By Part two of the mother/daughter trip was a trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston has been on a role lately, being named America’s best small city five years in a row, and recently, one of the top small cities in the world. I had high expectations for the “Holy City” and was very excited to visit. Like Savannah, there is so much history and charm everywhere you look. Horse drawn carriages, cobblestone streets, elegant and colorful homes, and a gorgeous waterfront park are quintessential Charleston.
Making our way from Savannah back into Charleston I had a mission: to see the oldest living oak in the US, the Angel Oak Tree. Located on Johns Island, just south of downtown Charleston, it was the perfect location to see it on our way into the city. Words cannot describe the amazingness of this tree. It was MASSIVE, it was beautiful, it was breathtaking. To think of all the history, people, events that this tree must have seen in it’s 500+ years of living. I could have stared at it for hours. There are signs all around the tree to not touch it, lean on it, sit on it, because it is expected to live for another 500 years, but of course, tourists were doing all the above. There were way more tourists than I had expected to see at the tree, but we managed to get some decent photos when the crowds thinned out. I would definitely recommend seeing this spectacular piece of nature.
After our pitstop on Johns Island, we made our way to the downtown area. I had done my research on restaurants to try, and first up was 167 RAW, known for amazing oysters, poboy sandwiches and lobster rolls. The restaurant has a sister property in Nantucket so they get the freshest lobster and northern east coast oysters in daily…sign me up! The restaurant itself is VERY small, a true oyster bar setup, and they don’t take reservations so it can be a bit of a wait. My mom and I went around 1:30pm on a Monday, and we got in right away. The oysters were absolutely delicious and the lobster roll rivaled ones that I have eaten in New England. Paired with a nice Sauvignon Blanc, we were in heaven!
After our delightful lunch, it was time to check into our hotel. We chose to stay at the Harbourview Inn, because it was right on the waterfront with gorgeous views and we were in walking distance of the historic district. The hotel was nice, and had gorgeously appointed rooms, and included daily free breakfast that you ordered from your room the night before. Sounded great, but the breakfast was AWFUL…I do not know how they managed to mess up a bagel, a quiche and a mimosa, but they did. The bagel was stale, the quiche had no taste and the mimosa was flat. It was very disappointing. The service was also disappointing, with the front desk people not being very helpful or friendly. Next time, I would definitely chose a different hotel. However the location was good, so we went out to walk around Charleston. First, we checked out Waterfront Park, right across the street from our hotel. The park is beautiful and has sweeping views of the Charleston Harbor and the Ravenel Bridge, as well as the famous Pineapple Fountain.
Next, we walked to the Charleston City Market, which is a historic market through the heart of city. It stretches for blocks and blocks, selling all kinds of souvenirs, local goods, artwork and the famous sweetgrass baskets. The market is over 200 hundred years old, and on the list of National Historic Places, so I definitely recommend going. The newer, remodeled part even has A/C, which is a nice relief from the heat, and you can get some great finds to bring home.
After the City Market, we thought we would keep the shopping going and check out the gorgeous King Street, known for high-end retailers and boutiques. The adorable street was lined with the Charleston palmettos and historic and colorful buildings that have been converted into shops. We loved walking around this street, and there were many beautiful hotels (I would love to stay on King Street next time!). We popped in to have a cocktail, then decided to walk back to our hotel and call it a night.
The next morning we woke up early to head out to Fort Sumter. Mom and I are both history buffs, and she teaches US history, so we definitely wanted to check this historic site out. Fort Sumter is known as the spot “where the Civil War began”, and has played an important part in American history. Now, it is a National Park, and visitors can come at certain times by ferry boat to the fort. The best part about visiting by boat, is that it limits the number of people, and you get an hour to explore on your own. This was more than enough time, and we really enjoyed visiting the museum and the ruins. All in all, the experience took us about two and a half hours, and was well worth seeing.
After Fort Sumter, we were starved! Of course, it was time to eat some of that delicious Southern cuisine we had come for. I had heard about a restaurant called Leon’s Oyster Shop, surprisingly known for their fried chicken sandwich…YUM! What I loved about this place was that it was outside the historic district, so off the tourist track, and locals raved about the place. It did not disappoint! The atmosphere was awesome: it was an old garage that had been converted into a restaurant, with exposed beams, Christmas light strands hanging, old photographs and blues music playing. We went around 2:30, so it wasn’t crowded at all, and we got service right away. We went for the fried chicken sandwich, served on a homemade bun topped with slaw and pickles. It was delicious! It came with a cucumber salad, and we ordered a side of brussels sprouts and those were also delicious. We left very full and very happy!
After Leon’s, we headed back to the historic district to do some more exploring. We walked by the famous Rainbow Row, at the colorful homes, and down some old cobblestone streets. The homes in Charleston are so incredibly charming and beautiful, we loved them. We also heard the city has extremely strict rules on what you can do if you own one of the historic homes, so that really keeps them in good shape and they all fit in with the historic charm of the city.
We then decided to cave in and take a carriage ride. I was anti-carriage ride at first because of the heat and how it may affect the horses, but after doing some research, I found that Charleston has the toughest laws on carriage ride providers. They set the bar high for these companies, and the companies really do take great care of the horses. They must rest them for at least 20 minutes after every ride, they have huge cold water buckets for them to drink from, misting machines and shade. They look after them well, after all it is their livelihood. We did enjoy being able to see a lot of the historic district without walking, but overall the carriage ride was pretty non-eventful. The guide gave us a few interesting facts, but nothing too exciting, and we were crammed on with ten other tourists. If you go in cooler temperatures (like the fall or winter season), I would rather walk around than take a carriage.
After a full day, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our final dinner. We went up to the rooftop bar of our hotel, which was fabulous! This was definitely the best part of the hotel. You could see the water in one direction, and the historic downtown in the other. We enjoyed a cocktail and watched the sunset before dinner.
For our final dinner and highlight of Charleston, we had made reservations at HUSK. I cannot even describe how excited I was to eat here. I had heard/read/watched so many great things on this place, and being a “foodie”, I couldn’t wait to try it out. HUSK is known for fresh, local Southern ingredients that are true to the roots of South Carolina cooking techniques. They have Carolina pig roasted over an open pit, Carolina gold rice, which used to be the number one crop during the days of slavery, and fresh oysters. Their menu changes daily, but always represents the best Southern ingredients and freshness. The owner and James Beard award-winning chef, Sean Brock, was raised in the South and has completely dedicated himself to bringing back the true, delicious cuisines the way they used to be made. Basically if an older Southern woman came into HUSK, she would taste the food and go “that is how my momma used to make it”. First up, we ordered some Carolina honey ham with cheddar biscuits. This was TO DIE FOR! It was basically “prosciutto” of the South, with thin slices of locally raised ham served with homemade biscuits and house-made dijon mustard and pickles. It makes my mouth water just writing about it! Mom ended up ordering the open-pit smoked pork with heirloom tomatoes, and I did fried catfish with okra gumbo and Carolina gold rice. My goodness, everything was beyond amazing. The pork literally fell apart it was so tender, I’ve never seen or tasted anything like it. The heirloom tomatoes were heavenly. The catfish was fried in a homemade cornmeal batter that was light and super crunchy, and the Carolina gold rice has a fragrant, lovely flavor to it. Once again, we left completely stuffed and SO very happy. It was the best way to end our last night. When on vacation, right?!
We had such a great time exploring the historic streets and eating delicious food in both Savannah, and Charleston. The Lowcountry, as they call it, did not disappoint: it is full of beauty, friendly people, history, charm and everything in between. There is a culture there that is completely unique to the region, and it shows everywhere you go. The cuisine is some of the best in the United States, and I do not say that lightly, and the history that influences the cuisine you can taste and feel in the ingredients. Do yourself (and your tastebuds) a favor and go visit Charleston!
Happy Travels,
Courtney
OFF THE BEATEN 'EX-PAT'H 