Ultimate Charleston Getaway Guide to America’s Most Beautiful City!

If you haven’t been to Charleston, SC before, well then, find a way to get yourself there, because this southern town is American perfection. Its historical charm, beautiful architecture, exquisite landscape, hidden gems, excellent restaurants, and an overall warm and friendly vibe make this city one that checks all the boxes, and more.

I’ll never forget the first time I visited Charleston years ago and thought to myself – this is where you can find me in 30 years. Its cobblestone streets, antebellum homes, secret gardens, horse-drawn carriages and beautiful setting on the Charleston Harbor had me swooning from the beginning. Then you have its subtropical climate and a young, happening feel to it (it’s a college town, after all, home to the College of Charleston), lending itself a carefree air not quite found anywhere else.

It’s this combination of old, colonial-era Charleston mixed with a modernism full of good restaurants, trendy bars and a fun and relaxed atmosphere that makes Charleston so appealing. You can’t help but fall in love with this city. No matter what you choose to do you are in for a good time. There’s no “right” way to do Charleston, because no matter where you are, you are surrounded by so much beauty and good vibes!

So, as my title suggests, this is a Charleston Getaway guide to all that you can do in Charleston in a weekend. Listed here are top activities to see and do, great restaurants, fun bars and popular hotels. My friend and I recently went on a girls trip and did many of these things. But remember – the key to Charleston is soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying life. Don’t rush to try and see attraction after attraction because then you will miss out on the magic that is Charleston.

Ultimate Charleston Getaway Guide

Activities

Walk around and admire

I can’t stress this one enough, for Charleston is such a walking city. That’s one of the things I love about it most! It’s compact and easy to navigate, and every turn seems to bring you upon another architectural gem. It’s all about the stunning and well—preserved architecture in this city, and one of the best ways to see it is by just walking around. I also suggest making this your first activity of your trip, as it’s a great way to orient yourself with the city.

Many of the grand, beautiful homes are located in “South of Broad” – literally the area south of Broad Street. Here you will find antebellum houses, wrought-iron gates, manicured gardens and secret alleyways. Many of these details are lost in a drive through, so I highly recommend walking around the area.

Another area nearby that’s fun to walk through, which we loved, is the French Quarter, full of charm and funky details. But, really, all of Charleston is amazing to walk through. We found ourselves walking everywhere, covering a ton of territory, including the College of Charleston campus, which has a few different locations. Travel + Leisure named it America’s most beautiful campus, and it’s easy to see why!

Go Shopping on King Street

This sort of goes hand in hand with the walking part, but for some Charleston shopping, head to King Street, the city’ premier shopping street and district. Lots of boutique southern-style stores and good southern finds are mixed in with some big name stores such as Club Monaco, Calypso and Anthropologie.

Take a Boat Ride

My friend and I figured, we’re in Charleston – on the water – we should go for a boat ride! And we’re so glad we did because it was fun, educational and a great way to see the city. There are several boat companies offering different types of rides – we decided to use Charleston Harbor Tours, recommended by our hotel, The Mills House (more on hotels below).

The 1½ hour tour took us along Charleston by Waterfront Park and The Battery and then onto Fort Sumter, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach and Mount Pleasant. On the way back we went under the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, an iconic symbol of Charleston’s seascape. Our guide was entertaining and funny and had everyone’s attention, and made the tour that much more fun.

Take a Carriage Ride

People rave about Charleston’s carriage rides and had we not done the boat ride we would have taken one. There are several different companies, all offering carriage tours of the city. The only catch – you can’t choose your route. Charleston only allows a certain number of carriages on its streets at a time and therefore you are dependent on a route chosen for you.

Eat Good Food

Charleston has become a mecca for delicious, high-quality food and has earned a reputation as one of America’s most “foodie” cities. The restaurants in Charleston are excellent, and there are so many of them too. You can’t go to Charleston without eating your way through the day – in fact, maybe one of your days visiting will be dedicated solely to going from one restaurant to the next! It’s a southern past time here to while the day away with good food and drink, and perhaps nothing more.

Poogan’s Porch was the first restaurant we went to, as it is located across the street from our hotel. It’s adorable (with the cutest porch you ever did see), and a fun bar scene inside. We ate shrimp and grits at the bar and had a grand old night – but I also hear it’s great for breakfast.

Next to Poogan’s Porch is HUSK, Charleston’s most well-known and trendiest restaurant. The buzz around Husk is so big I figured it might be a let-down, but it wasn’t. Far from it! It’s popular for a reason – the farm-to-table food is fresh and delicious, and the service top-notch. Their pimiento cheese is out of this world – this is a must order!

Tip: Husk has long waits and you must make a reservation way ahead of time. If you want to wing it, like we did, I suggest putting your name down for brunch, walking around and then eating. At that hour of the day the wait was only 45 minutes (compared to 2 hours at night).

We enjoyed an amazing Greek meal at Stella’s, at the recommendation of a friend who lives in Charleston. I love Greek food, and this neighborhood joint hit the spot.

My friend and I are huge fans of Mexican food and always seek out Mexican restaurants wherever we go – so of course we did the same with Charleston. We had a good meal at Minero. We actually went there twice – once to meet up with friends for margaritas and another time to eat. Food and drinks were good and the atmosphere lively.

For a happening Sunday brunch spot, head to the Barbados Room at the Mills House Inn, which is what we did. The courtyard is a site, and with live music in the background and bloody Mary’s in the foreground, it was the perfect way to spend brunch on a sunny day. The courtyard is one of the prettiest in all of Charleston.

Other restaurants that come highly recommended include:

The Ordinary

FIG

Leon’s Oyster

Paw Paw

Cru

Nightlife

Charleston is brimming with energy, and going out is very much a part of the experience. I’m no expert at the bar scene in Charleston, but the below spots came highly recommended. Seems it’s all about the rooftop bars!

We had a fabulous time at the Vendue Rooftop – atop the Vendue hotel. Nice views, funky seating and décor, great drinks and good food made this popular rooftop bar a must visit. It was our fave.

The Bohemian Grand hotel has a rooftop, Eleve, which we went to as well. Very chic and obviously of the moment, this is another popular rooftop spot to hit.

Watch at the Restoration Hotel is another rooftop restaurant and bar that came recommended to us, but we did not go.

A favorite spot of ours was the Bar at HUSK – it’s actually not in the same building as the restaurant, but in a renovated building next door to the restaurant. Excellent drinks, good apps and an old-school, yet modern vibe made this two-story bar a lot of fun.

Other places that came recommended:

The Belmont

The Gin Joint

Proof

More Sites to see in Charleston

Take a House Tour

The homes of Charleston are so beautiful to look at from the outside – why not tour one on the inside. There are a bunch of historical homes you can see, and it’s a nice way to see how Charleston homes were furnished from a time long ago. I toured the Nathaniel Russell House, but there is also the Edmonston-Alston House, and the Aiken-Rhett House.

Tour a Plantation

Charleston of course is known for its large plantations outside of the city. This is another great way to get a sense of Charleston’s – the South’s – past, but in my opinion it also comes with mixed feelings, knowing that slavery was very much a part of them.

We took an uber to see the Middleton Place. We toured both the grounds and the house, which were beautiful. Other plantations include Boone Hall Plantation, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and Drayton Hall Plantation.

Hotels

We stayed at the beautiful Mills House Hotel, which is a Wyndham hotel but looks and feels more like a boutique hotel. Its famous pale pink exterior is easy to spot in what I would say might be the best location in the city. It’s centrally located, plus right across the street from HUSK! We loved everything about this hotel – the lobby is timelessly beautiful, the staff super nice, the pool looked divine (it was too cool for swimming weather), and the rooms comfy.

Other hotels to consider:

The Restoration

The Vendue

HarbourView Inn

The Grand Bohemian

King Charles Inn

Andrew Pickney Inn

And that’s a wrap! If you’re still with me at this point, thanks for reading – I think this might be the longest post I’ve ever written. That’s what happens when you write about your favorite town in America! Can’t say enough about the beauty that is Charleston, and I can’t wait to go back.