Follow Bekah to Charleston, South Carolina

For years, I have been dying to go to Charleston, South Carolina; it has been my number one travel destination in the US. Why? It looked so dreamy with the pastel houses and moss covered trees, I knew I would love aimlessly exploring.

When I was asked to attend The Makers Summit in Greenville, SC, I knew I had to make a trip of it and FINALLY go to Charleston. Going there didn’t disappoint, it was just as picturesque and charming as imagined.

If you get the chance to go, you can follow my footsteps and see my top three spots in Charleston.

1. Just Walk

When you book your trip to Charleston, leave plenty of time to wander. If you jam pack your itinerary with things to do, you’ll miss out on the good stuff.

My favorite part was wandering around looking at the old houses and getting lost in the cute alleyways. The most historical houses are known to be “South of Broad Street,” and walking around this area was amazing. These houses are called Charleston single homes and their owners have to follow strict rules to preserve their “olden days” charm. Each one is unique and has so much character.

I spent hours walking around these winding old roads.

  1. Eat at Butcher & Bee

We ate a lot in Charleston because there were so many restaurants we had to try. Everyone I talked to had a different opinion of what was the best. I tried to go to a lot of Southern restaurants because “When in Rome,” right?

We almost didn’t make it to Butcher & Bee but I am so glad we did. It was definitely my favorite meal and will be yours too.

If you find Butcher & Bee on Yelp!, it is categorized as a Southern restaurant. I wouldn’t classify it that way; to me, it was a modern Mediterranean restaurant. The Whipped Feta and Squash pancakes were probably in my top favorite dishes of all time. The falafel was also really good, and I am super picky about falafel.

Most tourists stay around King Street but this restaurant is definitely worth the 10-15 minute Uber ride.

  1. Wander around the Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood

If you haven’t already noticed, wandering around aimlessly is my favorite thing to do when traveling. I usually try to find areas that have a lot of coffee shops, stores, bars and boutiques, so I can wander around and see what I can find.

The Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood is a great little neighborhood that is less busy than something like King Street (the main shopping district of Charleston) and isn’t far either. We started our expedition of this neighborhood with a lunch reservation at Chez Nous. This restaurant was repeatedly recommended by locals.

Every day they handwrite a new menu with two options for an appetizer, two options for an entree and two options for dessert.

After we ate it was time to shop, duh!

We stopped at Candy Shop Vintage, which OMG is so cute. They sell actual vintage pieces but is also has a line of vintage-inspired jewelry that the owner designed herself.

After that, stop at Cannonborough Collective (shout out to the owner Liz who I met at The Makers Summit). You must stop by this store if you are in Charleston. All of the things she carries in the store are by local Charleston designers. It is a great place to get souvenirs if you want something more than a boring old t-shirt.

Oh, and after you have shopped till you dropped, don’t forget to grab something sweet at Sugar Bakeshop.

PS: I know I always do a PS with these posts, but if you have a few extra days to spare, I would definitely do the three-hour drive north to Greenville. I wasn’t sure what to expect going there, but I loved it. Dare I say I loved it as much as Charleston?

TravelRebekah Epstein