Charleston is easily one of my favorite places to go for a quick getaway. My husband and I have taken two trips there, each time experiencing new things.
We stayed in Mt Pleasant both times, a cheaper alternative to staying in downtown Charleston. Mt Pleasant is a quick 15 minute drive across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge into Charleston and it offers a more suburban, but still quaint feel.
If you don’t feel like having a proper sit down breakfast, try The Vintage Coffee Cafe located in Mt Pleasant. It was the perfect casual restaurant to start the day off with. We both enjoyed lattes and I got one of the acai bowls, which was one of the best acai bowls I’ve ever had. We sat in their outside area, which also had a fun playground perfect for families with kids!
Once you make the drive over the bridge from Mt Pleasant to Charleston, find a street or garage to park at and then get out and walk around! Charleston is an extremely walkable city and walking is the best way to explore. Make sure you hit the touristy spots like Rainbow Row, The Battery, Waterfront Park, and King Street. We always enjoyed venturing deeper into the side streets for a quieter walk with less people and to check out the beautiful, southern homes.
Our favorite restaurants we have eaten at in Charleston are 82 Queen and Magnolias. You really can’t go wrong with any of the restaurants because the food in Charleston is incredible, but these two places were hands down our favorite. Both served traditionally southern style food, Magnolias being a bit more upscale. Make sure you book a reservation because these two restaurants book up months in advance. For dessert try Kaminsky’s or Carmella’s for more decadent options or try Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream for something classic.
Don’t be afraid to drive out of Charleston to visit some other spectacular places. We visited Boone Hall Plantation (a few scenes from The Notebook were filmed there), Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and Middleton Place, which each were beautifully maintained and historic. You do need to purchase tickets for each of these. You could also take a drive out to see the Angel Oak Tree on John’s Island, which is one of the oldest and tallest live oak trees on the east coast. It is seriously impressive and free to the public. Be mindful though that is is not somewhere you can stay for hours because they don’t allow people to congregate so it’s better to make this stop either on the way into or out of Charleston.
We visited in March the first time we went and April the second time. While both times we had great weather (sunny and 75), I would recommend going in March if you can because it was far less crowded. Charleston is home to a university so night life can get a little busy, but it never deterred us from exploring. Charleston is full of fun things to do whether you are going on a couple’s trip, a girls trip, or a trip with the family. You can make it as laid back or hustle bustle as you would like and even though we have already been there twice, I would easily go back for more because it is so welcoming and charming.