Photo accessed from: elliothouseinn.com
When I first heard the news about the horrible flooding that occurred two weeks ago in South Carolina my heart dropped. The flooding was taking over most of the state and people were fighting for not only their homes but also their lives.
More than 800 people were in temporarily shelters and 15 people had died in South Carolina. I couldn’t fathom it. How could I attend a school so close to something that felt so horrific and far away? As I continued to watch the snapchats and listen to the news, I realized that my fall break vacation to Charleston, South Carolina might be put on hold.
My friends and I had planned to stay at a rental condo in Folly Beach, South Carolina for four nights. Folly Beach is about 20-25 minutes right outside of Charleston. Text messages flooded in, calls from my mom happened more than once a day and the realization that Charleston may be out of the question started to feel real.
I won’t lie, I was being selfish and was totally bummed out. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want my long anticipated senior year plans to get cancelled. Wednesday came around and my friends and I decided to take issues into our own hands. We called police, different hotels and various contacts in Charleston to find out about the safety issues and precautions in the state.
“I don’t want to have to say I told you so once you get down there,” explained my mom on the telephone.
I was determined to get down to South Carolina in one piece. After much confusion and a new rental condo booked, my friends and I had our bags ready to go. The drive down to South Carolina was the hardest part. Of course, the pit stop at McDonalds did not hurt but the drive was around roughly six hours.
“Are we there yet?” echoed in my mind the entire ride down.
Ahhhh, at last we had arrived in Folly Beach. The weekend was everything we had expected. There was amazing food, great drinks, a ton of laughs and many, many pictures. Need I say more? I was thrilled my friends and I decided to take a chance and come down to see this amazing city that I always hear people talking about.
Not to mention, there was almost no flooding or rain when we were down there.
Here’s a break down of my favorite spots:
Restaurants in Charleston:
Rue De Jean
Food: Cavatelli Pasta with seared scallops $24.99
Drinks: Rose – Guigal, Cotes du Rhone FR, 2015 $8.00
Although this restaurant was fairly pricey, it was my favorite meal of the trip. The environment is cozy and dark and my friends and I all enjoyed our meals.
Poogan’s Porch
Food: Vegetable omelet with hash browns $13.00
Drinks: Coffee
This was the only place that we ate for breakfast in Charleston and my friends all ordered something different. One of my friends got the pulled pork benedict and I somewhat secretly wished I had ordered it myself.
O-Ku
Food: Tempora oysters $12.00
Sushi breakdown: Spicy tuna crunch roll & avocado wrapped roll $10.25
Drinks: Sata Sangria $7.00
O-Ku was one of my favorite restaurants that we tried in Charleston. Not to mention, the prices were fantastic because all sushi and drinks are half off for happy hour if you order before 7 p.m. Say what? Yeah, it was awesome.
Jeni’s
Food: ICE CREAM
My cone included: Double toasted coconut with honey butterscotch $6.37
My friends and I were all drooling after we entered Jeni’s. There are so many unique flavors to choose from and they were all super tasty.
Restaurants in Folly Beach:
Black Magic Café
Food: THE FOLLY MESS $9.95(Trio potatoes sautéed with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes, topped with two sunny eggs, garnished with chipotle crema and shredded cheddar)
Drinks: Salted Caramel Mocha Latte $5.00
Although the service wasn’t fabulous, this breakfast place was the perfect last stop before we headed back to Elon on Tuesday afternoon. The menu is huge and the drinks are delicious.
Lost Dog Cafe
Food: Best in show caesar wrap $6.95
& awesome cinnamon roll $3.95
Coffee: Caramel Latte $4.25
We used the Lost Dog Café as a break during our perfect beach day. We had a chance to eat outside and enjoy our meals. Although I am not a huge fan of lunch, this place is definitely a great spot for it.
As far as nightlife and shopping, King street is the place to be. The street is filled with COFC students, night-life and awesome shopping.
We spent one full day in Charleston and spent the day shopping and exploring one of my new favorite cities ever.
If you’re looking for a historic place to shop, eat and enjoy yourself then Charleston, South Carolina is the place for you. The drive is usually only 4.5 hours and is worth every red light.
Hope you enjoyed collegiettes!