Who doesn’t love a good road trip?
Out there somewhere is a person who will raise his or her hand, but such folks are certainly in the minority. I, myself, am no stranger to road trips, having driven to Detroit, Mich., Key West, Fla., and even from Charlotte, N.C., up through the Badlands in South Dakota, to Jackson Hole, Wyo. — with our 3 dogs! Few people are that committed to road trips, of course. For those of you who are sane, Charleston, S.C., is an awesome choice for a weekend road trip.
For my 30th birthday, my family and I took a weekend trip up to Charleston. I had briefly visited twice previously, and fell in love with the city. Being from Scotland, originally, what I like most is that it feels like a European town. Compared to the rest of South Carolina, and maybe even the southeast in general, Charleston truly is like a diamond in the rough. It is the embodiment of southern charm, with its historic buildings, upscale restaurants and quaint bed-and-breakfasts.
Whenever I go on vacation, the first thing I want to do is park my car, and I try not to get back in it until it’s time to head home — a rare feat to successfully accomplish in the south, but Charleston is perfect for that, especially if you choose the right place to stay. One a previous trip, we rented a colonial house on Rutledge Ave, which was an experience in itself, but it lengthened our commute and made walking more challenging (especially since we had 3 kids with us). This time, we wanted to be right in the middle of town, so, at the advice of a friend, we decided on a suite in the Doubletree Hotel right in the middle of the historic district.
Now, I’m no athlete, but I do enjoy bicycles (as is evidenced in this article). And, truth be told, there was a secondary purpose to this trip. On Craigslist, I found a cargo bike that many people use, all over the world, as an alternative mode of transportation to cars. So I can speak from experience when I say that Charleston is very bike-friendly.
Besides the beautiful walks and bike rides, several people mentioned that Charleston has a great foodie scene. We did go to FIG, a nice, popular restaurant just around the corner from our hotel for my birthday. The food was great, but I had a hard time relaxing, even after a $7 beer and a $9 cocktail. I’m more of a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl, who has never had a French lesson in her life. Had I been more familiar with French culinary terms, I may have been more at ease and enjoyed the experience more than I did (more on that here).
The Saturday morning farmers' market was a hit with our whole family. We enjoyed the live music and checking out the local crafts. The kids enjoyed the bounce house and petting the many dogs that were out with their owners. We all enjoyed the food vendors.
Located right next to the Charleston Farmers Market, is the King Street shopping area, where we spent quite a bit of time. In fact, because the weather was so cold, we spent the majority of our trip in the King Street area.
On a previous trip, when the weather was much nicer, we enjoyed the Waterfront Park and let the kids wade through The Pineapple Fountain. A picture of this fountain is as obligatory as a picture of one holding up The Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Regretfully, we did not make it to any of the rooftop destinations on either of our trips to Charleston. Many people, locals and otherwise alike, told us that we should definitely go to the rooftop bar at The Vendue Inn, but the cold weather deterred us this time — a perfect excuse to plan another trip to Charleston!
My daughter, Paisley Hewitt, and my 7-year-old cousin, Gabriella Fox, enjoyed riding around Charleston in the front cargo bin of my new bike.
