For our 21st wedding anniversary, Scott and I decided to visit Charleston, SC for the first time. We took a 6am flight out of Fort Launderdale with a quick layover in Charlotte, NC. That got us into Charleston by 10:15am. Yes, there are direct flights, but both of us are American frequent flyers, so we flew American.
The weather was perfect the day we arrived with light winds and 73 degrees. From our hotel (Marriott Courtyard Historic District) we walked to the Gadsden’s Wharf which was about a 15 minute walk. One thing I loved about Charleston was the historical sites. The city shares the story of each site and has preserved so much of the past.
Scott and I grabbed lunch at a great deli called East Bay Deli and the food was amazing. I highly recommend stopping by here.
At Gadsden’s Wharf you will find the new African-American Historical Museum. Outside they have memorials on display and we had planned to visit the museum on Saturday, but the weather would change that.
Fort Sumter & Harbor Cruise
We checked out the Fort Sumter visitor center, which actually had a lot of historical information. Scott and I had a harbor cruise booked for 1:30pm, and it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. They serve drinks and snacks onboard and the weather was warm and sunny. The cruise is about 90 minutes and takes you by Fort Sumter, to the Arthur Ravenal Bridge.
We didn’t stop by Fort Sumter, but we will on our next visit.
Historic District
After our cruise, we walked around the historic district briefly as we had planned on exploring most of it the following day.
There are two main streets in Charleston, Meeting Street and King Street. We didn’t discover King Street until the following day. This is where all of restaurants, bars and retail shops are located.
Charleston is known for it’s churches and they have a city ordinance that no building can be taller than the steeples.
2nd Day in Charleston
Scott and I woke up to 25mph winds and cold temperatures. But we still walked about 10 blocks to breakfast which was outstanding! My eggs came with “tomato gravy and ham powder” and they were delicious. I never knew what tomato gravy was, but now I do.
Our first stop was the Charleston Historical Museum. There was so much history in here, but it also included much more. They had a dinosaur, Egyptian, and textile section too. We bought the $30 ticket which also got us into two historical homes.
This whale washed up on the wharf and they salvaged the skeleton for the museum.
Historical Homes
Our first home was that of John Manigault’s home, built in 1803. It was so cool to be in a house that was built so long ago.
Next we headed to the wharf where we planned to take the water taxi (a pontoon boat) across the bay to tour the USS Yorktown. Unfortunately the seas were 3-5′ and there was no water taxi. So we continued south to the Pineapple Fountain and the Pier. Let’s just say, this was a very cold walk!
From here we walked to the “row houses” which were incredible. People live in them today and then were toured the Heyward-Washington House. You’ll notice that many of these houses have the porches sideways. This was to allow a breeze in during the hot summer months.
The kitchens were typically not in the actual house, but were a separate building that also housed the slaves upstairs. The living conditions for the slaves was horrible.
We walked back to our hotel (about 10 blocks) from the historical district and just took in the sights.
We did walk thru the City Market which is fairly long. We thought it would resemble Pike Place Market, but it was mostly arts and crafts.
Muse Restaurant
Scott and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary at Muse and it was fantastic. Located in an old house, each room is a dining area. The food was out of this world!
Weather Warning
The following day we woke up to a number of weather warnings. Due to the amount of rain, all of the museums in DT Charleston were closed due to flooding. Our friends Randy and Molly took us out to Folly Beach which was quite the site to see.
When Scott and I returned to our hotel, we decided to walk down King Street to explore. Then we stopped by Husk for a cocktail – this is a really cool whiskey bar. We did get to spend time with our friends and finished the day with a fantastic dinner at Amen.
Great evening in Charleston
We did get to spend time with our friends Randy and Molly and finished the day with a fantastic dinner at Amen.
Charleston is definitely a city we want to return to and explore more. We also plan on visiting Savannah, GA which has a similar history. That’s another reason we love living in Florida as we are so close to so many great destinations.
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Cheers, Scott and Ally
