Spending some time in downtown Charleston is a terrific way to get in the holiday mood. It’s the ideal place to shop local and get some great Christmas gifts. Even if you’ve got your list covered, just stroll around and check out some of the holiday decorations. The Omni Charleston Place is a must-see, with their huge tree and garlands filling the central lobby. And, the historic homes around Colonial Lake and South of Broad are decked out for the season, with lights and old-school wreaths, trees and garlands. These neighborhoods are best seen by foot.
Parking in downtown Charleston can be a challenge during the slower parts of the year, much less during the busy holiday season.
Well, the City of Charleston is generously offering a gift of free parking. It’s part of “Holiday Magic in Historic Charleston.” Basically, it’s a voucher for two hours of free parking in several of the City’s main parking garages scattered around downtown Charleston.
Downtown Garages offering Free Parking (with voucher):
- Visitor Center Garage – 73 Mary Street
- Philip Street Garage – 34 St. Philip Street
- Concord/Cumberland Garage – 1 Cumberland Street
- East Bay/Prioleau Garage – 25 Prioleau Street
- SC Aquarium Garage – 24 Calhoun Street
- Midtown Garage – 553 King Street
- Majestic Square Garage – 211 King Street
- Queen Street Garage – 93 Queen Street
The Holiday Magic free parking voucher is good now through January 1st, 2021 (one per vehicle, please).
Update: Nonstop flights from CA to SC
Well, this past Friday, December 18th marked a bit of a milestone for the Charleston area and for Charleston International Airport. It was the first scheduled direct flight between California and anywhere in the state of South Carolina.
JetBlue announced earlier this year that it was starting nonstop service between CHS and Los Angeles, aka LAX. Read all about it in this blog.
Airport officials say it will open up easier routes to the Far East and be a gateway to Asia. They envision a lot of use by companies currently servicing the Port of Charleston, many of whom are based in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and more.
It seems a rather odd time to launch a whole new flight service, considering the pandemic. However, this has been in the works for several years and went forward as planned. Right now, they’ll be offering a couple flights per week – likely on Mondays and Fridays. As flights get back toward normal volume, they plan to run it every day.
Read more about the flight from Live 5 News.
So head downtown and take advantage of a holiday gift of free parking. And when you’re ready to book one of our beach house rentals Charleston SC, just give us a call.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger