Charleston SC to Gettyburg BBQ

[Wazzufan88]

I will be retiring this summer after 30 years in law enforcement. The wife and I will be taking a 2 week trip from Charleston (4 nights) to Columbia SC (1 night) to Fayetteville NC (1 night) and then up to Richmond VA (4 nights). We will then spend a night near Sharpsburg Maryland before heading over to Gettysburg for 2-3 nights nights. It is my self described BBQ, beer, and history tour.

I would appreciate any insight to great BBQ joints or cool local breweries.

Thanks in advance.

[Blythewood BBQ'er]

Charleston has some great places. Swig and Swine, Rodney Scotts, and Lewis are the ones I hear most about up here. Homeny Grill is a good non BBQ place . Up here in the Midlands there is Maurice Bessingers Piggy Park chain. Definitely not the best but they are everywhere. You also have some of the old-school families ' restaurants Sheelys, and Hudson's are pretty decent. Patattack lives on the outskirts of Charleston, pm him for the good local spots that us in the Midlands don't know about! Hope you enjoy your trip through my little state!

[Gore]

I would not miss Maurice's in Columbia. They are not all the same. Some just reheat the food. I think my favorite that I tried was on Devine St.

Looks like you'll be missing Lexington BBQ, which would be one of my other recommendations. Going north from Fayetteville, I would hit the original Q Shack in Durham. It is Texas style BBQ (not local). They have good ribs and brisket. Their cobb salad is excellent if you're into that sort of thing. Best side is their spinach in my opinion, but others like the okra and mac and cheese. Only go to the Original Q Shack on University:
http://www.theqshackoriginal.com/

In Richmond, I enjoy Q BBQ. I like the ribs, pulled pork and chicken. The brisket usually is not so good. Pineapple hot dish is one that people love or hate. I love it. It's very sweet.
https://qbarbeque.com/

There isn't a whole lot in Sharpsburg. A couple times we stayed at a B&B that is a farm and was around during the Civil War. The ladies who ran the place had some great stories, especially about the armies waiting it out on their farm after the battle ended. We enjoyed it enough to go back a second time:
https://elmwoodfarmbandb.com/about-the-farm/

Ate BBQ that was cooked in a parking lot one afternoon just near the center of town and it was pretty good.
We had an excellent meal at 28 South in Hagerstown, which isn't too far away.
http://28south.net/

At Gettysburg we always stay at Swope Manor. Again, a B&B. Breakfast is one of the best we've had at any B&B. The house was around during the war and the hostess dresses in period outfits and is a wealth of information. We could listen to her for hours just talking about the history of the house. Yes, and she also knows a lot about other things also. They have special events for holidays, dinners and such. The house is beautiful and this time of year, it is virtually empty. They have a library, bake cookies for you in the afternoon, coffee, tea, etc. It's really lovely place to stay.
http://theswopemanor.com/

For food, we love Food 101 (it's about two blocks from the center, a 10 minute walk from Swope Manor). There also is an Irish Pub across the street that is good for drinks and dinner. Dobbin House Tavern was good, but not as memorable as the other two, although the building is beautiful.

There are a number of other restaurants in town (especially right on the main square), but they seemed a bit more generic.

There wasn't a whole lot in the way of BBQ in that area. We have stopped at 3Hogs BBQ in Hanover. Liked the BBQ eggrolls. The food is twisted. You can check out some of the pictures and see what you think.
https://www.facebook.com/3hogsbbq/

[Wazzufan88]

Thanks Gore and Blythewood!! Those sound like some great selections. We won't be travelling until late summer but trying to plan a bit.

[cpw]

I have a buddy that went to ZZQ in Richmond and he said it was really good. I've been to Lewis BBQ in Charleston a couple of times and it's decent. The brisket and sausage are very good.

[jhwhite]

Originally Posted by cpw

I have a buddy that went to ZZQ in Richmond and he said it was really good. I've been to Lewis BBQ in Charleston a couple of times and it's decent. The brisket and sausage are very good.

I live in Richmond and ZZQ is AWESOME. They were mentored by Lewis BBQ in Charleston.


I think ZZQ has better brisket, but Lewis has better sides.


I'm going back to Charleston this Summer and I want to go to Rodney Scott.


I'm not a big fan of Q in Richmond. Seems more like fast food bbq. Buzz and Ned's in Richmond is ok.


There's Barbecue Exchange an hour or two outside of Richmond in Orange County VA that is really good.


About 45 minutes west of Richmond in Charlottesville is a place called Ace BBQ. They're hit or miss. When they opened you would get this HUGE bowl of bbq and sides. Last time I went the food was dry and not big portions.

[Gore]

Originally Posted by jhwhite

I live in Richmond and ZZQ is AWESOME. They were mentored by Lewis BBQ in Charleston.


I think ZZQ has better brisket, but Lewis has better sides.


I'm going back to Charleston this Summer and I want to go to Rodney Scott.


I'm not a big fan of Q in Richmond. Seems more like fast food bbq. Buzz and Ned's in Richmond is ok.


There's Barbecue Exchange an hour or two outside of Richmond in Orange County VA that is really good.


About 45 minutes west of Richmond in Charlottesville is a place called Ace BBQ. They're hit or miss. When they opened you would get this HUGE bowl of bbq and sides. Last time I went the food was dry and not big portions.

I'm not a fan of Buzz and Ned's. I tried it once and food was disappointing and thought I'd been taken to the cleaners. Will second BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville. Pitmaster is CIA trained and it shows. Food is excellent. Since you're headed north, it'll be a lot faster going that way to avoid DC traffic.