For nautical and military buffs, a stop at the USS Yorktown (CV-10) museum in Mount Pleasant is a must see, as tours aboard Naval vessels are hard to come by for civilians. At 888 feet, the aircraft carrier is tiny by modern day standards, but it doesn't make it any less impressive. As a naval veteran and Navy brat, I'm always partial to sites and places connected to the Navy and couldn't resist dragging my husband and child to visit this awesome aircraft carrier perched on the waterfront of Charleston Harbor. Like most extensive tours, a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes are needed. Ladies, if you plan to visit, think about wearing shorts or pants, as the strong harbor breezes are more likely to show off your unmentionables to the public.

Inside the hangar deck, you'll find rows of aircraft used during different war periods, particularly during WWII, but you'll also find large weapons used to shoot down enemy planes and defend the Yorktown. What our son especially enjoyed was a chance to climb into an open cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat and pretend to shoot down imaginary planes as he played with all the buttons on the console. Also, you'll find other planes such as the N-2 Stearman Kaydet, SBD Dauntless, TBM Avenger, and others preserved in the hangar bay. Walking through the interior, you can watch a short film on the aircraft carrier, view memorabilia from WWII, and visit the Medal of Honor Museum, also located on the hangar level. If you go up one deck, you can also check out their control room with the sonar equipment, but since the room is cloaked in a red light, it's sort of hard to take good pictures (unless you use flash, which I didn't).

Up on the flight deck, the Yorktown keeps a number of more modern aircraft, such as the F-4J Phantom and the F-18 Hornet, but it's most likely due to their size and its relation to always being parked on the flight decks of aircraft carriers. For those afraid of heights, I'd suggest staying away from the edge of the deck, as it's pretty easy to get vertigo or topple over the edge due to its short barriers. What I do like about the Yorktown is that they are handicap accessible and those needing assistance to reach other parts of the ship can use the designated elevators to check out different parts of the museum. I enjoyed walking around and checking out the airplanes and helicopters, but the view from above the flight deck overlooking the Ravenel Bridge and the Charleston Harbor were spectacular. After your walking tour, you can head back down to the hangar bay and grab a bite to eat at their snack bar for light snacks or head one deck below to the CPO Galley for a hot meal for $8.50. 

Sitting beside on the opposite pier of the USS Yorktown, you'll find the USS Laffey (DD-724), an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer commissioned in 1944. Considering its age and the battles it had gone through (22 Japanese bombers and Kamikaze pilots tried to take her down), it's amazing to see that she's very well preserved. Just behind the USS Laffey, you can visit the USS Clagmore, a Balao-class submarine that served 30 years during the Cold War. It wasn't used during WWII, because it had been commissioned after the war had ended.

While walking around USS Yorktown, I was left wondering if they did ghost tours at night, but I was told by one of the guides that they didn't and special permission would be needed for overnight stays on the ship. Charleston has enough ghost tours in the historical district, but it would be fantastic if the Yorktown provided a bit of nightly fun for paranormal lovers. If you do plan to visit the museum, it's open daily from 9 - 6:30pm and there are discounts for military members. Adult tickets are $18, Senior citizens and military members are $15, children ages 6-11 are $11, and free for 6 and under.

For more info visit their website: http://www.patriotspoint.org/

Walking around Charleston trying to decide what to eat is a foodie's dream and nightmare; there's so many great establishments to choose from and that's where you'll run into problems. After parking in a garage and walking up and down the popular Meeting Street, my husband and I just couldn't decide on where to have dinner. There's so many unique individual restaurants, you're stuck trying to figure out which menu has the best entrees at the most reasonable prices. Of course, Charleston has its fair share of upscale eateries, complete with patrons dressed to the nines, but we were looking for something more casual and kid friendly, as usual.

Located on Meeting Street between Market and Cumberland Streets, you'll find Toast Restaurant, a homegrown establishment that proudly displays the NY Times clipping of its rave reviews. It's not very showy, in fact, but rather unpretentious with its simple green awning and chalkboard listing the specials of the day. When we walked in, we were warmly greeted by our host and given an explanation of some of Toast's signature dishes. What I really liked about the place was the staff's friendliness and their "it seems we've been friends for a long time" kind of attitude. I don't know if it's just Charleston, but after living in South Carolina nearly 3 years, I can attest to the state's well-deserved raves on Southern Hospitality. Charleston, it seems, just takes it to a whole new level. In a good way.

Perusing through Toast's menu, you'll find a number of Lowcountry favorites (shrimp and grits, old fashioned oat meal, and eggs Benedict Charleston style) and other items to make your mouth water, such as panko encrusted crab cakes, fried green tomatoes, and blackened catfish. For my starter, I just kept it simple with a light tuna salad on greens and ordered their crab cake sammie for dinner. My husband chose to get their grilled smoked pork chops, but skipped the appetizer. Our son had the homestyle mac n' cheese from their children's menu. I didn't get a good shot of my entree, but I can tell you it was as tasty as it sounds. The blue crab cake was pan seared and placed on kaiser rolls smothered with a peppery remoulade. Delish. Toast certainly knew how to impress me on a first "date," it seemed.

After stuffing ourselves silly with dinner, I'm surprised my husband and I both had enough room to try Toast's delectable desserts. Placed in a refrigerated turn-style, you can drool over the sweets placed on display. They had enough desserts to put cavities into all your teeth, and if you've got a sweet tooth like my husband, you'd probably want to order a slice of every pie they had on the shelf. I, for one, don't have much of a sweet tooth, but it didn't stop me from grabbing one of their red velvet cupcakes with toasted walnuts on top. It's creamy, light, and sweet enough to satisfy your sweet cravings. Perfect ending to a wonderful dinner. Absolutely no complaints at Toast's that night.

Although we didn't come for lunch or breakfast, Toast is known for having one of the best breakfast places in town and offering bottomless Mimosa's for $10 that lasts all day. Now, I don't think anyone would want to sit in a restaurant all day sipping on Mimosa's, but if you happen to visit Charleston with a group of friends, then scoot on over to Toast's for their hospitality, food, and all around feel-good ambiance.

Just a short drive away from the historical district of Charleston you'll find The Boardwalk Inn, which is part of the award-winning Wild Dunes Resort, and an AAA Four Diamond rated hotel. Sounds fancy, no? Before we booked it, I was expecting a snooty staff catering to an upper middle to upper class clientele who walked around sipping cocktails and flashing their fancy luggage around. Actually, I was wrong; the staff was absolutely Charleston-esque hospitable and friendly and we were given the same amount of treatment as the other guests checking in. For the record, yes, I was right about most of the patrons I found at the property---they were rich AND walking around sipping delectable alcoholic beverages. Many by the pool seemed to be indulging themselves with the sweet tea Southerners favor in the South. Anyway, our hostess had us sit down at a large mahogany desk while she checked us into our room and handed me a thick notebook explaining the myriad of features found at the resort. I just thumbed through it all the while itching to head to the city to look for a good place to eat. Oh, so much to do with so little time. We were only there for 2 nights, but it's a quick weekend trip away from home.

The Boardwalk Inn is one of the many different types of properties found at the Wild Dunes Resort, which includes beach houses and condos for rent, along with regular hotel-type accommodations. We stayed at their hotel, so you'll find standard to deluxe rooms with excellent amenities. Downstairs, the lobby includes a lovely little reception area, well, two if you count the larger one near the fireplace. Pictured above is the waiting area you find right when you enter the building. There's also a dining room which offers lunch and dinner, but we never had a chance to check it out, because everyone knows that Charleston is known for having some of the best places to eat in the South. We definitely weren't planning on passing it up!

We were given the standard room that faced the front of the hotel, much to my disappointment. I was hoping to get a room that faced the dunes by the beach, but I was happy with what we were offered. I did like the large walk out patio / balcony that overlooked the grounds out front and I could see the resort patrons casually jogging or walking around the immense property. As for the room, I have no complaints; it's large with two queen-sized beds and had ample room for a rambunctious young boy with a tendency to jump on the mattress until his legs give out. What I didn't like about the beds were the three large cushion-type pillows that just didn't have a comfortable texture to them. They felt like those huge decorative pillows found on fancy couches and felt like them too. However, the 2 pillows underneath were comfy enough. The rest of the room was standard: small fridge, microwave, flat screen TV with premium channels, a writing desk, and wi-fi throughout the property.

Now, the bathroom was large and roomy. Heck, I think I liked the bathroom more than the room, but the toilet was located in a small area off to the left with the large tub / shower on the right. There were individual bathrobes and slippers for use, but I don't think we even touched those. The bath amenities were a step up from the usual ones I've used at other hotels. I can't recall the brand of their soaps, but I fell in love with the oatmeal bath bar and lotions, I considered ringing housekeeping to bring back more. Also, the towels are so luxuriously plush and soft, it kinda makes you wonder if they use some kind of premium fabric softener to clean them. It reminded me of our towels at home, because I'm a nut when it comes to using softeners to keep our clothes and other washable items nice and fluffy.

Because this was a resort, I sort of feel bad for NOT using most of their amenities. Rather, I think my husband and I should've booked a hotel closer to the historical district of Charleston, but since the Boardwalk Inn was running a special the weekend we went, we decided to take that offer. This resort is just yards from a private beach, offers tennis and golf lessons to patrons, swimming excursions, fine dining, eco-tours, para-sailing, and a number of other family-friendly recreational activities for all ages to enjoy. Because we stayed only 2 nights, I don't think we spent enough time at the resort, which we didn't, and chose to spend most of our time exploring other parts of Charleston. The Boardwalk Inn would be perfect for families looking to get away from the city and enjoy activities at a private resort, namely golfing and tennis. Also, since I do absolutely adore the city of Charleston, I will say that if you get a chance to visit, you must spend at least 3 - 4 days exploring the city. A day or two simply isn't enough to enjoy all that this gorgeous jewel of the South can offer.