Fun fact: Charleston was established as America’s first historic district in 1931. The attention to detail and the preservation of this great city makes Charleston a fabulous place to visit.
I now know why Charleston, SC has been consecutively voted the #1 vacation spot in the US.
Charleston is definitely a top tourist destination. Brimming with historic charm and southern hospitality, there’s delicious low country food, fresh caught seafood, and history surrounding you with culture on every corner. I can attest that Charleston is quite a special place to visit.
Charleston is such a walkable city. It has a charming, quaint, small town feeling. Historical buildings over 300 years old, Spanish moss swaying from old oak trees in the coastal breeze, pastel skies dotted with flying seagulls at dusk… it really is a beautiful backdrop for a spring vacation.
Did someone say spring break?
I indeed did!
Liz and I took a quick trip, just a short stay, for Spring break, in Charleston SC.
We really were craving some of those “east coast vibes” and were in need of some girl time. Charleston was the perfect place to have just that!
We stayed at the Francis Marion Hotel, which opened in 1924. We selected this hotel for its location on King Street. The rooms were pretty standard for a historic boutique hotel, bathrooms were small, I mean cozy, beds were super comfortable, and the staff were all extremely friendly throughout our stay. Oh and for being on a main thoroughfare, surprisingly quiet. Bonus is the hotel has a restaurant called the Swamp Fox that has delicious southern fare, huge portions, AND there’s a Starbucks on the first floor! That means you can start and end your day properly!
While in Charleston we casually strolled the streets. We made sure to have some tasty southern food, some fresh caught seafood, and of course, managed to find some delicious Italian. There’s something about being back on the east coast and having the coastal breeze off the harbor, a slight scent of salt and ocean in the air… for us, that’s how everything feels just right!
What I was impressed by was how well maintained all the older buildings were. As Liz said, it had a Disney feeling. Where everything was painted and taken care of, practically picture perfect in every way!
We found our way to a few tourist sites, in the southern area of the city like the Pineapple Fountain, the Joe Riley Waterfront Park and Rainbow Row. Along our walks we passed the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, St Michaels Church and the US Custom’s House.
I wish we had a bit more time to explore all the places around the area. We stayed in the lower southern part of the Charleston peninsula, and there’s so much more that we didn’t even get to experience. We didn’t make our way north past Spiring Street or south past Tradd Street.
There’s so much history and culture to take in, we’ll need another trip to experience more of what Charleston has to offer.
Next trip, we’ll bring Josh along. I think he’ll like it there too.