Happy Wednesday friends! Ever since I started traveling so much in December, my schedule has been a bit out of whack. Rich and I recently traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to visit some family though, and I wanted to make sure I gave ya’ll a full rundown on our trip!
R. and I had never been to Charleston before, so it was a lot of fun getting to explore a new city together. I didn’t do a ton of work while I was there, since I wanted to unplug and just enjoy the company of my future brother & sister-in-law. To all my blogger gals, please tell me I’m not the only one who gets total anxiety about these break periods, even though I recognize the importance of ’em and force myself to take them occasionally 😬
Before we dive into some of my favorite things to do in Charleston, SC, I want to explain the structure of this post…
For months, ever since I found out we’d be visiting Charleston, I had “Charleston Travel Guide” written down on my editorial calendar. After all, I couldn’t NOT produce a full-blown, comprehensive guide to this iconic city, right? (See my ultimate guide to Fort Meyers, Florida here).
Well, once we actually arrived in Charleston, that vision of what this post would be changed…dramatically. First of all, I tried to utilize a few of my favorite bloggers’ Charleston travel guides to navigate this new city, in order to make sure we hit up all the best spots.
That was fun for like two seconds, until I realized that I would probably burn through all the money in my checking account if I did all (or even just a few) of the things some of these guides recommended. Also another side note about creating a travel guide; it’s extremely time consuming. I’m not someone who’s going to claim I’m writing the *ultimate* guide on a city, unless I’ve spent enough time there to qualify it. We were only in Charleston for six days, so I thought it’d be better to provide you with some of the highlights of our trip, which I think you’ll really enjoy! Despite the fact that Charleston is a pretty ritzy destination, we found a lot of affordable and fun things to do that I think almost anyone would love.
So, without further ado, here’s some of my favorite highlights from our recent trip to Charleston!…
Our Favorite Restaurants in Charleston, SC
Fratellos Italian Tavern — I promise you, this North Charleston Italian tavern will not disappoint. We ate here during a St. Patrick’s Day block party, and it was downright delicious. Their meatball sandwich is to die for!
The Rarebit — If you’re exploring downtown Charleston at night, definitely grab dinner at The Rarebit. It’s super affordable (especially compared to the other restaurants in the area), the vibe is on point, and the food is of course tasty as ever —especially the tomato soup.
Pier 101 — If you’re at Folly Beach, make sure you check out Pier 101. We had a really nice lunch here looking out at the water, and their crab cake sandwich + other seafood dishes were quite the hit.
Leon’s Oyster Shop — Okay, if you go out to just one restaurant in Charleston, let it be Leon’s. This was by far my favorite meal! The wedge salad was SO good, and the have hush puppies on the menu which, in case you couldn’t guess, immediately sold me.
Mellow Mushroom — A nice, sit down pizza parlor on King Street, it’s the perfect place to grab a quick meal while you’re shopping.
Ice & Pan — Do yourself a favor and make sure you hit up King Street’s Ice & Pan for rolled ice cream. Not only is it totally insta-worthy, but it’s tastes amazing too!
Our Favorite Shopping in Charleston, SC
King Street — Did you really go to Charleston, SC, if you didn’t go shopping on King Street? Probably not. There’s lots of cool boutiques, as well as some of my favorite franchises, like LUSH, Franchesca’s, Urban Outfitters, and more. It’s the perfect way to spend one of your afternoons here, and it’s also a great opportunity to get in some steps for the day!
The Charleston Market — No matter if you’re big into shopping or not, you’ll want to take a moment to explore the Charleston Market. There’s dozens of local vendors selling all sorts of interesting things, and it’s also another one of those Charleston tourist attractions you just ought to do if you’re there.
Our Favorite Things to Do in Charleston, SC
The Charleston Museum — One of my favorite things about Charleston, SC, is that it has major history. I loved stopping by the Charleston Museum and learning more about the city’s past. Also, they even had a real mummy here imported from Egypt, which was SO cool!
The Heyward-Washington House — You could probably compile a list a mile long of all the historical plantations and homes worth visiting in Charleston. That being said, we only went to one — the Heyward-Washington House. So, let’s talk about that instead. The Heyward-Washington House was the home of Thomas Heyward Jr., who was one of the four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was also home to George Washington for a whole week during the President’s stay in Charleston in May of 1791. How neat?! To walk where George Washington has walked? To touch the same original hand railing that he probably touched too — over 200 years ago? Simply amazing.
Folly Beach — Of course when you’re in Charleston you’ve got to go to the beach! Folly Beach was cute, uncrowded, and just what we needed in order to relax and recharge on this trip.
Rainbow Row — Finally, you can’t leave Charleston without visiting Rainbow Row! It’s practically a right of passage. Though I thought this tourist attraction was a bit overrated (it’s literally a row of colored houses people, there’s nothing to actually do here if you’re not on a tour), I’m still happy I went. We do what we gotta do for the ‘gram, right?
Have you ever been to Charleston, SC? What was your stay like, and what was your favorite thing you did there? I’m planning on going back at some point, so give a girl some recommendations!
