"If you are looking for a destination with delightful food, streets full of color, relaxing evenings and unbeatable sunsets...meet Charleston"
Charleston is magical- it is as simple as that. I’ll let you guys in on a little secret: I have always wanted to open a store in Charleston, but I had never been. In my head it was the perfect mix of everything I wanted- flowers, food, beach, city and suburbs. I was actually really nervous to go because I was afraid it wasn’t going to live up to everything I wanted it to be. But, let me tell you, it was everything and MORE! I fell more in love than I thought I could have. I wanted to break down everything for you all so the next time you visit the area, you know exactly what to eat, where to take pictures and what beaches we loved! Plus, we made a video while we were there to share Charleston with you, wherever you may be!
TRAVEL TIPS
Charleston can be a little bit tricky to travel to coming from out of state, at least from a financial perspective. However, I recommend either flying to the Charleston Airport (CHS) or you can fly into Atlanta with a 5ish hour drive or Charlotte at about 3 hours. When I visited, I actually drove from out of state but that is easier said than done in most cases.
First off, as the warm weather approaches, restaurants and outdoor seating gets busier and busier. However, we went to dinner at 5:15 or so every night and never had to wait for a table. Granted there were only two of us, but we did not wait once! Being college students when we went, we definitely ate at the more price friendly restaurants, but they were all delicious and lovely. There really was not a place we did not love.
It’s the southeast, so it’s most likely going to be humid and hot. However, we went in March and got the best weather. It was warm with a breeze all the time and chillier nights.
The fall and winter will be cooler for sure, so pack layers! But if you are thinking of late spring / summer, dress light. It’ll be sweaty 🙂
You could truly go for over a week and not hit all the restaurants and places you want to go. However, if you are looking for a little getaway, I think 3-4 days is a perfect amount of time to get a lot in. I went for about 8 days and loved every moment.
I cover places to stay downtown below, but if you are in a toss up between Mount Pleasant and Downtown, I honestly loved Mount Pleasant (that’s where we stayed). However, if you don’t have a rental car/car, Downtown makes a lot more sense to get the most out of your time there.
OUR TRAVEL DIARY
WHERE TO STAY
https://www.millshouse.com/
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chsak-grand-bohemian-hotel-charleston-autograph-collection/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2
https://86cannon.com/
GO-TO EATS
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The Americano $
The Americano is in Mount Pleasant. We got the Taco Plate with shrimp tacos, seasonal fish (mahi mahi) and jerk chicken tacos with street corn or rice and beans. The restaurant really speaks for itself in the pictures- it is so fun, upbeat and airy!
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Vintage Coffee Cafe $
For breakfast, we headed over to The Vintage Coffee Cafe in Mt. P for a little snack before heading into town. Hannah got the Granola Bowl and I got the Coconut Tapioca Creme Brûlée- HEAVEN! I also got the lemonade that was so light and sweet. The atmosphere in this cafe was casual, welcoming and family friendly!
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Bearcat's Sweet Shop $
We might have had Bearcat's Sweet Shop gelato multiple times. They will warn you that the waffle cones are fragile and they are not kidding. They are delicious. They melt in your mouth and taste like sugar cookies. From all the different nights we went there (oops) we got banana stracciatella, espresso stracciatella, strawberry, coconut, and pistachio. You really cannot go wrong. By the way, this is located underneath the Obstinate Daughter!
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Leon's Oyster Shop $
This is the perfect, casual seafood stop. The retro/grungy theme of the restaurant was everything! We had the greatest service. We both ordered shrimp rolls that had potato chips on top with cucumber salad and they did not disappoint.
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Obstinate Daughter $
At the Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island we both ordered Palmetto Log Coladas (they were so refreshing!!!), and shared the Gnocchi all Romana and Soft Shell Crab special. There is a reason they have such wonderful ratings, let me tell ya! Our bartender at the restaurant was so friendly and actually gave us the drink below because we "loved photogenic things". It, of course, was delightful as well. Honestly, the interior design alone would make me come back to this restaurant, so having friendly staff and amazing food was a plus.
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The Daily $
We wanted a quick snack so we headed over to The Daily for Iced Almond Lattes and oatmeal m&m cookies (because that is a healthy breakfast, right?)
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Black Tap $
We got Coconut Tea, Hibiscus Tea, blueberry muffins and croissants.
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Kitchen 208 $
We wanted a quick lunch in town so we headed over to Kitchen 208 where I got the Charleston Chick (chicken salad sandwich) with cucumber salad and Hannah got the Club 208 (ham and bacon on Texas Toast) with pasta salad. This was the perfect lunch spot and I adored all the yellow interior of the restaurant! I think welcoming interior design makes restaurants all the better.
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Sugar Bakeshop $
We stopped for a mid afternoon snack one day at Sugar Bakeshop and nibbled on strawberry and vanilla cupcakes. The shop smelt just as a bakery should and was the most quaint mid day break.
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Taco Boy $
We got Strawberry Margaritas and shrimp, mahi and steak tacos. You could not get a bad one! The outdoor patio was such welcoming, lively environment and fulfilled all my Tex-Mex cravings.
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Poe's Tavern $
We got mahi mahi tacos, a shrimp salad sandwich and potato salads. The service was so fast and everything was incredible!
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Jeni's $
More ice cream of course...Jeni's is my favorite in Santa Monica as well. The flavors are always changing, but rocky road, salted caramel, and bramble berry crisp are some of my favorites.
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Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts $
We had a rainy morning, so we headed over and got raspberry and pineapple coconut from Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts.
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Toast $
Our last morning we ate at Toast ($). Hannah got the Breakfast Plate and I got the Granola Tropical Fruit Cup. The service (per usual) was so wonderful, along with the food.
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All The Other Recs We Got That We Didn't Make It To $-$$
Other restaurants we heard great things about with Home Team, Poogan’s Porch, Butcher and Bee, The Ordinary, Slightly North of Broad, Red Drum, Carmella’s, Hyman’s Seafood Co., Lost Dog, and Republic Ice Cream.
THINGS TO DO & SEE
folly beach
I am a huge beach lover. So, knowing there were beaches nearby, we decided to have a few beach days/beach half days at a handful of different locations. The water pretty frigid because it was early spring but it was fun to sit and enjoy. We had our first beach day at Folly Beach. It was a little busier than we expected it to be, but it was a really fun little beach town with a pier, restaurants, lots of activities and more
Sullivan's island
I would probably be more likely to go back to Sullivan’s Island because it was less busy and more hidden, but Folly Beach definitely had a bigger beach town feel than Sullivan’s Island. From morning relaxing, to walks at dusk, we loved Sullivan’s Island. It was quiet, beautiful, peaceful and just a great way to spend some time. We were on spring break after all so a little R&R was in order. We loved walking on the boardwalk entrance right before Obstinate Daughter.
Fort moultrie beach
We LOVED the Fort Moultrie Beach to watch dolphins and the sunsets. We brought our ice cream down there multiple times and just soaked up the gorgeous sunset view. Plus, the dolphins were always there!!! I was so full of excitement every time we saw them. Honestly, you could not get a bad beach but these are the ones we experienced and enjoyed!
walk around downtown
There are an abundance of things to do in the area, but we really loved just walking around. We spent a lot of time just wandering the streets of Charleston. The colors of the city were truly magnificent. They actually have certain historical colors to pick from for the houses downtown. I heard that and it made SO much sense. Everything coordinates in such a beautiful, themed way.
see the "iconic" spots
Don't forget to check out Rainbow Row for the iconic bright buildings you see in pictures. Also, Philadelphia Alley was such a treat! The greenery and lighting of it was truly magnificent. We enjoyed walking up and down it to soak up some time on our last day.
the battery
Just walk around down by The Battery and look at all the gorgeous exterior designs. A lot of people take carriage rides or walking tours to see the area and learn facts about the city. Although we did not, we definitely learned a ton by listening to them talk as they passed us. Ha! I got some serious inspiration for my future home, plus future paintings/drawings.
Meeting street / charleston city market
We loved walking down Meeting Street past the Charleston City Market, which is also a go-to, it is fun to just go look around). The houses on it were so fabulous. If you have time, walk down all the little streets off it. They have some of the most photogenic houses/walls and flowers I have ever seen.
shop
If you're in the shopping mood, attack King Street! It is shopping central! Seriously, every single shop you could want is right there.
Candlefish class
We loved walking down Meeting Street past the Charleston City Market, which is also a go-to, it is fun to just go look around). The houses on it were so fabulous. If you have time, walk down all the little streets off it. They have some of the most photogenic houses/walls and flowers I have ever seen.
Wine making
We got to enjoy the Wine Blending class thanks to The Grand Bohemian Hotel and had an absolute blast! You get to taste four different grape wines and learn the difference with all of them. After that, you mix three different blends and alter the amounts of what you want in it. Once you make your three blends and pick your favorite, the instructor takes your percentages and comes back with your own bottle to take home! The best part is, they ask you for an image, name and saying that you want on it. We both went with a lighter, red wine that does not linger in your mouth afterwards.
OUR TRAVEL DIARY PT. 2
MY TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
IDEAL CHARLESTON LOOKS
What other places do people love?
TRAVELING SOON? PIN FOR LATER!
