Your All-Inclusive Guide to a Weekend in Charleston
My roommate, Chloe, & I took a weekend road trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Both of us had never been there before, and with only an available weekend, we decided to pack in as many adventures as we could in less than 48 hours. Needless to say, this city is the cutest and classiest place I've been with so much southern charm. I highly recommend going! The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the humidity! We traveled in late August and it was around 87 degrees, we were constantly sticky!
We stayed in Mt. Pleasant at an Airbnb. It was about a 15 minute drive to Downtown Charleston. This area is cheaper than the city itself, so if you're on a budget like us, this is the area to stay in! There is also a cute Marina area called "Shem Creek" with bars and restaurants overlooking the water!
Day 1: Our Day in Chronological Order
We started off our morning getting coffee at Second State Coffee. Chloe had the Lavender Latte & I had your go-to iced coffee. However, the Lavender Latte pleasantly surprised me! I'm not a fan of extremely floral tasting drinks, but this was not too floral, nor too sweet! Chloe said it is "reminiscent of a summer morning!"
Second State Coffee
70.5 Beaufain St, Charleston, SC 29401
The menu was slightly limited. However, it was reasonably priced. The latte is the ticket.
It's a cute blue building located in a quiet area. We walked right past it, it can easily get overlooked! But it's worth the stop.
The coffee shop is located in a Historic District where the infamous carriage ride tours take place! Coffee with a view...
Now that we had our caffeine kick, we headed to King Street for some serious Southern-Comfort Food...
We waited in line for around 45 minutes for this darn place! But needless to say, it was worth the wait! Growing up in San Diego, California, I never experienced true biscuits! This is the place to get your fix. I recommend going as soon as they open! We went around 11am which seemed to be the peak rush hour.
Callie's Hot Little Biscuit
476 1/2 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Inside, they have a gift shop with adorable biscuit mix. They also have local-made honey and jams, etc. Perfect souvenirs or gifts to send!
What I was not expecting was the fact it is a take-out restaurant. It is a tiny shop with limited seating!
I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy! Chloe ordered the bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit! They were reasonably priced- less than $10! They also have coffee, etc.
King Street is the heart of the town! It's filled with action...seriously! The number of bridal parties we saw was unreal! Chloe & I feel obligated to have our bridal parties in Charleston after seeing all the 'Bride Tribes'.
There is an adorable shop next to Callie's HLB called "One Love Design"
One Love Design
478 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
While waiting in line for our biscuits we stumbled across this alleyway. How cute are these stairs!
When you walk upstairs, you will find the shop! It is filled with unique hand-made jewelry pieces, along with purses, etc.
One Love Design is famous for their oyster necklaces! They truly are gorgeous.
After perusing King Street for a short bit after, we came across the King Street Farmers Market. It is held on Saturdays from 8am to 2pm right outside of Francis Marion Hotel.
Long story short... Chloe & I were OBSESSED. This definitely needs to be on your list if you visit Charleston.
I am a sucker for fresh produce. My will power was tested not to buy it all.
Please tell me that does not look amazing.
They even have a local milk vender!
...And a local home-made pasta vender!
The flavored nut vender had a Bourbon flavored pecans... absolutely to die for!
Vegetables like this make me want to cook every day of my life. Can you relate?!
By this point, it was around 2pm and Chloe and I headed out of the town. We found a Groupon for Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. I recommend seeing if Groupon has any deals, as admission is $20 for adults regularly. We paid $32 for admission for two. The option we bought did not allow for any tours. We just walked around and of course, took many photos! Be sure to bring water bottles with you. We made the mistake of not bringing any and were completely parched by the end of the walk.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
3550 Ashley River Road | Charleston, SC 29414
One of the most photographed locations of the plantation is the Long White Bridge!
There is plenty of wildlife around the gardens including White Herons... & Silk Spiders! (Chloe is a weirdo and a finds insects interesting... not my style)
Obviously I joined the Long White Bridge photo movement.
It was still decently early when we finished our plantation adventure. We continued to seize the day & visit the famous "Rainbow Row" & "Pineapple Fountain" as they were 5 minute walking distance from each other.
Rainbow Row
83 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
The carriage rides made a pit stop here! How cute!
Pineapple Fountain
1 Vendue Range, Charleston, SC 29401
The Pineapple Fountain is located in Waterfront Park. It is a nice place to sit and relax.
You truly cannot beat this view. We parked up on a bench and admired the ocean air.
Afterwards, we were pretty tired... and starving. So, we headed back to the town and went towards East King Street to Leon's for dinner.
Leon's
698 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
The ambiance was adorable. Very beachy! I loved the lighting all throughout the restaurant.
Chloe & I both had the Fried Chicken Sandwich! Our waitress said it was the most popular dish. However, after eyeing other people's food, I wish I got the Shrimp Roll Sandwich... it looked absolutely heavenly! I really enjoyed the chicken sandwich though! My side dish was the Black Eyed Pea Salad! It had yummy pickles and celery!
After dinner, Chloe & I were pretty pooped so we headed back to our Airbnb to rest a bit. However, when you have limited time on vacation, you need to rally! So we did. We went to get a little sugar rush.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
501-A King St, Charleston, SC 29403
We waited in line for about 15 minutes. The line was out the door!
I had the 'Gooey Butter-Cake' and 'Coffee with Cream & Sugar.' My mouth is still watering...
Now that we got our second wind, we put our dancing shoes on & hit the bars!
Republic
462 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
There was both an indoor and outdoor section of the bar.
This was the only place on King Street where we found live music! The band definitely brought a crowd! The place was packed! Again, it was super humid, so dress accordingly!
Day 2: Cramming it in Before We Say Goodbye
We woke up & had brunch at "The Daily" on King's Street.
The Daily
652 B King St, Charleston, SC 29403
I had the vegetable hash! SO GOOD. I love vegetables and this was just clean and fresh. It was filled with beets, broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, etc. topped with an egg.
Chloe ordered the macchiato. I personally am not a fan of macchiato's but it was sure aesthetically pleasing!
Chloe ordered the chorizo beef tacos! Yum.
For the majority of the day we went shopping on King's Street. We originally didn't realize how long it went. Most of the restaurants are close together around the Callie's HLB area. However, if you pass the Francis Marion Hotel and cross the street, there is a whole new area to explore!
Check out Skinny Dip! It's an adorable (yet overpriced) boutique. However, They have a rooftop bar with Frosé, a cute photo wall, and a bench swing! Definitely worth the exploration.
Before we hit the road, we decided to stop at Folly Beach.
As we were driving there, we passed Coastal Expeditions where you could rental kayaks. They were $55/day for a tandem. That would've been a super fun experience. However, we just snapped some gorgeous pictures and went on our way.
& that's a wrap! It was such a successful trip. Both Chloe and I agreed that we wish we had two full days to spend in Charleston. But, we will be back!
