Charleston, SC Travel Guide
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Belmond Charleston Place
You can't beat the location of the Belmond Charleston Place. It is centered in the historic district and is within walking distance to all the shopping, best restaurants, and some of the classic tours (Ghost Tours, Horse and Carriage, Rainbow Row, Battery Park).
The main reason why we stayed here was not only the location, but also because they are PET FRIENDLY. They were able to accommodate both Ellie and Bruiser, who by the second day could navigate their way back to our hotel room. However, even though they are both potty trained, the ENTIRE hotel was carpeted. So that made us a little nervous.
We were able to enjoy the pool (which had a retractable roof), the hot tub, and also the fitness center (that had a peloton). See the video tour below.
Our friends also suggested the Restoration which is a little more modern. Belmond Charleston Place is very old money nice, which for some reason makes Matt a little uncomfortable. He likes to wear his shorts, t shirts and flip flops so I guess being in a more "modern" hotel, even if the cost is the same, makes him feel more comfortable.
The main reason why we stayed here was not only the location, but also because they are PET FRIENDLY. They were able to accommodate both Ellie and Bruiser, who by the second day could navigate their way back to our hotel room. However, even though they are both potty trained, the ENTIRE hotel was carpeted. So that made us a little nervous.
We were able to enjoy the pool (which had a retractable roof), the hot tub, and also the fitness center (that had a peloton). See the video tour below.
Our friends also suggested the Restoration which is a little more modern. Belmond Charleston Place is very old money nice, which for some reason makes Matt a little uncomfortable. He likes to wear his shorts, t shirts and flip flops so I guess being in a more "modern" hotel, even if the cost is the same, makes him feel more comfortable.
Eat
Coffee
- Bitty and Beau's: $This coffee shop is run by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Such an inspiring and heart warming environment. You are guaranteed to walk out with a a good cup of coffee and a smile on your face.
- City Lights Coffee: $ This coffee shop reminds me of your neighborhood mom and pop shop. The owner is from South Africa and super nice. If you want an amazing cup of coffee, get the counter culture in a french press. They also have a large selection of teas and will let you get a good whiff if you have a hard time deciding. They also have gluten free and vegan pastry options. We loved it so much we went there twice.
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Breakfast/Brunch Options:
since we wanted to do squeeze in a full day, we didn't get a chance to have any sit down breakfasts, but these were highly recommended
since we wanted to do squeeze in a full day, we didn't get a chance to have any sit down breakfasts, but these were highly recommended
Lunch
- Rodney Scott's BBQ: $$ Matt was in search for the best BBQ in Charleston. I'm originally from Alabama, so good southern BBQ is right up my alley. When we asked the locals which joint to go to, Rodney Scott's and Lewis BBQ both came up. Rodney received the James Beard Award, so that was our deciding factor. We both had the spare ribs. At first I wasn't sure, but before I knew it I felt like a cave woman trying to get every last bit of meat off the bone. Since Rodney's was so good, we wanted to see how Lewis BBQ ribs compared. We went the next day around 2pm, but the spare ribs were sold out! Just in case you decide to try both, go to Lewis BBQ early if you want ribs.
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- Smoke BBQ: $$ Since we have been living off of seafood lately, we had to get more BBQ! These ranked high on yelp and the BBQ did not disappoint. The wings were incredibly delicious.
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- Husk: $$$ If you like to watch Chef's Table like me, you know who Sean Brock is. Husk use to be Sean Brock's restaurant until he decided to cut it loose to focus on his Nashville restaurant. However, if this use to be Sean Brock's restaurant, I'm still willing to wait an hour and half to eat there. If you didn't book a reservation at least a month in advance, you won't be able to get a dinner reservation. So we opted for lunch instead. Get there right at 11:00 to get your name in, and if you have to wait, pop your head into a few boutique shops and you'll be seated before you know it. We got the cornmeal dusted catfish and skillet of real cornbread for our appetizers. For our main entree's Matt got the cheeseburger and I got the southern fried quail. As you can see from the pictures, the food did not disappoint. When we come back to visit, we are definitely booking dinner reservations here.
Dinner
- 5 Church: $$$ If their charcuterie board is any representation of their dinner, then this restaurant is yum yum yum. We were only able to get an appetizer here because our dinner was so late. They have happy hour specials from 3-6 and we got there right in the nick of time. Their charcuterie board was five stars! This is on our bucket list for dinner reservations when we return.
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- F.I.G. (Food is Good) $$$ Fig is one of the top restaurants in Charleston. Rated with 4.5 starts from over 1,000 yelp reviews, you feel like this place has got to be good. If you like pate, then their chicken liver pate will blow your mind. The gnocchi was unbelievable. Our entree's however fell a bit short. Matt got the snapper and I got the grouper and corn chowder. The corn chowder was amazing and made up for the grouper. I did see someone get the fish stew and if I were to go back, that's exactly what I would get.
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- The Ordinary: $$$ The Ordinary belongs to the same restaurant group as FIG. The ambiance, the high energy, and the service here is impeccable. If you're craving seafood, this is the place for you. This was my favorite restaurant in Charleston, but I go goo goo ga ga over caviar. The littleneck clams, the oyster sliders, and the caviar service were all unbelievable. You can't go wrong here.
- S.N.O.B. (Slight North of Broad) $$$ Next to Husk this was our favorite restaurant. It has an eclectic vibe and starts off the hip bar scene in historic downtown. The ambiance here is so relaxing you'll want to stay and eat dessert (although we didn't because we wanted to check out Carmella's, the dessert bar, next door). We got the sweet potato tamale which was different in a good way. And both of our entrees were delicious (Filet with goat cheese, and the rack of lamb). I can still taste the juiciness of the lamb as we speak.
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Dessert
- Kaminksy's: $$ If you're looking for a great place to just chill out, have some amazing dessert cocktails in a laid back atmosphere - this is the PLACE. My husband and I could have sat here for hours admiring the desserts and all the espresso cocktails that were made. I highly recommend this place just for the experience. They are open until 1 A.M. on weekends and expect a small wait.
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- Carmella's: $$$ This felt like the place you'd want to be seen in. Great for bachelorette parties, large groups, or if you're looking for a high energy place. I was on a silly gluten free diet on this trip - so I opted for the Neapolitan panna cotta - but the cakes, gelato, and pastries seemed all divine.
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Play
- Shem Creek: The best sunsets in Charleston. If you want to see where the sun kisses the marshes, dolphins swimming beside you, and one of the most scenic walks close to Charleston, you want to come here! Eat at any of the restaurants that surround this amazing place, sit back, relax, and take it all in.
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- Battery Park: Mansions, on top of mansions, on top of greenery, on top of gorgeousness. Spend the morning walking through this area to see how it feels like to live like the "others" do. The architecture of these houses are amazing. Stroll past these beauties and satisfy your curiosity by looking up how much these are worth! Your jaw will drop and wonder what careers these people must have to live in a house like this. Such a fun stroll!
- Boone Hall Plantation: Living in the south almost all my life I've always had a curiosity about the history of slaves. Not only do you get to see these amazing grounds, the place where southern brides will wait two years to get here, and where The Notebook was filmed, but you get to learn a lot about the history of slaves. A must see when visiting Charleston.
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- USS Yorktown: My husband is a WWII history buff. Matt's grandpa was a B52 bomber in WWII so every thing that has to deal with WWII, he LOVES to go see. And honestly, I love learning about it too. I would definitely get the audio tour guide and take your time to tour this insanely large vessel and appreciate all the engineering and intricacies that go into these ships. Pretty spectacular when you think about it.
