I cannot rave enough about Charleston. The historic charm, incredible food, and great shopping make for a fantastic vacation.
There are so many lovely places to stay from charming inns to luxurious hotels. It is hard to go wrong with any choice, but for me, one of the highlights of the trip was where we stayed – John Rutledge House Inn. It was beautiful and perfect in every way. There were several flights of stairs involved in any trip to the room, but the stairs were worth it to stay in this historic inn. However, it did make us think twice before leaving the room to make sure we had everything we needed to avoid return trips up the stairs.
When we checked in, we asked if there was any information about the history of the home. A worker promptly pulled out a packet with several pages of history and fun facts. Here are a few of my favorites:
- John Rutledge was a signer of the US Constitution. He headed the draft committee, and the first few drafts of the Constitution were written inside the home.
- George Washington ate breakfast in the home.
- During the bombardment of Charleston by union forces, a cannon ball struck what is now Room 10. (This was our room during our stay!)
We loved getting to stay in such a historic home, but the John Rutledge House Inn also had other perks including breakfast and an afternoon tea. Each day of our stay, we enjoyed the tea as a perfect refresher after a busy day.
The location of this hotel was perfect for us. It is on Broad Street with a small parking lot in the back. We would walk out the back door, walk through the parking lot, and were right on King Street ready for shopping.
As an avid shopper, I planned on shopping all of King Street, but I ran out of time and money before even reaching the half-way point. Many chain stores are available on this street and also some unique to Charleston flagships. Lake Pajamas, Gretchen Scott, and Croghan’s Jewel Box were just some of our favorites. We missed visiting Republic Ice Cream, The Tiny Tassel, and many more. Here is a link to the shopping on King Street. Also visited Mildred Newberry and Needlepoint – Charleston on Broad Street while en route to some sightseeing hot spots.
When it comes to dining in Charleston, it is hard to go wrong. Our first night, we ate at Poogan’s Porch on Queen Street. The next night, we ate at Husk. The two are side-by-side and were a quick walk from the John Rutledge House & Inn. Poogan’s Porch is more casual dining than Husk, but both were delicious.
While in Charleston we also ate at Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ – a James Beard Winner. It was a short drive from Broad Street and worth the journey. The meal was delicious. When we got there, there were only a few people in line, but by the time we left, the line was almost out the door. I definitely recommend avoiding peak times.
We also made a quick stop at Sugar Bakeshop to share a cupcake and cookie. What started as an intent to share ended with everyone getting their own dessert. Everything we had was delicious, and we were happy to not have to share these treats!
One of the most popular activities in Charleston is to go on a historic carriage ride. There are so many to choose from and are probably very similar. We went with Palmetto Carriage Works and splurged for a private tour. We really enjoyed having a private tour where we could ask all the questions we wanted and have a little extra room in our carriage.
It was only a short walk from where we stayed on Broad Street to the carriage area. We promptly loaded up on our carriage and headed to the kiosk for the carriage lottery. The carriage lottery was unfamiliar to me, but it is important to understand. The Charleston historic district is the second largest historic district in the world – second only to Rome. Seeing as the area is so large and horse-drawn carriages can lead to traffic delays, the city implemented the carriage lottery to spread out the carriages.
There are four possible tour routes available. This means, that visitors board the carriage and then journey to a little kiosk on the corner where all the carriages go for the lottery. The people in the kiosk utilize a bingo-esque system to draw a colored ball that represents a specific tour. No one knows what tour they will get until they are already on the carriage. This means that even if you went on four different tours, you could potentially have repeats and miss parts of the historic district.
We ended up on a tour of the historic homes. This would’ve been our first choice, so we were very happy. Our tour guide was great and engaging. We loved seeing the homes and hearing the stories about their historic owners. The tour was a definite highlight of the trip.
Our tour did not include a few sights on our must-see list, so we also made the short trek to see Rainbow Row and the Pineapple Fountain at the Waterfront Park for quick photo-ops. Neither were particularly notable for us but were worth the short walk to see the sights and check them off our list.
There are many sights close to the city that are within a short drive. If we had more time, Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation & Garden were both on our list, but we will have to save them for next time.
We did manage to visit Angel Oak on our drive into the city. It was a little tricky to get to, but it is an oasis in the middle of a Charleston suburb. We visited in the fall and were impressed by the trees and falling leaves as we approached the Angel Oak.
The Angel Oak is a beautiful tree that is hundreds of years old. It is free to visit and is barely out of the way for many travelers as they enter or leave Charleston. While we were there, people were milling about, but it wasn’t overly crowded. Within five minutes of being there, a group of people moved away from the tree, and we realized we could get a clear shot without other visitors. Just waiting a few minutes really paid off and gave us some fantastic photos.
There are so many options in Charleston – lodgings, restaurants, shopping, and activities. As much as I enjoyed everything on this list and would be happy to repeat the trip, there are also many other things still on my list to try in Charleston. My number one piece of advice about visiting Charleston is to add a day to your travel plans. More time in Charleston to explore the city and the surrounding areas is definitely a good idea!
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