Last weekend, I went with a few girls to visit our friend, Lauren, who is doing her residency in Charleston! It was so fun, and I think its safe to say we ALL fell in LOVE with Charleston. Here’s what we did:
DAY 1:
We arrived to Charleston LATE Thursday night, so Friday was our first day there. We stayed at our friend’s apartment on James Island, so Friday morning we woke up and walked down the street to get some coffee at Muddy Waters Coffee Bar. This was a super cute and quaint coffee shop with a delicious Almond Milk Latte!! If you are already in James Island and want to grab a local coffee- this is a quick and easy place to do so!
Coffees in hand, we walked back to our friend’s to get ready for the day. Lauren had work until that afternoon, so we were on our own! We ended up ubering downtown and going to Poogan’s Porch for lunch. Poogan’s Porch is in a beautiful old house with a gorgeous front porch (hence the name lol). We ended up sitting in the bar room so we wouldn’t have to wait. Right now, I’m not the person to ask for food recommendations because I’m currently wheat free, dairy free, and egg free (for health reasons), but after discussing it with my friends, we all came to the conclusion that the food wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t bad by any means. If you go here, you’d more so be going for the ambience of the restaurant. With that being said, DON’T sit in the bar room. We didn’t get much, if any, of the charm of the place by sitting by the bar. I highly recommend waiting it out and sitting outside on the porch or by the courtyard.
After Poogan’s Porch, we wondered around the surrounding streets going in and out of stores. Charleston is a great place to have no agenda! Wondering around, you can find a lot of hidden gems. One boutique we ended up loving was E. Blackhurst! They had so many cute finds. We ended up walking down to Waterfront Park, sitting on a bench, and relaxing for a while. It was BEAUTIFUL and SO peaceful!
Lauren ended up picking us up from Waterfront Park and taking us back to James Island. We were planning to go to the beach that evening to watch the sunset, but we got rained out.
Once the rain stopped, we headed back downtown to get drinks before our dinner reservation. We attempted to go to Vintage Lounge, but the wait time was crazy (fingers crossed we get to go there next time we visit), so we headed a few doors down to King Street Dispensary. The Dispensary was super cute and rustic and had live music playing, but we headed to the back patio so we could sit outside (since we’re living in COVID times). The patio was great, though!! The drinks were delicious and not too expensive, and the playlist was SO GOOD- so good, in fact, that one of my friends asked the bartender what playlist it was lol.
After we left the Dispensary, we walked to The Darling Oyster Bar. This restaurant was TO DIE FOR. The restaurant itself was ADORABLE, and the food was amazing. I had the Seared Diver Scallops, which were delicious. The waiter was super great about catering to my MANY dietary restrictions, which I really appreciated. My friends got the fried oysters, the crab cakes, and the Blue Crab Tagliatelle. They raved about ALL of it (it looked so good too). If (and when) I go back, I would go back during the day so I could really appreciate the cute interior and design. Overall, The Darling Oyster Bar was a 10/10.
Because of COVID, Charleston has some restrictions on Alcohol, and so most places close at 11, which was a bummer (but totally understandable). So after dinner we headed back to James Island to get ready for Day 2!
DAY 2:
On Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Miller’s All Day. When we arrived, we were told that there was a two HOUR wait (!!!!!). We decided to put our name on the list and wonder around to find coffee, and I am SO glad we did! We ended up finding the absolute cutest coffee shop, Harken. Not only was it adorable, but the coffee was also really, really good. If I lived in Charleston, I would go there ALL the time.
Once our table was ready at Miller’s All Day, we headed back over. Miller’s All Day was, yet again, another restaurant with super cool vibes and super good food. I ended up getting a Millers Smash Burger, and it was DELICIOUS. Plus, they had gluten free bread!!!!! I was truly thrilled lol. One of my friends ended up getting the Club, and that looked mouthwatering, as well.
After Miller’s, we strolled down King Street to do some shopping. King Street has TONS of cute boutiques and fancy stores. It was very relaxing and fun to just window shop.
After a few hours of shopping, we drove to Rainbow Row to see the famous old Georgian row homes. When you think Charleston, this is probably what you imagine!! The homes were beautiful and so colorful. We also walked down N. Adgers Wharf, which is perpendicular to Rainbow Row, boasts many beautiful homes, and leads right to the water!
Because it wasn’t raining on Saturday, we knew we wanted to make it to the beach for sunset! We grabbed some snacks and had a picnic on Folly Beach. This was one of my favorite things we did all weekend. It was incredibly peaceful.
That night for dinner, we went to Magnolia’s. Magnolia’s was more refined and less trendy than the other restaurants we went to that day, so I guess we had big expectations. However, our experience was just plain WEIRD. Right from the start, our waiter was acting very strange and told us we had to order all of our food at once (my friends wanted to split a bunch of appetizers and then reevaluate to see whether or not they wanted soup/salad or entrees). At one point, my friend tried to get the waiter’s attention so she could order a drink, and the waiter said something along the lines of “I already put your order in” in a VERY annoyed tone. He ended up getting her the drink, but it was strange. Maybe it was just an off night for our waiter… Nonetheless, the food was DELICIOUS. My friends’ favorites ended up being the fried green tomatoes, the egg rolls, and the focaccia. I got the grilled salmon, which was very good, and they were accommodating to my food restrictions, which was super nice!
Once we finished dinner, we had about an hour left until everything closed, so we went to the Rooftop Bar at the Vendue. The service here was also just plain strange. The bar was supposed to be open until 11. When we got there at 10:15, they told us it was last call. Then, at 10:40, they told us they were closing in 5 minutes. At 10:45, we walked to the elevator to wait for our turn. When we were next in line, a bartender came up to us and said “the stairs are right there”. We felt REALLY rushed. Which stunk because the bar was really nice.
DAY 3:
On Sunday, we woke up and went straight to Mt. Pleasant, a cute town right out of Charleston. For brunch, we went to Vicious Biscuit. Honestly, this was one of my favorite meals the whole trip. I got “The Babe” on a gluten free biscuit. I was initially a bit weary of the gluten free biscuit, but it exceeded my expectations and was SO tasty. I highly recommend Vicious Biscuit!!
We then drove around Mt. Pleasant for a while. The homes there are like something out of a movie. Beautiful and traditional, but with a beachy twist, I would take any of these homes in a heartbeat!!! If you have the time to go drive around this area and love looking at homes in different cities, I would definitely do so!
Pitt Street Bridge was our next stop. This is an outdoor area/ path that has great views of the city and the marsh!!
After Pitt Street Bridge, we headed to Shem Creek Park. Here, we walked along the boardwalk trails. The trails give great views of the wetlands. It is so so peaceful here. They have rocking chairs near the start of the trails, and this would be a great place to read a book! Sadly, it was then time to head to the airport.
OTHER RESTAURANTS:
Because we were only in Charleston for a long weekend, we were unable to go to all the restaurants and bars we wanted to try!! In case you’re interested, here are some other restaurants and bars we were dying to go to:
Restaurants:
Bars:
- Prohibition
- The Citrus Club at The Dewberry
- Proof
- Revelry Brewing
- The Cocktail Club
- Bay Street Biergarten
- Bourbon & Bubbles
HOTELS
The Mills House 
The Mills House
We stayed with a friend, so we didn’t have the chance to experience a Charleston hotel. However, while we were walking around, there were a few that caught my eye that I am keeping in mind for next time- when I visit with Rick!
Hotels:
- The Mills House: This hotel has a STUNNING pink exterior. We walked past this hotel so many times that we went inside to take a peek!! The lobby is so cute, and they have a beautiful courtyard restaurant that we wanted to get drinks at, but we ran out of time.
- The Dewberry: This hotel is a VIBE. Completely stunning!
- The Francis Marion Hotel: A traditional, beautiful, historic hotel.
- Belmond Charleston Place: This hotel is gorgeous!! We happened upon the lobby while we were shopping- the hotel is in the same building as some luxury shops. It has a restaurant with a gorgeous courtyard!
Have you ever been to Charleston? What were your favorite things you did? I’d love to hear!!
XX, Danielle
Ann B
November 28, 2020 at 11:07 amWe stayed at the Vendue Inn many years ago. I’m sorry your experience was as good