Postcards From Charleston: My Charleston Travel Guide

As you saw in a few of my recent posts (here and here), MJD and I spent a few days exploring Charleston earlier in September. Today I’m sharing with you some of my fave places that we visited- for eating, drinking, shopping and just simply enjoying the city! Please keep in mind we were only there for a few days so there is so much more Charleston has to offer (hopefully I’ll be back sometime for round 2 :)), but either way I think these places are “must visits” for any trips you have planned.

Where To Eat and Drink:

First, things first.. eating and drinking 🙂

Husk: When we planned our trip to Charleston, dinner at Husk was a must do on my list. I had heard so many great things about this place and it certainly lived up to the hype. With James Beard award winning chef Sean Brock leading the kitchen, everything is delish. It’s southern style, but with a menu that changes every day to keep things fresh depending on the season. We went a bit crazy with the appetizers as you can see here and tried oysters, BBQ pig’s ears and fried chicken skins. I was obsessed with the oysters that were wood fired with butter and lemon while MJD loved the pig’s ears which were super crispy. For dinner, I was really torn on what to order and our server suggested going for the sides we thought sounded best. I ordered the roast chicken which was paired with zucchini, peach, and pecans and it was so delicious! While everything was out of this world, the star of the meal was the cornbread (so you know it was REALLY good) which is served in a skillet and with bacon crumbles. Way TOO Good. It’s a must if you are visiting Charleston, not only for delicious food, but for the amazing atmosphere in this charming Southern home turned restaurant.

Hominy Grill: Any restaurant with a motto of grits are good for you is one I want to visit! We had lunch at Hominy after we landed and both enjoyed yummy sandwiches. The fried green tomato BLT was just what I needed after our flight. We didn’t get to go there for brunch, but I heard it was great as well.

Magnolia’s: While walking around we were getting hungry and decided to stop in Magnolia’s. Right off East Bay Street, it was a convenient spot to stop downtown. The food was great as well. While I went for something lighter- a salad with salmon- after some indulgent meals, I did sneak a few bites of MJD’s shellfish and grits which was super yummy. I loved that they added something different to the traditional shrimp and grits we saw around by serving not only shrimp, but scallops and a lobster sauce over their grits.

The Bar At Husk: Is it a cop out if I list Husk twice, but this time for drinks? Since The Bar At Husk is in a separate building I’m going to say it’s okay to list here twice. Post-dinner we went to The Bar for a quick drink. MJD was in heaven with the bourbon selection and I tried the Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch which was a iced tea like cocktail that was awesome (but dangerous!).

What To Do:

Take a carriage ride : We took a private carriage tour with Palmetto Carriage one morning and it was an awesome way to start the day. Riding down Rainbow Row and through The Battery was seriously gorgeous. It helped us see a lot of the city quickly. Since we were only there for a few days, this was super helpful and we could decide what areas we wanted to go back to on our own to explore more.

Visit Candlefish: So random I know, but I love Rewined candles and after seeing that they were made in Charleston, I had to swing by this store. I am so glad we did. It’s seriously the most gorgeous place and if you are a candle lover, you’ll definitely want to see it. In addition to Rewined candles, you can find their in-store made collection of candles there. There are over 100 candles in the selection and you can browse the library to pick your favorite. A candle library? Seriously heaven. Candlefish also holds candle-making classes which is definitely on my list for any future trips.

Explore Philadelphia Alley and Chalmers Street: While you’ll see so many Rainbow Row pictures when you see pics of Charleston, there are a ton of other streets that I thought were amazingly cute as well. On our flight down I did a little search of most instagrammed places in the city and stumbled upon a post listing photographers’ favorite places to shoot in the city. Chalmers Street was one of them and with the cobblestone street and adorable homes I can see why. Philadelphia Alley is one of the places we saw briefly on our carriage ride and went back to walk through since it looked interesting.

Shop King Street: While many of the stores we have in Boston were on King Street, like Anthropologie, Kate Spade and Vineyard Vines, shopping on vacation is always fun and King Street is the perfect place to check out old favorites or new, local boutiques.

What To Do If You Have More Time:

Visit Kiawah Island: About 45 minutes to an hour away from Charleston, we headed to Kiawah for a few days after for our friends’ wedding. If you have time, it’s a great place to visit if you love the beach or golf. My recommendations: take in the views from an Adirondack or rocking chair at the famous Ocean Course, soak up some rays on the beach at The Sanctuary or get pampered in their stunning spa and ride bikes to take in the sights.

Happy Travels!

xoxo, Jenna