Charming Charleston
“What’s in Charleston?”
It was the question everyone asked me when I said I would be going on a short trip to Charleston and truthfully, I didn’t know the answer to that question.
Well originally a group of us girls were supposed to go to Lisbon and Dublin on a pre-paid trip, but like so many others who lost their chance to travel due to the pandemic, our trip credits kept dwindling and near expiration, we decided for somewhere in the United States. For the girlfriends who’s now past 40th birthdays we were celebrating, they chose Charleston. What I knew about Charleston? Absolutely nothing, but for the folks I mentioned this to who have been there, they all said, “It’s one of the most beautiful cities in the United States” so that was reassuring.
Actually, I’ve always wanted to visit the south and experience the architecture and its southern charm so I guess it was sort of on my bucket list. In addition to spending time with friends on my first girls’ trip / mom’s trip, my desire was simply to experience the southern charm…and I did.
It was two short, but full days for me, but in that time, these were my 5 highlights of Charleston:
Hotel in the Holy City (French Quarter Inn)
Biking The Battery
Food (Basic Kitchen & Amen Street)
Historic Walking Tour
Middleton Place
1. Hotel in the Holy City - French Quarter Inn
Staying at this hotel was something I was definitely looking forward to since y’all know my love affair with beautiful hotels. It’s a small boutique hotel, but boasts four diamonds, southern charm hospitality, and clean classic rooms to perfection. As soon as you enter there’s a winding staircase showcasing the total four floors welcoming you in. But what I adored most was a small courtyard with a water fountain from a lion’s mouth and gas lit lanterns, and on the other side, a balcony of soft chairs and the view of a nearby church steeple.
I asked them if our hotel had a view and they said no because it was smack dab conveniently along busy Market street and just walking distance away from all the major spots in Charleston. Plus it was just a mere four floors since the rule in the Holy City, was nothing could be higher than the church steeple. But for me, the view of that church steeple was a view. It was a place I sat, rested, read, and prayed with God. One of the things I love to do most.
A perk included was the daily breakfast available, wine and cheese and crackers before dinner time, milk and cookies before bed, and chocolates at turndown. I highly recommend the French Quarter Inn and I’d stay there again in a heartbeat. Everyone was wonderful and they were very excited to have our Choco Le’a chocolates we brought from Hawai’i as we asked their little staff a million questions about where to eat, where to find good chocolates, and if we could borrow their bikes.
2. Biking the Battery
And borrow their complimentary bikes we did! Got to ride those bicycles with the adorable baskets in the front. On a beautiful morning, the girls and I took a short bike ride to an area known as The Battery. This is what all the locals said we should be doing on cool weather and clear sky days like this. And at 7am, no one was around as we bumped along cobble streets and passed by 7-12 million dollar homes that I couldn’t stop staring at and almost crashed on my bike as I was in awe of their splendor. And along the ride, other locals exercising said good morning ma’am and smiled and waved and I felt the southern hospitality in the air. Ahhh the sweet and simple pleasures and an energizing way to start the day.
3. Food
I only ate at two restaurants and both were fantastic! Lunch at Basic Kitchen and dinner at Amen Street. Basic Kitchen was sourced from fresh local ingredients and I’ll just share the pics below. Super friendly service, very cute outdoor seating, and food that felt nourishing and energizing to my soul. The other was dinner at Amen Street for more of “the south” seafood and although usually not my thing, I tried everything from the fresh oysters, scallops, and spicy gumbo? and discovered dishes that surprised me like fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, and shrimp and grits. But their risotto was one of the best I have ever had anywhere and my favorite was their famous shrimp corn dogs. Anyhow, food is something I also knew I had to include because food is what everyone in Hawai`i wants to know about. :p
4. Historic Walking Tour
My friend Andrea booked us a historic walking tour experience through Air B&B and I’m so glad she did! I thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson with our witty tour guide, Liz, while walking the beautiful streets of the historic part of town. I was simply overwhelmed (and I mean overwhelmed) with everything in architectural design that I love -altogether in one place!!! Red bricks, white columns, window shutters, balconies, vines growing on walls, iron gates, water fountains, gas-lit lanterns, cobblestone, and white picket fences…oh my! I felt like I was walking in a dream! The places I only see in magazines, books, and on social media were right in front of my eyes. For me, I was stopping at every doorway and snapping a photo and wanting more than anything, to knock on the door and ask the people living there if I could join them in their living room for tea (don’t worry I didn’t, but I really wanted to). If you love design and decor, you and I could just sit on Church street for days and daydream. It was history staring at me in the face and yet it felt like the future too as this made me start thinking about how I could one day come back for tea. ;)
5. Middleton Place
Anytime I visit anywhere, my wish list of places to visit are nice hotel lobbies, local chocolate and artisan shops, the local neighborhood, a church, and a farm or garden. So this was the garden we went to and it was breathtaking. Full of history, wealth, stories, animals, flowers, water, green grass, trees covered in Spanish moss, and wide open fresh air. Straight out of a fairy tale or dream. I tried to walk slowly, soak it all in, and breathe in the moment and the majesty of this land that once belonged to one very wealthy family. If I could, this would be a spot I would come to again and again and sit for hours on their multiple benches to read, write, and listen for God’s whisper in the wind.
That’s the Charleston I experienced beside my sisters in Christ. We all know each other’s daily struggles and unrest and for this little time together, we got to experience the rest and refreshsemnt we had all been waiting a couple of years for.
Mahalo Charleston, for y’all’s southern hospitality and charm. It felt like a charming little dream, come true.
