A few weeks ago, I flew to Charleston for a girls trip with my old friend Carly. Both of us had wanted to visit Charleston for awhile so we decided to just book the tickets. I’m so glad we got the chance to go! Charleston is such a charming little city with a ton of history. I loved the Georgian style architecture, the beautiful homes, and colorful buildings in downtown Charleston. It’s a pretty small city that feels more like a big town so it was super easy to get around by foot, bike, and rental car. The people in Charleston are super friendly and greet you in the streets. The city also has a noise ordinance at night in the historic district so it was really nice walking around at night. It really is a lovely city! In this post, I am sharing my favorite things to do in Charleston as well as the restaurants and hotels we visited during our trip.

Before I get into the post I wanted to share a few travel tips with you guys!

Tips

-We visited in July so it was very hot and humid in Charleston. We had to change our outfits several times a day, not even kidding. So I would definitely reccomend visiting any other season besides summer!

-Bring mosquito repellent or pick some up when you get there! Carly and I were eaten alive by “no-see’s” which are mosquito’s that you literally can not see, that leave HUGE bites. Trust me, you will be thanking me!

-We found that eating out was a little more expensive than we originally thought it would be in Charleston so I would definitely budget before you visit!

What To Do

Rainbow Row

Rainbow Row, located at the end of East Bay St. towards the Battery, is hands down the prettiest street I have ever seen! It’s a series of thirteen colorful, historic houses built in the Georgian architecture style. Carly and I both agree we would move into one of these houses in a heart beat!

The Battery

The Battery, along the Charleston waterfront is a historic defensive sea wall built to protect the city. It’s now one of the most popular spots in the city for walks along the water and through the White Point Gardens. We stopped by to watch the sunset one of our nights in Charleston. It was so pretty and peaceful! We also rode bikes along the water during the day and admired the beautiful mansions that line the water front. We even spotted several dolphins swimming close to the battery!

Charleston Historic District

The Charleston Historic District is made up of several different areas including South of Broad, the French Quarter, the Business District, and Harleston Village. My favorite areas in the Historic District were the French Quarter and South of Broad. Some streets you won’t want to miss are Queen St. (between King St. and East Bay St.), Meeting St. (between Wentworth St. and Broad St.), Wentworth St. (between King St. and East Bay St.), Tradd St. (between King St. and East Bay St.), Church St. (between Queen St. and Water St.), and Broad St. (between King St. and East Bay St.). Wentworth St., Tradd St., and Church St. are residential streets with beautiful homes and trees. Queen St., Broad St., and Meeting St., are commercial streets with beautiful architecture and colorful buildings. King St. is of course very popular as well for shopping and pretty buildings!

The Market

The Charleston City Market is in a historic market building on Meeting St. It’s actually one of the nation’s oldest public markets! You can find vendors selling jewelry, clothing, art work, and other knick knacks in numerous stalls. We didn’t do any shopping, we only stopped by to check it out, but it’s definitely the spot to pick up some souvenirs in!

Pineapple Fountain

The famous Pineapple Fountain is located in Waterfront Park. Carly loves pineapples so she was super excited to see the fountain! It really is such a beautiful, unique fountain and definitely worth seeing. It’s near the French Quarter so you can easily swing by on a walk in the area.

Lowndes Grove Plantation

The Lowndes Grove Plantation, also known as The Grove, is a beautiful plantation house built in 1786. The Grove is exactly what I pictured in my mind when I thought of a historic plantation. It’s absolutely stunning! I can definitely see why it’s a popular spot for weddings. Heck, I would totally have my wedding there! There was actually a wedding being held there the day we visited but we arrived early in the morning while the bridal party was getting ready so we were able to take some quick photos. The Grove is located on the Ashley River with a beautiful, picturesque dock. We walked down it to admire the view and snap a few photos!

Tip: Call ahead if you are wanting to visit to make sure there aren’t any weddings or other events being held when you are planning on visiting.

Hampton Park

Hampton Park is a beautiful park to visit in Charleston. It’s a little out of the way of downtown. About a ten minute drive or uber ride. We had a rental car so we were able to swing by there after visiting the Lowndes Grove Plantation. The park has several ponds, a fountain, and beautiful flowers and trees to admire. It was really hot when we visited but I could see this being the perfect spot for a picnic in the evening!

Colonial Lake

Colonial Lake is a pond located in a residential area of Charleston on Rutledge and Broad. We stopped by for a walk in the evening and explored the area. The homes on Rutledge are so pretty! It’s definitely a great place for a walk or jog.

Beaches

Folly Beach

We stayed at the Andell Inn on Kiawah Island during our trip so on our way back to Charleston, we stopped by Folly Beach. It’s a very popular beach destination in Charleston so we had to drive through quite a bit of traffic to get there. So definitely be aware of that if you are planning on visiting! When we arrived, we were able to find parking along the street pretty quickly. The beach is absolutely stunning and so are the homes that line it. It’s definitely what I had in mind when I pictured a Carolina beach. A storm rolled in during our visit so we had to head out pretty quickly but I would have loved to have a whole day there!

Sullivan’s Island

I’ve always heard of the beaches on Sullivan’s Island so we had to stop by and check it out! The beaches there are wide and lined with beautiful beach homes. We stopped by one evening to watch the sunset and we were pleasantly surprised to find the beach mostly empty. It was definitely a nice change after visiting crowded Folly Beach!

Where To Eat

Parcel 32

Parcel 32 is a new Charleston restaurant housed in a historic home on King Street. The patio and the restaurant are absolutely stunning! Carly and I absolutely loved the interiors. The restaurant serves superb southern and seafood dishes. We had the meat and cheese board, truffle pasta, and hush puppies for appetizers. I had never had hush puppies before so it was really fun to try them! They came out in a steaming pot. The truffle pasta was out of this world! Unfortunately, it’s not an official item on the menu yet but I hope it does become one. It was THAT good! We split the Cast Iron Seared Steak Fish for our main dish which was also delicious. We ended our meal with the Banana Beignets which were fabulous! I could have had a whole box of them easily! The service at the restaurant was amazing and everyone was so nice.

Cannon Green

Canon Green, a beautiful and unique Charleston restaurant, is an extremely popular brunch spot. After visiting for brunch, it’s easy to see why! The restaurant itself has a very airy, open feel to it with a green and white color scheme, tall ceilings, and large sliding doors leading to a beautiful courtyard. What makes the interiors really unique is that they actually built the restaurant around a 19th century Charleston home. How cool is that?! I’ve never seen a restaurant like it! Carly and I started our brunch off with champagne and coffee (a winning combo ;P). We split the Croque Madame, the Eggs Benedict, and the Lemon and Buttermilk Pancakes, all of which were superb. It was the most amazing brunch!

Darling Oyster Bar

The Darling Oyster Bar is a very popular seafood spot in Charleston. The restaurant and bar were packed when we arrived at 5 pm! The restaurant had a very exciting energy to it which was fun to experience. I really enjoyed watching the oysters being shucked at the seafood bar. The restaurant interiors were modern and casual with a touch of coastal flair which I loved. We started our dinner off with the House Smoked Salmon Dip and the Shrimp Cocktail, both of which were delicious! For our main course we split Lobster & King Crab Roll and the Shrimp and Grits. I couldn’t leave Charleston without having tried shrimp and grits right?! I love me some seafood so the whole meal was fabulous. We were stuffed after dinner but still made room for the S’mores mousse which was out of this world!

Miller’s All Day

Miller’s All Day is another great Charleston brunch spot located on the popular King St. The restaurant looked really cute when I briefly glimpsed at it online but it was even cuter in person! I absolutely loved the vintage vibes of this restaurant from the mid-century lounge area to the vintage Millers advertisements in the bathroom. The “Prescriptions” sign above the bar was super cool too! This restaurant has plenty of seating with two bars, booths, and tables. We sat near the bar and had a great view of the spot! We split the Waffles, the Open Faced Scramble, and the Millers Plate. Everything was amazing but my favorite dish was definitely the waffles. They were absolutely mouth watering!

Basic Kitchen

Basic Kitchen is a gorgeous restaurant on Wentworth St. just off of King St. in downtown Charleston. I absolutely loved the eclectic interiors of Basic Kitchen. The couple who own the restaurant are also designers which totally makes sense! I would love for them to decorate my apartment ;P. We split the Watermelon and Feta Salad and the Sweet Potato fries while sipping on Carly’s favorite drink, Aperol Spritz. The food was superb and so was the service. This is a great spot for a drink at the bar, brunch, or dinner!

Poogan’s Porch

Poogan’s Porch, located on beautiful Queen St. is a traditional Southern restaurant located in an old, restored townhouse. It’s a lovely yellow house with an adorable porch and a balcony. The restaurant is named after the loved, neighborhood stray Poogan, who was there through the renovation process and the day the restaurant opened it’s doors. What a fun story! We started off with the Mac & Cheese and the Lump Crab Cake. The Mac & Cheese was phenomenal. I definitely reccomend it if you love cheesey goodness! For our main course we spit the Pan Roasted Scallops and the BBQ Mahi Mahi. It’s such a cute restaurant to visit.

Revelator Coffee

Revelator Coffee is a modern, spacious coffee shop located on King St. I loved the modern interiors! There were several tables where people were working on their laptops and a lounge area where Carly and I sat and had breakfast and coffee on our first morning in Charleston. Carly had yogurt and granola and I had the avocado toast. It was delicious! So were the iced coffees we had. If you are a coffee lover like I am then you would love this coffee shop!

Husk Bar

The Bar at Husk is located in a small brick building next to the popular Husk restaurant. Carly and I stopped by for drinks and a quick bite. The building was actually in ruins before the owners of Husk renovated it. Now it has a really cool, rustic feel to it with exposed brick and wood accents. We ordered the cheese plate (we love our cheese!) and the Husk cheeseburger which had a very unique taste to it!

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits is a cute little counter serve restaurant on King St. They are of course known for their biscuits, they offer several different types of biscuits, sandwiches, coffees & tea. Callie’s looks like a little farm house kitchen! I love the white subway tile and shiplap across the counter. Another cool touch is the mural on the seating wall. We ordered a variety of their savory and sweet biscuits to share. My favorites were the Cinnamon and the Blackberry of course (major sweet tooth here!) Their biscuits are 3 for $5 and you can eat them at the counter or take them to go. It’s such a cute spot to stop by!

Where To Stay

Andell Inn

The Andell Inn is a stylish, boutique village hotel on Kiawah Island. Carly and I really wanted to be able to see more of the areas surrounding Charleston so we loved staying on the island which was about a 30 min drive outside of the city. This beautiful hotel has all of the modern amenities of a luxury hotel with a boutique feel. Carly and I took full advantage of the beautiful pool and outdoor lounge area! We sun bathed for a few hours the morning after our stay and it was so relaxing. The hotel provides an amazing continental breakfast with everything you could ask for. The evening that we arrived there was outdoor music playing in the village. The village had tons of boutique stores and it was just so cute! The hotel is located at the center of Kiawah Island with many nearby beaches to explore. I would definitely reccomend this hotel for a relaxing stay.

The Inn at I’On

The Inn at I’On is located in the charming I’On community of Mount Pleasant, SC. It’s in the perfect location only seven minutes away from downtown Charleston and ten minutes from the beautiful beaches on Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. The Inn is so cute and really has that Southern charm feel. Our room was perfect with a large queen sized bed, a spacious bathroom, and a balcony with a view. The Inn provided a breakfast in the morning which was so nice and convenient to wake up to. Another really cool perk is that Inn guests get complimentary access to the I’On Club, a private club with three swimming pools, tennis courts, and a fitness center. The Inn recently switched over to a new owner. She and the rest of the staff were so friendly and welcoming. They really made us feel at home! I definitely reccomend this cute Inn, especially for those looking for a quieter, homey feel.

Zero George Street

Zero George Street is a beautifully restored hotel in downtown Charleston. The buildings that make up the hotel have been there since 1804! The buildings and courtyard definitely have an old world charm to them. We loved out beautiful room which had a chic beige and white color scheme. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Keurig machine with coffee and mugs AND a fridge with water and Izze sodas in the built in cabinets. The hotel had complimentary bikes which was perfect because Carly and I really wanted to ride bikes around the city during our visit. When we got back to our room in the evening, we found cookies and slippers waiting for us. We lounged in our robes and slippers while sipping decaf coffee. It was such a relaxing stay!

Francis Marion Hotel

The Francis Marion Hotel is located on King St. across from Marion Square. The hotel is in a very central location within walking distance of everything in downtown Charleston. This beautiful, historic hotel had elegant interiors, a friendly staff, and valet service.

We got the chance to drive the Toyota C-HR during our trip. We LOVED this car! It’s sporty, cute, and drives like a dream. Another thing I really liked about the C-HR is that it had great gas mileage. The tank was full when we got the car and after driving over 200 miles, we only lost about 1/4 tank! I was a little worried about driving a rental car for the first time but the C-HR was so easy to drive so it was a breeze.

We had such an amazing trip in Charleston! Have any of you been there before? I would love to hear what your favorite things to do were!

XOXO