Hi everyone! I had the joy of visiting Charleston over spring break and had the best time! The food, the history, the entertainment, the shopping, everything, I would give a 10/10. While I was only there for three days, it was clear that this city has so much to offer, and I hope this article inspires you to go. Happy reading!
King StreetÂ
If you like shopping, this place is for you. One of the main streets in downtown Charleston is called King Street, and my cousin and I spent at least two hours every day walking up and down it, popping into new shops. It was an absolute blast because, while they have big brands like American Eagle and H&M, they also have small boutiques run by locals. At one of those little boutiques, I had a necklace customized with charms, and now I have a piece of Charleston with me at all times. King Street also has many restaurants and designer brands if you’re into that kind of shopping experience. I swear it has something for everyone. One of my favorite shops we went into was a bookstore called Sweeter Than Fiction, filled with all the BookTok books! In addition to books, they sold stickers, merch, cute stationery, and so much more. I ended up coming home with some new Heated Rivalry merch, and I am so happy about my purchase.Â
The foodÂ
​​I love going out to dinner with friends, and there are so many amazing places to eat in Charleston, I wish I could’ve tried every single one. I will admit, going into this trip, I was a little nervous because I have a shellfish allergy and a few other food allergies. Sometimes going out to eat is difficult for me, and with Charleston being by the water, I knew a lot of the food would be seafood. However, I had an absolutely amazing experience; every place we went to eat had amazing food. There were so many different options for places to go, and right off the bat, my whole idea that it was mostly seafood was put to rest. There were Greek places, Indian places, Thai places, steakhouses, classic Southern cuisine, and so much more. My favorite meal was probably my birthday dinner at a restaurant called Tempest. I had a delicious steak and mashed potatoes, and what I found so charming about the place was the story behind it and its connection to Shakespeare. One of the traditions at the restaurant is to give beautiful women a rose and a drink, so we were given a small glass of brandy, and I thought that was a nice touch.Â
The scenery
The scenery in this town was absolutely incredible. I love being by the water, but there was something so unique about Charleston, with being near the water but also giving you a bit of a city feel. Something unique about the city is that the buildings aren’t that tall, so it doesn’t give you a feel like Boston or Hartford would. They have a rule that says you can’t build a building taller than the highest steeple in the city. The historic buildings in this town are magnificent to look at. There are so many fine details that you wouldn’t think of or notice, but we had a tour guide who told us all about the history of some of the homes and why some look the way they do. Something my cousin was absolutely obsessed with, and I completely agree with her about how cool it was, were the oil lanterns hung up everywhere because they felt very rustic. Something else unique about the scenery is that there are million-dollar homes in Charleston — actually, a lot of the houses that we saw were over $1 million, which is insane — and they are absolutely stunning. Something we learned is that homeowners in Charleston are not allowed to tear down homes and rebuild, and that they can only renovate the original structure because it is part of the historical society/district.
The history
If you are very interested in history, Charleston is a great city for you. Everywhere we walked, there was a sign providing some history of the place. The great thing about the city is that there are so many opportunities for learning. There are lots of tours you can take, whether that’s a walking tour or a horse-drawn carriage tour. On our trip, my cousin and I ended up taking a bike taxi tour because we had become friends with one of the drivers! Since we did this, we got a more personalized tour, but all the touring options around Charleston seemed really amazing. Something unique about Charleston is that it’s one of the most haunted cities, so there are a lot of night and haunted tours. My cousin and I even toured a historic jail. We learned about the first female serial killer and the types of ways that prisoners used to be treated, and while it was very spooky, it was extremely informative. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, and I really do mean anyone. I am not a fan of scary things, while my cousin is a huge fan of ghost experiences, and we both had a fantastic time.Â
The Entertainment
During our trip, I feel like there was never a dull moment in that there were so many options for entertainment. It seemed like there was truly something for everyone there. They had quieter pubs and bars, but they also had clubs and dive bars, which were a bit more chaotic. A lot of the restaurants seem to have live music and there’s a lot of rooftop bars in downtown Charleston, so we usually had a couple of options to choose from each night, which was awesome. If you find yourself in Charleston, I recommend heading to Shem Creek, which is a little area on the water that has a couple of different restaurant options. Our favorite was the Saltwater Cowboy. We ended up going on a day they were hosting a Barbie and Ken event, so they had a DJ and there were just hundreds of people sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and listening to music. I swear there’s nothing better than sipping on a drink, listening to some live music, and hanging out with friends.Â
If you ever have the opportunity to go to Charleston, I highly recommend going, as it’s a beautiful place with so many wonderful things to do. I hope that I will be able to go back at some point because it truly was a remarkable trip. As the school year is winding down and summer is approaching, this trip was the reminder I needed of what fun is yet to come. I hope you all enjoyed reading and have a wonderful rest of your year!