Charleston has a great downtown filled with dozens of drinking establishments that are all within walking distance. While this makes it a great area to spend most of your trip, we find that it’s also nice for travelers to get off of the Peninsula for a day and try out some of the Lowcountry’s more rural alcohol producing joints. That’s why we created this Charleston Party Bus Tasting Tour that takes guests through Johns Island and even onto Wadmalaw Island, 22 miles Southwest of Charleston.Â
This tour is composed of four attractions: Estuary Beans & Barley, Angel Oak Tree, Deep Water Vineyard and Charleston Distilling Co. That means in four quick hours you will have tastings of beer, wine and liquor while also getting to check out a 500+ year old tree! What makes it even better is that the entire drive takes place under sweeping willows and spanish moss. Interested? Great, let’s get started!
Estuary Beans & Barley
The first stop, Estuary Beans & Barley, is 23 minutes from downtown on 700-W and makes their own coffee and beer. You heard that right. Coffee and beer. They are an artisan beverage company that uses the highest quality ingredients to create memorable beverages. They’ve got 7 beers on tap and over a dozen coffee options, along with cocktails and wine. Trust us, there’s something for everyone!
Angel Oak Tree
Our second stop is one of the most famous trees in the nation, the Angel Oak. While its height isn’t necessarily that impressive, 66.5 ft, its 187 ft. tip to tip branch distance is astounding. It also produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet! Thought to be one of the oldest living things in the country, the Angel Oak is always a great sight to see. We love this stop because it’s only a minute or two out of the way and you are guaranteed to remember it forever.
Deep Water Vineyard
The only domestic winery in the Charleston area, Deep Water Vineyard is a must-see attraction for any wine lover. They are a full service winery, growing and harvesting the grapes while also bottling the wine on site. They offer very informative and affordable tastings as well as great areas to hangout including a large pond, a garden and many animal pens. Our favorite wines are the Low Tide, a semi-dry white made from the Tara Scuppernong grape and the Lowcountry Red, made with Ison Muscadine grapes.
Charleston Distilling Co.
This grain to glass operation has everything you need in a great distillery, including a tasting room, front patio, craft cocktails and food trucks. They also make a variety of spirits including vodka, gin, bourbon and rye. While we love the tastings here, we believe that the craft cocktails with their superior liquor is what raises them above all other distilleries in the area.
Transportation
While you can definitely go on this journey in a rental car, we recommend that you definitely have a designated driver considering you will be served a minimum of three times. You can also take a taxi if you want but you will want to have them wait for you while you’re at each stop because they can be near impossible to get once you’re on Wadmalaw Island.
However, we believe that the best option is to make this a Charleston party bus tasting tour! Double Black has state-of-the-art limo buses that are outfitted with wraparound seating, surround sound speakers, LED mood lighting and bars. They also have extra-large windows so you can truly appreciate the Lowcountry’s beautiful spanish moss. Get a quote today!