How to Spend a Weekend in Charleston

One of the great things about summer is the series of short weekend trips that we try to cram in a span of a couple of months. I love how making the most of sunshine and warm weather is the goal of a lifetime! 🙂

We planned a weekend in Charleston, SC to celebrate our parents wedding anniversary on their most recent visit to the US. There were lots of places that made it to the short list (New Orleans, Santa Fe (New Mexico), Charleston), but Charleston presented the shortest travel time, and we were really jonesing for some southern food. So, here’s my list of 10 good reasons why this makes it a most relaxing weekend trip with the fam!

[Having been there a couple of times, we stayed away from the typical plantation tours, ghost tours, submarine as we had covered these in prior trips (highly recommend if this is your first trip). We just wanted to kick back and relax this weekend.]

1. Beautiful sunny weather almost every time we visit

2. Best bowl of shrimp n grits (ever!!)

except I don’t have a picture before we polished it off and licked our plates clean…

(some of the great hits include Peninsula Grill, S.N.O.B – Slightly North of Broad, Hank’s, and of course the lovely cafes scattered around. Almost every place is good!)

3. A carriage ride down tree-lined streets

we booked a carriage tour with Palmetto Tours, where our two horses Rhyme & Reason took us through Charleston’s historic downtown district, and down tree lined streets with Antebellum mansions, churches and secret gardens…

4. Drool-worthy ~~homes~~ mansions

The best walks are along the Rainbow Row that includes a series of colorful Georgian row houses that are painted in beautiful pastel shades, and along East Battery st. where you can see the old southern mansions overlooking the Charleston harbor

5. Secret gardens behind beautiful iron doors

And of course my favorite part is spying for these “hidden” gardens between historic homes with immaculate flower beds and little fountains

6. Cute little boutique stores

Shopping is always fun at cute little specialty and boutique stores; peppers, honey and vintage finds!

7. Basket shopping

Charleston City Market is a bit of a flea market with all kinds of knick knacks, but definitely check out the “basket ladies” that sell charleston baskets weaved out of (local materials) sweetgrass and palmetto leaves. This basket weaving art form originated in West Africa and has been passed down for generations – makes a great souvenir!

8. Cool drink spots (gin bar)

And nothing beats a good drink at one of the coolest bars in a historic town. We grabbed a couple of drinks at The Gin Joint that has a great mixologist and will whip up a yummy cocktail based on what you fancy for the evening – our choice was gin and rum based drinks (separate of course)!