The first time I went to Charleston (here), I immediately fell *in love* with this charming Southern city! While Charleston, South Carolina is heavily talked about and on my feed at least on the daily via the many amazing women that I follow on Instagram, I have also discovered the love and hype behind this incredible place. When my best friends Hannah, Alanna, and Bree and I all went to Isle of Palms, South Carolina for 5 days, we *just knew* that we needed to do a day trip there.
To me, one of THE MOST magical parts of going to Charleston is the drive into Charleston via the iconic Ravenel Bridge which connects Charleston to its nearby suburb of Mount Pleasant over the Cooper River. My Aunt Frances told me feels as if she’s in her happy place when she drives on this iconic Charleston area bridge. And, well, driving into Charleston’s Historic District is such a treat, too. I feel just as if I were driving through Europe when I drive into historic downtown Charleston. The homes are SO colorful, detailed, and charming. Charleston’s Historic District reminds me of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, DC’s neighborhood of Georgetown with the colorful and charming historical homes, YET it has such a Southern charm to it AND is surrounded by *none other than* palm trees (!!!). Let’s just say that our *very interesting* Uber driver and ride (probably THE MOST interesting Uber ride in my entire life – haha!) left me with utter joy and excitement as we arrived in the charming streets of downtown Charleston.
We started our day in Charleston with brunch at Toast! All Day – a popular New York Times-ranked brunch spot. We met up with Hannah’s and Bree’s high school friends Abbie and Taylor who are such sweet ladies. I had never met Abbie or Taylor before in-person and they are such incredible women that I am glad I got to know a bit more over some brunch delights. I enjoyed a mimosa, a veggie egg scramble, home fries, and *of course* a biscuit and jam – when in Charleston (!!!). Our brunch was delicious and I am now craving it ALL again and again as I write this post – LOL!
Our next stop after brunch was the Charleston City Market, which was established in 1807 and lives at 188 Meeting Street. Brunch was just a few blocks away from Charleston City Market, making it the PERFECT next stop for us. We parted ways with Abbie and Taylor at the Charleston City Market, but it was a blast to talk around here. I mentioned it more in my Charleston Shopping Guide (here), too. After our Charleston City Market adventures, we all walked around some of the nearby souvenir shops where Alanna and I got asked if we were from *none other than* Georgia dressed in our Lilly Pulitzer outfits – LOL! – by someone from *of course* Washington, DC – HOW FUNNY!! And, we went on the rest of our Charleston adventures with Bree’s good friend Maxwell who was interning in Charleston for the summer and happened to be in the area when we were there for the day.
The day that we were in Charleston was HOT and HUMID. If you know me, then you know that I am not a big fan of the heat – LOL! So, needless to say, after like 2 hours outside I was literally OVER IT. However, when we met up with Maxwell and his summer roommate, we had a blast getting to see Charleston from someone whose a local and loves the city like its his own. Maxwell took us the scenic route through the gorgeous French Quarter, to the Pineapple Fountain, and then to Rainbow Row. We got SO many photos at both the Pineapple Fountain and at Rainbow Row. My favorite part was getting to dip my toes into the iconic Pineapple Fountain and escape from the brutal heat of late June in South Carolina! And, afterwards, we went to King Street the iconic shopping street of Charleston.
I feel SO lucky to have gotten to enjoy some friend time with Hannah, Bree, Alanna, Abbie, Taylor, and Maxwell in one of my favorite cities. My heart is filled with SO MUCH gratitude for the friendships, both old and new, and memories made during our 5 hours in Charleston. Charleston is such a charming and incredible city that I am pleased to say that I will be taking my first solo trip to this December! I have a HUGE list of places that I want to visit in Charleston and am SO excited to cross some items off of that list, too. Ever since my first (and second!) trip to Charleston, I know that many more trips to Charleston are in my future!
XOXO – Katie <3