Charleston is a beautiful, historic city that will steal your heart in an instant. Personally, I fell for this city immediately upon wandering down the French Quarter/Historic District. The architecture, people, food and sights are all so charming and endearing. I know that this trip is first of many to this beautiful South Carolina city.

On this particular trip, we spent 2 nights and 2 days in Charleston before driving down to Florida for the remainder of the week. Below, I have compiled a list of places to visit based on my experience and research. I hope this helps you plan your next trip to Charleston. I promise, you will love this city just as much! For more visuals, check out the YouTube video here. 

Places to Visit

Sullivan’s Island

This is a perfect spot in the spring/summer and I highly recommend giving the beach and town a visit. There are a ton of cute shops, restaurants and ice cream to explore. Unfortunately, it was fall when I visited so I wasn’t able to go into the water but I am determined to next time I visit.

Rainbow Row

Located around 83 E Bay Street near the Battery, this is a beautiful collection of row homes in a variety of pastel hues. Personally, I love pink, purple and mint so I spent some time admiring these three homes. Spend some time strolling around this area before heading over to either the Battery or the Charleston Waterfront Park.

Charleston Waterfront Park

Within the park lies the famous Pineapple Fountain. This fountain represents hospitality and pineapples are commonly depicted throughout Charleston as well. I absolutely love pineapples and find this fountain to be a cute and unique landmark. In warmer weather, this area is spectacular to roam around.

The Battery

Along the Battery lie quaint, southern-style homes and White Point Garden which overlooks the harbor. This park is canopied by hundreds of oak trees. Walking along the waterfront is refreshing and you can see some civil war canons along the way.

Angel Oak Tree

This tree is estimated to be over 400 years old currently. The tree is located on John’s Island but it’s worth a drive if you love nature and want to admire this beauty. Entry is free and the site is open until dusk.

The Historic Charleston City Market

The City Market was established in 1807 and is located at 188 Meeting Street within the French Quarter. The market is open from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. There are over 300 different vendors that offer a variety of goods. It is definitely a great place to explore if you are looking to find something unique while supporting small businesses.

Other Attractions

Tanger Outlets

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens

Folly Beach

Gibbes Museum of Art

Patriot’s Point

Confederate Museum

Places to Eat

Mellow Mushroom

This is a chain that is more prominent in the south. If you haven’t been, definitely consider checking it out. Mellow Mushroom specializes in pizza pies that are either customized or selected from a list of specialties they offer. They also offer hoagies and a great happy hour menu.

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit

I’ve been hearing about Callie’s  for ages and decided to check it out finally. It was totally worth the trip.  There are two shops within Charleston luckily. One shop is on King Street and another shop is located within the City Market mentioned above. My favorite biscuits have to be blackberry and cinnamon. The blackberry one is cut in half and filled with a delicious jam. The cinnamon one, on the other hand, is slathered in a delicious cinnamon butter. I also really enjoyed the pimento cheese sandwich on a biscuit. I think next time, I want to try it grilled.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

This is my favorite ice cream shop and I was so happy to sample some of the flavors in store. Jeni’s always has the best flavors and I am so glad there is an option to do 3 mini scoops because it is SO hard to decide on just one flavor here. The staff are super friendly and helpful, too. Jeni’s is absolutely worth a stop if you have a sweet tooth.

Pawpaw

This is a cute southern restaurant with a great ambiance. Perfect spot for brunch, lunch or even cocktails. We ran out of time to check this spot out but I can’t wait to come back and try it out.

Places to Stay

Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant

We ended up staying at this boutique hotel located in Mount Pleasant. It is a quick drive/Uber ride to downtown Charleston but definitely worth it if you are looking for something quieter and pool access. The hotel was comfy and I absolutely loved the decor. I would definitely recommend staying here if you want to be close to both downtown and Sullivan’s Island.

Charleston is definitely a city that I need to return to in the near future. I absolutely loved the downtown area and can’t wait to explore more of the nightlife, museums and dining. I hope this was a great intro into things to do in Charleston and that you are inspired to visit this charming city someday. I’d love to know your thoughts or if you have any questions, I’m always happy to help in the comments below. Lastly, don’t forget to check out the vlog to follow the adventure!

xo,

Christine Celine