Charleston is great for a couple’s trip or a girl’s trip. It’s the perfect place for foodies, historians, golfers and shoppers.

Best Hotels

• The Wyndham Mill House: Great location, a very nice / old hotel (photo of their courtyard at right) with great public bathrooms on the main floor for when you’re out exploring, nice restaurant on-site, across from Husk and Poogan’s Porch http://www.millshouse.com/
• Belmond Hotel: The best (and most expensive) hotel in Charleston, it also has a nice spa but you don’t need to stay here to book spa services. http://www.belmond.com/charleston-place/
• Market Pavilion: great location near the waterfront, nice rooftop bar and pool http://www.marketpavilion.com/
• Kings Courtyard Inn: on King Street / great location, no restaurant but your rate includes a continental breakfast delivered to your room or in one of their courtyards, a wine and cheese reception from 5 – 6 and sherry after dinner https://www.kingscourtyardinn.com/ Book  a Parlor Suite (pictured below) to get a King bedroom including a separate living room with TV, desk, fireplace and lots of windows.

Things to Do

• Two Sisters walking tour – 2 hours and 15 minutes, $20 / person cash only, (many things listed below will be covered on this tour) I highly recommend doing this on your first full day to get a feel for the city. http://www.twosisterstours.com/about.php
• Carriage ride through the historic district
• King Street – huge shopping street
• Battery & White Point Garden – the Southern tip on Charleston peninsula, lots of history here
• Waterfront Park (the East side of Charleston)
• Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
• Michael’s Church – George Washington sat in pew #43, original organ, Tiffany stained glass, a must see
• Nathaniel Russell House – recommended over the Heyword tour, knowledgeable tour guides, great history of Charleston
• Edmondston-Alston House – must see, best views of the waterfront
• Heyword Washington House
• Aiken-Rhett House – can buy a tour combo with Nathaniel Russell House
• Joseph Manigault House
• Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon – great tour, worth a visit
• Historic Charleston City Market – on Market Street, shops with farmers market style items (jewelry, crafts, local art, food) http://www.thecharlestoncitymarket.com/
• College of Charleston – stroll through the campus, beautiful old buildings
• Old Jail – walk by, lots of ghost sitings here. There is also a ghost tour here that could be worth taking https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/charleston/old.htm
• Rainbow Row – beautiful, pastel painted homes along the waterfront

Plantations (rent a car for the day) Avis, Budget and Enterprise are a 5 minute Uber from the hotels – they are all in the same building. It is walkable but if you’re going to a Plantation, you’ll already be walking a lot. Take note that many plantation owners also had homes in the city of Charleston. I highly recommend visiting both a home in Charleston and a plantation home.

• McLeod Plantation (13 minute drive) http://south-carolina-plantations.com/charleston/mcleod.html
• Boone Hall (30 minute drive, Mt Pleasant) http://www.boonehallplantation.com/
• Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (35 minute drive North) http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/ the most visited plantation and gardens, National Registry of Historic places, world famous gardens, owned by the Drayton family, original house burned down, This one could take several hours if you choose to see / tour everything.
• Drayton Hall (35 minute drive North – next to Magnolia) http://www.draytonhall.org/
• Middleton Place (35 minute drive, 5 miles North of Magnolia) https://www.middletonplace.org/ plantation with nice gardens, the original house was burned down

Restaurants

There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in Charleston. Check TripAdvisor, Yelp, OpenTable, etc. and make reservations for dinner. The best restaurants are booked out months in advance.

Lunch / Cocktails

• Caviar & Bananas: great gourmet market and café (think Dean & Deluca), near Charleston College (also in the Charleston airport)
• Callie’s Biscuits: 188 Meeting Street or 476 ½ King Street (get breakfast here one day – there will be a line on the weekends, so yummy!)
• Pavilion Bar: rooftop bar with amazing views, great lunch spot, 10 minute walk from 80 Broad http://www.marketpavilion.com/pavilionbar.cfm
• The Watch Rooftop (The Restoration Hotel): great views, good lunch and appetizer menus http://www.therestorationhotel.com/the-watch/menu
• The Palmetto Café (The Belmond Hotel): best lunch in Charleston, elegant, great crab and avocado salad http://belmondcdn.azureedge.net/pdfs//PalmettoCafeLunch_Spring17.pdf
• Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar: seafood restaurant on the pier, don’t go here if there’s a cruise ship in port http://fleetlanding.net/
• Bin 152: King Street wine bar with cheese and charcuterie
• Eli’s Table: upscale spot for Southern bites, great shrimp & grits, courtyard, would work for lunch or dinner
• Kitchen 208: brunch and lunch place (closes at 3 PM)

Dinner / Cocktails

• Halls Chophouse: #1 restaurant in Charleston, nationally recognized steakhouse, $$$$$, make reservations far in advance https://hallschophouse.com/
• Magnolias: upscale take on Southern classics https://magnoliascharleston.com/
• McCrady’s Tavern: fun, mixology cocktails; beautiful old building http://mccradystavern.com/
• Carmella’s: café & dessert bar, they make great boozy ice cream drinks and have yummy desserts http://carmellasdessertbar.com/ (close to Magnolias and McCrady’s Tavern for dessert)
• Poogan’s Porch: http://www.poogansporch.com/across the street from Mill House
• Husk: http://www.huskrestaurant.com/home/across the street from Mill House, signature item Manhattans made by the cask and aged – different recipes on a rotating basis
• Husk bar: in the old brick building next to the restaurant, great little spot for a cocktail https://www.kingscourtyardinn.com/
• Circa 1886: http://www.circa1886.com/great old house converted into a restaurant, a top Charleston restaurant
• Charleston Grill (The Belmond Hotel): fancy, nice variety of foods from Southern classics to healthy choices https://www.charlestongrill.com/web/ochg/charleston_grill.jsp
• Peninsula Grill: elevated Southern cuisine, get the famous ultimate coconut cake– the girls all agreed this was our favorite fancy restaurant, it was full of old-school locals on Sunday night https://www.peninsulagrill.com/

Tips

Look at a map of Charleston and take note of a few streets to familiarize yourself with the layout.

• Broad Street runs East and West and neighborhoods are referred to as South of Broad or North of Broad, most of the homes South of Broad are very historic and beautiful, a great area to explore during morning walks.
• King Street runs North and South parallel to Meeting Street, this is a one-way street with lots of shopping & restaurants, this area is called the Business District.
• Market Street runs East and West and also has many shops and restaurants.
• Meeting Street runs North and South and the area to the East is called the French Quarter.
• Bay Street runs North / South in the French Quarter and is close to or along the water (depending how far South you are), there are many restaurants North of Broad.

Bring comfortable walking shoes for morning walks and shopping; there are many cobblestone streets  and alleys. If you bring heels for dinner I’d suggest a chunky short heel or a wedge due to the uneven sidewalks and cobblestone.