Exploring Charleston, South Carolina

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I visited Charleston, South Carolina the last week of September. It is a city I've heard so many wonderful things about and that looked absolutely gorgeous, so I had been wanting to go for awhile. After visiting I can say that it is probably my favorite city I've ever visited in the US. It is absolutely gorgeous, incredibly charming, and the people are some of the sweetest I've met. That Southern Charm is real! 

We arrived early Monday morning and left Thursday afternoon, which was absolutely NOT enough time to spend there! I'm already planning my next trip, and David and I talked about someday spending some extended time in the city. Perhaps a winter home someday? We can dream!

Below is a photo tour of most of what we saw, visited, ate and drank. The only thing I left out are the homes- I was so incredibly impressed with the homes in Charleston that they are getting a blog post of their own! Sorting through and editing the pictures made me nostalgic already, barely a week after returning, so I know this will not be my last time in Charleston!

Downtown Charleston

One thing that surprised me about Charleston was how small it is! We could easily walk everywhere in a short amount of time, but there was still so much to see! The city is absolutely gorgeous and feels extremely charming. No building can be taller than the tallest church steeple, which kept it feeling very quaint. There were a few areas of the city with cobblestone streets that felt like being in Europe. There was definitely a tropical feel to the downtown area, which I obviously loved! The city is surrounded by water on three sides, and the locals told us that if you ever feel lost just walk until you find water! 

Hampton Park

We stayed right by Hampton Park, slightly north of the historic downtown district, and enjoyed morning strolls with our coffee around beautiful Hampton Park. 

Charleston Food & Drink

If you love great food and delicious drinks go to Charleston! We adored everything we had and definitely spent a good amount of our time eating and drinking! As a vegetarian it was easy to find enough restaurants to eat at, but it did limit some of our options. Charleston is known for seafood, and some of the more upscale restaurants sadly did not have any options for me! 

Here are some of the places we loved:

Boone Hall Plantation

Something on my must-do list when visiting Charleston was checking out a plantation. We chose Boone Hall Plantation because the pictures made it look stunning, and also because it was the closest to downtown Charleston! We were not disappointed by Boone Hall! The history was incredible, and the entry-fee allowed us to do many historical tours and see all of the presentations. We got to see the grounds, the plantation house, the slave houses, a Gullah presentation, the gardens, and the butterfly gardens! The plantation is not only one of the oldest working plantations in the US, but has also been the backdrop of many movies, including the Notebook!

Sullivan's Island

I love the beach, but I've never been to an East Coast Beach. Before our trip I'd heard that the water is super warm in Charleston so obviously we had to check it out! There are a handful of beaches within a short drive of downtown Charleston, and after talking to numerous locals we decided on Sullivan's Island and were very happy with our choice! We spent the morning and early afternoon laying on the beach and swimming in the super warm water. The waves were gentle and we chatted with some nice people in the water. The only problem was that there were tons of biting flies on the beach, which made it not so pleasant to lay out and soak in the rays. We went to Poe's Tavern for lunch, a delicious little Edgar Allen Poe themed pub along the boardwalk. Definitely check out a beach when you go to Charleston!