I am so lucky to have friends and family who live in great parts of the country for me to visit. One of my closest friends, Heather, moved to South Carolina last fall and I had yet to visit her in her new digs. She lives on beautiful Johns Island, about 20 minutes south of downtown Charleston.
I recently gave my two-weeks notice at work after accepting a job offer from another company and had a few days between positions to fit in some adventure. I took a half day on my last day of work and made the drive from Tampa to Charleston in just under 7 hours. It is a super easy, flat drive and I passed most of my time calling to catch up with friends and signing along to some throwback tunes.
I have highlighted a few of my favorite stops from my trip below for Charleston and the surrounding area. If you find yourself in SC, try to explore a few places based on my recommendations!
Downtown Charleston
Our first adventure downtown was taking a sunset cruise with Harborview Charters through the harbor, past downtown and the battery, and underneath the iconic Ravenel Bridge. The cruise was $32 per person and well worth it for someone traveling to the city for the first time. You get to learn a little bit of Charleston history and if you are lucky as we were, you will get to see some dolphins too! The Captain and First Mate were extremely laid back and even let us play a song for our friends birthday. The boat was BYOB and everyone on the boat was around our age and had brought some beer/wine along.
After our sunset cruise, we hit the Bay Street Biergarten for cocktails and appetizers. YUM. The German/Southern mix for their appetizers was perfect. I was instantly impressed that they had three or four different pretzel creations on the menu and we tried the Pimento Cheese Pretzel Bombs. Trust me, they did not disappoint! I would definitely recommend this spot for gathering with a group of friends where you want to have a good time, but still be able to hear each other talking over the music in the background.
Later in the weekend, we make a day trip to downtown. A great place to start off any day downtown Charleston is Carmella’s. Carmella’s is a coffee & dessert bar that also serves alcohol if you are more in the mood for a cocktail. I had the pistachio gelato and a latte (HUGE). Heather had some sort of chocolate bread pudding with ice cream on top. It was served warm and wasn’t too sweet, just how I like it! She let me try it and it was my favorite bite of our day, even though everything here was sooo delicious.
Be sure to stop at Henry’s, which was my all-time favorite spot of my trip in terms of aesthetics. Henry’s has a unique atmosphere and is extremely tastefully decorated, while offering tons of Charleston charm! According to the locals, it is one of the best rooftop bars downtown and unlike The Rooftop, we didn’t have to wait in a long line to get up there and enjoy the sunshine. There are several levels, side rooms, and nook spaces to hang out in at Henry’s. You could go 5 or 6 times and have a totally different experience every time!
We also stopped at the Oyster House, Amen Street, and cruised through The Market. The Market is amazing and full of more little shops than I could have ever imagined! If you are looking to bring home souvenirs, make this your only stop. Most of the vendors are locals who set up booths with handmade items and I feel a lot better about buying from them instead of from large companies. The products are more unique as well.
Amen Street had the best value for drinks that we found for the day and we sipped amazing frozen Peach Bellini’s for $7 (and could actually taste the booze in them, too). Although I am not a HUGE fan of Oysters, I did try a few of them that Heather ordered and was impressed. For Happy Hour they sell them for a buck a shuck, which is a great deal! They even have Happy Hour on Saturday & Sunday which is almost unheard of. Also, $5 Moscow Mules during Happy Hour…
While downtown, take a few minutes to walk the pier and check out the Pineapple Fountain located at the Waterfront Park. Pineapples are very symbolic in Charleston and represent hospitality, which is something I did not know before my trip. Have fun capturing an awkward photo in front of it like I did!
Johns Island
The great thing about Johns Island is that all of the restaurants and bars basically fall within a mile of each other on the same strip of Maybank Hwy. You could hit all my recommendations below in one sweep on any given afternoon on your way from Charleston to Kiawah Island or Folly Beach.
You MUST try the She-Crab Soup from Krazy Owls! I could tell it was made fresh that day and has a small kick of spice that balances out the seafood taste perfectly. Just thinking about it right now makes me wish I could go back for another bowl!
If you’re a lover of all things ginger beer, as I am, I would definitely recommend making a pit stop in to Seanachai. I have no idea what they put in their Moscow Mule’s that other bars don’t, but they are seriously incredible. They also have a cute outdoor area and “Whiskey Deck” out back for a casual hangout on a sunny day.
The Royal Tern is the newest restaurant addition to Johns Island and is a bit more upscale. The food is AMAZING, but beware of small portions. I would still highly recommend this spot if you can afford to spend a little bit more for a fancy meal out while on your vacation. There aren’t a lot of spots like this in the area, so make sure to take advantage of it.
We had the PEI Mussels (highly recommend), Peel & Eat Shrimp, Fran’s Yeast Rolls, Tuna Crudo, and the Scallop appetizer. My personal favorite was the Scallop but the portion was incredibly small for the price. So good though! The Mussels were a close second and the portion was fitting for the price. Definitely the best value of everything we tried. The Royal Tern truly is a hidden gem and you may just drive right past it your first time if you aren’t careful.
I have also heard great things about Low Tide Brewing, but we unfortunately never made it there during my trip. My friends on Johns Island go there all the time and love the atmosphere and beer selections. They have tons of indoor and outdoor seating.
Kiawah Island
On your way to Kiawah Island, make sure to stop at Kava Coffee for a solid latte, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. There isn’t a whole lot in this area, so even if this spot wasn’t delicious it would be a great idea to stop before hitting the island.
We made a pit stop at 48 Wine Bar & Kitchen in Freshfields, which is basically at the entrance of Kiawah Island. 48 Wine Bar has 48 different wines on tap daily and you can fill-up at your own pace using their WineStations. Definitely a cool experience worth checking out! They have daily drink specials, too. The Freshfields area is made up of a few blocks of cute boutiques, restaurants, and a pit-stop for groceries before hitting the island. It is a super cute and safe area for both tourists and locals.
My friend Heather works on Kiawah Island at Timbers Kiawah, and I am pretty lucky that she could tour me through their private ocean residences. The homes are in a secluded enclave right on the beach and the panoramic views are incredible! We rode Priority Bicycles right on the beach sand for about half a mile and enjoyed the scenery, even though it was a windy day. I couldn’t believe how peaceful it was and how private the beach seemed. We even saw a group across the river channel riding horses along the beach! It was an incredible scene.
xoxo
I have also visited Folly Beach and the iconic Angel Oak tree on a separate visit of mine to South Carolina. Folly Beach is the island just north of Kiawah Island before you get to Charleston. The day I went in 2015, we could hear a storm rolling in but the beach was still so sunny without a cloud in sight. One of the locals told us “the sun always shines on Folly Beach”. I just loved that mentality and that phrase has always stuck with me. The Angel Oak is easy to make a quick pit stop to if you are on Johns Island already or traveling to Kiawah Island. It is absolutely stunning and I am so grateful that people are working so hard to preserve such a historic landmark.
March 2019
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