eat + drink:
- 167 Raw – lunch/dinner | try the lobster roll, tuna burger, tasting po’ boys or fish tacos
- Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit – breakfast/lunch | try the buttermilk, cheese & chive or country ham biscuit sandwich
- Cru Cafe – lunch/dinner | try the Thai seafood risotto, poblano & mozzarella fried chicken, four cheese macaroni, Chinese chicken salad, fried green tomatoes, or orange sherbet cake
- Crust Wood Fired Pizza – lunch/dinner | try the “butternut” pizza or the “j bird”
- D’Allesandro’s Pizza – lunch/dinner | NY style pizza; try the “chauncinator”, “get gnarly” or “beetnick”
- EVO Pizzeria – lunch/dinner | try the pork trifecta pizza
- Fig – dinner | worth the splurge; try the ricotta gnocchi, fish stew, tomato tarte tatin, butterscotch pot or sticky sorghum cake
- Gaulart & Maliclet – breakfast/lunch – try the french press coffee & croissant
- Halls Chophouse – dinner | try the ribeye steak or filet mignon
- Hank’s – dinner | try the crab cakes, she crab soup or seafood a la wando
- Husk – dinner | worth the splurge; try the
- Jeni’s Ice Cream – dessert | try the flight of 10 and taste a lot of amazing flavors
- Leon’s Oyster Shop – lunch/dinner | try the fried chicken or the grilled oysters
- Lewis Barbecue – lunch/dinner | try the pulled pork
- Mex 1 Coastal Cantina – lunch/dinner | try the margaritas, baja bowl, queso, bangin’ shrimp or carnitas
- Millers All Day – breakfast | try the banana bread, millers plate for their biscuits & “unicorn” grits or bananas foster waffles
- O-Ku – dinner | try the spicy tuna crunch roll, potato roll, fuego fiasco roll, tokyo wings
- Page’s Okra Grill – brunch | try the chicken & waffles
- Poogan’s Porch – brunch/dinner | try the pimento cheese fritters, fried chicken, beef short ribs, french toast or pulled pork benedict
- Sugar Bakeshop – dessert | try anything, it’s all amazing
- Taco Boy – lunch/dinner | try the appetizer trio & carne asada quesadilla
- The Daily – breakfast/lunch | try the avocado toast or smoked salmon toast
- The Darling Oyster Bar – dinner | try the lobster roll, king crab roll, clam chowder or raw oysters
- The Obstinate Daughter – brunch/dinner | close to Sullivan’s Island Beach; try the “old danger” pizza, ricotta gnocchi or shrimp roll
- The Ordinary – dinner | try the oyster sliders, peel & eat shrimp or blood orange tart
- The Watch Rooftop Bar – drinks | located in The Restoration Hotel; beautiful view
- Uncork – wine bar/tapas | really great happy hour & delicious charcuterie
see + do:
- Aiken-Rhett House – historic home of an influential 1800s family
- Angel Oak Tree – 1,500+ year old tree, said to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River
- Charleston City Market – located in the middle of downtown; it’s an indoor/outdoor market where you’ll find all sorts of local snacks and souvenirs
- Cypress Gardens – go for a swamp boat ride
- Drayton Hall – an estate that’s also an active archaeological site with a collection of 18th and 19th century artifacts
- Festival of Houses & Gardens Tour – seasonal activity that’sonly available March – April; you get to explore some of the most beautiful homes and gardens in Charleston
- Folly Beach – beach with an old school/funky beach vibe. Also has a pier & saltwater marshes.
- Hampton Park – park with extensive floral displays
- Heyward-Washington House – it was home to Thomas Heyward, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Isle of Palms Beach – close to Mt. Pleasant where there are lots of restaurants & a movie theater
- King Street Shopping – a few favs areLake Pajamas, Hampden Clothing, Beau & Ro, The Tiny Tassel, Amanda Lindroth, Buxton Books, Anne’s Charleston Cheese Biscuits, Christophe Artisan Chocolatier-Patissier, Red Clay Hot Sauce
- Magnolia Plantation – voted one of America’s most beautiful gardens
- Middleton Place – a national historic landmark with beautiful gardens & animals
- Old South Carriage Tours – horse drawn carriage tours throughout downtown
- Rainbow Row – series of thirteen colorful, historic houses; located north of Tradd St. and south of Elliott St. on East Bay Street
- South Carolina Aquarium – home to more thanten thousand plants and animals
- South of Broad – historic neighborhood with beautiful houses; great place for photos
- Spa Day – pamper yourself at The Dewberry or The Wentworth Mansion
- Sullivan’s Island Beach – very quiet/secluded beach. You can find parking near Station 18½.
- The Commodore – have drinks & listen to live music
- Waterfront Park – home to the pineapple fountain
- White Point Garden – view of Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor; has a display of historic mortars and cannons from the Civil War
stay:
- 86 Cannon – set in a historic, residential neighborhood, this charming hotel is an 1862 home
- Charleston Place – an independent, iconic landmark located in the heart of Charleston’s historic district
- The Dewberry – a luxury hotel, offering old world charm juxtaposed with a distinctive modern edge
- French Quarter Inn – an intimate boutique hotel; tucked just off Market Street in downtown Charleston
- Hotel Bennett – luxury hotel inspired by native Charlestonians and European classic design
- The Mills House – the closest full-service hotel to Battery Park, you have easy access to the most historic neighborhoods in town
- The Restoration Hotel – luxurious boutique hotel experience on King street
- Spectator Hotel – boutique hotel, evoking southern charm and Jazz Age charisma
- Zero George Street – 16 luxury guest rooms and studios in 3 restored historic residences and 2 brick carriage houses that surround a private garden courtyard
