I had always wanted to visit Savannah, Georgia. Pictures online depict beautiful squares with Spanish Moss hanging from trees, and architecture which appealed to me. So recently, I decided to finally visit. I also added a visit to Charleston, SC to the end of the trip. I was fully expecting Savannah to be the highlight of my trip, and while Savannah was beautiful, I was blown away by Charleston. Here are 7 reasons why you should put this on your list of must visit places.
- The FOOD
The food in Charleston is absolutely delicious. In this post, I will write about our first dinner at Husk, and then post about the others later. From Southern Food to BBQ to sophisticated tasting menus, we experienced them all in the city. Firstly, the restaurant is located in a beautiful building exuding Southern Charm.
Next, the food was so delicious, especially the pork chop I had (note that they also have locations in Savannah and Nashville). The service was good too. I would definitely return.
Wood fired oysters:
Pimento cheese which I could not stop eating!
Incredibly flavorful pork chop:
As we left, the building was lit up gorgeously for the evening.
2. The architecture
If you like Southern architecture, then you will really enjoy Charleston. Every where I looked I found beauty in the buildings and street scenes. There were certain parts of the city I felt like I was in Europe (there is a section of the city called the French Quarter).
A lot of homes also have exteriors still lit by gas lanterns which I have never seen anywhere else. It gives a lot of character to the city.
3. Good nightlife – I was not expecting Charleston to have good nightlife, but it did! There is a wide range of things to do at night from clubs, to rooftop bars, to cocktail bars and live music, there is something for everyone. The is the view from the rooftop bar at the Hotel Bennett.
Another nice hotel bar we went to was the lobby bar at the Dewberry. Apparently, they also have a nice rooftop bar which we were not able to see because it is very busy and you have to put yourself on a waiting list. The only drawback of this place is that I did not feel the service was very friendly.
The picture below was taken around Meeting St and Columbus which had a lot of people out at night and bars and clubs. There was also a lot of activity and venues on Radcliffe and King.
Another area which seemed to have a lot of nightlife which we visited were the streets around Marion square.
4. The USS Yorktown – This is an aircraft carrier you can explore. We spent about half a day and its well worth it. It was my first time being on an aircraft carrier and its spectacular to see.
It was cool to see the planes on the deck of the carrier, and be able to walk around.
It was also cool to see the inner working of the ship; like this dental room:
5. Its walkable with a lot to see everywhere – Charleston is a very walkable city and there is a lot to see in a relatively small, and compact area. Here are a couple noteworthy things:
The city market – The market is like a long hallway with lots of vendors and things to look at.
King Street – King street is the main strip in Charleston with a lot of shops and restaurants. Its nice to stroll down the street and do some shopping. They have everything from mainstream brands to luxury like Louis Vuitton on the street.
The pineapple fountain – Yes, its touristy, but its also beautiful and worth seeing in the day and night. Its also located in a park area that is nice to walk around by the water.
Battery Street (heading south to White Point Garden) – This is a nice street to walk on as its on the water on one side, and then there are huge mansions on the other you can look at.
6. A lot of history – A lot of it is obviously negative, and you can learn a lot about what happened by visiting the museums and historical places in Charleston. Here are a few we went to:
Old Slave Mart Museum – Here we listened to a speech from this lady who is researching all the atrocious things which occurred during this period in U.S. History. It was a very somber experience.
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon – Learn a lot about the history of Charleston.
Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens – There are a number of different plantations you can visit throughout the area. We choose this one.
The visit includes a tour of the mansion, grounds, as well as a lot of shows and talks about the history.
7. Manners – Charleston is a place where I observed people still dressing up to go out at night, and even in the day. There were still reminders of proper conduct in some of the hotel lobbies I saw.
Overall, I would say Charleston is a very unique part of the U.S. Prior to this trip, it probably would not of been high on my list of places to visit. Now, I would go back, and wouldn’t hesitate recommending someone check it out for themselves!