Any good stops between Raleigh and Charleston?

[VaNC]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I can't get the search to give me what I am looking for. We are heading to Charleston next weekend, again (Hubby goes to Board meeting, I get to run the kids around a city that is GREAT except for the odd lack of playgrounds downtown). We are pretty well versed in the Charleston restaurants (and most nights are choreographed by the company anyway) but we have yet to find a decent place to stop on the way down. Please help me. I don't want to stop at McDonalds again! Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Betcha that our own Varmint will know the answer to this question!

[seahawg]

Clark's Restaurant in Santee, NC. Good home cooking and a nice family atmosphere. Exit 98 off of I-95.

From their website: http://www.clarksinnandrestaurant.com/default.asp

Take a look at the menu sampling below. There are many more mouth-watering dishes from which to choose.

Breakfast

Start with our Homemade Country Breakfast: Sugar Cured Bacon, Smoked Sausage, Country Ham, Southern Style Grits, Home Fried Potatoes with Onions, Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Eggs cooked just like "you like".

Our Ham and Cheese Omelets are famous and we have the Best Pancakes and French Toast you have tasted.

Try our Old Fashioned Oatmeal or sample some Fried Green Tomatoes with Chutney.

Lunch

Homemade Soups Daily: Tomato Herb, Beef Barley, Chicken Noodle to name a few.

Wonderful Sandwiches! Smoked Turkey Delight, Clark's Triple Decker Club, Homemade Tuna Salad Croissant, Grilled Reuben, Clark's Classic Burgers!

Super Salads including our Honey-Glazed Grilled Chicken Salad (You'll come back this!), Taco Salad and Rasberry Delight with ham and swiss cheese.

All-time Favorites! Clark's Famous Baked Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken, Chopped Steak, Liver and Onions, Roasted Pork Loin, local Catfish Filets and much more!

Lunch Buffet Monday - Friday includes our Famous Fried Chicken, Southern Casseroles and Pastas, plenty of Vegetables, a loaded Salad Bar, our Homemade Soup and Homemade Desserts!

Dinner

Start with a "make your own appetizer platter" of Fried Oysters, Catfish Filets, Fried Green Tomatoes, Crab Legs, Buffalo Wings or try our wonderful "Million Dollar Bread".

The Best Seafood and local Catfish: Filet of Flounder, Gulf Stream Shrimp and Scallops, Blackened Tuna, Honey Glazed Grilled Salman, Fried Oysters and Crab Legs.

Our Steaks are the finest! All Angus!

Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Angus Porterhouse T-Bones, Filet Mignon, Deluxe Rib-Eyes, and New York Strips chosen for flavor, tenderness and quality.

Clark's Famous Baked Chicken and Southern Fried Chicken are "Musts"!

Try our Roasted Pork Loin, Beef Liver and Onions or Chicken Parmesan.

Our Seafood Pasta is outstanding or you can eat a light vegetarian pasta or one of our wonderful stir frys.

Our Entree's are served with one of our homemade soups, Caesar Salad or Garden Salad, choice of potato or Clark's Original Savory Rice and our delicious Homemade Vegetable Casseroles (you will want the recipes!) Desserts include Clark's Famous Apple Crisp, Hot Fudge Sundaes, Homemade Pecan Pie, Cheesecakes, Old Fashioned Banana Splits and Milkshakes.

[JennyD]

Any suggestions?

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Hammy's BBQ, on Main Street in Elgin, S.C. -- about 15 minutes ouside of Columbia. I think they're still open only on Thursday/Friday/Saturday, but they make amazing ribs and banana pudding.

[Varmint]

Betcha that our own Varmint will know the answer to this question!

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Although we head down there 3 or 4 times a year, we usually time it to avoid having to stop and eat on the way. You could hit Sweatman's Bar-b-que in Holly Hill, which isn't far off the road (just before you get to I-26). Seahawg's suggestion, however, looks divine and is something I'm going to tuck away for future reference!

[wcmckinney]

interesting topic thread, driving from Raleigh to the Holy City and back can be quite a haul, and i am good about driving on days where it rains and rains and rains.

quickly, on playgrounds in charleston: battery park has some great activities, if not an actual playground and ditto for the park behind the Fireproof building on Meeting St.

on road food eats, I like Schuler's BBQ around Latta, SC at the state line. it's about half way between the two cities and just a few miles (2) off the highway. they have really good ribs, jowels in the vegetables, and while the mustard based bbq is not on level with Bub Sweatman's, it is open more often than our favorite place in Holly Hill is.

secondly, Fuller's in Lumberton is about as good a retaurant as any that advertises on I-95. it is a great celebration of Lumbee Indian culture, good corn pancake patties that remind me of a southern take on arepas.

thirdly, Duke's in Orangeburg is a really great BBQ spot and the orginator of the Duke's BBQ Empire.

fourth, if you decide to take US 17 instead of I-95 and I-26 then there's a slew of places along the highway, many of which I am too enraptured with to divulge to the entire internet....

happy travels, drive safe on I-95.