This Gilded Age mansion – decked in modern conveniences — has been operating as an elegant hotel since 1998. Each room and suite is sumptuous in décor and dripping in Italian crystal chandeliers, marble fireplaces, 30-foot ceilings, stained glass windows, and luxurious amenities galore.

Kids can’t possibly be allowed into all this finery, right? Totally allowed. Animals too. (The owners love both kids and furry-kids.) Suites best for families are: Suite 9, the Mansion Suite, and the Grand Mansion. Every room comes with a mini-fridge, an iPod docking station, two-person whirlpool tub, a large flat-screen, a DVD player, free Wi-Fi, cozy robes, and a safety deposit box.

Amenities include a complimentary breakfast, parking, wine and hors d’oeuvres in the afternoons, in-room soda and water, an evening turndown and evening port, sherry and brandy. Guests receive complimentary access to a nearby athletic club. The property doesn’t have a pool, but does have an elegant spa.

The Wentworth Mansion oozes luxury in the heart of Charleston and is 1.4-miles to the Waterfront Park, 0.8-miles from the Charleston City Market, 11-miles to family-friendly Folly Beach, 1.4-miles to the South Carolina Aquarium, one-mile to the Children’s Museum of the Low country, 1.5-miles to Fort Sumter Tours (where Civil War’s first shots were fired), 4.8-miles to Wild Blue Ropes Adventure Park (amazing ropes course for kids and adults of all ages and skill-level).