I am sharing our daily itinerary from our trip with ya'll today. It's a great way to see Charleston in 48 hours or less. I am including where we stayed, ate, drank and enjoyed along the way.
Day1:
Flight: There is a direct Allegiant flight from Cincinnati Airport to the Charleston Airport. It is an easy and quick flight and under 2 hours. It beats the almost 9-10 hour drive we normally take. We took Allegient when we went to NYC at Christmas time and had 0 issues. Our flight left at 2:30 and we landed in Charleston by 4:30.
Can ya'll believe I packed all I needed for this trip in this Vera Bradley tote! It fit perfectly under the seat and saved us money from not using a carry on. I used the largest of these packing cubes I found on Amazon. I was able to pack 4 dresses, 2 swimsuits, swim cover up, ball cap, makeup, pj's, a pair of shorts and 1 tshirt, and a few other things!
Stay: Nick booked our stay on booking.com for the Sea Side Inn on the Isle of Palms. The Isle of Palms is less than 30 minutes depending on traffic from downtown Charleston. The Sea Side Inn is a beachfront hotel that combines fun and relaxation! It takes you back to a time when sun and sand is all you need for a beach getaway.Lots of amenities offered like high speed wifi, complimentary circa 1950s beach cruisers, complimentary light breakfast featuring giant homestyle cinnamon rolls and grits station, vintage games, and complimentary beach towels. I absolutely loved the Sea Side Inn. We woke up each morning and were able to grab chairs and look out at the ocean and enjoy our breakfast and coffee and then take a walk out on the beach. It was perfect in every way. I can't wait to go back. We have also stayed here and loved it. Perfect for a small family.
Beach: After we checked into our room we headed to the beach. Isle of Palms has a gorgeous stretch of beach. We got to take a leisurely walk and actually talk, lay on our towels and read, and close our eyes are rest. It was simply glorious!!
Dinner at Coconut Joe's: We literally walked next door for dinner. We had a 30 minute wait so we headed up to the rooftop bar for a few drinks. Dinner in the South calls for grits at each meal. It's the only time I indulge in the yummy goodness . But we followed it by another walk on the beach!!
DAY 2
Shopping: On day 2 we woke up around 6:30. While we wanted this to be a relaxing trip we also knew we had to prioritize our time and take advantage of every minute! It was a beautiful morning so after we grabbed breakfast and coffee from our hotel (which was complimentary each morning) we took a walk on the beach. After we got showered and ready for the day we called Uber and headed in to downtown Charleston.
Charleston City Market: We had the Uber drop us off at the Market. If you are looking for a souvenir (I always grab an ornament), sweetgrass basket (also something we buy each time. Although since we flew we decided we didn't have enough room in our bags and didn't get one. Kind of sad!), and more than 300 vibrant entrepreneurs all in one spot. Charleston's market is one of the oldest open air markets in the country.
King Street: Nothing defines Southern charm like King Street and it boasts some of the city's trendiest restaurants and sophisticated cocktail scenes along with hotels, art galleries, flourishing businesses, and a lively nightlife - not to mention some seriously exceptional shopping. You can find all your favorite stores like Gap, Madewell, Loft, Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and Vineyard Vines. But the best shops are the boutiques throughout King. A few faves are Becket Boutique, Moon and Lola, Skinny Dip Charleton, and Finicky Folly.
Eat: All that shopping and walking can work up an appetite..... well more like window shopping. Ya'll it is hard shopping with your husband! lol.
The Rise Coffee Bar
I needed a quick caffeine pick me up. This coffee bar attached to a hotel and is adorable. It's small , but the drinks are yummy.
Poogan's Porch
I made reservations for lunch here the week before. They use peanut oil (so make note if you have a peanut allergy) and with Meredith always being with us in the past we could not eat here. Poogan's Porch is tucked away on charming Queen Street and they offer a fresh approach to Lowcountry cuisine. I had a pimento cheese BLT and it was divine! Nick had the breakfast and it looked amazing too.
Red's Ice House
Ya'll be ready for a wait!! This place was hopping! I am gonna go out on a limb and say it had something to do with the never ending crab legs!! Red's sits on Shem Creek with amazing views. We had a 2 hour wait but Nick really wanted crab legs and I told him we could wait it out. Instead of waiting for a table we scoped out the bar area and waited for about an hour for someone to get up. It was the quickest way to get some food! I am glad we waited too!
Carriage Ride: This is our favorite way to explore and hear all the history from your tour guide. We have literally done each year for the last 7. We learn something new each time. You can find a carriage tour outside of the market. You can't miss them. We actually found tickets on groupon while eating lunch.
Rainbow Row and the Waterfront Park: The beautiful colorful homes are located on Rainbow Row. You will find the big Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park. We cannot go to Charleston without snapping a pic in front of the fountain. It's also a great place to sit and relax and watch all the boats out in the harbor.
We ended day 2 with how we started it with a walk on the beach!
Day 3
In an effort to soak up as much as the Lowcountry as we could before hopping on a plane and heading back to reality we set our alarms for 6 am so we could spend an hour walking the beach. We were definitely sad to be leaving our most favorite place but we were looking forward to seeing the kiddos too. This trip did our soul well. It was just what we needed to reconnect and spend some time together as just Tracey and Nick instead of MOM, DAD, and all the other hats we wear through out a normal day!
Also can we talk about my dress from the Loft. It is literally as comfy as throwing on your old pair of favorite sweats! The best part it is now 40% off at the Loft! So run, don't walk and grab yourself one!
