For our second anniversary, Akshay and I decided we wanted to do something low key but still travel somewhere. We ended picking Charleston because I loved the pictures I’d seen of the city and we got a great deal with his airline miles. Truth be told, we ate and drank our way through this colorful, charming little city! And of course, I documented every single second of it. I have compiled a mini travel guide on where to stay, what to eat, and where to take cute Instagram worthy photos!
Where to Stay:
Hotel Bella Grace
We had the opportunity to stay at this beautiful hotel for one night. Weather in the South can be very bipolar, and unfortunately our delayed flights got us into the city around 1AM. However, we were greeted by a very welcoming staff who ended up extending our check-out time for the next day, so luckily, we still got to enjoy and relax! The hotel is a mix of old charm and modern with a lot of history. The decor is very interesting and vibrant, and I found some great photo opportunities in the drawing room. If you have time, make sure to open some of the drawers as they have stored some pretty nifty artifacts in there. We were very pleased with our hotel room, which was spacious and filled with a lot of natural light. As an added bonus, Hotel Bella Grace offers a breakfast buffet with bottomless mimosas! Here is the link to the hotel website!
Where to Eat:
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit: As soon as you enter this bakery, all you will smell is the aroma of fresh, homemade biscuits. There are two locations in Charleston, and we ended up at the King Street one. Based on Yelp reviews and the locals, there are usually lines out the door (especially during lunch)! Luckily, we happened to pop in on a Wednesday at 11AM when it was fairly empty. We were given a box of half a dozen biscuits with the following flavors: cinnamon, blackberry shortcake, buttermilk, black pepper bacon, country ham (their flagship biscuit), and cheese n chives. My favorite was the country ham, which makes sense since this was the biscuit that made them famous!
Twenty Six Divine Room: I love attending afternoon tea, and I felt Charleston would be the perfect place to experience this. Twenty Six Divine is owned by Jenn and Enan Parezo, a couple who have combined their skills and created a delicious culinary experience. Their main goal is to create an environment where their customers can take their time, relax, and have a good time. We started off with a green and peach tea, locally sourced from the Charleston Tea Plantation (the only tea plantation in North America!). After, we were served an assortment of savory and sweet items. This included sandwiches, pastries, a delicious gazpacho soup, and a fresh salad. Every item was prepared with a lot of thought and you can tell they spend a lot of time coming up with flavors for their menu. I also have to say Jenn is one of the most passionate business owners I’ve ever met. She spent time going over the story of their business, the items on the menu, and really engaging with her guests.
Handcraft Kitchen: This restaurant is located in Mount Pleasant, a 10 minute Uber drive from downtown Charleston. This restaurant specializes in cocktails that are inspired from different time frames, starting in the 1800’s. Tyler, the owner of the restaurant, walked us through the cocktail menu, where they take popular liquors during the various centuries and make it into something more creative and tasty. It was actually pretty interesting! I chose the Orange Blossom Trails and Bartender in Paradise, both in the “future” section of the menu. They were not too sweet (which is what I personally like), refreshing, and really delicious. Also, I thought it was unique that some of the cocktails were inspired by Tyler’s childhood memories. For dinner, we ordered ceviche and the chilled shrimp lettuce cups as starters. Tyler ended up adding chicken wings, and I’m glad because they were very crispy and tasty. We also ordered a burger with the curly fries to share. All in all, our experience was nice, our food was delicious, and we really enjoyed hearing Tyler’s story!
Paige’s Okra Grill: This restaurant is also located in Mount Pleasant and is the perfect place for real Southern comfort food. It’s a colorful little restaurant, with teal being the main accent color. They also have a nice patio with an outdoor bar. For a Friday brunch, it was very crowded, so I recommend making reservations! We ordered the Ashleigh’s Signature Shrimp and Grits as well as the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. I would say the grits were hands down the best I’ve ever had. They fry the grits in batter, which gives it a nice crispy crust. The andouille cream sauce also added a lot of flavor!
Edmund’s Oast: This was truly an enjoyable culinary experience, and we left with a full stomach and beautiful memory. We started with two delicious cocktails: Yes Way Rosé (definitely my type of drink) and Sea Change. Our server, Jason, was kind enough to let us try one of their popular beers, Lake People, which they actually brew themselves. After, we were able to try various items on their menu including a beautifully spread charcuterie board, halibut fish salad, salty chicken, mushroom salad, and a hangar steak. While all the items were so good, I need to call out my favorites! The salty chicken is boiled chicken wings/legs mashed into a cast iron and fried until it becomes almost like a crispy pancake substance. It is served over a red curry sticky rice and is absolutely tasty! The other item that you wouldn’t expect much from was the mushroom salad! It is sautéed in butter and served over Asian style glass noodles. It has a really nice kick to it and definitely worth ordering!
Bourbon & Bubbles: We came here for some after dinner drinks, but if you’re hungry, food options are available. The ambiance of this place is very moody and romantic. The lights are dim and its definitely a great date night spot. I ordered the champagne flight, which included 3 types: Stillina di Notte Prosecco, Maribel Brut Rosé, and Tattinger Brut. I like dry champagnes and all of these hit the spot! Michael, the general manager, surprised us with a Bourbon Milkshake, which has Godiva white chocolate in it. It’s pretty sweet and dangerous since you can’t really taste the bourbon (not necessarily a bad thing if you’re looking to have a good boozy night)! He then introduced us to their new space, MESU, a Mexican Sushi Restaurant (right next door to Bourbon & Bubbles) that they were planning on opening the following week! It’s a unique combination, and I can’t wait to check it out next time I’m in Charleston.
Hometeam BBQ: We grabbed BBQ on our last day after getting basically every Uber drivers’ recommendation on what is considered the best in Charleston. There are three very popular spots: Hometeam, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, and Lewis BBQ. The first two are Carolina BBQ while the last is more Texan style. We decided on Hometeam even though it was a pretty tough choice. We ordered our own plates, and chose pulled pork, pulled chicken, half rack ribs, and brisket. It was absolutely delicious. I didn’t take any pictures of the food, but I found the assortment of sauces so interesting, I had to share. The food was so good, and I basically drenched mine with a ton of vinegar. Out of all the meat, our favorite was definitely the pulled pork!
Instagram Worthy Photo Spots
Honestly, walking around Charleston, you will find your own Instagram worthy spots. The streets are so cute, and the houses/buildings have so much character.
Rainbow Row: This street is filled with rainbow colored homes and are absolutely adorable in person. Apparently, one of the houses are on sale, but way out of our budget! I recommend coming here either in the morning or late afternoon as the shadows can get a little funky during the day.
Battery Park: This area is actually walking distance from Rainbow Row. While the park is nice, I found the homes and the streets way more interesting. If you stroll through the nearby neighborhoods, you will find a ton of homes with shutters and plants hanging from the windows!
Downtown Charleston: The streets were fairly empty during our trip as you can tell. The downtown is a mix of colors and brick! There are quite a few surprises hidden in alley ways and smaller streets.
French Huguenot Church: This is a pink dream. While I did not take a photo with this church, I found it really unique and pretty!
Charleston was a really charming town and the perfect weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary! I hope you enjoyed this mini travel guide!
