I came to this amazing city because of it’s beauty, the people and they way I felt when I was here. Since I have been here, I have gotten more messages asking me for tips on where to go, what to see and to give my best day time ideas…
So, what better what to do that than to compile some of my favorites here on this blog for YOU.
So, you are coming to Charleston, SC?
YAY! You are going to love every bit of this place.
I obviously recommend staying more than just a couple of days. There is so much to see, so much history, so much to do.
However, if you had one day in Charleston – this is my ideal day.
Put in your GPS – THE BATTERY – it will take you downtown and you can park right next to the water. Get out, see the park, see the old canons, and then walk on the path alongside of the water. This is my favorite walk. One one side of you is the water and a beautiful view, the other side you will see the most beautiful Charleston homes.
When you walk on the sidewalk, make sure you are stop when you see the plaques on the houses and along the sidewalk. You can use your phone and scan the QR code and hear all about the history and or read the plaque and get some facts.
You are going to make a right at the next street where you see cobblestones. You can’t miss it. It is a street from a story book with beautiful trees, houses and again the beautiful cobblestone. Walk that down until you get to the water again. Sometimes you can spot dolphins, you can sit on the benches and look out over the water and you can walk around this cute little area.
You will come to the famous PINEAPPLE water fountain, which for me, I think of as the iconic Charleston symbol. Stop and take a picture. (Tag me @farindoran on Instagram or @farin.doran on Facebook to tell me you did it 😉 ) Then head up to the other water fountain. If you have kids, they will love getting wet here so make sure you bring extra clothes.
Head over to the ice cream and dutch pancake shop. You just walked all the way there, you deserve an ice cream and if you are second guessing the pancakes, DONT. Get them. With Nutella. The BEST!
Walk up to to East bay Street, ice cream in hand, and make a right. You are just a couple blocks from the Charleston Market which has a bunch of local shops and vendors. This is where I would come to for souvenirs and to get something for yourself. While you are there, if you want to see a cool restaurant, pop into 5 Church, which is a great restaurant in an old church and even still has the stained glass.
If you have kids, they will love Carmella’s, which is a dessert bar. However, if you do not have kids, you can go back to the Vendue Rooftop and get a great view of the city, have a drink and sit at the top and talk about how amazing this city is.
Walk back down East Bay Street, stay on the right hand side as you are heading back to the battery, and you will run into the famous RAINBOW ROW. Take your time down this walk and dont’ be afraid to ask people to take your picture. All of the houses are absolutely beautiful and worthy of picture taking. If you are just strolling, walk down random streets that are pretty to you, get to know the city and read the history on the houses.
Now – Dinner time.
Shem Creek will forever be one of my favorite places to go for dinner. It was the first place we went when we came here and we fell in love. Any restaurant you choose in Shem Creek will be amazing. After dinner, walk the boardwalk of Shem Creek so you can walk out to the end. Usually you will see dolphins coming up the creek following the shrimp boats as they come in. You will also see the most AMAZING sunset.
We stayed at the Shem Creek Inn when we came for the first time and we absolutely loved it. If you are staying for a couple nights, this would be a great option!
Farin’s other favorites:
Beaches – Honestly, ANY beach is great. You are in South Carolina, everything is perfect!
HOWEVER, if you did happen to get to Sullivan’s Island, you HAVE to stop at The Co-Op and get a FROSE’.
And if you want to do “THE FARIN” – then you grab a FROSE, a CALIFORNIA TURKEY SANDWICH, you take it to the beach, eat your sandwich, drink your frose, walk the beach until the sand starts to end and see the most amazing view of Charleston and if you time it right, you will see the best sunset in the history of sunsets. When you do this, thank me, because I know that changed your life! 🙂
Restaurants – All of them. The food here is amazing. You can’t go wrong. Try new things. If pimento cheese is on the menu, get it. If something has fried green tomatoes on it, get that too. You will love all of it.
Fun things to do –
Firefly Distillery – you can make the trip to the distillery, which is all local, the people are the sweetest and you can do tastings and also bring back liquor you can’t get anywhere else.
Angel Oak Tree – One of the oldest trees (400-500 years old) and is amazing to see. It is a little bit of a drive outside of Charleston but worth it. While you are over there, go to the Charleston Tea Plantation where you can try the tea for free, get free tours and actually get to see the ONLY tea plantation in North America. (crazy, right?)
Boone Hall Plantation, Drayton Hall, Patriots Point….. all great places to see and give into the history.
South Carolina is one of those places where you can literally ask your waitress where to go, what to see and they will draw you a map. You can get excited about anything here because it is all beautiful, different, historic and well kept.
You can’t go wrong with a trip here.
So many people ask me about things to do with kids.
Honestly, let them just be off electronics for a bit. Let them read the signs about history. Take them to Folly Beach to look for sharks teeth then stop at a local restaurant. Take them to Shem Creek and rent a kayak from Nature Adventures. Take them on the longest walks that exhaust them. Let them watch the sunset and talk about what they are grateful for. (Hint: A local author here wrote an amazing gratitude journal – Check it out on Amazon ) . Let your kids walk the beach, collect seashells and sand. Let your kids be kids and appreciate seeing something different.
I love this city and I am always down to help!
If you haven’t done so already, make sure you listen to the Inspire Her Podcast, Episode 17, where I tell you exactly how and why I made the move to the city that I love!
Find me on social media – tag me on instagram @farindoran if you do any of these things… or find me and I can give you more fun tips as I find them!
I promise you that once you visit, you will not want to leave! We did the same exact thing and looking back on it I wish I would have done it sooner!
Once you are ready to take the plunge and find your dream home in the Lowcountry, make sure you reach out to my husband, Jeffrey Doran, REALTOR®, with Carolina One Real Estate to find you exactly what you are looking for!
