Charleston, South Carolina

Our family is attempting to travel to all 50 states through creative road trips. We prefer to choose a route which may have several destination stops throughout the trip. This often results in spending a short amount of time in one city. We love to get the flavor of the place that we are visiting by experiencing dining experiences, seeing a well-known icon from that area or simply experiencing the understated charm of that particular area.

Our Spring Break trip of 2024 resulted in a short stop in Charleston, South Carolina. I have outlined our must-sees in Charleston.

I loved all the window boxes!

We arrived in the evening and caught dinner with a friend that had recently moved to the Charleston area. We actually met up in Mount Pleasant as that was convenient for her and close to our hotel.

We grabbed dinner at Ty's Roadside Coastal Kitchen. The staff was friendly and there was plenty to choose from on the menu. We were able to sit outside which made for a nice, casual evening to catch up.

We had been traveling all day so we headed to our hotel shortly after that. We chose to stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant. We had a great stay and the views of the bridge at night were a highlight for my husband.

Arthur Ravenal Jr. Bridge (Cooper River Bridge)

Because there is so much history in Charleston and we had limited time, a walking tour was very appealing to our family. We chose to do a morning walking tour with Bulldog Tours. It was very informative and a great way to efficiently see the highlights of the city. (Check Groupon for deals!) Our guide was Nancy and we loved her. I decided that I want to be Nancy when I retire. A walking tour guide in this beautiful city sounds like an ideal gig.

We loved everything about Nancy!

There was so much to see and learn on the tour. Below are some of our favorite sites. The picture of my girls on Rainbow Row is one of my favorite pictures. We also enjoyed the architecture of the Circular Congregational Church. After the tour, we made sure to get a family photo at the iconic Pineapple Fountain.

After the walking tour was finished, we decided to visit the Charleston City Market. We enjoyed seeing the items for sale- many of them handmade. We also indulged in some treats after all our walking. There is a lot to see in the market and some more shops nearby as well.

Charleston City Market

After the market, we decided to have an early dinner before moving on to our next destination. Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek was recommended to us. This is a very popular destination, and we had a bit of a wait even at an off-peak time. The food was good, but the atmosphere would be even better on a sunny day. (It was a bit cloudy the day we visited.) This is a popular destination because dolphins commonly swim by in the creek. We saw one, but did not catch it on the camera. Fun experience!

We had a great visit and Charleston has our heart. We hope to be back to visit again sometime!

Read about our entire road trip on this post: 50 State Journey-The Midwest to the Wild West.

Follow along for more multi-destination trips at Middle of the Road Mindset.