Charleston in 3 Days

My family recently took a trip to Charleston, and I wanted to share our experience so you know what to do in Charleston (in 3 days). This was my fourth year attending Haven Conference, and the first time it was being held in Charleston.  I was immediately excited because I knew I would love Charleston (because I believe I am a southern girl trapped in the midwest).

I shared my experience with Haven last year (you can read about that Haven conference experience here). Since I won the Home Depot’s Orange Tank last year (which allowed me to DIY my dream kitchen), I had the honor of being the guest judge for this year’s Orange Tank completion.  It was so fun to be on the other side of the table!

Since Haven was being held in Charleston, my family decided to make it a family adventure.  Steve flew in with the kids after the conference ended, and we spent three days exploring what should be my home. Since their flight was late (and to save a little money), we stayed at a Fairfield Inn near the airport the first night.  However, the next three nights we splurged and stayed at the Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel. It had some unique and quirky decor – which we all loved.

It was right in the middle of downtown Charleston and self parking was only $20 in a nearby garage (we rented a car). The room was small, but the hotel provided a cot so all five of us had a bed.

Day One: Middleton Place & Sullivan’s Island

The first day we got up and went to Middleton Place (plantation).  It was hot, so we were armed with water, fans and frog togs. We purchased the tickets when we arrived, and I was surprised how expensive the plantation was.  We decided to do the entire experience which included a home tour and a carriage ride. We learned a lot and the kids enjoyed it, so I felt like it was overall a good experience.

I could have stayed longer just walking around the grounds, but the rest of my family doesn’t tolerate heat well.

We headed towards Charleston and stopped at Hominy Grill for a late lunch.

We avoided the line this way, and we all loved our meals. We went back to the hotel and ventured over to Sullivan’s Island. The kids had fun playing in the ocean for a few hours and then we headed back to the hotel.  We ended up ordering pizza that evening and eating it in the room.  The heat took a toll on everyone, and we headed to bed.

Day Two: Downtown Charleston & Fort Sumter

We managed to experience most of downtown Charleston in one day.  We began by walking to Palmetto Carriage Works where we had booked a residential district tour.

We arrived for our time slot and didn’t have to wait long before our carriage arrived. We learned so much from our tour guide, and I would highly recommend taking a carriage ride tour of the city.

Next we headed to the City Market which was really close to our carriage tour.  The kids found some fun souvenirs and then we headed on to the Old Slave Mart Museum. It was definitely hard for all of us to walk through that museum.

From there we went to the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon which was so interesting.  We had a really interesting tour guide who walked us through the dungeon.

From there we had lunch at a really good barbecue restaurant (I’ll try to find the name to share).

We then headed down Rainbow Row and walked back up to Waterfront Park.

We then headed out to Fort Sumter which requires a ferry ride.  The boys were definitely more interested in the fort (Lena and I weren’t so much).

We were completely exhausted after a full day and ordered Chinese in that evening.

Day Three: Kiawah Island

We crammed so much into day two because we really wanted a full beach day. After asking around, the general consensus for the best beach was Kiawah Island.

It was supposed to rain, but we ended up having a gorgeous day and spent over five hours at the beach.  We went to the public beach, and I was so impressed with how nice it was.  We were able to rent chairs and an umbrella and there were bathrooms and showers. We went back that evening and cleaned up before dinner and enjoyed our last evening strolling the gorgeous streets of Charleston.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip. We hope to come back again someday Charleston!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.