A Summer Weekend In Downtown Charleston

Jul 21, 2016

6 min read

Greetings!

As it is just past our one year anniversary of living abroad in the UK, I thought I would share some of our travels from when we use to live in the US. One of our absolute favorite places to go on the weekends was downtown Charleston, SC. It offers a plethora of great things to do, and they always have the best new restaurants coming to the area. Plus, the city was just named best in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine! What better time to visit than now? Pack your bags and head to Charleston for a summer weekend getaway!

Where to stay:

When planning a weekend in Charleston, plan to stay downtown and in a centrally located hotel or B&B. There is no shortage of accommodation, so finding one to fit your budget is fairly easy. Do book ahead of time if your going in the summer as the hotels tend to book up quickly.

Budget:

Hampton Inn Charleston, 345 Meeting Street

Meeting Street Inn, 173 Meeting Street

Splurge:

Planters Inn, 112 N Market Street

Belmond Charleston Place, 205 Meeting Street

Transportation:

Ditch the car! You can walk most of the peninsula on foot. If your feet get tired or you need to make a reservation on time, the city offers tons of taxi's at a variety of locations. A fun alternative to try is the bike taxi's. You can sit back, relax and enjoy the views. Most of the bike taxi's are available on King street or Market street. Another great way to get around the city and see as much as possible is to rent a bike. You can rent one here.

Must Sees:

Saturday mornings April to November is the Farmers Market located in Marion Square. Bring your appetite as there are a ton of amazing vendors selling delicious food and it will be hard to resist grabbing a bite to eat while visiting.

If you are looking for historic homes to tour, the Aiken Rhett House Museum, Edmonston Alston House, and Nathaniel Russell House are beautiful and are open most days of the week. Call ahead for tour times.

One of the essential Charleston places to visit is East Bay street and White Point Gardens. Also known as the Battery. If you have a car, this is a great place to park as its free! Make sure to check for time limits at certain places and in front of the residencies. Here's my favorite route to take around the city to catch as many sites as possible:

Start at the farthest end of White Point Gardens and head towards East Bay street. If your lucky, you may catch a wedding ceremony at the gazebo in the gardens. From the gardens you can see Castle Pinckney, commonly mistaken as Fort Sumter. On a very clear day you can see the fort way out in the harbor.

Walk towards East Bay. Here there are many iconic houses including the famous "Pink House". It is commonly referred to as Mary Kay's house, but she never has lived there. At first it was a private residence, and now it has been turned into a guest house and event venue.

The next place you will come to is the famous Rainbow Row. A series of beautiful, colorful houses along East Bay Street.

Continue walking along East Bay street you will also come across Tradd Street. This is one of my personal favorite places to walk around and explore. It has many beautiful houses, gardens and alleyways. Hello perfect Instagram shots! Tradd Street is also where Waterfront Park begins along the harbor. There you can find the USS Yorktown, Ravenel Bridge, the iconic Pineapple Fountain, and a wonderful place to grab a swing and watch the boats pass by.

The next place you will come across along this route is Market Street, where the Charleston City Market is held 7 days a week. It is bombarded with tourists daily all throughout the year, but if your looking for something to bring back from your travels, this is the place to get it. The popular horse and carriage tours, ghost tours, Charleston Harbor Tours, and Fort Sumter tours all have informational booths along Market Street. It's a great place to find a ton of great information about what the city has to offer and sign up if your interested.

Fort Sumter is a great half day boat trip and a great way to see the peninsula and its major landmarks from the harbor. There is also a great Charleston harbor tour aboard the Schooner Pride sailboat. My husband and I did this particular tour a few years ago and it was awesome! We did the sunset cruise and the lighting that day was magical. I highly recommend it!

Continuing on from Market street, you will run into King Street and its fabulous shopping! Head towards the center of the peninsula, and you will come across a plethora of shops ranging from shoes, to handbags, swimwear, special occasions, high end and low end brands. Some of my favorite stores include: House of Sage, Channels of Charleston, and Hampton Clothing.

Where To Eat:

Charleston is home to a few of the best restaurants in the United States. Restaurateurs are constantly bringing new and amazing foodie stops to the city, and it is impossible to try them all in one trip. Most places I have listed here do a weekend or Sunday brunch, so make sure you check some of them out!

Breakfast/Weekend Brunch:

Hominy Grill: Delicious southern comfort food and local favorite. Open daily for all meal times. Reservations for dinner only.

Caviar & Bananas: Gourmet market with seasonal daily specials. Great variety of food to suit any palate for eat in or take away. Coffee and tea bar. Open daily for all meal times.

Cannon Green: Seasonal fare, and gourmet Sunday brunch. Call ahead for reservations and opening times for dinner and happy hour.

Butcher & Bee: Known for their tasty sandwiches and a new menu based on local farmers products daily. No reservation needed, closed Tuesdays.

Lunch:

Tattooed Moose: Great afternoon spot with craft beers & sandwiches. Open 7 days a week, first come first serve.

Verde: Make your own salad bar with a monthly seasonal salad. For those who want to have a hearty but healthy meal on vacation. Open 7 days a week, available for take away and delivery.

Jestine's Kitchen: Traditional southern soul food and great Sunday brunch. Arrive early as the line tends to get long throughout the day. Open Tuesday to Sunday.

Fuel: Caribbean inspired dishes, fish tacos and signature burgers served inside and at their outside patio. Open daily, no reservation necessary.

Bay Street Biergarten: Bavarian inspired, southern made food. Great atmosphere with over 70+ beers and outdoor recreation and patio area. Open daily, no reservation needed.

Dinner:

Husk: Southern cuisine voted best of Charleston multiple years in a row with an award winning chef. A must try on your visit! Open daily, bar next door as well. Call ahead for reservations as they book up fast.

Trattoria Lucca: Upscale Italian restaurant with fresh made pasta daily. Situated in a beautiful home in the historic district. Closed Sunday's, call ahead for reservations.

FIG: Chef pair holds the title of Best Chef's in the Southeast. Upscale cuisine, all locally and seasonally sourced in the lowcountry. Open Monday to Saturday, evenings only. Call ahead for reservations.

Edmund's Oast Brew Pub: 12 beers made in house and a great selection of beers on tap. A great stop for beer lovers. Pub style menu. Open nightly.

The Ordinary: Seafood hall and oyster bar in a newly renovated bank. One of the best places in the city to get fresh seafood sourced from the lowcountry. Closed Mondays, open nightly.

O-Ku: Authentic Asain cuisine ranging from Japanese, poke bowls and sushi. Voted Best Sushi in Charleston. Join them for happy hour Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Open nightly.

Hall's Chophouse: The place in the holy city to dress up and have a delicious steak dinner with your significant other, or with the family. Try their Sunday brunch, you won't be disappointed! Open daily, call ahead for reservations.

Vendue Inn: One of the best rooftop bars overlooking the holy city. Get dressed up and enjoy dinner and cocktails with a view! Open Daily.

Late night snacks:

Callie's Hot Little Biscuit: The best place for a fantastic late night grab and go snack. Award winning biscuits that are sure to please, and the best pimento cheese sandwich you'll want to order more than one of! Open daily and also late night Friday and Saturday.

Nightlife:

Upper King Street is becoming one of the best places in the city for nightlife. From recent development of the area, there is now a bar for everyone! Ranging from great city views at rooftop bars like Stars, live music at the Music Farm, and dancing the night away at Midtown.