All things CHARLESTON
First off, I just have to say- WOW. Charleston is truly an unbelievably fun and beautiful city. I would be lying if I said I didn’t look up real estate while I was down there. The people are just so friendly and hospitable, the food is simply DIVINE, and every corner you turn you catch yourself fawning over the history and architecture. There’s not a thing I didn’t like from my trip there in early May. If you haven’t been, this is your motivational cue to book your flight down south STAT. Below is the roundup of all the restaurants I went to, my favorite shops, the hotel I stayed at and a couple extra fun things I did. Charleston, this isn’t the last you’ll be seeing of me!
THE HOTEL
The Restoration Hotel
We stayed at The Restoration Hotel, which is a boutique hotel right off of King Street in the heart of absolutely everything. It was close enough to the battery and the neighborhoods surrounding so we were able to explore all of the side street architecture, but also close enough to get to the Market, which is an outdoor market with tons of different vendors. The people that work there are so wonderful- Allysa was who we communicated with most and she was so amazing and friendly. Every morning they drop off a picnic basket to your room full of freshly baked warm breakfast goods from the café on the first floor (see photo in gallery above). They served wine, cheese and crackers in the lobby every day around 5 pm. Every room is fully stocked with sodas, waters, orange juices, le Croix’s, you name it. It is also the only hotel in Charleston that provides their guests with complimentary golf cart shuttle service within a one mile radius to wherever you want. My mom and I used this offering every single day, it was so convenient and fun. We’re already hoping to book a trip to the same hotel around Christmastime!
RESTAURANTS & BARS
The Watch Rooftop
This restaurant was located on the rooftop of our hotel and I think we ate/drank there 4-5 different times. They’re really big on their mixology here and had a cocktail menu of the coolest concoctions (you have to get the rice Krispy drink and thank me later, see pic above).
Camellia’s
I booked this reservation for my mom and I really far in advance honestly because I wanted to get a few good photos in there, but turns out the food was pretty outstanding. I was confused when we got there though on ordering food because I had accidentally booked “tea time” which meant you had to pay a certain amount and you picked a tea you liked and ate whatever they had prepared prior. We were able to swap out a couple of options that we didn’t like (like caviar & crab). I was hesitant about it at first because there was so much confusion about our reservation, but it ended up turning out really well and such an enjoyable experience.
5Church
My mom and I originally had reservations to sit at a table, but opted for sitting at the bar instead because of how beautiful it was. We only ended up having the cheeseboard here and it was plenty filling. I would definitely come back here again! I really liked the location of this particular restaurant.
Husk
Omg the food here was SOOOOO BOMB. The service, presentation, atmosphere, everything was so nice. I’m still dreaming about the cornbread that we ordered. The interior had such a home-y feel that made me not want to leave!
Halls Chophouse
Ok so I KNOOOW this is one of those places where everyone goes when you visit Charleston, but it really is that fantastic. This was one of my favorite meals, hands down (and we had so much fun I honestly forgot to pick up my phone and snap some photos). We went here twice for dinner and the first time was a last minute decision when we happened to be in the area and decided to stop in for a drink at the bar. Well one drink at the bar turned out to be us hanging there for 4-5 hours making all sorts of friends and having a full spread of food. We met a professional tennis player and her coach and it was such a memorable experience that we shared with them! The second time we ate there we had a sit down experience and our server was Bella who we couldn’t recommend enough. She sent us a thank you card the following week for coming to the restaurant! Truly such a classy and wonderful experience we had there both times we ate.
Frannie & the Fox
This restaurant had the COOLEST interior ever. We had a couple cocktails and split some amazing apps (I’m still drooling over the meatballs). This was another one of my favorite restaurants that I would definitely go back to again.
Carmella’s Dessert Bar
This place was super lively and great for people watching. We had two chocolate martinis that were out of this world awesome. Another place that was located in a nice spot that was walking distance to everything.
Blind Tiger Pub
The Blind Tiger was SOOOO much fun. Really young atmosphere if you’re going for late night drinks. Hang out in the back courtyard bar for some really great people watching. I happened to sit next to a group of URI alumni (my alma mater too!), which was so cool to connect on. Such a small world.
SHOPPING + ACTIVITIES
House of Nomad
Gorgeous shop right on King Street! One of the first stores we went into when we arrived. I wanted to buy absolutely everything, but unfortunately I only had one suitcase to work with to transport everything back lol.
Copper Penny
I did the most apparel shopping at this store out of every shop in town. SOOOO many adorable pieces at really reasonable prices! I lucked out with three gorgeous dresses all under $100 each and immediately followed them on Instagram to see if they posted shipment updates on new products on their page while I was there in Charleston just in case I needed more dresses!
Noddy
Really cute small boutique that we stumbled into after walking around the battery one morning. I bought an adorable collar for my new puppy that was created by a local Charleston designer.
Dacuba’s Fine Jewelry
Purchased several pieces of jewelry here for myself and some for gifts because of how amazing the quality was at such affordable prices. My mom and I purchased a couple of rice bead jewelry pieces and wear them almost every single day.
Magnifique
Such a gorgeous shop owned by such a sweet entrepreneur! I got to talking to the owner for a while because she is an airbnb host to such a beautiful home. Immediately connected on our similarities and how I hope to own a store someday in the future!
Seabrook Equestrian Center
I think my mom and I would both agree that this was the highlight of our trip. A couple days prior to going horseback riding, we were Googling places in the area that did horseback rides on the beach and we came across Seabrook Equestrian Center. Essentially, Seabrook is a private community with residences, restaurants, beaches and a pretty magnificent Equestrian Center. We ended up booking a trail ride that went through marsh, ponds and the most gorgeous trails; it felt like we were in a Nicholas Sparks movie. The trail ride can have up to I want to say 6 other riders, but we lucked out and were able to have a private trail ride with our guide. We were suggested to not take our phones out during the ride to avoid dropping them, which I’m so happy I kept mine away- it encouraged me to just totally disconnect with everything else going on in the world and instead of snapping photos every second, instead just fully be present in the moment. It was the best $75 (per person) I’ve ever spent.
