top ten musts in charleston
1. stay at the mills house//
it was such a perfect location + had just been redone. i love that it's a historic hotel and it's been totally restored and it's GORGEOUS. perfect marriage of modern + antique. the courtyard made it. actually, the location made it. down the street from husk + toast + market street. a few blocks from the battery + a few blocks from the bay. perfect perfect. we looked at other hotels while we were there just to see, but if + when we go back, we'll stay here again. it was awesome.
oh - and it's pink. which makes it even better, right?
{below - our hotel during the war. it's that rectangle building on the right}.
it was such a perfect location + had just been redone. i love that it's a historic hotel and it's been totally restored and it's GORGEOUS. perfect marriage of modern + antique. the courtyard made it. actually, the location made it. down the street from husk + toast + market street. a few blocks from the battery + a few blocks from the bay. perfect perfect. we looked at other hotels while we were there just to see, but if + when we go back, we'll stay here again. it was awesome.
oh - and it's pink. which makes it even better, right?
{below - our hotel during the war. it's that rectangle building on the right}.
2. ft sumter sunset cruise //
okay - let's just be honest here.... this is how i sold the hubbs on coming to charleston. ft. sumter. and it totally lived up to it for him. we ended up doing the sunset cruise as opposed to a regular ferry and it was totally worth it. even for this gal who doesn't LOVE history - it was super interesting and worth it for me!
4. carriage city tour //
while you're in charleston, you HAVE to go on a carriage tour. they're EVERYWHERE and i don't think you could get a bad one. {correct me, if i'm wrong y'all!} even our guide said that all the carriage companies are great. apparently there is a very extensive training program to be a tour guide in charleston - so i don't think you could go wrong! you get to see and hear about all of the architecture, the people who lived there + the happenings during the war. it's very interesting and worth your time. we went on the one hour group tour but you can book a private tour or longer tours as well... and the way i understand it is that you most likely would never have the same tour route.
while you're in charleston, you HAVE to go on a carriage tour. they're EVERYWHERE and i don't think you could get a bad one. {correct me, if i'm wrong y'all!} even our guide said that all the carriage companies are great. apparently there is a very extensive training program to be a tour guide in charleston - so i don't think you could go wrong! you get to see and hear about all of the architecture, the people who lived there + the happenings during the war. it's very interesting and worth your time. we went on the one hour group tour but you can book a private tour or longer tours as well... and the way i understand it is that you most likely would never have the same tour route.
5. shop on market street //
i don't think i ended up with any pictures of market street! WHAT? it's a local "farmer's market" but it's not fruit, it's VENDORS. everything from monogramming to art to jams + jellies. but what i thought was the COOLEST was on friday + saturday nights it's all HANDMADE VENDORS!! i mean, who doesn't LOVE buying handmade, right? while you're there you can go eat at kaminsky's for dessert. {see previous post!}
i don't think i ended up with any pictures of market street! WHAT? it's a local "farmer's market" but it's not fruit, it's VENDORS. everything from monogramming to art to jams + jellies. but what i thought was the COOLEST was on friday + saturday nights it's all HANDMADE VENDORS!! i mean, who doesn't LOVE buying handmade, right? while you're there you can go eat at kaminsky's for dessert. {see previous post!}
6. go to a plantation //
we chose magnolia plantation. we were going to do both magnolia + middleton place, but we were told to just do one each time you come. we had heard the tour of magnolia was better so that's what we chose. middleton is an english garden - very traditional and "put together" where as magnolia is very organic and unruly. more my style. we saw lots of gators {ahhh!} and the camelias had already finished blooming + the magnolias hadn't started. but it was still gorgeous. and to hear the history was awesome too. i'd highly recommend one of these tours for your trip.
**PS - it's "out of town" by thirty minutes or so. our hotel booked a tour for us where we went on a bus with some other people and got a history of charleston on our way out and on our way back. very cool!**
7. roam the streets //
we chose magnolia plantation. we were going to do both magnolia + middleton place, but we were told to just do one each time you come. we had heard the tour of magnolia was better so that's what we chose. middleton is an english garden - very traditional and "put together" where as magnolia is very organic and unruly. more my style. we saw lots of gators {ahhh!} and the camelias had already finished blooming + the magnolias hadn't started. but it was still gorgeous. and to hear the history was awesome too. i'd highly recommend one of these tours for your trip.
**PS - it's "out of town" by thirty minutes or so. our hotel booked a tour for us where we went on a bus with some other people and got a history of charleston on our way out and on our way back. very cool!**
7. roam the streets //
this was my absolute favorite thing to do in the morning. j would go for a run and i'd just walk up and down the streets. you won't get lost, promise. but the houses are so neat + lots of history tucked in the side streets. grab a cup of coffee and your camera and just explore. i could have done this for days and not seen everything i wanted to.
8. take a pedicab //
we took a pedicab to trattoria lucca. it was a great {and cheap!} and fun way to see the city. i highly recommend doing it at least once.
9. shop on king street //
we discovered king street about halfway through our trip - even though it's right by our hotel. just a block over. i highly recommend it. it has a lot of the high end normal shops {anthropologie, j crew, kate spade} but it also has some local shops too. and art galleries - all sorts of art galleries.
we discovered king street about halfway through our trip - even though it's right by our hotel. just a block over. i highly recommend it. it has a lot of the high end normal shops {anthropologie, j crew, kate spade} but it also has some local shops too. and art galleries - all sorts of art galleries.
10. explore the cemeteries //
some of the most beautiful + haunting spots in the city are found in these cemeteries. and as you roam the streets, they are just tucked in between buildings and behind restauraunts. go look and see how old the oldest grave stone is. read some of the enscriptions. they're beautiful - and quirky. they even have ghost tours at night - but heck no, i didn't do it. {i've heard they're great though!}
some of the most beautiful + haunting spots in the city are found in these cemeteries. and as you roam the streets, they are just tucked in between buildings and behind restauraunts. go look and see how old the oldest grave stone is. read some of the enscriptions. they're beautiful - and quirky. they even have ghost tours at night - but heck no, i didn't do it. {i've heard they're great though!}
Thanks so much for these ideas too! I can't wait for our trip now!
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