgiving, 1-night, King guestroom 425

View from guestroom 425

Arrival, check-in, platinum perks

Our flight arrived before 11:00 AM, and we arrived at the hotel to check-in around noon. We had a bit of trouble getting the shuttle ride to the hotel, and the manager comped dinner for us that evening to make up for the excessive wait. We also received one of the larger king suite guestrooms, and the 600 platinum bonus points.

Tanger Outlet Mall across street from Crowne Plaza

King guestroom #425

This guestroom is on the 4th floor near the atrium. It faces southwest overlooking the hotel pool and Tanger Outlets across the street. We stayed on Thanksgiving, and the stores opened at 6:00 PM for the entire night with shopping specials. Traffic was non-stop across the street during our entire stay. The windows in the guestroom are very soundproof, and we did not hear any noise from traffic or the airport.

Crowne Plaza Charleston airport guestroom 425

Boyne City, Michigan: Young State Park, Boyne City to Charlevoix Trail, and Harvest Festival

September 2019, Weekend, 2-nights, Campsite 31

Above: sunset from campsite 31 at Young State Park while seated at fire.

Below: sunset from back of campsite 31 standing next to the water.

Young State Park reservations and campsites

There are three campgrounds in Young State Park, and it was difficult to choose a site beforehand, since this was our first visit. We decided to reserve campsite 31 in Oak campground, and after our arrival, we decided this is one of the better sites. After we had made the reservation, we wanted to arrive a day earlier; however, another camper was on this site the day before. Luckily, they had departed when we arrived.

Young State Park campsite 31.

Campsite 31 is on the lake, and there is a partial lake view from the back of the site (see top photo with fire pit). We would have had an even better view, if we had not backed in as far. We had hoped to park on an angle; however, there was not enough room to do this with our fifth wheel. There are a lot of trees on this campsite. You can see the white site line in front of the trees in the photo of our fifth wheel and truck (half the site is unusable because of the trees). Additionally, gravel had been brought in for this site, and placed only in the area straight into the site. There was standing water around the fire pit when it rained during our stay. 

Condition on campsite 31 at Young State Park after it rained.
Gravel brought in is visible to right of fire pit.

Des Moines, Iowa: DoubleTree by Hilton DSM

September 2019, Weekday, 2-nights, King guestroom 400

Sunrise from guestroom 400

Diamond perks, check-in, and arrival

I stayed in this hotel in 2013 as a Gold member, and received an upgrade to a suite. For this trip, I checked in online, and chose king guestroom 400, because there were no suites showing as a choice. My original reservation had been for two queen beds, because the cost of a king guestroom was more. This king room was probably an upgrade, although the Hilton benefits page says that Diamond members are eligible for an upgrade up to a one bedroom suite. I sometimes wonder if not checking in beforehand gives a better opportunity for an upgrade. I do not recall ever receiving a better guestroom during check-in after choosing one online.

When I arrived, I was told I would receive breakfast both mornings, and I had the choice of a snack bag with two bottles of water, or a beverage coupon to use in the lounge. I chose the snack bag, which contained Chex mix, trail mix, and a few candies in addition to the bottles of water.

Beverage counter in guestroom 400

King guestroom 400

This guestroom is on the top floor at the end of the hall. It overlooks the airport. The building is well soundproofed, and I did not hear any air traffic noise. I did not hear any noise from the hallway the first night, and the second night, the noise was minimal and non-intrusive.

Large safe in closet in guestroom 400

Northeast Lower Michigan: Rifle River Recreation Area

September 2019, Weekend, 2-nights, Primitive campsite #152

Additional photos and information about the recreation area can be found in my Facebook album.

Sign along the road after check-in

Advance reservations and arrival

Rifle River Recreation is 4,449 acres located within the AuSable State Forest. The recreation area includes seven lakes, three ponds, seven miles of trout streams, and four separate campgrounds. Since this was our first visit, choosing a campsite was not an easy task! Grousehaven is the only section with electricity, and this is the campground we initially considered. We have a 35' fifth wheel, which is quite tall, sometimes making it difficult to camp in primitive campgrounds with narrower roads and low branches. After a bit more research, I decided we would not have any trouble getting to any of the campgrounds. We reserved site 152, which is a primitive site in Ranch campground, and hoped for the best. When we arrived to check-in, the representative said we had a fabulous site. It is about three miles to Ranch campground from the entrance on a winding dirt road, so it takes a bit of time to get there pulling a trailer.

Ranch campsite 152.

Ranch campsite 152

This site is spacious and grassy; we loved it! I actually thought all of the campsites in Ranch campground were great. The sites that are not on the river were also grassy and somewhat private.

Ranch campsite 152.
Chairs in the distance are on campsite 153.

Benzie County, Michigan: Betsie River Campground, Betsie Valley Trailway, Betsie River, dining, and more

September 2019, Weekend, 2-nights, Campsite 57

Water conditions in Frankfort the weekend of our stay.

Bestie River Campground reservations and check-in

We had hoped to take our boat to Frankfort and stay at Harbor Lights Resort Marina (details in one of my previous Frankfort posts); however, the boating forecast was not good, so we decided to camp instead. Just a couple of days before the weekend, we called, and were able to reserve the last available pull-through campsite at this park to accommodate our 5th wheel. The owner said that the sites along the perimeter against the woods are not large enough for us. I thought the cost was a tad steep; $37 a night for 30 amp with water hookup, and $35 for 20 amp with water. Friends of ours stayed here a couple of years ago, and told us the breaker kept blowing on their 30 amp site. We did not have that problem, although the campground website says the following for 20 amp sites: If ya try to run a toaster, hair dryer, coffee pot and microwave all at the same time while eating pop tarts and watching satelite TV...well ur gonna watch us flip breaker switches. If you can camp without all of the bells and whistles goin' at the same time you will be fine.

We paid one night's deposit when making the reservation, and the balance at check-in. We were allowed to check-in early, as there was no one on our campsite from the night before.

Campsite 57 at Betsie River Campground.

Betsie River Campground site 57

The pull through sites in this campground are set up to face each other (with alternating connection locations), and the fire rings can be placed wherever you want. There were at least six fire burn spots on our site. The alternating hookups are great, if you are camping with others; however, we had hoped for more privacy, since we were camping alone for the first time in several weeks.

Another view of campsite 57 at Betsie River Campground.

Paris, Michigan (Mecosta County): Paris Park & Kayaking Muskegon River

September 2019, Weekday-weekend, 3-nights, Campsite 62 

Paris Park campsites 58, 60, 62, and 63

We camped on site 62, and friends camped on site 58. We initially wanted sites 60 and 62; however, 60 had been reserved by the time we finalized our plans to visit. If you want two sites together, sites 60 and 62 are two of the best campsites in this park. If you are camping alone, and want privacy, be aware that these campsites are very open to each other. We parked our truck next to the line to create a bit of privacy between 60 and 62.

Click on photo to enlarge it

On the reservation site, campsites 58 and 62 both say they accommodate a, "Large RV or 5th Wheel;" however, it was tricky getting into both of these sites. Additionally, I was verbally told that site 63 would accommodate a 5th wheel (even though the online information says it is a tent site), and neither of us would have gotten on that site because of the trees and incline.

Campsite 58 is tricky, because there are many trees on this site. Our friends barely fit on the site with a 28' 5th wheel with one slide out. We actually had to remove one of the posts until they had parked. We were obviously not the first ones to do this because the post was loose when we checked it.

Chanhassen, Minnesota: Holiday Inn Express and Suites

August 2019, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom 305

Platinum perks and check-in

Check-in time at this hotel is 3:00 PM, and I arrived just after 2:30 PM. After the agent asked if I was checking in, and I said yes, she pointed to the check-in sign on the wall and said check-in is not guaranteed before 3:00 PM. This was before she even requested my name or checked to see if my room was ready (it was). I was a bit put-off by the way she said this, and the remaining check-in process was not any better. 

As she requested my ID and such, a man entered the hotel and stepped up to the counter near where I was standing. He spoke with the agent a moment, and then waited while she finished my check-in. During the process, she placed the check-in paper (with all my personal information, including complete name and address), then my driver's license, credit card, and room key packet with number, all on the counter face up with the information highly visible to anyone standing at the counter. In fact, she placed the items so indirectly in front of me, that when she had set the paper on the counter, the man standing there asked if it was for him. Unbelievable! (referring to the agent; not the guest)

I did not receive a room upgrade, although I did receive a room on the top floor.

King guestroom 305 Holiday Inn Express Chanhassen, MN

King guestroom 305  

Overall, this was a nice guestroom. I was happy with the location and sleep quality. The mattress was comfortable, and the sheets were good quality. I liked the suitcase bench, and Keurig coffeemaker. there was also a small fridge and microwave in the guestroom.

Fife Lake, Michigan: Spring Lake State Forest Campground

July 2019, Weekday, 1-night, Campsite 16

We had previously seen the state forest campground signs for this park on our way north, and wanted to check it out to see if it had enough room for our 35' fifth wheel. We were traveling north with our boat this trip, and decided it was good time to see the park.

Overhead view of Spring Lake State Forest campground
Click on photo to enlarge it

Arrival and site availability

The entrance into the campground is pretty much straight in from 131. The road is not very wide, and someone in a truck who was leaving the park, pulled off the road, as we could not have passed each other while pulling our boat. The boat launch drive veers off to the right just before the campground loop. 

We arrived on a Wednesday shortly before 5 PM. There were several sites available; however, the lake overlook sites were taken. We chose campsite 16, which is about the largest campsite, so we would not have to unhook our boat. 

Campsite 16 at Spring Lake State Forest campground

Austin, Texas: Courtyard by Marriott Austin Airport

July 2019, Weekdays, 2-nights, King guestroom #402

Check-in and Platinum perks

I checked in online before I arrived, and I received a notification via the app telling me when my room was ready. As a Platinum guest, I received a breakfast coupon for breakfast both mornings. I had requested late checkout, as I had an evening flight the day of departure. The agent did not confirm this at check-in, although a different staff member did accommodate this request when I inquired the following day.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

Guestroom 402

This guestroom is at the end of the hall on the 4th floor of this 5-floor hotel. I did not hear any overhead noise, although I did hear a lot of noise from hallway activity the first evening. The doors in this hotel are quite heavy, and the late night guests were not as thoughtful as the early morning guests about letting the doors close quietly. The windows are well soundproofed, and I was not bothered by any airport noise.

Guestroom 402 view from in front of closet

The bed was comfortable, and the desk work area was sufficient. A panel under the desk slid out for more room. There were electric outlets at the desk, and next to the bed.

Desk/entertainment area (refreshment center on right) for guestroom 402

The guestroom contained a coffeemaker with supplies, ice bucket, glass glasses, a small fridge, and a microwave. There was a charge for the bottled water visible in the photos.

Bolingbrook, Illinois: Residence Inn by Marriott Chicago Bolingbrook

June 2019, Weeknight (Wednesday), 1-night, King studio #414

Platinum perks and check-in

I arrived before check-in time (around 2PM), and then waited in the lobby for about an hour for my room. This was not a problem, since I was able to work on my laptop, although it was surprising. Usually, after I have checked in on the Marriott app, I get a text early in the morning telling me my room is ready way before check-in time. Other than the standard Platinum bonus points, I did not receive any extra perks for my status. I received two candy bars, after I spun the wheel behind the check-in counter, and that is the space it landed on. All guests get to spin the wheel when checking in.

King suite 414 at Residence Inn Bolingbrook Chicago

Guestroom 414

I loved this guestroom. It was clean, comfortable, and spacious. The photos on the hotel website are a good representation of the actual guestroom.

King suite 414 at Residence Inn Bolingbrook Chicago

The desk area was large, and the view out the window faced northwest. The kitchen contained everything needed.

Hocking Hills, Ohio: state campground, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave, hiking, and more!

June 2019, 3 weeknights, state campground site 58

You can find more photos from this visit in my Facebook album.

Sunset from campsite 58

Advance reservations and arrival

I made our reservation online through the Reserve America system, and chose our campsite. I had initially tried to reserve campsite 65 (I think); however, the system was malfunctioning that day, and I went with what had initially been our second or third choice. After arrival, we decided I had chosen the best site!

We arrived via Highway 664 from 33. This road is curvy and steep in spots. After arriving at the park, you just pull up to the window, if you have a reservation. The person we spoke with did not provide any park information, other than to tell us where to hang our tag, and where to put it when we checked out. She said the camper on our site had not checked out yet, and if they were still there when we got back there, we would have to come back to the front. We were glad the site was empty when we arrived, because the camp road in is also steep and curvy, with barely enough room for one large RV, let along two.

Hocking Hills State Park campsite 58

Campsite 58

This is a fabulous full hook up campsite, and we would choose it again. It is one of the most private full hookup sites in this campground. The pad for campsite 56 is not as close as it looks in the online photos on the website. Also, the dumpster in the area between site 58 and 63 was not close to our campsite at all (I was somewhat unsure about this when looking at their online photo beforehand). The campsites at the end of the road around the loop are actually more clustered, and that area was busier. Before we arrived, I had thought those sites would be in a quieter area, and that the sites would be larger, and they are not. Hocking Hills State Park is a large campground; however, this section where we stayed is the only area with full hookup.

Kalamazoo and Galesburg, Michigan: Markin Glen Campground, River Valley Trail, Bell's Brewery Production Facility, and more!

May 2019, Weekend, Two nights

Sharing a brief bit of information from our May stay. You can find more information in previous blog posts by clicking on the Kalamazoo label at the end of this post.

Campsite 19 at Markin Glen

Markin Glen campground campsite 19

This is a fabulous county park located less than 5 miles north of downtown. I like that you can request a specific campsite when making a reservation. There was not anything new in the campground from our previous stay, other than we were on a different site this time.  

Sunrise from inside on site 19 at Markin Glen

Campsite 19 is a site along the permitter, which we prefer over the center campsite we had last time. I was surprised how much we could hear traffic on G Ave, as we had not expected the road to be that well-traveled. This was not super bothersome; just surprising.

Kalamazoo River Valley Rail Trail

New River Gorge in West Virginia: Canyon Rim visitor center, hiking trails, Grandview visitor center and overlooks, Sandstone Falls visitor center, and more!

June 2019, 2 weekdays, traveling as a couple

In addition to this blog post, you can find more photos and information in the New River Gorge photo album on my Facebook page.

View of New River Bridge from Canyon Rim visitor center 
lower observation deck

Canyon Rim visitor center and New River Gorge bridge

There is no charge to visit any of the New River Gorge visitor centers. The staff member at Canyon Rim was an excellent resource for information about the areas we wanted to visit. He provided trail maps, trail information, and clear directions.

View of New River from deck at Canyon Rim visitor center

New River is visible from the back deck at Canyon Rim, and there are two trails that walk down toward the bridge. The main trail is handicap accessible to the first observation deck. There are many steps to the lower observation deck. Both decks offer excellent views.

View of New River Bridge from Canyon Rim visitor center 
upper observation deck

Beckley, West Virginia: Beckley Coal Mine Campground and area

June 2019, Weekdays, 3-nights, Campsite 11

Advance reservations, arrival, and check-in

This is a city campground located behind the coal mine attraction. Reservations are made over the telephone, and there is not a campground map available. I made our reservation as soon as they started accepting reservations in March. I did not receive a confirmation number, they did not require a deposit, and I was not able to request a certain campsite. I provided details about the size of our RV at that time.

Arriving was easy, and the directions are clear: check-in at the gift shop, if arriving before close, and there is someone at the campground for arrivals after close. There is plenty of room to turn around with an RV in the parking lot in front of the gift shop. When we checked in, I inquired again about the size and location of our campsite (from what I had seen on Google maps, it looked like site 11 is a smaller site). The person checking us in said that this was the largest site she had available. There is a locked cable across the front of unrented sites, so we needed to get a key with a $5 cash deposit. The total cost for three nights with tax (not counting the deposit) was $96.30. We were not given any information about the campground, and after we had set up, we learned we needed a code for the bathrooms. WiFi is not available in the park.

View behind campsite 11

Campsite 11

This campsite is located across from the bathrooms. It is a smaller site, and one of the worst sites in this campground. Our fifth wheel is 30', about 35' overall, which is the size I provided for our reservation with two slides. We were barely able to fit our truck onto the site on an angle in the small muddy grass area in front of the grill. The only good thing about this site were the nice trees along the backside. 

Leaning grill on campsite 11 filled with trash and cigarette butts

This site does not have a fire pit (all of the other sites that we saw had fire pits, and there was wood stacked by the tent sites), the grill was a mess, and there was debris on the site. You will need a long drain hose, as the drain is located at the back of the site beyond the tar. Our drain hose was not long enough, so we had to back up to the drain before setting up, and then again to dump our tank before departing. The area below the campsite is a local park with a swimming pool and a neighborhood of houses. We heard continual dogs barking, which we initially thought were dogs people at the park had left in their vehicles. Later, we decided maybe there is a kennel or similar located near the park.

Debris on campsite 11

Kentucky: Middle Fork Campground at Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Red River Gorge, and more

June 2019, Weekday-weekend, 3 nights

Below Princess Arch in Red River Gorge.

We loved this area when we visited in 2016. We stayed in Whittleton Campground then, and I previously provided a lot of information about that campground and some of the hiking trails. You can click this link for that blog post. I am providing new details in this post.

View from campsite B015 after most campers left on Sunday.
Click photo to enlarge it and see nearby labeled sites.

Middle Fork campsite B015

All of the RV campsites in this campground are the same as the ones in Whittleton with water and 20/30 amp power. Again, some of the hookups are quite a distance away, so extra hose and cord may be needed. 

Another view from campsite B015.
Our first evening before we purchased firewood!

Campsite B015 is in an excellent location on the stream, and would be a great site on quiet weeknights, or if you have kids who want to swim. We would never choose this site on a weekend again, because during our stay, the stream and back of our site became the local swimming hole. We enjoyed a peaceful Friday afternoon along the water when we first arrived, and again later in the day on Sunday after most people had left. It was very noisy on our site Friday evening, and when we returned from hiking Saturday afternoon. The road visible in the photo above only goes inside the park, so traffic from that road was not heavy or bothersome. 

Campsite B014