Oh, Charleston! How I miss thee. With all the rain here we have going on in NYC this week, I am reminiscing back to 75 and sunny, wind in my hair, toes in the sand…our kid-free (well almost kid free haha) trip to Charleston was magical, and I’m so glad hubby and I got the opportunity to visit this charming town. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the boys so we could take this little adventure!
We pretty much ate our way through this city and then walked most of it off. It was a great place to explore filled with incredible local southern food and seafood, adorable shops, colorful houses, beautiful architecture, CLEAN streets, interesting history, and nearby beaches. Looking forward to sharing our travels with you below and some of our favorite stops we made along the way. I wish we had gotten to explore more, because you all had SO many amazing recommendations, and we didn’t even get to see HALF of it…but I think we definitely got a good taste of the city, and we will definitely be returning one day for sure!
Yes, we ROAD-tripped it all the way from NY. We stopped in NY for Passover/Easter celebrations with the family and to drop the boys off with my parents, and then made our way down South. Of course, we had to stop at this glorified rest stop, South of the Border for a little photo opp and some ice cream. I hadn’t been here since I was 7 and we drove down to Florida, so it was a trip down memory lane.
Our first night we arrived and strolled in at 9pm to the beautiful and delicious, Husk. It was pure vacation magic that we were able to just walk up and enjoy with no wait! I would recommend a reservation if possible, and this place was a must! We had pig ears for the first time you guys…yep. Not kidding. And they were actually fantastic! Hubby also enjoyed a beautiful piece of fish and I had the steak. It was pretty divine southern food at it’s best, I must say.
If you know me, you know I love breakfast food, and Hominy Grill is probably on the very top of my list of places for brunch. OH EM GEE. So freakin’ good. I enjoyed sweet potato waffles with pecans and coconut glaze. Holy heaven. And I also got a cup of the she-crab soup, because #vacationmode. They also had an adorable little garden area, and next time we go to Charleston, this will be my first brunch stop.
Since we had our car with us, we wanted to take advantage of visiting some of the islands and beaches nearby. So we took some of your suggestions to visit Sullivan’s Island, and we were not disappointed! Grabbed a burger at Poe’s for lunch that was out of this world.
So many of you mentioned the oyster bars and how amazing they were, so even though this pregnant lady couldn’t eat raw oysters this time around, we had to check one out. Pearlz was fantastic as well as affordable. I ordered the oysters rockefeller instead and both of us got an order of steamed clams cooked in different sauces. Everything was ON POINT.
I think it’s pretty standard that you HAVE to enjoy a biscuit when you go down south, and Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit did not disappoint!!!
Okay okay, while all of this southern style food was AMAZING…our bodies were craving some HEALTHIER options a few days into our trip! We stumbled across Basic Kitchen, and oh my gosh, it was EXACTLY what we needed!!!! Fueled with fresh, healthy, local ingredients and GREENS that gave me the exact energy boost I needed. A definitely must-visit for a simple, yet incredibly delightful, healthy bite.
Early reservation for F.I.G. which was a definite high end splurge, but the gnocchi might be the best I have ever tasted. Baby bump in full effect both before AND after this meal. Haha.
We came across this cute little mobile boutique while we were walking along King Street. It travels around to different areas, but this little van was packed with some adorable tops, dresses, jewelry, bags, and more. If you can track it down, definitely hop in to Urban Izzy to check it out!
Okay, this next Greek restaurant was not one I anticipated on going to before our trip, but with two strong recommendations and good online reviews, I felt I just had to try it. WOW!!!! I am so glad we did. The food was out of this world. The ambience was great. We went for lunch, and literally every single thing we ordered was made to perfection and so delicious. Highly recommend Stella’s!!!
Xiao Bao Biscuit was a hubby choice for some spicy Asian food…and while it wasn’t my PERSONAL favorite…he LOVED it…and I did enjoy it as well. The food was interesting and not like any I have tasted before, and if you know me, I always love trying new things. It also felt like we were back in Brooklyn with the hipster vibe and loud (but not annoying) trendy music. It was definitely a cool spot, and one to visit if you love new, different, spicy food!
Another enjoyable history-filled southern style restaurant we enjoyed was Poogan’s Porch. We had breakfast here before heading to Folly Beach.
And lastly, enjoying our final day here on Folly Beach. This mama was in HEAVEN in her happy place parked here for the day. <3
Okay…I know that was a lot, but there is still more…I didn’t have photos of everything, but I still have some other recommendations that I wanted to make sure to detail below.
Things to Do:
Historical Walking tour (you can also do a carriage tour, but we opted for the exercise!)
Explore the beautiful College of Charleston
Walking and shopping and browsing on King Street around surrounding blocks
Rainbow Row (the colorful buildings in the first photo)
Shopping:
The Skinny Dip – my favorite boutique with a little coffee shop upstairs as well
Candlefish – an amazing candle store that creates their own hand poured candles in house
Savannah Bee Company for fresh, raw, local honey
Cornerstone Minerals – an amazing shop for crystals, gemstones, fossils, and more
Veggie Bin for a small, quick, healthy grocery stop – we got snacks and some healthy goods to keep at the place we stayed for the week
Coffee:
The Bearded Cafe – our favorite stop for coffee in the AM
Carmella’s – a perfect after dinner cafe for coffee and dessert
Restaurants + Spots on our list that we didn’t get to:
Shem’s Creek (in Mt. Pleasant on the way out to Sullivan’s Island) or Obstinate Daughter (on Sullivan’s Island)
Taco Boy or Wash Out (on Folly Beach)
Kudu Coffee + Craft Beer for the best of both worlds
Plantation Tours (Middleton or Magnolia)
Slave Market
Boat Cruise
Holy Cow Yoga for a prenatal yoga class
The Restoration Hotel and Trager Contemporary Art Gallery for art
SNOB (Slightly North of Broad Street southern style restaurant)
Halls Chophouse (high end steakhouse)
Mello Mushroom for pizza
Rooftop Bar at Henry’s
O-Ku for sushi
Butcher & Bee for local and sustainable goodness
Five Loaves for soups and sandwiches
Kaminsky’s for pie
Cannon Green for seasonal Mediterranean fare and plant-filled ambiance
Toast for breakfast
Goat.Sheep.Cow. for cheese
…and you guys…my list actually goes on, because you all are AMAZING and we got SOOOOO many recommendations, but I will stop here, because I know this is already super overwhelming!!! Suffice it to say that there is plenty to do, eat, see, shop, learn, and enjoy in the beautiful city of Charleston!
If you’re wondering where we stayed, it was a little studio apartment we found off Airbnb that was clean, functional, comfortable, and close enough that we could walk to many places. Happy to share the exact location for anyone who is looking for an affordable place to stay on your visit. I will say that it was close to a busy road, so it was a little bit noisy at night, even for this Brooklyn girl.
We also met up with one of Zack’s college friends while we were there, and it was so nice to feel that southern hospitality as they opened up their home to us and fed us a delicious home-cooked meal! Great company and great times.
If you have any specific questions about our trip, please don’t hesitate to shoot a comment below or send me a message! I love chatting with you all and sharing my experiences.
Happy Travels!
XO,
Gina