Girl’s Trip with the Besties to Charleston, SC

Everyone needs a getaway from the hustle and bustle of life and I did that with my besties from 6th grade. This friendship has spanned decades.

We were excited about visiting Charleston because of the gorgeous architecture, history and food.

We decide to check out “touristy” places as well as checking with locals to find out the places that aren’t discussed/hyped up on the internet and of course you can’t be this close to the beach and not spend time there.

We began our trip with the Gullah Geechee Tour. This tour gives a glimpse into the culture of the people who descended from across the water. Gullah people are the direct blood descendants of the slaves brought to the low country regions of South Carolina and Georgia. The tour takes you around the city, so you are able to see so many historic places on one tour. The tour guide is also very entertaining, he wilds out a bit, but overall you get some great information. I was glad we did the tour on our first day because it gave me a different outlook on the city.

Next we did the Sippin’ Wadmalaw Island Tour. This is a 4.5 hour tour of greatness. We were picked up in a luxury car…no drinking and driving. We soon figured out why…if drinking is your thing, this tour is for you. The tour begins at the Angel Oak Tree for pictures (any tour that is conscious of pics is a fav of mine) next was the Wine Tour at Deep Water Vineyards, followed by a Distillery tour of the world-famous Firefly Distillery. Lastly, the tour ends with local, seasonal Craft Beer. Pace yourself, it’s a lot of drinking, but so much fun. Our tour guide was the best.

A must visit in Charleston is Rainbow Row. We decided we wanted to take a group pic, and this was the perfect place. The rainbow of houses with our colors made for perfect pics that we will cherish forever.

We spent a day at the Isles of Palms beach. It was recommended to us as the best beach to visit, less crowded and they were right. We rented four chairs and two umbrellas from Isle of Palm Beach Chair Company to make the beach more enjoyable. I mean I love the beach and all but having a buffer from the sun is always a good idea. I got to play around in the water and that to me makes a perfect vacation.

Four women on vacation, I mean we loved the history, but come on shopping had to happen. Charleston has great places to shop whether you want local or traditional shopping i.e. similar to the mall. The Shops at Charleston Place had a lot of stores you would recognize and for local shopping check out the Charleston City Market. There are so many great shops from local residents, including souvenirs, food/candy and art. One of the items that stood out was the handwoven baskets made by the Gullah people.

Handwoven Baskets made by the Gullah people

Last but not least and really the most important thing for me on vacation is the food. We checked out a couple of touristy places. Hyman’s Seafood…Oprah is a big fan. We actually were able to eat at “her” table and Hominy Grill. Neither were great, but you have to try the “famous” places right. The GOOD food came when we asked the locals. We had Rodney Scott’s BBQ and Bertha’s Kitchen and all was well again. Both of these places were so good and reminded us why Charleston is known for their food.