Charleston, South Carolina is one of the most historic and beautiful cities in the United States. Its southern charm, alluring beaches, and outstanding food scene makes visitors feel at home and undoubtedly, keeps them coming back. Whether you are looking to wander the historic streets on foot or by horse-drawn carriage, there is truly something for everyone!
Our Visit & Recommendations
We spent three days in Charleston and let me tell you- we did exhaustive research to ensure we were getting the most out of our time there (don’t you hate coming back from a vacation and realizing you missed something?). Additionally, we traveled with our dog, Daisy, so most of what we did was dog-friendly! Our goal here is to provide the itinerary we followed, along with other suggestions and recommendations of things to do and see that we didn’t necessarily have time for. Whether you only have a few days or an entire week in Charleston, your trip will undoubtedly be packed with awesome things to do!
We arrived in Charleston late in the evening, so we checked into our hotel and got some rest the night before our first full day exploring the city. We stayed in a hotel just across the Ashley River from downtown Charleston, which was less than a 10 minute drive away; however, there are a ton of outstanding hotels and Bed & Breakfast spots downtown. Some standouts are the French Quarter Inn, the John Rutledge House Inn, the Saint Hotel, and Emeline. Of course, depending on how much you’re willing to spend, there is always Air BnB and branded hotels such as La Quinta, Holiday Inn, and Residence Inn. At the end of the day, I’d wager you will be spending most of your time out in town exploring!
Day 1 (Rise Coffee Bar, Poogan’s Porch, Historic Walking Tour)
We began our morning like we usually do- with coffee! We headed down to The Rise Coffee Bar (77 Wentworth Street). They are open daily from 7AM – 5PM and offer a variety of espresso drinks, tea, cold-pressed juices, and baked goods. Not to mention the service was fantastic and they allowed Daisy to come in and explore! Since this was our first foray into the city, we wanted to just grab a quick coffee and wander around a bit before breakfast.
For our first morning, we made reservations for brunch at Poogan’s Porch (72 Queen Street), which is a highly rated and very unique restaurant located on Queen Street. Its not just the traditional southern food on the menu that exudes charm- Poogan’s Porch is actually inside of an old victorian townhouse that was built in 1891! The restaurant was established in 1976 and is named for a local dog named Poogan, which the restaurant’s website mentions “had been a neighborhood fixture, graciously accepting table scraps and back scratches from every family on the block.” Appropriately, their front porch is dog-friendly!
Being our first meal in Charleston, I had to try their signature sunrise shrimp & grits- a true southern meal. Although I’m not usually a fan of shrimp, I was blown away by how delicious it was! Cher tried the fantastic down home breakfast, while we both had mimosas (they offer orange, pineapple, grapefruit, cranberry, or apple juice mimosas) and shared cheddar fritters with bacon jam. Other menu favorites include the she-crab soup, chicken & waffles, and the brioche french toast. Needless to say- you will not be disappointed with your dining experience at Poogan’s Porch!
Our plan for day 1 was to do a walking tour that we designed, in order to see many of the museums, historic buildings, and “must-see” sites throughout the city. While there are quite literally dozens of other sites to see, we chose some of the more popular and interesting ones (naturally, I gravitated to the history). This also gave us an opportunity to walk off breakfast and dive right into the city!
Of course, you may not want to see everything on this walking tour or heck, may not want to walk much at all! If that is the case, Charleston offers one of the most quintessentially southern experiences: a horse-drawn carriage tour. There are numerous companies that provide this unique service, to include: the Old South Carriage Company, Palmetto Carriage Works, and Charleston Carriage Works. Each of these offer various routes and options, to include haunted carriage tours! Be sure to check each website for pricing and availability.
If you desire to follow our walking tour, please check out our separate blog post: A Historic Walking Tour of Charleston. Below is a list of the ten sites on our tour and a map we made to help make your experience a bit easier (a short description of each site that you can read during your journey can be found in that separate post). Many of these are museums and sites that you will want to set some time aside to explore.
1 – Historic Charleston City Market
2 – Powder Magazine
3 – St. Philip’s Church
4 – Philadelphia Alley
5 – Old Slave Mart Museum
6 – St. Michael’s Church
7 – Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
8 – Rainbow Row
9 – Heyward-Washington House
10 – The Battery
We took most of the day to do this walking tour, especially because we wanted to stop and enjoy the many museums and historic sites. One of the most educational and important sites we visited was the Old Slave Mart Museum, which tells the sorrowful story of slavery and Charleston- both of which are forever intertwined. Most visitors to Charleston do not realize that Charleston’s financial success was built upon the slave trade and at one point, 35-40% of all slaves coming into the United States came through Charleston. Needless the say, if you want to truly understand the complex history of Charleston, a visit to the Old Slave Mart Museum is a must.
Other stand-outs were the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon (this museum really explores the early history of Charleston and allows dogs!), St. Michael’s Church, and Rainbow Row. Notably, this tour ends at the Battery, which offers outstanding views of Charleston Harbor and has a stunning promenade where you can walk along the scenic waterfront.
Of course, you will likely want to grab lunch (or an early dinner) at some point during the day and thankfully, this tour keeps you within the heart of the city near tons of great restaurants. Some highly-recommended lunch spots include: Brown Dog Deli (40 Broad Street), Magnolias (185 East Bay Street), The Griffon (18 Vendue Range), and Poogan’s Smokehouse (188 East Bay Street).
We were exhausted after a long day exploring the city, so we spent the evening back at our hotel, ordered some pizza, played cards, and watched a movie. Don’t you just love those relaxing nights in?
Day 2 (Eli’s Table, Magnolia Plantation, Palmetto Brewing Company, 167 Raw Oyster Bar)
We woke up early and headed back into the city for brunch at a highly-rated spot: Eli’s Table (129 Meeting Street). Depending on the time of year and day of the week, we recommend making reservations whenever possible- Charleston’s popular restaurants are usually very packed!
We were seated in the courtyard behind Eli’s Table (because we had Daisy with us), which provided a cozy and special dining experience. We started off with bloody marys and beignets, as we relaxed in the morning sun. For breakfast, Cher tried the Eli’s Breakfast, while I had the chicken & waffles- a well-known dish in these parts. The service, food, and atmosphere were all fantastic!
Since we were already downtown, we decided to wander about for a bit after brunch and do some shopping before we headed out for our main event planned for the day: Magnolia Plantation & Gardens! While the Charleston area has multiple plantations one can visit, to include Boone Hall, Middleton Place, Drayton Hall, and Hampton Plantation, we decided to visit Magnolia Plantation after doing some research (we only had time for one!).
Magnolia Plantation (3550 Ashley River Road) was founded in 1676 by the Drayton Family as a rice plantation and since then, it has experienced the founding of our nation, the American Civil War, and everything in between. Of course, slave labor was vital to the plantation’s success and it is important to remember that the horrendous institution of slavery was integral to the southern way of life. Keep in mind this sobering fact as you walk the grounds, in order to best understand the history and role that slavery played in colonial and antebellum America.
Magnolia Plantation is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and it actually opened to visitors in 1870! Today, the 464-acre property has a plantation house, a series of trails that take you through the stunning gardens, and the Audubon Swamp Garden (named for visitor John James Audubon). Additionally, there are four circa-1850s slave cabins and a smoke house that have been preserved, which can be explored on the “Slavery to Freedom” Tour (included in admission, but you must reserve a time slot). I highly recommend doing this tour, which will provide you with a better understanding of slavery and the African-American experience at Magnolia Plantation.
The best word to describe Magnolia Plantation is simply: mystical. The low-hanging Spanish moss, dreamy ponds and arched bridges, and series of gardens and native plants make it one of the most beautiful places in the south. While Magnolia Plantation offers a wide variety of experiences, to include nature tram and nature boat tours, we opted to set out on foot to experience the gardens firsthand (as mentioned, I highly recommend reserving a spot for the Slavery to Freedom tour).
With a map of the grounds in hand and plenty of water, Cher, Daisy, and I began our relaxing walk down the trails. You will notice there are seven bridges throughout the property, a series of ponds and lakes, and tons of stunning trees and gardens. Oh- and be on the look out for alligators in the many waterways! We did see quite a few (most of them small), so we were very mindful of Daisy at all times.
Before leaving Magnolia Plantation, we also decided to walk through the Audubon Swamp Garden, which was an additional $10 fee per person (children 6 and under are free). There is a well-maintained boardwalk throughout, which actually allows you to walk above the murky swamps (some portions of the trail are dirt and on solid ground). Of course, we saw a few more alligators, along with egrets, herons, and plenty of other waterfowl that frequent these gardens. You will be amazed by the cypress and tupelo gum trees, along with the seemingly hundreds of other plants and vegetation.
We were parched after exploring Magnolia Plantation, we headed back towards town to grab a drink at Palmetto Brewing Company (289 Huger Street). Palmetto is the state of South Carolina’s very first brewery and they offer a wide variety of beer and hard seltzers. Other than an awesome selection of drinks, Palmetto has two taprooms (both a warehouse and speakeasy taproom) and a courtyard, along with games and occasional live music.
While they have staple beers on tap such as Idle Speed, Huger Street IPA, Mango IPA, and Amber Ale (just to name a few), they experiment with some interesting flavors, seasonal brews, and unique hard seltzers. We did a few flights in order to try as much as we could and everything was delicious. My personal favorite was the Mango IPA- it was a perfect balance for those warm southern afternoons!
For dinner, we made reservations at 167 Raw Oyster Bar (193 King Street), which we had heard amazing things about. Naturally, we tried a few rounds of oysters (some even from our neck of the woods), ceviche, and shared a few tacos. If you’re not super into seafood, they do offer unbelievable 10-hour pork carnitas tacos. The atmosphere is electric and the service even better!
Day 3 (Miller’s All Day, Fort Sumter, Fuel Charleston, Fort Moultrie/Sullivan’s Island)
We began our third and final day in Charleston with brunch at Miller’s All Day (120 King Street). They have an astounding menu with a variety of delicious food that you won’t want to miss! Some favorites are the banana bread (with chocolate hazelnut cream cheese), pimento cheese (with crackers and pickles), the Millers Plate (bacon, eggs, red corn grits or home fries, biscuit), biscuits & gravy, and their signature fried chicken on a biscuit (my personal favorite). They also have things like waffles, burgers, shrimp & grits, and many other options. I chose to wash everything down with their Big Bourbon Bloody Mary, while Cher tried the mimosa.
Our first big event planned for the day was to take the ferry out to historic Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor. I highly recommend visiting the NPS website here for information and to get your tickets well in advance (the ferry tends to fill up fast). While the National Park Service manages the fort, they contract out the ferry rides ($32 each) to Fort Sumter Tours and you can purchase your ferry tickets here.
Since dogs are not allowed on the ferry or at Fort Sumter, we had to drop Daisy off at a Rover for the morning (this was the only thing we did that was exclusively not dog friendly). You will catch the ferry at the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square (340 Concord Street), which has a parking garage to leave your vehicle.
The great thing about a visit to Fort Sumter is that the ferry ride takes you through Charleston Harbor, which provides unparalleled views of the city and surrounding landscape. After a ~30 minute ferry ride (which was chilly- bring a jacket!), we arrived to historic Fort Sumter. You are afforded 1 hour at the fort, which is plenty of time to explore the grounds and check out the on-site gift shop.
Fort Sumter (as we now know it) originated in 1829, when construction of the fortification began upon an artificial island (originally a sand bar). The five-sided brick fort was an imposing military site, which was placed near the entrance of Charleston Harbor to protect shipping and the city. Its fame largely stems from April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon the Union-occupied fort and began the American Civil War. The very next day, the Union garrison surrendered and then evacuated on the 14th. Fort Sumter remained in Confederate hands for the remainder of the war, despite a Union attempt to retake it on September 8, 1863.
Today, the National Park Service manages Fort Sumter and let me tell you- it is easily one of the most fascinating and enthralling historic sites I have ever visited! I highly encourage incorporating a trip out to Fort Sumter into any visit to Charleston- you will not be disappointed!
After picking up Daisy, we headed over to Fuel Charleston (211 Rutledge Avenue) for lunch. This incredibly unique restaurant opened its doors in 2008 and is located inside an old filling station- talk about cool! They’re known for authentic Caribbean cuisine, which includes their famous jerk chicken sandwich, fish tacos, burgers, salads, and fresh tropical drinks (don’t forget the frozen rum drink!). We were blown away by Fuel Charleston’s menu and drinks, which were a welcome change from a lot of the seafood and southern cuisine we had up to this point.
For the afternoon, we headed over to Sullivan’s Island to explore. You could also spend the afternoon at Folly Beach, a very popular town and beach to the south of Charleston (because of the weather and me being a history nerd, we opted to explore Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island). Sullivan’s Island is a town (and island, of course) located southeast from downtown Charleston near the entrance to the harbor. Considered a more affluent area of the city, there are multiple beaches to check out (Sullivan’s Island Beach and Station 18 Beach), along with historic Fort Moultrie.
Historically, Fort Moultrie (named for Revolutionary War hero General William Moultrie) is a series of fortifications on Sullivan’s Island. The original fort, named Fort Sullivan, was constructed during the American Revolutionary War and was built primarily of palmetto logs (hence South Carolina being known as the “Palmetto State). In June 1776, this fort was tested when British warships arrived and bombarded it for an entire day. As the sun set on June 28th, Moultrie and his 400 defenders had successfully thwarted the British attack, noting that the palmetto logs seemed to absorb the enemy cannonballs.
Fort Moultrie served as an active military fortification for the next 171 years, seeing service to varying degrees during the American Civil War and both World Wars. In 1947, the fort was closed down and was transferred to the National Park Service in 1960. Today, Fort Moultrie provides visitors with a chronological walkthrough of the fort’s role from the American Revolution up until World War II. Because dogs are not allowed within the fort, I briefly walked through the interior, while Cher and Daisy explored the exterior.
If you are looking for a great lunch or dinner spot on Sullivan’s Island, we recommend Poe’s Tavern (2210 Middle Street), which pays homage to the famed writer Edgar Allen Poe. They offer a variety of salads, gourmet sandwiches, and drinks. Sadly, our three days in Charleston ended on Sullivan’s Island, as we needed to hit the road and head down to Savannah (awful, right?).
Summary
Charleston is one of those places that just sort of draws you in. It possesses a nostalgic, yet contemporary vibe that makes it such a fascinating place to visit and one that will inevitably accompany you long after you’ve left. We had an incredible time exploring Charleston’s amazing food scene, rich history, and interesting sites. It is perhaps one of the most unique places we’ve visited and undoubtedly, on the short list of places to return to (it reminded us a lot of Newport, which is often considered a sister city since many South Carolinians used to summer there). Regardless of how much time you have in Charleston, it will be an enriching experience and you will make memories for a lifetime!
Wow, thank you so much for this! I am planning a trip to Charleston and I am going to follow your suggestions to a T! I have not seen a guide this well thought out anywhere else. So glad I found your blog!
Awesome, that is great to hear! Thank you for the kind words- have a wonderful time in Charleston!!