Considering this is the so-called “off season” for Isle of Palms vacation rentals, there’s a surprising amount of things going on, and you can score some great deals - just like you can on a Charleston beach house.
If you’ve been to one of our beach house rentals Charleston SC before, no doubt you have seen the massive aircraft carrier parked in Charleston’s harbor.
The USS Yorktown is a beloved institution, both locally and nationally. No visit to our Isle of Palms luxury rentals or Folly Beach rentals Charleston is complete without a stop at the Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum, as it’s officially known.
The Yorktown was one of only two dozen Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II. Also known as the “Fighting Lady,” she earned 11 battle stars while serving in the Pacific from 1943-45. She was later modernized and went on to earn five battle stars during the Vietnam War, then later served as the recovery craft for the space mission Apollo 8. She also made an appearance on the silver screen in the famous Pearl Harbor movie, “Tora! Tora! Tora!”
The museum encompasses more than “just” the aircraft carrier. There are other military vessels to tour – the Cold War submarine Clamagore, and the WWII destroyer, Laffey, as well as numerous aircraft. The National Medal of Honor Museum is now located on board the Yorktown. And on the Patriot’s Point museum grounds is the Vietnam Experience, the only Vietnam support base camp in the United States.
The Yorktown is a great thing to see while staying in Isle of Palms vacation rentals
When Patriot’s Point opened on January 3, 1976 to an excited crowd of 2,601 people, it was the very first time an aircraft carrier was opened as a museum. It spawned a trend that’s spread to many other cities across the globe. Over the years, well over 10 million people have visited the Yorktown.
If you are staying in a beach house Charleston on IOP or one of our other luxury beach house rentals SC, you’d be wise to visit the Yorktown this weekend.
Patriots Point is offering something they only do once a year. It’s their sixth annual “Pay What You Can Weekend,” going on this Saturday and Sunday, January 7th and 8th. They will waive the normal admission fees ($22 per adult) and parking fee ($5), and instead you may make a voluntary donation, if you so wish. In other words you can name your own price.
Executive Director Mac Burdette put it this way: “After the holidays, many families want to get out and spend time with each other but may have spent too much at Christmas and funds are tight. We want to give those folks a way to enjoy our wonderful museum without having to worry about the price and their own financial situation. No matter what they want to pay for parking and admission, it will be enough for us. This is a small way we can give back to the community that supports us throughout the year.”
Hours are 9:00 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, and every day. As always, military in uniform and children under six are free.
All of this is located on the Mount Pleasant side of the harbor - a very convenient drive from your luxury house on Isle of Palms or from your SC vacation rentals on Folly. Here’s their website: https://www.patriotspoint.org/
Museum Mile Pass for folks in Isle of Palms vacation rentals
During the month of January only, a group of downtown museums and sites is offering a cool deal.
It’s the Museum Mile Month pass, for only $25 (adults) or $10 (kids 12 and under). With this pass you may visit eleven of the peninsula’s top draws, all of which are a very easy drive from all our Isle of Palms vacation rentals.
Here’s a link to buy tickets: http://www.charlestonsmuseummile.org/ticket-packages/
According to their website, “Charleston’s Museum Mile features the richest concentration of cultural sites open to visitors in downtown Charleston. Stroll the one-mile section of Meeting Street and you will discover six museums, five nationally important historic houses, four scenic parks and a Revolutionary War powder magazine, as well as numerous historic houses of worship and public buildings including the Market and City Hall.” http://www.charlestonsmuseummile.org/
These include:
- The Charleston Museum
- The Heyward-Washington House
- The Joseph Manigault House
- The Old Slave Mart Museum
- The Aiken-Rhett House Museum
- The Edmondston-Alston House
- The Confederate Museum
- The Nathaniel Russell House Museum
- The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
- The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
- The Powder Magazine
Check out the Museum Mile, not far from out Isle of Palms vacation rentals
Don’t forget Charleston Restaurant Week, near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals …
As I mentioned in the LAST BLOG, Charleston Restaurant Week is going on now through Sunday, January 22nd . Check that last blog for links to all the restaurants and their special menus and pricing, as well as links to make reservations (highly recommended when possible). This is a fun way to feed the folks in our Isle of Palms vacation rentals. You’ll get to sample some of what makes the Lowcountry cuisine scene one of the hottest in the country.
Oh - and then there’s Second Sunday, also near our Isle of Palms vacation rentals
Last but not least, this coming Sunday afternoon is the latest installment of Second Sundays on King. Stroll along one of the top ten best streets in America without worrying about vehicular traffic.
Here’s their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSundayonKingSt/
So enjoy some of the fun and good deals this weekend. And remember to call EP when you are looking for rental homes South Carolina, especially the best in Isle of Palms vacation rentals.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger