Our 24 Hours in Charleston!

With summer coming to a close faster than I’d like to think about, we decided very last minute to get out of dodge for the weekend and head down to Charleston to make some memories. When we decided to move to the East Coast, we vowed to take lots of weekend trips to the beach, mountains, etc…and, quite frankly, we’ve really been bad about just picking up and going. So, here’s to booking a hotel on Thursday night and hoping for the best. We left around 9 am Saturday morning and got into Charleston around noon. We drove right into Sullivan’s Island and stopped in for a quick lunch at Taco Mamacita, which was amazing! I haven’t found a place in Charlotte with really good street tacos, so this was a real treat…and don’t even get me started on the street corn…definitely some of the best we’ve ever had. We did a quick change and headed straight for the beach. By the way Landry ran for the ocean, you’d think that we lived at the beach. We played in the surf and jumped waves yelling “weeeee” for a solid two hours, and until both of our backs were literally about to give out. Next stop, Charleston and the Planters Inn. 

We were SO happy with our stay here. The overall experience was so old-school and charming and perfect for a stay in Charleston. The decor is elegant Southern Traditional, true to the buildings age, but not over the top. The antique pieces are perfectly placed and rugs layered just so, to make it feel cozy and welcoming, but not stuffy. Our room was street level and so charming. There was a huge bay window that Landry stood in 99% of the time and waved to scared the heck out of people walking on the street. There was a full traditional turn down service complete with homemade fudge and fruit infused water on the bedside tables. The keys weren’t cards, yet old-school large, heavy keys that fit perfectly into the massive brass locks on each door. It felt so good to almost go back in time. 

Adjoining the hotel is the Peninsula Grill, which many consider the best restaurant in Charleston. We swore we’d try it at least for breakfast, but decided to save the experience (and the experience of the other patrons) for a time where we were sans toddler. I am dying to try it though.

Since we booked on Thursday, it was pointless to try and get a reservation for dinner, so we tried to go early and hope for the best. Since Charleston is pretty much a reservation only city, we did run into trouble trying to get into our top three picks, but ended up sitting on the patio at Blossom. There was a cute koi pond that kept LK thoroughly entertained and we noshed on:

bacon jam, pimiento cheese, tomato butter, red pepper jelly 

Cast Iron Skillet Scallops
sorghum BBQ sauce, white cheddar grits, beech mushrooms, English peas, Creole brown butter vinaigrette

Buttermilk Fried Local Shrimp
white cheddar grits, rémoulade & cocktail sauce

It was every bit as delicious as it sounds too, I would highly recommend it!

After some more walking and seeing along the waterfront, we stopped in to tour the Calhoun Mansion. The story of this house is amazing and the current owner is a crazy avid antique collector, so now it’s really more like an eclectic museum with pieces from all over the world. How crazy that on the tour an adorable couple engaged LK and come to find out they live two streets over from us. Small world!