Hi guys! I know it’s been a minute since my last post, but life has been BUSY lately. I had family in town this weekend/early in the week and we did a decent amount of driving to go watch my brother in his opening week of baseball. So much fun, but definitely time consuming. But I’m back today with the post I promised all of you: My Charleston travel guide! In case you missed it, last week my husband had an extra day off so we took advantage of it and took a mini vacation to Charleston. It was only about 36 hours worth of vacation, but hey, we’ll take it. While I’ve not been the biggest fan of living in Columbia, it is nice to be so close to places like Charleston and Asheville. So today I’m sharing all about where we stayed, ate, and played in Charleston, SC!
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Where to Stay
First of all, if you are able, I highly recommend that you go during the week instead of a weekend because things are so much cheaper. It’s also way less crowded in restaurants and on the streets of Charleston, which was SO nice. We were lucky enough to get the cutest little pet friendly Airbnb in Mt. Pleasant for a great price. We had our own carriage house above a garage in someone’s fenced backyard and it was the cutest thing ever. Not to mention, the dogs LOVED having a fenced in yard to play in. It had the cutest decor and most amazing spa-inspired shower. The house was about 15 minutes or so from everything you’d want to do in Charleston, so it was the perfect location for not being right in the middle of everything. Mt. Pleasant actually had a little charm of it’s own with cute restaurants, shops, and of course streets lined with beautiful trees and flowers.
Other places to stay
If we hadn’t stayed at the Airbnb and hadn’t had the dogs, we probably would have stayed somewhere like Zero George which is an adorable boutique hotel right in the middle of everything.
Where to Eat
Y’all, there are SO many places to eat, I think you could go there a hundred times and still find something new and delicious. I’ll share where we ate + a couple that were highly recommended to us. We’ll definitely be heading to those next time.
Dinner our first night
- Saltwater Cowboys, Mt. Pleasant – this was right next to our Airbnb so we thought we would give it a try our first night. The atmosphere was great and it sits on the water so you have a great view with dinner. The food was really good too! They had everything from seafood to burgers and sandwiches.
Breakfast
- Breizh Pan Crepes – This little hole in the wall is a must for breakfast or even lunch! We love crepes so we were so excited to find this little place. It’s right off of King St. and while it’s tiny, they make the most authentic, delicious crepes. They have sweet and savory options, so there’s something for everyone.
Lunch
- 5Church – Ok, this was by far my favorite restaurant we went to. It was inside of an old church located on Market St. The atmosphere was SO cool. I highly recommend going during the day so you can really see all of the stained glass and other details of the restaurant. The food was amazing guys. I had the lamb burger and it was heavenly. They also have a great selection of drink from their super cool bar.
Dinner
- Edmond’s Oast – This restaurant was highly recommended to us and everything I read agreed. It’s part of a local brewery, but the restaurant itself is pretty fancy with a menu to match, perfect for date night. The food and drinks were so good, and like with every other restaurant in Charleston, the atmosphere was perfect. If you plan on going here, definitely get reservations ahead of time.
Drinks
- Prohibition – After dinner, we went down to King St. to grab drinks and just see more of the town. We found this really cool restaurant and bar, so we stopped in to grab a drink. While we were there, they had live music which was a nice surprise, so we ended up hanging out there for a few hours while it rained. We also grabbed some dessert while we were there. If you go, you have to try the donuts! YUM.
On our list for next time:
- Husk (reservations)
- Fig (reservations)
- PawPaw
- Brown Dog Deli (pet friendly)
- Sugar Bakeshop
- Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
Where to Play
Since we were only there for a day, we didn’t try to plan too many activities. We really prefer to just walk around and do our own thing when we go on vacation anyway. So for the most part, we just parked and walked around all the cute little streets in downtown Charleston. So I wanted to share 5 streets you have to see if you’re in Charleston!
- King Street – this is probably the most well known (and busiest) street in Charleston. King St. is where you’ll find ALL of the best shopping from stores like Madewell and H&M to your higher end designer brands like Louis Vuitton (Kevin wouldn’t let me go in haha). You’ll also find great restaurants and bars on King St.
- Rainbow Row – This spot is a must if you’re a blogger or photographer, as it is one of the most photographed spot in Charleston. Even if you aren’t one of those things, it’s worth it to walk by and look.
- Elliot, Battery, & Meeting Street – these were some of my favorites just to walk down and see all of the gorgeous homes and spring blooms.
While you’re downtown, be sure to check out the local market on Market Street where you’ll find hand made goods and great food. Also, head down to the Battery and Battery Park for a little bit of history and a beautiful spot to take your pup to play! If you’re into tours, you can book all kinds of them from carriage tours to walking tours where you’ll learn all about Charleston and it’s rich history.
About The Outfit
The weather in Charleston was not ideal last week, but that’s ok we made the best of it. It did make it hard to pack though. So unfortunately, instead of the cutesy dress and sandals outfit that I had in my head, I opted for these extra comfy paperbag waist pants, a tank, and a denim jacket. I am so glad I chose pants because it was COLD. And it ended up raining, so the sneakers and jacket were lifesavers too. It turned out to be the perfect little adventuring outfit for the day! The pocket tank and pants (under $28) are from Target, and the denim jacket that you’ve seen a lot lately is Free People!
Hope you all found this guide helpful if you’re planning an upcoming trip to Charleston, and if you aren’t, I recommend adding it to your list of vacation spots! As always, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you guys have a great week!
Donna Barnes
Charleston is a beautiful city that we are very proud of. I’m glad you, Kevin & your doggies had a nice time.