Brian and I recently took a long weekend trip to Charleston, SC and loved every single minute of it! I’m going to share our travel itinerary, where we stayed, ate, shopped and what we loved about it in this Charleston Travel Guide.

Where to Stay in Charleston

Zero George – We decided to stay the boutique hotel, Zero George, after receiving a glowing personal recommendation from friends. The intimate hotel lived up to all of our expectations. It is located inside a historic home that was converted into a hotel, so it has a very comfortable feel. There are many little outdoor spots for sitting, relaxing and enjoying the perfect landscaping. Breakfast was included in our stay and was absolutely wonderful (I’m scheming a way to recreate the roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, and spinach quiche as well as their house made granola!).

Three Day Charleston Itinerary

Day 1

• We took an early morning flight and were at the Zero George hotel by 11am
  • Drop bags and get bikes. Zero George has bikes that guests can use. We rode them to lunch then all around town until our 4pm check in time (although our room was ready earlier.)
• Lunch – Xiao Bao Biscuit get the cabbage pancake. This is the item that they are known for, the rest of the menu is fresh and delicious and changes periodically.
• Bike to:
  • Rainbow Row East Bay Street– beautiful colored, historic homes
  • Wynsum Antiques – great antique shop with so many things to look at or purchase
  • Home Tour Aiken-Rhett– this is a historic home tour where the home is being preserved rather than restored. It was amazing to learn history of the home, the city, and the people that lived there.
• 4pm check into the hotel
  • Get ready or dinner
• Dinner – Husk grab a cocktail in the carriage house to this restaurant before dinner. This restaurant has a Southern inspired atmosphere, is in a location that is close to many shops. 

Day 2

• Breakfast – Zero George
• Workout – Jibe, I love to participate in group fitness classes, and this high energy indoor cycling class was a great way to start the day!
• Shopping on King’s Street – this is where most of the shops are! Some of my favorites were Loeffler Randall, Lake Pajamas, Hill House Home, Hampden Clothing, Beau and Ro, Juliska, Minnow
• Lunch – 167 Raw, it will be busy! We found that getting there shortly after 11 allowed for only a 15 minute wait time and we were eating by noon. I had the tuna burger and it was so delicious.
• Home Tour – Nathaniel Russel House, this historic home has been restored rather than preserved like the Aiken-Rhett house. The gardens here were absolutely stunning. 
• Dinner – Chez Nous, this restaurant is small and perfect for a romantic evening. There are six items on the menu and it changes each day. Two appetizers, two entrees,  and two desserts are offered with inspiration from Spain, Italy and France. The food and service were wonderful. We highly recommend doing the wine pairing with the meal!

Day 3

• Breakfast – Zero George 
• Workout – Run to the Batter, this was definitely a leisurely run because we were constantly stopping to admire the homes and gardens along Meeting Street. They were so stunning!!
• Shopping on King Street at any stores we missed.
• Lunch – 82 Queen, this restaurant had an expansive outdoor space that had so many plants and a very garden feel. The “she crab” soup was recommended to us by the team at Zero George and the wait staff at 82 Queen, and it was fantastic! We bought some of the mix to bring home so we could share it with our families.
• Massages – The Dewberry Charleston after lots of walking and biking, this was a great way to end our last full day. It was extremely relaxing.
• Dinner – Zero George, the food here was as wonderful as the service. It was a creative meal served on the patio of one of the historic buildings of this boutique hotel. Because we stayed there during our visit, we simply walked across the courtyard to enjoy our evening meal.

Something to note – we visited at the end of April, which turned out to be perfect timing! The Jasmine was in bloom and had the most wonderful scent and the weather was warm but never too hot. I would highly recommend a visit this time of year.

More Travel Guides:

• 30A Travel Guide
• Travel Essentials for Mom and Baby
• Travel Snacks for Toddlers