Charleston, South Carolina.

Like I've mentioned in previous posts, I've lived in multiple states across the southeast and visited multiple places. However, one state I had never been to was South Carolina. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Allison, you live in Tennessee... It's super close to you. Why have you not gone to South Carolina?" I know, I know I've been missing out. So of course, your girl decided to take a weekend trip and explore the southern half of the Carolinas. Unfortunately, I couldn't go all the way home to Texas for Easter weekend, but we had a 3 day weekend from school. Me being me, I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing all weekend. I decided to drive down to Charleston, one of the most visited cities in the state. Considering Charleston is on the coast, I was able to drive through most of the state and stop wherever, and whenever, I wanted!

Let me just tell you, this was one of the best decisions I've made in a long long time.

I had always heard that Charleston was an extraordinary city, but I didn't know just how amazing it was. I was feeling overwhelmed with school and graduating, and the chill, coastal lifestyle of Charleston was the perfect weekend getaway to reset my mind. I was charmed with the city from the second I crossed into it. My expectations were high, but good lord those expectations were blown out of the water.

Day 1:

The first day, Friday, I spent the first half of the morning driving from Knoxville down to Charleston. Taking short stops in Spartanburg, Orangeburg, Greenville, and Columbia, I made my way to my hotel in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard which had a balcony overlooking the pool, fire-pit, and multiple trees in the background. It was the perfect place for a morning coffee or a late night sunset watch. Staying in Mt. Pleasant was incredible because I got to explore that area, and downtown Charleston was only a short drive over the bridge. It was like getting two vacations in one.

After checking into my hotel, I knew I wanted to stay and explore this area more for the night. Before I came to SC, I researched some popular areas, parks, and whatnot. One of those places being the Mt. Pleasant Pier. This pier is situated under the Arthur J. Ravenel Bridge, the bridge that connects Mt. Pleasant to Charleston. It includes a gift shop, a restaurant, and hosts multiple events throughout the year. The pier was brimming with families taking a stroll, or kids playing on the playground. There were dogs playing fetch in a field near the water, and fathers and daughters doing a little fishing.

After that, I decided that you can't come to the coast without going to the beach. So I went to the closest one, Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Isle of Palms is not a very popular beach apparently, but I thought it was gorgeous. If you're like me, and don't like a lot of people around, this beach is great. I went around 4pm, and although it was a little windy and cloudy, there were maybe 3 other families and a group of teenage boys on the beach. It is a very small beach city, but the main strip is stuffed with large houses and restaurants side-by-side. At this point, I was getting a little hungry, so I asked the locals where the best place to eat was. Coconut Joe's. With a large dining room, live music, and outdoor seating right on the beach, this place was perfect for an on-the-water dining experience. Now, you can't go to the coast without eating seafood, so thats just what I ordered. Some good ole fish and chips. The waitress also said their crab cakes were one of the most popular items, so I told her to throw one of those in there as well. I was not disappointed. If you are in the Isle of Palms area, I highly recommend this place. After dinner, I took a stroll on Isle of Palms Beach, which can be accessed by Coconut Joes, or through Isle of Palms County Park.

Day 2:

On my second day, I decided to spend the day in downtown Charleston; hitting all the popular tourist spots. My first stop was Waterfront Park and the infamous Pineapple Fountain. Honestly, I don't know why this Pineapple-shaped fountain is so freaking popular, but you know your girl had to feel cool and go see it. Waterfront Park is a stunning park situated in downtown Charleston. Full of houses that are way out of my price range, but extravagantly built, it's a great place to take a short excursion and dream about owning a big house on the water. There are large trees that create a canopy over the walkway, making it a nice shaded walk filled with budding flowers and a view of the Charleston Harbor.

Next up, was Battery Park. Not actually a park at all... Essentially a walkway along the barrier wall, you can park nearby and get a nearly 180 degree view of the Charleston Bay. If you like history like I do, I recommend researching the history behind this "park" and you'll appreciate it a little bit more.

If history isn't quite your thing, but you appreciate cool and pretty things, go visit Rainbow Row. This row of houses are all painted different colors, but no one knows why. Even the current owners of the houses have no idea why they were all painted various colors, but to keep the tradition alive, they kept them the same. Of course, there isn't much to do here besides take a cool pic for Insta, but it's still an intriguing place to visit because of the story behind it.

There is also a yellow house next to the green house (on the left) but unfortunately I could not get the full picture to upload.

If you explore downtown Charleston, I highly highly highly recommend dining at a rooftop bar! Whether it's eating a full meal, or just stopping for drinks, a rooftop bar gives you a panoramic view of the city. There are multiple rooftops bars across Charleston, but The Watch Rooftop Kitchen and Spirits, happened to be the one I stumbled into. Located on the 7th floor of an upscale hotel, the restaurant not only has dining inside, but has multiple outdoor patios for various views of the city. Their drink menu is phenomenal and the wait staff was so helpful and friendly!

Other popular rooftop bars include:

- The Rooftop Bar at Vendue

- Market Pavilion Rooftop Bar

- Stars Rooftop

- Eleve Rooftop

- The Grand Bohemian Hotel

I ended my second day in Charleston by going on a sunset boat cruise/tour/thing and oh my god this is probably one of the greatest ways to see the area (and you get some amazing sunset pics too)! I found Sandlapper Water Tours online and I give them a 10/10. With a group of no more than 20 people on the boat, it was small and intimate. There we 2 captains on board and one guide/assistant (I'm not sure how to explain it). They served beer, wine, cheese, all the goods that go along with a sunset boat cruise and were spouting facts and information about the places and monuments we were visiting. Of course, since I was alone and most of the people on the boat were groups or families, I do what I do and made some friends. I met a group of people from Knoxville, who had graduated from UT and quickly became friends with them (so shoutout to you guys if you're reading this)! This sunset boat cruise was probably the highlight of my trip. I was hesitant of doing it at first, but I cannot suggest this enough. I mean JUST LOOK AT THESE PICS!!!

Day 3:

On my last day in South Carolina, Easter Sunday, I only had a few hours before I had to hit the road back to Knoxville. It was a gorgeous, sunny, and relatively windy day, but I knew I wanted to do something outside. So what does one do when it's your last day in South Carolina? I went to the beach. Again. But instead of going back to Isle of Palms, I decided to head a little west to Sullivan's Island. Sullivan's Island is a little more popular than Isle of Palms, but I mean a beach is a beach to me. I decided to grab some coffee and breakfast and have a small picnic on the beach before I had to leave. Sullivan's Island is a quaint, little island town with strips of restaurants and large houses. If you're a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, check out Poe's Tavern. It's an entire restaurant dedicated to the famous poet; not to nerd out or anything but I thought it was pretty cool.

If there's one thing to sum up this post: GO TO CHARLESTON. You will not be disappointed due to the fact there are so may things to do and so many places to see. And did I mention the beach? I mean Charleston has it all. So just do yourself a favor and head on over.