Donna Walsifer
fall adventure
Planters Inn, Charleston, SC
Peninsula Grill dining room
Peninsula Grill bar area
bar area
Grand King room
Continental Breakfast
Omelette filled with with goat cheese and spinach with a side of creamy grits
dining room at Husk
open kitche/pass
Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Elijah Craig Maple & Applewood Finished - 2025 Ryder Cup Edition, Bardston, NY 94.0 proof on the rocks
Pimento Cheese (topped with a bit of chili crisp), with thinly slice Broadbent Country Ham and buttermilk biscuits to spread the cheese on along with pickles
the Wood Fried NC Oysters, Collard Green Rockefeller
Seared Diver Scallops, Brown Butter, Potato & Bacon Cream, Sourdough
Golden Tilefish, Cabbage, Pine Bark Broth, Turnip
muscadine grape sorbet, sweet potato pie and chocolate peanut butter ice creams
Purveyors that Husk sources their ingredients from
Husk at night
Caesar Salad
Blue Crab Bisque
Tuna special that was topped with Parmesan cheese on a bed of mashed potatoes, with mushrooms, tomato and spinach
Shrimp & Grits sausage, tasso ham gravy, creamy white grits
Boone Hall Plantation
drive up to plantation home
Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant
Full Southern Breakfast with scrambled eggs, toast, Anson Mills grits (Jimmy Red), Bradford collards and bacon
Burrata with grilled eggplant, roasted muscadines, country ham, sage honey drizzle and extra virgin olive oil
Back to front: Short Rows made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Highwire amaro and Aperol. I tried Spittin’ Image made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, blueberry bbq shrub and lemon
Peculiar Pig Pork Chop Schnitzel that came with crispy pan-fried roasted onion spätzle, mustard greens and a pickled peanut salad
Joyce Farms Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with grape roasted Brussels sprouts, leeks, sweet pepper drops with port chicken jus
Historic Charleston
My husband is schedule for a knee replacement in early December, but before his surgery we took a long weekend in our favorite southern city, Charleston. This was our third trip here, the last time was seven years ago after my first hip surgery.
In our previous two trips we stayed at the Francis Marion Hotel, but this time, I looked for a new retreat. After searching, comparing accommodations and prices, we settled on the Planters Inn, a Relais & Chateaux property. Originally founded in 1803, the inn started out modestly offering lodging and board for “country gentlemen” and their families. In 1806, the inn was acquired by a woman who expanded and upgraded the style of the inn. By 1989 Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston and caused significant damage to the community. The heirs to the hotel secured an easement from the Historic Charleston Foundation to preserve the property. Following this, the hotel underwent a restoration and renovation. By the mid 1990’s the transformation was completed and was invited to become part of the Relais & Chateau portfolio of distinguished historic hotels. Planters Inn is located on North Market Street at the corner of Meeting Street. Across from the hotel is the Charleston City Market and one block east of King Street, the shopping district.
In our previous two trips we stayed at the Francis Marion Hotel, but this time, I looked for a new retreat. After searching, comparing accommodations and prices, we settled on the Planters Inn, a Relais & Chateaux property. Originally founded in 1803, the inn started out modestly offering lodging and board for “country gentlemen” and their families. In 1806, the inn was acquired by a woman who expanded and upgraded the style of the inn. By 1989 Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston and caused significant damage to the community. The heirs to the hotel secured an easement from the Historic Charleston Foundation to preserve the property. Following this, the hotel underwent a restoration and renovation. By the mid 1990’s the transformation was completed and was invited to become part of the Relais & Chateau portfolio of distinguished historic hotels. Planters Inn is located on North Market Street at the corner of Meeting Street. Across from the hotel is the Charleston City Market and one block east of King Street, the shopping district.
My husband and I had a wonderful stay at this gem of a hotel. For our stay, I selected the Grand King room which had windows onto the Charleston Market. The room was beautifully appointed with Baker Historic Charleston furniture, a king size bed, upholstered armchairs for TV viewing, a spacious bath and sumptuous bath linens. The hotel was conveniently located and was easy to navigate the city and enjoy the many wonderful restaurants. Our flight to Charleston was quite early in the morning and they were unable to know prior to our arrival if our room would be available before the 4 PM check in. The accommodated us by holding our bags so that we could tour the city while we waited for our room.
Overall, I’d recommend the Planters Inn for your visit to Charleston. The staff was warm and friendly, the hotel was spotless and housekeeping came in every morning and evening to tidy our room.
To begin our stay, we started off with breakfast in the Peninsula Grill. For a Friday morning at 10 AM, the restaurant was quiet. The staff was friendly and promptly sat us down at a window table overlooking the courtyard. Fresh coffee for me was brought to the table and a glass of orange juice for my husband, plus a small platter containing two warm buttermilk biscuits with butter and jam. For breakfast, I selected the Classic Continental that came with a freshly baked blueberry muffin and a choice of either Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or cereals, house made granola, juice and either coffee or hot tea. My husband chose an omelet made with goat cheese and spinach along with creamy grits. Breakfast was delicious and service was solicitous.
The rest of Friday we walked around the city, walked through the market and just enjoyed the beautiful weather with temperatures in the upper 60’s. After walking around a bit, it was time to go to the hotel to recharge and change for dinner. Besides, we were up at 3:30 AM to catch our 6:45 AM flight.
Dinner on Friday night was at one of our favorite Charleston restaurants, Husk. This was our third visit there and it didn’t disappoint. We had a 5:30 reservation which enabled us to have a window seat looking at the courtyard and across from the kitchen pass. We began our dinner with drinks containing bourbon, after all it is the South. I selected Elijah Craig Maple & Applewood Finished - 2025 Ryder Cup Edition, Bardston, NY 94.0 proof on the rocks. My husband chose a Husk Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve bourbon, rye, bitters, orange peel and simple syrup. I had my drink on the rocks and found the Elijah Craig to be smooth with a little kick on the back end.
We were quite indulgent with both of us having our own appetizers to start dinner. My husband chose Pimento Cheese (topped with a bit of chili crisp), with thinly slice Broadbent Country Ham and buttermilk biscuits to spread the cheese on along with pickles. This was delightful as the chili crisp provided a punch and a bit of heat, the ham provided texture and the pickle helped cut through all the richness. I chose the Wood Fried NC Oysters, Collard Green Rockefeller. OMG, these were to die for. The collard greens were turned into a sauce reminiscent of pesto sauce; the oysters were perfectly cooked.
For entrees we ordered Seared Diver Scallops, Brown Butter, Potato & Bacon Cream, Sourdough and Golden Tilefish, Cabbage, Pine Bark Broth, Turnips. The food was absolutely scrumptious. The scallops were plump and seared to golden perfection and the sauce underneath added a nice contrast to the dish. My tile fish was crispy and moist and the accompanying vegetables gave the dish a complexity of flavors.
I do love to end a meal with a little something sweet. Although we couldn’t eat another thing, I thought ice cream would hit the spot. While we could have chosen one flavor, but how can you when Husk offers muscadine grape sorbet, sweet potato pie and chocolate peanut butter as a selection. As we usually skip lunch while traveling, we indulged and order all three; I’m glad we did. The muscadine grape sorbet was a flavor I wasn’t expecting. The sorbet had a richness to it, a subtle sweet flavor and a lovely grape flavor. The sweet potato pie was tasty as well with pieces of pie throughout the ice cream. I’m not a peanut butter ice cream lover, but the rich, dark chocolate flavored with the peanut butter was to die for. The flavors were well balance with neither the chocolate or peanut butter dominating; it was so good.
On Saturday I booked a tour to Boone Hall using Adventure Sightseeing as recommended by the Planters Inn. The tour leaves from the Charleston Visitor Center. It was a bit of a hike from our hotel, but we made it. The cost was $65 per adult. I assumed that the bus driver would lead the tour, but he merely provided transportation and a bit of history on the ride out to Mount Pleasant where Boone Hall is located. This tour was 4.5 hours and the price included a 30-minute house tour by a knowledgeable guide and there was another presentation on the Gullah culture and the life of the African enslaved people. It was a very interesting tour, one which I recommend.
After our return to the Visitor’s Center, we hopped on a free shuttle bus to return to our hotel and get ready for dinner and theatre. My husband found that the Charleston Stage was presenting “Dial M for Murder” at the Dock Street Theatre, which was a few blocks over from where we had dinner reservations.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Magnolias, which I read about in “Garden and Gun” magazine and their new Culinary Director, Chef Kelly Franz. The dinner menu looked enticing when researching restaurants for our trip. After our indulgence Friday night, we strived to go a bit lighter with theatre afterwards. For appetizers, a Caesar Salad for my husband and I tried their blue crab bisque. The salad was very good and the bisque was thick, rich with shredded crab in the mix, perfection. For entrees, my husband ordered the tuna special that was topped with Parmesan cheese on a bed of mashed potatoes, with mushrooms, tomato and spinach. I selected shrimp and grits that came with pieces of sausage with tasso ham gravy with tender and creamy grits. Our seafood was perfectly cooked and the portion size was sufficient. The cooked shrimp, was a pale pink color. I later discovered when talking with someone that they may have been marsh shrimp. Overall, both entrees were very flavorful. While we did skip dessert, both my husband and I enjoyed an Old Fashioned made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon.
We leisurely strolled over to the theatre, which was a lovely and built in 1809 originally as a hotel. It was converted into a theatre in 1935. The original premise of the movie and adapted for stage, had been given a contemporary angle.
For our last day in Charleston, we took an Uber and went back over to Mount Pleasant to have brunch at The Post House Inn. My husband came across the inn when viewing a show on a streaming service. The inn was built in 1896 and has seven rooms available for staying. The restaurant offers brunch on the weekend, lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Sunday. Our reservation was for 11:30, we booked our Uber for 10 AM, which got us there in half an hour. We strolled around the Main Street which had a bakery, florist shop and home store. As I was famished, we walked over to the Inn to see if they could accommodate us earlier. To satisfy our hunger, my husband and I both chose the Full Southern breakfast which included scrambled eggs, toast, Anson Mills grits (Jimmy Red), Bradford collards and bacon. Talk about a breakfast, phew, we finished every last bit. One of the themes I noticed at this restaurant, and the others we dined at, is featuring of local ingredients and naming the source.
Once our bellies were full, we decided to head back to Charleston. We thought we would walk over to Shems Creek Boardwalk which was a 15-minute walk from the inn. The boardwalk is home to waterfront dining and local bars. We passed on this as we walked earlier in the morning from our hotel on Market Street to the Battery and back up King Street crossing over to our hotel.
Once back in town, we headed over to the historic Charleston City Market to pick up two bags of grits, one yellow and one bag of Jimmy Red which was served to us at brunch.
Our last dinner was at the new Vivian Howard restaurant, Lenoir. It was a drizzly Sunday night and at 5:30 the restaurant wasn’t too busy. We were greeted by Collin, who doubled as a server that evening. For our last night, we started with two cocktails, my husband tried Short Rows made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Highwire amaro and Aperol. I tried Spittin’ Image made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, blueberry bbq shrub and lemon. Wow, what fabulous drinks. I could have drank Spittin’ Image all night, but I wouldn’t be a pretty image the following day. It was a smooth drink, a little tart from the blueberries and lemon and nicely balanced with the bourbon…yum! My husband enjoyed his cocktail too.
For dinner, we started with a shared appetizer of burrata with grilled eggplant, roasted muscadines, country ham, sage honey drizzle and extra virgin olive oil. The burrata had a rich, creamy center and was nicely complemented by the complex flavors of the grilled eggplant, the muscadine grapes which were both sweet and a hint of tartness. The sage honey added an earthiness and the country ham a bit of texture….delicious.
For entrees, my husband chose the Peculiar Pig Pork Chop Schnitzel that came with crispy pan-fried roasted onion spätzle, mustard greens and a pickled peanut salad. The generously cut pork chop was lightly pounded and sat atop the spätzle with the mustard green and pickled peanuts atop. My husband loved this dish, but unfortunately, fell short to eat the entire chop. I chose the Joyce Farms Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with grape roasted Brussels sprouts, leeks, sweet pepper drops with port chicken jus. This was a very tasty preparation. The chicken had a lovely spicy crust and sat atop the vegetables. I’ve have never seen sweet pepper drops before and they were delicious in combination with the other vegetables in the dish. Overall, we totally enjoyed dining at Lenoir.
We walked an average of four miles per day traipsing around Charleston. It was our third visit, so we had seen many of the highlights in previous visits. We did want to visit Fort Sumter, however, both the men and women’s rest rooms at the fort were under repair made us hesitate. The ferry boat which brings you to Fort Sumter has restrooms and remains docked while you’re visiting. The total tour time is 2-1/4 hours with a 30-minute tour through Charleston harbor before visiting the fort for 60 minutes.
Overall, we had perfect weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 60’s during the day and 50’s overnight and in the morning. It’s the only trip where we walked about four miles a day and put on five unnecessary pounds. Now that we’re home, cocktail time is over as are the rich desserts.
Overall, I’d recommend the Planters Inn for your visit to Charleston. The staff was warm and friendly, the hotel was spotless and housekeeping came in every morning and evening to tidy our room.
To begin our stay, we started off with breakfast in the Peninsula Grill. For a Friday morning at 10 AM, the restaurant was quiet. The staff was friendly and promptly sat us down at a window table overlooking the courtyard. Fresh coffee for me was brought to the table and a glass of orange juice for my husband, plus a small platter containing two warm buttermilk biscuits with butter and jam. For breakfast, I selected the Classic Continental that came with a freshly baked blueberry muffin and a choice of either Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or cereals, house made granola, juice and either coffee or hot tea. My husband chose an omelet made with goat cheese and spinach along with creamy grits. Breakfast was delicious and service was solicitous.
The rest of Friday we walked around the city, walked through the market and just enjoyed the beautiful weather with temperatures in the upper 60’s. After walking around a bit, it was time to go to the hotel to recharge and change for dinner. Besides, we were up at 3:30 AM to catch our 6:45 AM flight.
Dinner on Friday night was at one of our favorite Charleston restaurants, Husk. This was our third visit there and it didn’t disappoint. We had a 5:30 reservation which enabled us to have a window seat looking at the courtyard and across from the kitchen pass. We began our dinner with drinks containing bourbon, after all it is the South. I selected Elijah Craig Maple & Applewood Finished - 2025 Ryder Cup Edition, Bardston, NY 94.0 proof on the rocks. My husband chose a Husk Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve bourbon, rye, bitters, orange peel and simple syrup. I had my drink on the rocks and found the Elijah Craig to be smooth with a little kick on the back end.
We were quite indulgent with both of us having our own appetizers to start dinner. My husband chose Pimento Cheese (topped with a bit of chili crisp), with thinly slice Broadbent Country Ham and buttermilk biscuits to spread the cheese on along with pickles. This was delightful as the chili crisp provided a punch and a bit of heat, the ham provided texture and the pickle helped cut through all the richness. I chose the Wood Fried NC Oysters, Collard Green Rockefeller. OMG, these were to die for. The collard greens were turned into a sauce reminiscent of pesto sauce; the oysters were perfectly cooked.
For entrees we ordered Seared Diver Scallops, Brown Butter, Potato & Bacon Cream, Sourdough and Golden Tilefish, Cabbage, Pine Bark Broth, Turnips. The food was absolutely scrumptious. The scallops were plump and seared to golden perfection and the sauce underneath added a nice contrast to the dish. My tile fish was crispy and moist and the accompanying vegetables gave the dish a complexity of flavors.
I do love to end a meal with a little something sweet. Although we couldn’t eat another thing, I thought ice cream would hit the spot. While we could have chosen one flavor, but how can you when Husk offers muscadine grape sorbet, sweet potato pie and chocolate peanut butter as a selection. As we usually skip lunch while traveling, we indulged and order all three; I’m glad we did. The muscadine grape sorbet was a flavor I wasn’t expecting. The sorbet had a richness to it, a subtle sweet flavor and a lovely grape flavor. The sweet potato pie was tasty as well with pieces of pie throughout the ice cream. I’m not a peanut butter ice cream lover, but the rich, dark chocolate flavored with the peanut butter was to die for. The flavors were well balance with neither the chocolate or peanut butter dominating; it was so good.
On Saturday I booked a tour to Boone Hall using Adventure Sightseeing as recommended by the Planters Inn. The tour leaves from the Charleston Visitor Center. It was a bit of a hike from our hotel, but we made it. The cost was $65 per adult. I assumed that the bus driver would lead the tour, but he merely provided transportation and a bit of history on the ride out to Mount Pleasant where Boone Hall is located. This tour was 4.5 hours and the price included a 30-minute house tour by a knowledgeable guide and there was another presentation on the Gullah culture and the life of the African enslaved people. It was a very interesting tour, one which I recommend.
After our return to the Visitor’s Center, we hopped on a free shuttle bus to return to our hotel and get ready for dinner and theatre. My husband found that the Charleston Stage was presenting “Dial M for Murder” at the Dock Street Theatre, which was a few blocks over from where we had dinner reservations.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Magnolias, which I read about in “Garden and Gun” magazine and their new Culinary Director, Chef Kelly Franz. The dinner menu looked enticing when researching restaurants for our trip. After our indulgence Friday night, we strived to go a bit lighter with theatre afterwards. For appetizers, a Caesar Salad for my husband and I tried their blue crab bisque. The salad was very good and the bisque was thick, rich with shredded crab in the mix, perfection. For entrees, my husband ordered the tuna special that was topped with Parmesan cheese on a bed of mashed potatoes, with mushrooms, tomato and spinach. I selected shrimp and grits that came with pieces of sausage with tasso ham gravy with tender and creamy grits. Our seafood was perfectly cooked and the portion size was sufficient. The cooked shrimp, was a pale pink color. I later discovered when talking with someone that they may have been marsh shrimp. Overall, both entrees were very flavorful. While we did skip dessert, both my husband and I enjoyed an Old Fashioned made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon.
We leisurely strolled over to the theatre, which was a lovely and built in 1809 originally as a hotel. It was converted into a theatre in 1935. The original premise of the movie and adapted for stage, had been given a contemporary angle.
For our last day in Charleston, we took an Uber and went back over to Mount Pleasant to have brunch at The Post House Inn. My husband came across the inn when viewing a show on a streaming service. The inn was built in 1896 and has seven rooms available for staying. The restaurant offers brunch on the weekend, lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Sunday. Our reservation was for 11:30, we booked our Uber for 10 AM, which got us there in half an hour. We strolled around the Main Street which had a bakery, florist shop and home store. As I was famished, we walked over to the Inn to see if they could accommodate us earlier. To satisfy our hunger, my husband and I both chose the Full Southern breakfast which included scrambled eggs, toast, Anson Mills grits (Jimmy Red), Bradford collards and bacon. Talk about a breakfast, phew, we finished every last bit. One of the themes I noticed at this restaurant, and the others we dined at, is featuring of local ingredients and naming the source.
Once our bellies were full, we decided to head back to Charleston. We thought we would walk over to Shems Creek Boardwalk which was a 15-minute walk from the inn. The boardwalk is home to waterfront dining and local bars. We passed on this as we walked earlier in the morning from our hotel on Market Street to the Battery and back up King Street crossing over to our hotel.
Once back in town, we headed over to the historic Charleston City Market to pick up two bags of grits, one yellow and one bag of Jimmy Red which was served to us at brunch.
Our last dinner was at the new Vivian Howard restaurant, Lenoir. It was a drizzly Sunday night and at 5:30 the restaurant wasn’t too busy. We were greeted by Collin, who doubled as a server that evening. For our last night, we started with two cocktails, my husband tried Short Rows made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Highwire amaro and Aperol. I tried Spittin’ Image made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, blueberry bbq shrub and lemon. Wow, what fabulous drinks. I could have drank Spittin’ Image all night, but I wouldn’t be a pretty image the following day. It was a smooth drink, a little tart from the blueberries and lemon and nicely balanced with the bourbon…yum! My husband enjoyed his cocktail too.
For dinner, we started with a shared appetizer of burrata with grilled eggplant, roasted muscadines, country ham, sage honey drizzle and extra virgin olive oil. The burrata had a rich, creamy center and was nicely complemented by the complex flavors of the grilled eggplant, the muscadine grapes which were both sweet and a hint of tartness. The sage honey added an earthiness and the country ham a bit of texture….delicious.
For entrees, my husband chose the Peculiar Pig Pork Chop Schnitzel that came with crispy pan-fried roasted onion spätzle, mustard greens and a pickled peanut salad. The generously cut pork chop was lightly pounded and sat atop the spätzle with the mustard green and pickled peanuts atop. My husband loved this dish, but unfortunately, fell short to eat the entire chop. I chose the Joyce Farms Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with grape roasted Brussels sprouts, leeks, sweet pepper drops with port chicken jus. This was a very tasty preparation. The chicken had a lovely spicy crust and sat atop the vegetables. I’ve have never seen sweet pepper drops before and they were delicious in combination with the other vegetables in the dish. Overall, we totally enjoyed dining at Lenoir.
We walked an average of four miles per day traipsing around Charleston. It was our third visit, so we had seen many of the highlights in previous visits. We did want to visit Fort Sumter, however, both the men and women’s rest rooms at the fort were under repair made us hesitate. The ferry boat which brings you to Fort Sumter has restrooms and remains docked while you’re visiting. The total tour time is 2-1/4 hours with a 30-minute tour through Charleston harbor before visiting the fort for 60 minutes.
Overall, we had perfect weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 60’s during the day and 50’s overnight and in the morning. It’s the only trip where we walked about four miles a day and put on five unnecessary pounds. Now that we’re home, cocktail time is over as are the rich desserts.