How to spend a weekend in Charleston, S.C.

If you happen to be prepared to trade in oak trees for palms for a weekend, it could be time to take a look at Charleston.

Driving the news: Oyster year (for individuals who celebrate) is underway and temperatures have fallen to a diploma that you can stop by the metropolis without evaporating quickly on arrival.

• If you’ve hardly ever been to South Carolina, this is where you should start off.
• If you have only at any time been to Myrtle Seaside, you will find a aid team for that, I’d think about.
• Charleston is Savannah’s older, classier sibling. It can be OBX, but far more photogenic (*ducks*).

A pay a visit to to the Holy City is a must. But you should not just take it from me — acquire it from Vacation & Leisure journal, who have named it the most effective town in the U.S. for 10 straight years.

Finding in this article: Charleston is about 4-5 hours’ driving length from Raleigh. Traveling might preserve you some time, but not a great deal. Nonstop service in between the two metropolitan areas is not at the moment provided.

The place to keep: Downtown, on the peninsula. If you might be ballin’ on a price range examine out NotSo Hostel. If you’re just ballin’, go to Hotel Bennett.

Acquiring around: The peninsula is modest ample that you can get around by foot, bicycle or rideshare. You should not be concerned about leasing a automobile — we have constrained parking areas and a surplus of bewildering, just one-way streets.

Pro suggestion: Just take a pedicab at the very least the moment. It can be its have experience.

Take in:

Do not let lunch or supper be an afterthought. Charleston is maybe ideal regarded for its culinary scene, and numerous dining establishments, cooks and bar applications have obtained national recognition.

Lenoir: North Carolina’s possess chef Vivian Howard, of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, opened two dining establishments in Charleston in 2020. Lenoir, named for Howard’s dwelling county, offers Southern foodstuff that is elevated but in a way that doesn’t stray far too much from its roots.

167 Raw: This oyster and uncooked bar is proper in the coronary heart of downtown. Small plates are the way to go. Get the room potato — trust me.

Fleet Landing: Downtown’s only genuine waterfront restaurant, its anything-for-every person menu incorporates Charleston classics, like shrimp and grits.

Drink:

Tiny Palm: This trendy, poolside cocktail bar opened very last 12 months, and this 12 months was named a single of the Greatest Bars in America by Esquire.

Eleve: However you can not go completely wrong with any downtown rooftop bar, this just one atop the Grand Bohemian Resort stands out for its Alice In Wonderland-esque aesthetic.

• Indeed, and: The wine mixing class at the hotel’s downstairs bar tends to make for a fun evening activity. You can take home your possess custom wine with a custom made label as a souvenir.

Carmella’s: The silver lining of staying a city beloved by wedding and bachelorette functions is that they can assistance a superior amount of late-night time dessert bars. Carmella’s is the attempted-and-true alternative for grabbing an espresso martini and a slice of cake before contacting it a evening.

Do:

Tour: Get a harbor cruise, a walking ghost tour or visit one of our several museums.

Check out on foot: The ideal way to get in the city’s architecture and natural elegance is to immerse on your own in it. Commence in the historic district to see some of the oldest continue to-standing structures in the state, then make you to White Stage Gardens or Waterfront Park for harbor views.

• Or, wander up King Road for sights and searching.

Hit the beach: I cannot in fantastic conscience propose a vacation to this minor coastal town without a go to to its coast.

• Our closest beaches are within just a 30-minute travel from downtown.
• Plan for at minimum a 50 %-day there to have time to get pleasure from the seaside, examine the island and seize a bite to take in.

For a no-frills, fried Lowcountry seafood evening meal go to Bowens Island near Folly Beach front. Stay clear of the line by receiving there early. Continue to be for the sunset, if you can.

To pretend it can be no-frills when there are really loads, go to Sullivan’s Fish Camp on Sullivan’s Island.

• Its ambiance is built to appear unassuming but is skillfully accomplished by a workforce whose previous customers consist of Wes Anderson.

Of course, but: If you want to see the Lowcountry but will not like sand, skip the beach front and go to Shem Creek in Mount Enjoyable as an alternative.