Charleston, SC, Decided.
Every decision that matters, on one page.
✦ Stay: Wentworth Mansion ($$$$)
✦ Eat: FIG — book weeks — this is the reservation to set an alarm for. FIG releases the Resy book exactly 4 weeks out (28 days) to the same day of the week, at NOON (12:00pm ET). The play: create your Resy profile + card in advance, and be ready to book at 11:59am ET on day 28 for your target date; prime tables go fast. Online (Resy) is the fast lane — they run "one active phone line" and take no email reservations. If your time is gone, use Resy Notify for cancellations.
✦ Stay: The Pinch ($$$)
✦ Eat: Husk — book days to weeks — reserve on Resy ahead; weekend dinners and the Sat/Sun brunch book out fastest, so lock a prime slot a week-plus ahead in season. The play if you're unbooked: the Bar & Patio (in the adjacent 19th-century kitchen house) takes walk-ins for a lighter menu and a drink in the same setting.
✦ Stay: Hotel Bennett ($$$$)
✦ Eat: 167 Raw Oyster Bar — book walk-in only — NO reservations, first come first serve. The play: go off-peak (right at 11am open, or mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner rushes), put your name in the queue, then walk King Street until they text you it's ready. Expect a wait at prime dinner hours; reviews cite anything from ~10–20 min off-peak up to much longer on busy nights (specific current waits not captured — treat as "usually a wait"). If the group needs a guaranteed table, the sibling BAR167 (5 Fulton St, Mediterranean bistro) takes limited Resy reservations — different room, different menu, same group.
✦ Stay: The Charleston Place ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Lewis Barbecue — book walk-in — no reservations. Order at the counter; brisket is sliced to order in front of you. A line often stretches out the door, especially weekend lunch, so the play is to go at/near open (11am) or well off-peak; the giant beef short rib is weekend-only and sells out, so arrive early if that's the goal. Online order-ahead/takeout is offered via the official site for skip-the-line pickup. ⚠ Hours discrepancy noted below — reconfirm before any reader-facing use.
When to go: April, May, October, November.