Charleston Adventures
Brit and I both turned 30 this year! So we wanted to celebrate the best way we know how, traveling and exploring new places! My birthday is in March and Brit’s in May so we decided to we wanted to travel somewhere in April to be right in between. We had a few choices we were deciding between and landed on Charleston, South Carolina in hopes that it’d be warmer than some other options. I am from North Carolina so had been to Charleston a few times but this was my first time exploring there with Brit. Our friends Hannah and Steven got to join us as well which made it extra special!
So we got up at the wonderful time of 3:30am to catch our 6am flight. We decided to just be gone for a few days so we wanted to make sure we got into Charleston early enough to not waste a whole day on travel. We decided to rent a car so we could travel to the beach and surrounding sites more easily. Once we laneded, we got our rental car and headed towards our Airbnb. We found a great location to stay, just north of the famous King Street. We didn’t waste much time and set out on foot to explore the Charleston scene. We first headed for the iconic King Street. The street is lined with designer shops, boutiques and restaurants. We felt as if we were walking along a Hollywood movie set as we strolled past picture perfect pastel storefronts and horse drawn carriages. Most of the shops were a little out of our league, but it was still fun to walk along the beautiful street and take in all the sights.
King Street is a beautful street and one of the main attractions in Charleston, but we actually enjoyed some of the other smaller side streets such as Meeting Street, Church street and East Bay Street even more. You could spend days exploring all the alleys and cozy corners of Charleston. Once of our favorite parts of exploring new cities is just walking everwhere to find unexpected spots and to of course get as much photographing as we can.
As we continued south we made it to the French Quarter. One of the best places to check out in this area is the Charleston city market. The market spans four blocks and has many stalls selling local goods, crafts and souvenirs.
After a bit of exploring and walking our 3:30AM wake up time was catching up to us so we made a pit stop for lunch and a caffiene fix. For lunch we found a spot right by the City Market with a nice outside seating area and live music called Port of Call. For coffees we headed back towards our airbnb to a super cute cafe, Babas on Cannon. We enjoyed some afternoon cortados that were very tasty. The lunch and breakfast menu also looked great at babas but we unfortantely we didn’t get to try any of their food.
Once caffenated, we continued exploring and stopped by some iconic Charelston sites to include the Charleston waterfront park, the pineapple fountain and rainbow row. We wound our way through side streets and strolled through beautful historic homes, breathtakng flower arrangements and classic southern charm.
We strolled for awhile taking in the sites and photographing. All but Hannah were sporting our digital cameras so we had to make a pit stop at Target on King Street to get Hannah her very own disposable camera. We then found a good happy hour spot near waterfront park, the Griffon. This is a fun spot to check out with dollar bills covering every surface. Definitely a quirky spot and of course we had to add our own dollar bill to their collection. For dinner we went to Henrys on the Market. This was a fun spot with a pretty cool rooftop to check out.
The next morning we started our day getting coffees at a local spot that had been top on my list, sightsee. The little coffee shop was disguised in a tiny house and was a little off the beaten path so could have been easily missed. This coffee shop is definitely worth a visit with great coffees, pastries and apparel goods.
And then we were off to the beach! Charleston has many beach spots to check out not too far from the city. We chose to explore Folly beach which was about a 25 min drive from downtown. Folly beach is a good mix of lively but not too crowded. We spent some time swimming and relaxing on the beach and sadly got some sunburns for souvenirs. Folly beach also has a really cute main street with shops and restaurants. For breakfast we checked out Lost dog cafe and for an afternoon snack we checked out Chico Feo. Both were fun spots with great food.
Our next day we drove a few miles out of the city again to check out Magnolia Gardens. This is a pretty big garden and we spent most of the morning exploring here. We always enjoy going to gardens that have such different native plants than our midwest gardens. The oaks with spanish moss were specifically very impressive here.
The garden has a few unique colorful bridges that really stand out in the green landscape. We even spotted a few alligators along the way!
Visiting these sites in Charelston and other southern cities can be bittersweet as on one hand they have beautiful grounds and architecture and on the otherhand is the representation of our country’s dark past with its’ slave history. The important thing is to treat these locations with sensitivity and respect and as an opportunity to learn about our past
After the gardens we crossed over to the neighboring town of Mt Pleasant for lunch and a bit more exploring. We didn’t have long to explore here but it is definitely a cute town and worth a stop.
We headed back to the city to round out the evening. A highlight of the evening was a great cocktail spot, the Gin Joint. This is definitely the best find for quality craft cocktails in Charleston and a very cozy atmosphere. Before the sun set, we headed to waterfront park for some evening photos and waterfront views.
Our last morning we spent exploring some more of Charlestons sites. It was already very hot and humid for April and felt like our normal summertime temperatures. So as much as we wanted to walk around many more beautiful streets, we kept it a little shorter so we wouldn’t all be sweaty messes for our flight home.
One of the prettiest streets we came across is Tradd street. It is full of classic Charleston charm with historic houses, secret gardens and endless flower boxes. This street is definitely not to be missed.
Our adventure came to an end too quickly. But I am thankful to have the opportunity to travel and explore with good friends and will have great memories to look back on. It was indeed a worthwhile trip.
