Final week our household took a last-minute, 2-day-3-night journey to Charleston, South Carolina and it was *chef’s kiss*. It was our first time there, and we arrived having achieved zero planning and no itinerary with the aim of exploring, having fun with the sights, and consuming some good things alongside the best way (spoiler: we achieved all three!). Actually, it may need been our favourite weekend journey but (tied with New Orleans). So listed here are all of the locations, actions, and meals that made our journey so nice.
Why We Picked Charleston As A Spot To Go to?
Ever since we moved to Florida three years in the past, our household holidays have modified a bit. We used to virtually at all times choose locations with a seaside and/or pool close by, however now that we now have each at house, we discover ourselves extra desirous about walkable cities or small cities with attention-grabbing sights, retailers, parks, eating places, and extra. And Charleston was nearly good for that! As our kids have gotten older – they’re now 9 and 13 – they take pleasure in exploring extra, and we now not discover ourselves in search of out playgrounds and kids’s museums. So whereas all the pieces we did right here was completely kid-friendly (and dog-friendly!) it is probably not good for youthful children.
The place We Stayed In Charleston, SC
A part of the rationale we booked this journey so final minute is that we got here throughout this awesome-looking Airbnb that occurred to be marked all the way down to fill just a few days between bookings (and you recognize we love a sale). We stayed for 3 nights, and it was such an excellent spot and a well-managed rental, as the numerous critiques attest to, which is what made it straightforward for us to click on that e-book button. It will’ve completely been well worth the full value too. Notice: this wasn’t paid or sponsored in any means & they don’t know us from Adam.

We had the upstairs unit (“The Poppy Suite”) however the downstairs can also be out there from the identical host, in addition to just a few different listings round Charleston. We are able to’t say sufficient good issues about it. It was nicely embellished, very clear, nicely stocked, and each kid- and dog-friendly. The one downside for some folks could be that it solely has one toilet, however you all know that we’re fairly snug with that!

The center bed room pictured above is the place our daughter slept, and our son had a cute bunkroom within the again. Sherry and I took the entrance bed room as a result of it opened out to the entrance balcony, which we closely used and liked. We spent a few hours on the market throughout each of the total days that we had in Charleston, simply hanging out and studying and having fun with the breeze. It was the right spot to take a break from strolling round (particularly in the course of the hottest elements of the day) as a result of it stayed shaded and I can’t promise you’ll expertise the identical breeze that we had, nevertheless it was there each days we had been on the market, and it was good.

And as a lot as we preferred the Airbnb itself, we principally picked it as a result of it was in an excellent location that was walkable to eating places, espresso retailers, and extra. It’s in a neighborhood known as Cannonborough / Elliotborough, for these accustomed to Charleston.
The place We Explored In Charleston, SC
Since we had been solely in Charleston for 2 full days, we determined to make use of in the future for exploring the town and the opposite for trying out among the surrounding seaside communities (not only for the seaside – a buddy tipped us off about some nice meals and issues to do on the market too).
We opted for a go-with-the-flow type journey, fairly than fashionable vacationer actions like visiting historic websites or museums so hold that in thoughts. There are various of these issues to do in Charleston if your loved ones is in search of that sort of journey as nicely. Throughout our metropolis day, we walked from our home on Spring Avenue all the way down to King Avenue – the primary road full of retailers and eating places that traverses Charleston – and simply kinda popped into retailers, ate, and loved the structure alongside the best way.

We in all probability might’ve spent an entire day (or extra!) simply strolling and taking a look at the entire historic properties. Additionally they had guided strolling excursions that appeared fascinating, so if we ever went again I believe we’d attempt a type of. I’ll share our favourite shops and eating places in a minute, however first I’ve to drop in just a few extra stunning properties. We liked seeing all of those iconic Charleston facet porches with their very own “hospitality doorways” alongside the entrance (they appear to be an actual entrance door, however simply result in the open-air porch on the facet).

Charleston felt like such a cool metropolis as a result of though there are such a lot of very previous properties and historic particulars, it was additionally colourful and energetic. It didn’t harm that we had been there when all the pieces was in bloom. And let me let you know, this metropolis LOVES window containers.

And simply take a look at this brilliant pink church we wandered previous in Charleston’s French Quarter (sure, they’ve one too, identical to New Orleans, which is one other weekend journey we took & liked this 12 months).

Talking of shade, we after all hit up Charleston’s iconic Rainbow Row, which is a row of brightly coloured Georgian properties alongside East Bay Avenue (don’t fear, “Rainbow Row” comes up in Apple and Google Maps, so it’s very straightforward to search out).
We clocked about 6 miles of strolling on our first day and, after looping house for a noon break, we drove again within the night to hit up among the additional spots from our home (like Rainbow Row and Pineapple Fountain). We do a whole lot of strolling round our neighborhood at house, so our children didn’t bat an eye fixed at this form of mileage – particularly because it was damaged up with meals, a few hours again at house within the A/C (nicely, we had been studying on the porch however they had been inside with the AC), and loads of stops in retailers.
The place We Shopped In Charleston, SC
A lot of the shops we popped into had been positioned on or close to King Avenue, and we mainly simply wandered into something that appeared attention-grabbing. Just like the tented rattan paradise that was this Amanda Lindroth retailer.

We at all times attempt to hit up an unbiased bookstore every time we journey, so we had been pleased to come upon Blue Bicycle Books. Someway we missed the signal for Buxton Books additional down King Avenue, however that appears to be one other fashionable native bookseller.

We didn’t encounter a ton of kid-specific shops (aside from this toy retailer within the Charelston Metropolis Market) however at 9 and 13, our children love random issues like plant shops, artwork retailers, and even a stationery retailer (they purchase pens and felt tip markers like they’re connoisseurs). Additionally they had a shocking quantity of enjoyable smelling soaps on the Outdated Whaling Firm (pictured beneath) and all of us liked trying out the artwork within the Mitchel Hill Gallery furnishings retailer. We rounded issues off with a good time within the Mildred Newberry stationery store (see: they like markers and pens).

And naturally, Sherry made positive we stopped into Stitching Down South, which is the pillow retailer opened by Craig Conover from Bravo’s Southern Attraction. There have been no precise sightings of any Bravolebrities, however that was not for lack of effort (the hassle largely being Sherry randomly whispering “Craig?!” and “Paige?!” as we walked round city. Can’t consider that didn’t work…).

As a lot enjoyable as we had strolling round Charleston itself, our two favourite shops had been really over the bridge nearer to a few of Charleston’s seashores.
Exploring Charleston’s Seashores
As I discussed, hitting the seaside isn’t actually the primary motive we e-book a trip anymore simply because we dwell on the seaside full time, however we had been all excited to drive out to Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island one morning to test them out, since we’ve heard such nice issues about these communities and a buddy gave us some tips on the place to eat and another enjoyable stuff to do and see on the market.

We parked close to The Boathouse at Breach Inlet in Isle of Palms to take pleasure in a pleasant morning stroll on the seaside since IOP appeared to be essentially the most accommodating to canine on the seaside. After a pleasant seaside stroll (that they had some good shells & Penny liked sniffing all the pieces) we went on the hunt to discover a place for espresso & brunch and stumbled upon a retailer in Sullivan’s Island known as A Maker’s Publish. It had the best mixture of artwork, housewares, and crops. And each of our children walked out with new books that they bought, so it was successful for all ages.

After posting about our journey on Instagram final week, the picture above in all probability received essentially the most curiosity – a lot in order that I’m positive Sherry’s fingers harm from typing “it’s known as A Maker’s Publish” time and again in her DMs. It’s fairly onerous to overlook from the street, nevertheless it’s subsequent to a brilliant pink place known as The Co-Op (the place we ended up getting espresso) if that helps.

Our different favourite cease out that means was a store we hit up on the best way again from the seaside in additional suburban Mount Plesant. It’s known as Plant Home and – after A Maker’s Publish was such successful for our whole household – I discovered it simply by googling “plant retailer.” I’m a hero.

We have now since discovered that it’s a sequence with 7 places within the Southeast (even one again in our previous hometown of Richmond, VA!) nevertheless it was completely new to us right here in Charleston and it’s in all probability the longest we spent in any single retailer the entire journey! They promote each plant and pot you possibly can think about, and the shop itself is simply stuffed to the brim with stuff to have a look at. Plus there’s a very enjoyable exercise they provide anytime you cease in…

… they’ve DIY terrarium stations! So for $25 every, our children received to assemble their very own plant terrarium. They every picked out two small crops together with their spherical glass vessel after which the entire “toppings” on the worktable had been free: soil, sand, rocks, shells, moss, and many others. There was a lady who guided them by all of the steps, and every child had a lot enjoyable. Sherry additionally had enjoyable when our son often requested for a hand.

The workers was tremendous pleasant and useful, so the youngsters received nice steerage for constructing and caring for his or her terrariums too. They actually allow you to simply stroll in and make one anytime – however additionally they have scheduled workshops for grown-ups, and there’s even a bar with booze within the retailer!

As a lot as we loved all of those retailers and actions, the actual highlights of our journey had been in all probability the meals.
The place We Ate In Charleston, SC
We’re in no way high quality eating folks and our trip MO is simply to search out locations with scrumptious meals and a enjoyable ambiance. Charleston didn’t disappoint on this entrance!
Breakfast in Charleston
Each mornings we received breakfast at neighborhood spots inside a brief stroll from our Airbnb. The primary was Daps Breakfast & Imbibe which had nice espresso, large egg sandwiches, and much more large pancakes. Looking back, the youngsters might’ve shared an order (we knew they had been massive however we didn’t understand they’d be THIS BIG). I additionally in all probability might have gotten a “facet” of pancakes with my order that might have fed them each! These had been the Fruity Pebble ones that our daughter received (our son went with one thing dusted with cocoa powder).

Our different breakfast was at Holey Metropolis Bagels which, to begin with, earns factors for a high quality pun in its title (Charleston’s nickname is “the Holy Metropolis”). The bagels themselves are the closest factor we’ve needed to a New York type bagel shortly and the connected espresso store was nice too.

Lunch & Dinner In Charleston
One other couple of nice spots inside strolling distance of our Airbnb had been Pink Cactus and Gasoline Cantina, each with Mexican menus. Pink Cactus appears to be like fairly unassuming from the road (the patio is kinda plopped into a few parking areas) however the meals was scrumptious and generously sized. They don’t have a child’s menu and like to not make substitutions, however each of our children loved what they received (they’ll every deal with a little bit of spice which was undoubtedly current). We later met somebody who labored at Plant Home who stated her pals drive 40 minutes to go to Pink Cactus, so apparently it has many devoted followers.

Gasoline Cantina undoubtedly beat Pink Cactus within the out of doors ambiance division. It’s positioned in an previous fuel station and the again patio, the place we ate, was the right place to relax on an attractive summer time night. Assume strings lights, TV, massive followers, together with bocce and large Jenga to maintain the youngsters entertained.

I took the above picture the next morning on our stroll to Holey Metropolis (therefore it trying closed… as a result of it was). However I snapped the pic beneath the earlier evening on our means out to the patio. They actually leaned into the previous fuel station factor by turning some gasoline pumps into sconces!

One other tremendous chill meal we had that was massive on ambiance was our dinner on the Port of Name Meals Corridor. The meals corridor gave us a number of choices – I received Greek, one child received seafood, and the remaining received smash burgers – and the seating space was good and shady. For dessert, all of us tried pineapple gentle serve for the primary time at The Pineapple Hut.

In all probability our favourite meal food-wise was throughout the bridge in Sullivan’s Island at a spot known as The Obstinate Daughter. A buddy advisable this as a spot with unbelievable meals the place we might “gown up a bit”, so initially we wrote it off (none of us packed something remotely dressy). However then we occurred to drive by round 11am and noticed a number of households consuming on the patio in very informal apparel, so we determined to have an early lunch. And boy are we glad we did.

I received the particular of the day, a peach flatbread pizza with balsamic drizzle, and it completely hit the spot. The youngsters cut up a cheese flatbread and a few pasta, which they each declared: “the most effective.” Sherry received some scrumptious ahi tuna particular with a cream sauce and potatoes. This was the one meal we didn’t have leftovers from, as in, we licked every of our plates clear. Sure, that whole pizza went into my stomach.

There’s a gelato store in the identical constructing known as BeardCat’s Candy Store, which we received for dessert. You get to pick two flavors even for a small dimension, so Sherry and I cut up a darkish chocolate + olive oil and salt gelato. They actually drizzled olive oil on the highest, which I wasn’t so positive about at first, nevertheless it ended up being extraordinarily good.
Was Charleston Canine Pleasant?
Sure! Other than just a few shops that stated “service animals solely,” we discovered all the pieces in Charleston to be extraordinarily canine pleasant: our Airbnb, the seashores, and the out of doors eating places. As a result of we had such good climate throughout our keep, we had been capable of eat each single meal exterior. For some meals – just like the breakfast locations and the meals corridor – it meant one in all us staying exterior with Penny whereas the others positioned our order, however that’s no massive deal and one thing we do at eating places again house too.

Since Penny’s a small canine, we sometimes choose her up every time we go into a store simply in case. That is extra for our & her security than anything (that means she doesn’t attempt to eat one thing underneath a show, get spooked by a store cat, or unintentionally knock one thing over together with her leash). We additionally sometimes ask an worker “is it okay to deliver our canine in right here?” simply to be protected. Everybody was very happy to have her! She was additionally the one member of the family who requested to be carried just a few instances exterior when she didn’t really feel like strolling. #spoiled

As our Airbnb hosts identified of their booklet, many of the Charleston space seashores are canine pleasant too – however the guidelines differ by space and time of 12 months, so make sure to test earlier than you go. In Might we had been capable of take Penny on the Isle of Palms seashores with no downside.
Our Journey To Charleston, SC: A Abstract
For Charleston first-timers who did little or no planning for this 2-day-3-night weekend journey, we had a good time. For comfort, I believed I’d bullet the locations talked about on this put up multi function spot for you.

- Our Airbnb: The Poppy Suite on Spring Avenue
- Strolling down King Avenue
- Visiting Rainbow Row & Pineapple Fountain
- Exploring the French Quarter
- Testing homes on Cannon Avenue
- Strolling on the seaside in Isle of Palms
Procuring
Consuming
Thanks for an excellent journey, Charleston. We’ll be again!
Different Household Journeys We’ve Taken
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