Lively and Vibrant Charleston

Hey there readers! It’s so good to be back!

In case you didn’t know this about me— through this emotionally and mentally challenging year, I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to focus my energy on the good and positive things. I actually started a travel vlog last year with a fellow blogger friend of mine, Caleb. (If you’re wondering who this random guy is that makes his appearance in my videos quite a bit.) It was something we had only joked about doing at first. But we each were in a low season of life and found joy in making the most of our individual hardships together, and sharing our stories with others. So that, combined with our love for travel and our natural humor, was too good not to share with the world! We finally decided to step out of that comfort zone and create a YouTube Channel.

It’s been 7 extremely long months since the last travel vlog! That’s crazy! But hey, Summer is right around the corner and we have so much planned for the vlog, and many new travels to take y’all on these upcoming months! Be sure to go check out our vlog and any others you might have missed! Anyways with that being said… grab your notepad of ‘things to do’ & get ready, because our first trip this season was to the beautiful city I grew up in— Charleston, South Carolina!

Good ole Charleston… Let me start by saying, depending on the time of year that you visit, you will not run out of things to do! Caleb and I just so happened to go at one of the best times— Spring. Spring in Charleston means the Summer vacay crowds haven’t flocked the beach and city yet, and the weather sits pretty between the 70s and 80s.

But let’s start with the big question you have to ask when planning a trip to Chucktown (aka, Charleston): Where should I stay?

There’s no denying that the prices in Charleston are very expensive. You’ll be paying for some pretty amazing scenery and historic beauty no matter where you stay. But as you know, Caleb and I often find the more affordable options anytime we travel. Now if you’re actually planning a longer trip with many more friends/family to help split the cost, there’s several beach homes to rent closer to Folly Beach. However since it was just the two of us and we were paying for our own rooms, we knew a hotel was our best bet for this trip. So we booked a stay at the Holiday Inn Charleston-Riverview. It’s the tall (15 floors including the rooftop lounge) circular hotel you can see crossing between Downtown and James Island. A great place to stay that’s both affordable and offers a birds-eye view of all surrounding areas— including beautiful and historic downtown.

Once you find a place to stay, next up on planning comes all the fun things to do! This would be an extremely long blog post if I went into complete detail of every little thing and recommendation that I have for you, so I decided to keep it simple and list out some of my recommendations and side notes.

Beaches to visit:

• Folly Beach (aka The Edge of America)

  Always best to visit on a weekday rather than the weekend to avoid traffic. If you do find yourself stuck in traffic: put on some good tunes, roll the windows down and enjoy the scenery; before you know it, you’ll be crossing the small bridge and in the heart of Folly! There are several beach accesses all along with Folly, however, I always prefer to go as far right as you can from the light, and park right outside the County Park access. My second preferred spot to park is more centered around the pier.

• Melton Peter Demetre Park (aka Sunrise Park)

  This little tucked-away beach access is actually located on James Island. It’s a spot that typically only the locals know about, so here you are getting the inside scoop! Talk about the scenery, this is the perfect spot. Great for catching sunrises or sunsets! You also get a great view of the USS Yorktown and the Ravenel Bridge. I don’t advise swimming on this little beach, as there are several oyster patches, however staying on the sand won’t be a disappointment with all the shark’s teeth you can find! The park does close at 8 pm, but you can park right outside if you’re wanting to stay longer.

Places to visit Downtown: (don’t forget your walking shoes & camera!)

• Rainbow Row

• The Pineapple Fountain

• The Market

• The Battery

• White Point Garden

Places to eat: (there’s a ton of places to eat, but these two have always been my secret breakfast/brunch favorites!)

• Sweetwater Cafe

  So funny story— I knew that we would be going to Sweetwater for brunch one of the days, but I didn’t know there were two cafes in Charleston! Learned that during this trip. We actually ended up going to the one downtown, as seen in the photos below. I do recommend the one located on James Island over the one located Downtown. As far as what to get, my absolute favs are the cheese grits and the she-crab bisque!

• Bagel Nation

  If you go on a Saturday, get there before 9 am to beat the crowd! This is a little hole-in-the-wall place that all the locals love!

I could totally keep going with my recommendations and favorites for visiting Charleston, but for now, I’ll stop there. Feel free to reach out to me with any other specific questions you might have while planning your trip! For the in-person sneak peeks and experience, go ahead and watch our vlog. Again, so many more travels coming your way soon!

Also, would love to hear about your own Charleston favorites and travels! Leave a comment below!

Catch you again soon on the next road trip!

Sincerely,

Adrienne