Wedding Any Lowcountry gals?

[MaggieB]

For our out of U.S.ers, "lowcountry" is a coastal region in Georgia and South Carolina. (I think - please correct me if that''s not the accurate description)

Anyway, I''m getting married at a lowcountry resort in South Carolina in December and am trying to come up with neat/interesting regional specialties to put in the welcome baskets. Let me know if there is anything that a lowcountry basket HAS to have!

Thanks,
MaggieB

 

[Stephanie]

Well, Charleston is on the border of lowcountry and there''s always tons to do there.. Um, I think that Hilton Head is around there too. Don''t know much to do in HH though. Let me think about this and I will get back to you...

 

[Cleopatra]

I''m not from that particular area, but I do remember visiting - I completely remember how EVERYONE seemed to be hooked on sweet tea! Apparently it''s super popular in this region! Even McDonald''s and Wendy''s had sweet tea! I was beyond shocked! ha!

I mean, maybe it was just me being overly observant, but is sweet tea a "big thing" in this region? If so, you could put some bottles of it in gift baskets!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 5/22/2008 3:54:52 PM
Author: Cleopatra
I''m not from that particular area, but I do remember visiting - I completely remember how EVERYONE seemed to be hooked on sweet tea! Apparently it''s super popular in this region! Even McDonald''s and Wendy''s had sweet tea! I was beyond shocked! ha!

I mean, maybe it was just me being overly observant, but is sweet tea a ''big thing'' in this region? If so, you could put some bottles of it in gift baskets!

Hehe, I always found it funny when I moved away from home and everybody referred to sweetened tea as "sweet tea". We just call it "tea", haha. Unsweetened tea is unheard of!

For the baskets, I''d just keep your eye out for anything local. If there is a special berry that grows there, you could get jam. Or maybe they have a special candy or even soda? I think Cheerwine (cherry soda) is from NC, though I don''t know if it''s as well known in SC. When you are down there I''d go to local boutique-type stores and just see what they''ve got.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Pecans and cheese straws?

 

[Stephanie]

Corn bread mix, muscadine wine, lemonade, fried chicken batter, sweet tea (a staple, of course), boiled cajun peanuts, fresh peaches.

 

[melpla]

When I went to a conference in Charleston a few years back, I received a bag that had benne wafers (sesame seed cookies) in it. I LOVED those, and can't wait to have more when I go back for my honeymoon in 2 weeks! They are really thin and crispy cookies with a unique flavor. I think sesame seeds symbolize good luck, so that would seem fitting as a gift. They have an interesting history also, having been introduced by slaves from West Africa.

I also brought home pralines for my parents as a gift...

 

[MaggieB]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!

Melpla - if you are looking for restaurant suggestions in Charleston, I cannot recommend Hank''s highly enough. I live in Florida, so I''ve had a lot of good seafood in my life, but Hank''s was just out of this world good.

BTW - we are thinking of doing Charleston for a quick honeymoon as well since it''s so close to the resort, but I haven''t looked into it yet. I''ve only been to Charleston once for a day. What kind of honeymoon stuff are you planning to do?

 

[melpla]

Well, I decided to book a room at the Holiday Inn Charleston, which is in the historic district, after reading hundreds of rave reviews of the hotel's concierge on tripadvisor.com. At first, I was looking for more posh accommodations, but we're not that picky as long as the hotel is clean and nice. The hotel has over 400 reviews on tripadvisor and is ranked #2. Anyway, people say this concierge is awesome--he sizes you up and plans your whole stay for you if you want him to. He is very passionate about the city they say. He also does a famed evening walking tour of Charleston that I plan to go on. Hopefully, he won't be on vacation the week we are there, since I haven't done any planning really!! I know we'll walk around the Market, the Battery, and tour the gardens and cemeteries. I was in Charleston for 3 days for a conference about 5 years ago, and I didn't get to see enough. I was able to go to the market one of the days and see the women weaving baskets and such, and I also wandered through an extremely old cemetery, which was awesome. I went on a walking tour of New Orlean's cemeteries a few years ago and really find that kind of thing interesting. We're the kind of people who care mostly about eating lots of good food, seeing the city on foot, and just hanging out where the locals are. So, I think we'll find enough to do. We'll only be there for 5 days. I'm getting recommendations for restaurants and such from the tripadvisor.com posts too.

ETA: I am a seafood fanatic, so I'll definitely have to check out Hank's. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Stephanie]

Date: 5/23/2008 2:34:07 PM
Author: melpla
Well, I decided to book a room at the Holiday Inn Charleston, which is in the historic district, after reading hundreds of rave reviews of the hotel's concierge on tripadvisor.com. At first, I was looking for more posh accommodations, but we're not that picky as long as the hotel is clean and nice. The hotel has over 400 reviews on tripadvisor and is ranked #2. Anyway, people say this concierge is awesome--he sizes you up and plans your whole stay for you if you want him to. He is very passionate about the city they say. He also does a famed evening walking tour of Charleston that I plan to go on. Hopefully, he won't be on vacation the week we are there, since I haven't done any planning really!! I know we'll walk around the Market, the Battery, and tour the gardens and cemeteries. I was in Charleston for 3 days for a conference about 5 years ago, and I didn't get to see enough. I was able to go to the market one of the days and see the women weaving baskets and such, and I also wandered through an extremely old cemetery, which was awesome. I went on a walking tour of New Orlean's cemeteries a few years ago and really find that kind of thing interesting. We're the kind of people who care mostly about eating lots of good food, seeing the city on foot, and just hanging out where the locals are. So, I think we'll find enough to do. We'll only be there for 5 days. I'm getting recommendations for restaurants and such from the tripadvisor.com posts too.

ETA: I am a seafood fanatic, so I'll definitely have to check out Hank's. Thanks for the tip!

You must, must try 82nd Queen. It's a little restaurant of off Queen (duh.) but when you walk in, wow. Gardens everywhere, tons of rooms and it's just right off the street. You can even walk from that Holiday Inn. It's maybe four blocks. Past Market, I think.

MaggieB - add grits to that list of basket things.

 

[mintve]

pecan, peaches (in any form...jam, dried, candied, etc), moon pies, coca-cola, sweet tea, cornbread, a copy of Gone with the Wind

 

[melpla]

I''m adding 82nd Queen to my list of ''must see'' places. It sounds fabulous!