After visiting Charleston for 4 days, I am in love and want to move there. The southern charm is a real thing. A weekend getaway is the perfect way to get a good taste of what Charleston has to offer. Just be aware, if you want to see a lot, you wont have much down time. We stayed at the Lindy Hotel which was close Kings Street. With so many options of Airbnb and cute boutique hotels, just pick what works best for you and your budget.
What to Pack:
Although I did not 100% jump on the floral dresses and brightly colored clothing you see all over the town, I did get the memo to wear comfy tennis shoes. The city is so easily walkable, even in the evening. Depending on your plans, just be sure to pack for humid weather. We visited in April and it did get warm in the sun. If you love to capture photos and don’t want to ask a stranger to take your photo, I found this awesome compact tripod with remote. Loved it!
We did decide to rent a car since I wasn’t sure how the rideshare situation would be getting to and from the plantations. I have heard it’s easy to get one but I liked having the car to stop at a coffee shop along the way.
Day 1: Arrival
Flights from MSP are non stop and land at 2:30 pm which allows us to have a decent amount of time to explore. After we checked into our hotel and changed it was game on to find great cocktails and a bite to eat.
We enjoyed a cocktail and a quick bite at Little Palm, which is located in the Ryder hotel. The pool is adorable with a vibe and the cocktails were delicious. You can rent cabanas but we sat at the bar. Ryan had the Paid Vacation and I sipped the Debt Free. We also nibbled on the Street Corn Duritos… soooo good.
We had some time to burn before dinner so we decided to continue to bar hop and head in the right direction. Walking along Kings Street there are so many options. We ended up at The Vintage Lounge for another sip. The cocktails were incredibly strong but the ambiance was lacking. While we sat at the bar a couple came in for their engagement shoot which was such a great idea.
Next up was Bourbon n Bubbles. If you are a fan of the Bravo show Southern Charm, you know why I came here. I didn’t see any of the cast but we sure enjoyed ourselves. The Queen Bee was a stunning purple cocktail with gold flecks. And since we were hungry, we ordered the deviled eggs and steak tartare. Both were delicious. We also did a quick stop at Sewing Down South, since I love Craig from the show.
And now for the main event and probably my most favorite thing on this entire trip; dinner at Chez Nous. The restaurant is small and offers a daily rotating menu. The chef hand writes the menu every day that consists of 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts and features flavors from Southern France, Italy and Spain. I wanted the menu to be surprise so I did not check their IG page that day. We were seated at the bar, ordered a bottle of wine and enjoyed almost everything. Our dinner was duck prosciutto wrapped asparagus, Camembert cheese salad and leek risotto. You have to try this place. Even if you aren’t a foodie, make reservations, watch the IG and pre eat if needed.
Day 2: Explore
If you hate mornings, never travel with me. I had Ryan up and in the car by 8 am so we could grab coffee and head to the Magnolia Plantation. We stopped at The Daily for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I had the rose cardamom upside down latte and the breakfast sandwich with pimento cheese and smoked onion jam.
We didn’t make reservations for the Magnolia Plantation and we also did not do the house tour but we spent about 2 hours exploring the grounds. In total we walked about 3 miles so it’s not horrible. There were gorgeous gardens to explore and swamps to look for gators. We skipped the hosted tours and read on our own. On one of the paths were saw photographers capturing a barred owl. It was so cool to see. The greenery was out of this world.
The plantation has an app which helps to see where to go. FYI the paths look a lot longer than they actually are. You walk to the iconic white bridge for photos and at the end you can go to their animal sanctuary. We learned from the volunteer that Todd the fox is there because his leg was caught in a metal trap and Fern the owl is blind so they need human help.
After a long morning of exploring it was time to see the city but first lunch! We found a spot for oysters and a lobster roll at 167 Raw. It was the perfect spot for a bite. It’s located on Kings Street by lots of shops so we put our name in for the bar and explored while we waited. We made sure to drink lots of water because next up was about a 1.5 hr walking tour, self guided. Everything listed on this google map was worth it except for Rainbow Row. It was very underwhelming.
Honestly no matter where you walk you find stunning buildings and amazing architecture. The churches were beyond grand and the homes were out of a story book. My fav part was all of the gas lite lamps on the homes and the beautiful flower boxes. It honestly is the most pristine city I’ve been to.
This part of the trip was an add on bonus since this spot was right by our hotel. Pounce Cafe; a cat cafe where all of the cats are up for adoption. Since I am a cat mom, we booked reservations. Your reservation included a coffee or upgrade to beer or wine for $3 and an hour long session to play or cuddle with the cats. We added on treats and cat nip. All of the kitties were very friendly but most napped. We gave them all of the pets and treats and love they deserve.
Dinner was at Felix. The food was great and the ambiance was amazing. Per usual we had to get the deviled eggs topped with lobster. Why do I always want the deviled eggs?? Before dinner I was at a work event and I also go to bed early so sadly we didn’t have time to bar hop and check out some of the other places on my list, which you can find below on the future visit recommendations.
Day 3: Explore More…
Once again we were up early to grab coffee and head out to explore for the day. We stopped at Harken, which if you have time to dine in, do it. The coffee shop was adorable and had some great food options. The food does take 10-15 mins, so we just got pastries to go.
Our next adventure for the day was to explore Boone Hall Planation. Boone offered a more structured tour which was your only option. You started by learning the history inside the home and proceeded to a tour of the property on a big wagon. Note: bring small bills to tip your guides. Once that was done you were free to explore the homes of the enslaved people and check out the boat house. Visiting the plantations was difficult given the disgusting history but I feel you do need to honor the past to appreciate our present.
For lunch we stopped at Salt Water Boys. This is a popular spot but I wasn’t beyond impressed. I had the fried seafood platter with shrimp and oysters. The view is awesome and we saw people kayaking. Come for the view and to eat outside, but don’t have huge expectations. I would have loved to walk the boardwalk but it was soooo hot.
Our afternoon adventure was more day drinking and bar hopping. The best spot for cocktails and a fabulous rooftop views was the Citrus Club located in the Dewberry Hotel. We tried to get in over the weekend and it was a 90 min wait. They do take your name and text you but we decided to come back during the week. The cocktails were so yummy. The most popular was the spiced coconut margarita.
We finished the evening with a quick drink at Prohibition which had so many whiskey sour drinks with egg whites, my fav. Dinner was at The Darling Oyster Bar. We had the All Dressed Up Oysters and a lobster roll. If bar hopping isn’t your thing, there is so much shopping along Kings Street. Shockingly I am not a shopper.
Day 4: Time to Go Home
Luckily our flight didn’t leave until 3:30 pm so that gave us plenty of time to explore the Cypress Gardens. We packed up the car, checked out and grabbed coffee and breakfast at The Daily again because it was so good. The Cypress Gardens has wooden row boats where you explore the swamp on your own or you can wait later on for a group boat. Rowing the boat is definitely a marriage builder but it was so relaxing once we got the hang of it.
After the 45 min boat ride, we walked the trails along the swamp. I would pack bug spray or be sure not to dress in black. Ryan got destroyed. They also have a butterfly garden and a huge gator. The gardens took us about 2 hours to explore.
Before we went to the airport we stopped at Taco Boy for lunch. This spot was amazing. I sipped a hibiscus margarita while eating way too much chips and guacamole and delicious tacos. For sure sit at the patio and be sure to say hi to the cat.
Future Visit Recomendations:
A few other things to explore that we didn’t have time for are below. I hope you enjoyed this blog and subscribe for more weekend getaways.
- Martini Me
- Lewis BBQ
- High Wire Distillery
- Leon’s
- Deep Water Vineyard
- Camellias
- Angel Oak Tree
- McLeod Plantation
- Doar Bros
- Callies Hot Little Bisquit
- Folly Beach
- Sullivans Beach
- Shem Creek Boardwalk
- The Pineapple Hut