Charleston, South Carolina oozes southern charm. The city was a great place to visit for a long weekend. My husband and I are spending some time in Florida, since his job is here for right now. However, we got lucky and he got Memorial Day off! So we decided to take a last minute trip to Charleston. Needless to say, A LOT of the restaurant were fully reserved for dinner and lunch but we tried our luck with some of the most popular restaurants in the city and got in! So check out what we did and look for some of the things we recommend if you decide to visit Charleston.
P.S. Scroll down to the bottom on this post if you want a quick itinerary of my trip.
First Day
Morning
First stop was Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit at the City Market for a pimento cheese breakfast biscuit sandwich. It was DELISCIOUS! After devouring our sandwiches, we made out way to check-in at Bulldog Tours for our 10am food tour. They do food tours in several main areas around Charleston and even ghost tours. We chose the Savor the Flavors Tour of Downtown Charleston walking tour, which consisted of five stops around the downtown area. Our tour guide was great and provided some great insight about the history of Charleston food. During the tour, we tried fried green tomatoes, grits, BBQ, cornbread and pimento cheeses of course. Everything we had was FANTASTIC!
Recommendation: If you’re going on a food tour after breakfast at Callie’s, split a breakfast sandwich!
Afternoon
Once the food tour ended, we decided to walk to city market and see what all the various vendors were selling. Each stall had unique pieces and there were a ton of options for souvenirs. I got a cute print of the pineapple foundation by a local artist.
We were still full after walking through the market so we skipped lunch and headed down to see the pineapple fountain. On our walk, we passed historical neighborhoods and houses that were breathtaking. All the houses were charming and quintessentially southern with big porches, gas lanterns and planter boxes full of colorful flowers and plants. The Joe Riley Waterfront Park, which is where the Pineapple fountain is located, was shaded with a ton of trees and just made the area feel serene. The fountain was super pretty and the details in it are insane.
After getting several photos (trying not to get any people in it) of the fountain we went to the famous Rainbow Row. You’ll know where it is once you see all the people taking photos of either the colorful buildings or taking photos with the buildings. Since there were a lot of people, we admired it from afar and got some pictures of course but then headed to the battery. Along the battery has stunning homes that are the definition of southern charm. The walk along the seawall was very relaxing with a nice breeze from the river.
Now it was time to go SHOPPING on King street. Well more like window shopping…All the boutiques were cute and loved all the different style of clothes I saw. Unfortunately, a lot of the stores were out of my size so I didn’t end up getting anything. My husband had some luck and found a nice breezy button up for tomorrow’s adventures. It was great seeing King street and all the different stores but it was getting close to dinner time.
Night
So around 4pm, we started to get hungry and wanted to get off our feet. We decided to take our food tour guide’s recommendation and check out the Pavillion Rooftop bar. To get to the Pavillion bar, you just take the elevators up to the top level. The place was packed. However, we got a drink and stood around for about 15 minutes or so until a table opened up. It’s first come fist serve so keep an eye out for anyone leaving if you decide to visit the rooftop bar. The drinks were very tasty and the views were nice.
After hanging around the bar for about an hour, we decided that it was the best time and chance to get a table at either Husk or Poogan’s Porch. We were wrong….both restaurants had no tables available for walk-in or even at the bar. So off we walked back towards the city market for our third choice, High Cotton. We luckily got a table in the bar area. It was nice and cozy in that area and we were right next to the little stage where there was a live band. The waitress brought us some bread and butter while we looked over the menu. I got the scallop dish and my husband got the ribeye and then we split the truffle fries. Everything we had was amazing and cooked to perfection.
After dinner, we saved some space for dessert and headed to Camella’s Café and Dessert Bar. There was a decent line but not too long since we beat the dinner rush. All the dessert looked delicious and very tempting, but we decided to split a red velvet cake. YYUUMMM! The cake was so moist and the frosting wasn’t too sweet (I highly recommend). We decided to give in to our food coma and went back to our hotel to get some rest.
Second Day
Morning
We woke up early and got ready to get to Poogan’s Porch for breakfast. Our goal was to get there about 30 minutes before they opened, since we didn’t have reservations. We were the first in line and we got a table in one of the front rooms! Being in Charleston, we needed…craved…more pimento cheese and Poogan’s Porch has fried pimento as an appetizer. We jumped on that and it did not disappoint! THIS IS A MUST! Then I got the chicken and waffles and my husband went for the shrimp and grits. The chicken and waffle was delicious and just the right amount of serving that you don’t force yourself to finish everything before your belly explodes. My husband enjoyed the shrimp and grits but noted that is was a little thinner than he expected but had great seasoning that nodded to Cajun style spices.
After having a filling and very satisfying breakfast, we drove out to see Drayton Hall and Middleton Place. Drayton hall allowed you to walk in to the first story of the original house on the property and the architecture of it was insane. In the museum, they even had some original columns that supported the first floor of the house.
Once we saw the house, there wasn’t much else to see so we headed to Middleton Place. Pulling into Middleton Place, you start to notice how big the estate is. They even have an Inn! We opted for the package that got us entrance into the gardens and the house at the Middleton Place (not the one downtown). The garden was like a maze with a ton of gorgeous flowers and statues to see (be careful not to get lost). There were a few ponds that you could cross over and explore more views that Middleton had to offer. They had sheep, lambs, horses, and some alligators wandering around. The house tour wasn’t the most impressive, definitely not after seeing the Drayton house.
Recommendation: Tour the Drayton House and the Middleton Gardens. Skip the house tour at Middleton Place.
Afternoon
It was time to head back to downtown Charleston for a horse carriage tour of the city with Old South Carriage Company. We checked-in and hopped into our carriage where we met our tour guide and the horse that will be showing us around downtown Charleston. Our tour guide was hilarious and sassy at the same time which was great and kept the tour very entertaining. The route that was given to our tour guide (each tour gets a route randomly) was around the Ansonborough neighborhood.
So off we went! The house, yes again, were magnificent but the gardens themselves were very impressive. Riding on the carriage gave us a boost to see a little bit more of the gardens hidden behind the fences. I would highly recommend a carriage tour, you’ll be able to get some fresh air, get off your feet and see some new views of Charleston that you might not be able to see just by walking around.
Night
We skipped lunch again since we had a big breakfast but now, we were starting to get hungry after the carriage tour and knew we really wanted to try Husk. So as soon as the tour ended, we booked it to Husk since we didn’t have a reservation. We got to Husk about 45 minutes before they open for dinner (around 4:15 pm) and there were already people in line, but we decided to take our chances and waited with everyone else. When we got to the hostess stand, there were 2 spots available at the bar at 5:30 pm and we took it! We sat at the bar, which is actually in the building right next to the house that Husk is known for. The bar tender, the drinks , the food and dessert was amazing. I highly recommend the catfish if it’s on the menu when you visit.
Recommendation: Don’t have a reservation? Show up at least 30 min – 45min before they open to grab a table or seat at the bar for walk-ins that restaurants have open.
After the amazing dinner, we headed to Revelry Brewing that had a nice rooftop bar. The rooftop had a nice amount of seating, so you weren’t just standing there holding your drink. The bar tenders were fast and on top of their stuff so there weren’t long lines to get another drink and we got there just in time to catch the sunset. So we ended our night here and headed back to our hotel for some much needed rest.
Third Day
Morning
Our final day in Charleston was really more of a half day. We packed up our stuff and headed to Millers All Day for our last meal in Charleston. We unfortunately didn’t beat the breakfast rush and had to wait about 30 minutes (which isn’t that bad). I LOVED the interior decorations since it was very much my style but back to the food. We tried the pimento cheese board which was okay but not very noteworthy. I got the fried chicken biscuit sandwich with a side of home fries and it was great. Not as good at Hot Little Biscuit Company but it was good. My husband got the biscuits and gravy and it was a healthy portion of food and very tasty
Afternoon
After devouring our breakfast, we headed to Boone Hall. This place was BEAUTIFUL! The drive way was lined with oak tress covered in Spanish moss framing the house. The general admission at this place got you access to a lot of things (best bang for your buck compared to Drayton Hall and Middleton Place). We toured the house, the mini garden and enjoyed the tractor ride around the property. Highly recommend the tractor ride, it was great to learn about what else the property has to offer other than the house itself.
Recommendation: Want the biggest bang for your buck? Choose Boone Hall.
Then we started our journey back to Florida but on the way back we had to stop at Angel Oak tree. Unfortunately, it was closed since it was a Holiday and we couldn’t go inside the complex but we could see the tree through the fence and it was impressive. The limbs were spreading every which way and even went under ground and came back up. The trunk of the tree was massive. After this, we made the decent drive back to Florida but enjoyed every single minute of our long weekend in Charleston.
Summary
Day One
- Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit (Breakfast)
- Food Tour
- City Market
- Pineapple Foundation
- The Battery
- King Street
- Pavilion Rooftop Bar
- High Cotton (Dinner)
- Carmella’s Café and Dessert Bar (Dessert)
Day Two
- Poogan’s Porch (Breakfast/Brunch)
- Drayton Hall
- Middleton Place
- Horse Carriage Tour
- Husk (Dinner)
- Revelry Brewing Rooftop Bar
Day Three
- Millers All Day (Breakfast/Brunch)
- Boone Hall
- Angel Oak Tree
I hope you enjoy this walkthrough and itinerary of our long weekend in Charleston and I recommend you visit this city! If you have any questions about my trip, comment below! Stay to tuned for more itineraries of our next adventures.
