We took a sort of last minute trip to Charleston over the long July 4 weekend. What a gloriously fun trip! It was perfect planning... it looked like we escaped days of rain and gloom in Atlanta! Charleston was as sunny, warm and humid as a low country July can be, but we didn't mind at all. It was great to take a mini vacation for four days and explore the city. We rented an adorable townhouse in downtown that was the perfect launchpad for our city and beach adventures. We went to Folly Beach two mornings and Shelby had a great time splashing in the waves and building castles. Our beach adventures still left plenty of time for exploring the colorful and vibrant streets of Charleston... it has to be one of my favorite cities of all time. I love the colorful homes, stately mansions, incredible shopping, history and water views. I interned for Spoleto Festival one summer in college and it was fun to go back and see all my old haunts.
Like a kid in a...
Folly Beach fun!
I went for a six mile run one day I was there - it's easy to run when there are beautiful mansions and views like this at every turn! It look me forever because I kept stopping to snap pictures. Doesn't that perfectly posed dog look like he's waiting for his magazine photoshoot?
We did a touristy carriage ride one evening - the highlight of the trip for Shelby! She loved pointing out all the horse carriages we saw all over town.
At the waterfront park in Charleston - Shelby loved the water and boats. I thought navigating the city would be tricky with a toddler but it was pretty easy and there were things to do and see at every turn. We took the stroller with us so she could ride along whenever her feet got tired.
Fresh raspberries, sun, a cheesy magazine and beach breezes... could anything be better?
Jolly Folly fun! Folly beach was the first beach we ever took Shelby to when she was four months old - we went for a friend's wedding. It was fun to come back.
Shopping on King Street. Don't know why she's making this funny growly face.
Waiting for a trolley. Their bus system has a free trolley line that we took advantage of multiple times. Shelby thought it was such a treat!
Our Recommendations:
Here are the places we stayed, played and ate in Charleston. I'd recommend this trip to anyone - it was fabulous! We had a great time just walking around and taking in all the sights.
Rental townhouse - in a quiet neighborhood slightly away from the busy main touristy area but still walking distance to plenty of great restaurants. It was clean, cozy and a perfect home-away-from-home.
Hominy Grill - right around the corner is this popular restaurant well-known for its traditional southern breakfast fare.
Glazed Gourmet - the line was out the door for these yummy gourmet donuts.
Nick's BBQ - part of the Jim N Nick's chain, this order-at-the-counter outpost was quick and kid-friendly. The King St. location gave us plenty of people-watching while we ate.
32 Degrees Yogurt - for a post-dinner frozen treat. We've never met a fro yo store we didn't like.
Southend Brewery - located in a cavernous former warehouse, this lively restaurant had a kid's menu and a glass elevator that takes you by their brewing equipment - we rode it a couple of times for entertainment while we waited for our food. We passed by many more delicious fine dining options around East Bay Street and upper King Street - maybe next time on a kid-free trip!
Palmetto Carriage - a shorter evening tour before dinner was perfect timing with a small child. Lap riders were free and you could look at their horses and animals in their big red barn while you waited. Bonus - four free hours of parking when you booked in advance.
Magnifilous Toy Emporium - fabulously fun toy store about half a mile walk from our townhouse.
King Street shopping - treat yourself to an afternoon of shopping while the kids are napping! Block after block of boutiques are nestled between all of the popular big chains like J. Crew, Kate Spade, Banana Republic and more. All the stores were having their big mid-summer sales while I was there, so I scored some great finds. I liked some of the mid-priced boutiques near College of Charleston like Francesca's, Affordables, Haute Hanger, Oops and Handpicked.
It's Sugar - cute candy store in the market area.
Folly Beach - so convenient to get to from our townhouse. $7 parking on Fourth Street West with restrooms and covered picnic tables at the beach access.
Charleston Waterfront Park - nice views of the boats and cruise ships, fun swings on the pier and a splash fountain to enjoy if you packed a swimsuit.
CARTA Trolley - free transportation on a fun trolley when you get tired of walking.
Our Recommendations:
Here are the places we stayed, played and ate in Charleston. I'd recommend this trip to anyone - it was fabulous! We had a great time just walking around and taking in all the sights.
Rental townhouse - in a quiet neighborhood slightly away from the busy main touristy area but still walking distance to plenty of great restaurants. It was clean, cozy and a perfect home-away-from-home.
Hominy Grill - right around the corner is this popular restaurant well-known for its traditional southern breakfast fare.
Glazed Gourmet - the line was out the door for these yummy gourmet donuts.
Nick's BBQ - part of the Jim N Nick's chain, this order-at-the-counter outpost was quick and kid-friendly. The King St. location gave us plenty of people-watching while we ate.
32 Degrees Yogurt - for a post-dinner frozen treat. We've never met a fro yo store we didn't like.
Southend Brewery - located in a cavernous former warehouse, this lively restaurant had a kid's menu and a glass elevator that takes you by their brewing equipment - we rode it a couple of times for entertainment while we waited for our food. We passed by many more delicious fine dining options around East Bay Street and upper King Street - maybe next time on a kid-free trip!
Palmetto Carriage - a shorter evening tour before dinner was perfect timing with a small child. Lap riders were free and you could look at their horses and animals in their big red barn while you waited. Bonus - four free hours of parking when you booked in advance.
Magnifilous Toy Emporium - fabulously fun toy store about half a mile walk from our townhouse.
King Street shopping - treat yourself to an afternoon of shopping while the kids are napping! Block after block of boutiques are nestled between all of the popular big chains like J. Crew, Kate Spade, Banana Republic and more. All the stores were having their big mid-summer sales while I was there, so I scored some great finds. I liked some of the mid-priced boutiques near College of Charleston like Francesca's, Affordables, Haute Hanger, Oops and Handpicked.
It's Sugar - cute candy store in the market area.
Folly Beach - so convenient to get to from our townhouse. $7 parking on Fourth Street West with restrooms and covered picnic tables at the beach access.
Charleston Waterfront Park - nice views of the boats and cruise ships, fun swings on the pier and a splash fountain to enjoy if you packed a swimsuit.
CARTA Trolley - free transportation on a fun trolley when you get tired of walking.
0 comments:
Post a Comment