I had been contemplating a weekend getaway for my birthday when Southern Living announced their 50th Anniversary weekend in Charleston for the same dates. Anyone that knows me well is aware that I live, eat and breathe Southern Living magazine, so it was pretty much fate!
I talked my friends into joining and we booked an Airbnb that ended up being the most adorable home full of Southern charm. The house was located within walking distance to King St. and just a short Uber ride to everything else we wanted to do (or eat).
It wouldn’t be my birthday if there were no theme so I decided to go with pineapples to commemorate the pineapple fountain on the Charleston waterfront. Pineapples are also a symbol of hospitality and I wanted to let my friends know how much I appreciated them coming to celebrate the weekend with me!
A hospitality table for my friends complete with photo booth props I made.
I spent a lot of time researching activities and restaurants since traveling with a group can be difficult when deciding what to do and staying on some form of a schedule. We ended up eating SO well and having such a blast so I wanted to share our weekend with you!
Friday:
This was the night of the Southern Living Live Chef + Editor Dinner at Circa 1886 and I am literally still so excited I can’t even put it all into words yet. I’ll have more to share on that later but I’ll talk about everything else we did Friday.
I needed (or wanted) some birthday shoes so we hit up King St. for some shopping. While out, we stopped for a quick bite at Hyman’s Seafood. I was eating light in anticipation for the dinner so I only had a crabcake and salad, but the fresh fish selection looked super yummy. The walls were adorned with mementos from famous people that had stopped in and the tables with plaques of who had sat there, so it made for a fun experience. Rick Flair had sat at our table!
After shopping, I went to my appointment at Tease Blow Dry Bar to get a blow out. Although my big hair didn’t last long in the South Carolina humidity it was nice not to have to do it myself. If you are in town for a girls’ weekend, wedding or some other type of event it’s a nice way to relax and get pampered for an hour. Also, they serve wine (enough said), but be sure to schedule an appointment in advance as they fill up fast!
Although I’m saving dinner details for another post, I do want to recommend Circa 1886. Chef Marc Collins planned the most delectable menu for our event so I can only imagine the other dishes they offer. The restaurant is located in a carriage house of the beautiful Wentworth Mansion and the atmosphere is stunning…GO.
The rest of my friends arrived in town while I was at dinner, just in time to hit up the King St. nightlife. We went to Republic, which was a great spot if you are looking for more of a hip-hop music scene. Afterwards we walked over to Callie's Hot Little Biscuit and although I have to admit I don’t remember much about anyone’s meal (it was my birthday, cut me some slack!), I heard nothing but positive reviews the next morning. Last year I had the pimento cheese sandwich and it was delicious so I trust that it was just as delicious this year too.
I brought an instant camera and set up a "photo booth" on a blank space of wall
Saturday:
My goal for Saturday was to map out a good walking tour with plenty of food and drink stops along the way so we wouldn’t have to deal with any transportation.
We started out at Dixie Supply Bakery & Cafe, a hidden gem attached to a convenience store. They have everything from chicken and waffles to a tomato pie that they bake fresh upon ordering. I had the State Street Biscuit, which is a fried chicken biscuit smothered in gravy and topped with a fried egg. My stomach was as happy with this biscuit as my arteries were mad at it. I was too full for dessert but the pies looked scrumptious.
We then headed to City Market to walk around and check out the vendors. They have a fun collection of art, knickknacks, souvenirs, etc.…most of which are handmade. I bought a hand painted cooking oil cruet as well as some pralines and a variety of meat jerky.
The Rooftop Bar at Vendue
Next stop was the The Rooftop Bar at the unique Vendue art hotel. Inside you’ll find cool exhibits such as an assortment of View-Masters to look through and a huge pin art-thingy. Do those have names? Anyways, we went up to the roof for drinks and convo. I had a Peach Mule and Spicy Mango Margarita, both of which were delicious and the views of the Historic District and waterfront were beautiful.
The human size pin-art board at Vendue (we had so much fun!)
From The Rooftop we headed to Waterfront Park to take pictures in front of the pineapple fountain with the tanks I had made the group, then over to the famous Rainbow Row.
The last stop on our afternoon adventure was The Gin Joint. I love the cocktails at The Gin Joint, which serves pretty much everything except vodka. My favorite is the “Bartender’s Choice” where you choose two words such as fruity, spicy, strong, sweet, etc. and the bartender comes up with a drink based on the words. I chose “spicy” and “fruity” and ended up ordering a second of the same because it was that good. The beef jerky here is made in-house and has an awesome flavor.
After some down time and napping off our fun-filled afternoon, we hit up Swig & Swine for dinner. I’m not going to add much here about my opinions regarding South Carolina pulled pork BBQ as they may be too biased, but Swig & Swine had a great selection of meats and all the portions were large. I am picky about my BBQ sides and their's were well made. We ordered take out but their craft beer selection inside also looked solid.
Saturday night we headed to the Market St. area and discovered Pavilion Bar atop the Market Pavilion Hotel (clearly we have a thing for rooftop bars). There is a pool with fountains on the roof and plenty of tables/seating for groups. The atmosphere was lovely and we really enjoyed the night views of the city!
As we finished our drinks I ordered pizza from Pizzeria Di Giovanni to pick up for late night. The single slices are huge but if you’re with a group, go for the 28” pizza! It was a quick walk from the bar and placing the order ahead of time cut down on the wait. The pizza was so big it had to go in the trunk of the Uber but it was perfect late night food!
Sunday:
Before heading home Sunday morning we headed to Hominy Grill for brunch. Make sure you arrive early to avoid the rush, but even the wait is bearable since there is a window to the bar on the outside of the building so you can order bloody marys and mimosas (among other options) while you wait. I love the tin roof ceilings and homey décor inside and the food at Hominy Grill lives up to the hype. I’ve had the fried green tomatoes, salmon potato cakes and shrimp and grits…all of which were great! Their Charleston Nasty Biscuit also looks amazing.
As you can tell we didn’t do a whole lot other than eat and drink in Charleston but it is such a good walking city that you can definitely get your steps in to burn off some of the calories. We barely scratched the surface of all the awesome things to do, see and eat in the Holy City so I’m already looking forward to next trip!
Can’t wait to hear about your favorite places to visit in Charleston!
A recap of the weekend's activities!