From the chilly Midwest, to the warm and sunny south – greetings from Charleston, South Carolina!
The Arnold Palmers down here are fahbulous dahling. ;)
Ben and I have spent the past day and half wandering around, and getting to know gorgeous downtown Charleston. From the beautiful, blooming flowers…
To the majestic, southern-style homes…
this place is simply oozing with charm!
From our time spent wandering Tradd, Queen, King, Market, and East Bay Streets, peeking in secret gardens and ally ways, and taking in all the sights, we’ve decided that if New Orleans is the boisterous younger brother of the south, then Charleston is its sophisticated, older sister. We just love it here.
One thing I didn’t realize about the city is that it’s home to the College of Charleston, which is located smack dab in the middle of all the historic sites.
Can you even imagine what it must be like to go to school here? I must say, it’s been a trip seeing all the students streaming down the street with their backpacks on, as us tourists check out their town.
Some highlights so far include breakfast atEast Bay Meeting House on Monday morning. Ben and I strolled past this little cafe/wine bar on our first night here and vowed to come back for breakfast. It’s so cute!
A thick, iced vanilla decaf latte (best ever – probably because it was made with 2% milk) and homemade granola yogurt parfait was perfect to power me through the day.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous (60s and 70s) and while I wanted to sit out on the patio to people watch while we sipped, sadly I lost a game of rock, paper, scissors, and we viewed from the inside at a cozy, corner table. Kind of felt like I was in France!
The Meeting House is just blocks away from the waterfront, so afterwards we spent the afternoon strolling past lush gardens and gorgeous homes that look like they jumped out of the pages of a magazine.
Strolling hand in hand with my handsome fellow.
It’s hard to believe that this is the last trip we’ll take together before our baby boy arrives! (BTW we are totally buying him a bow tie down here, and perhaps a seersucker blazer as well. Southern fashion is seriously my favorite. Such a trip!)
The food scene in Charleston is a big reason why we chose to come down here, and one of our favorite meals so far has been lunch at Poogan’s Porch (HUSK tonight!)
Poogan’s Porch is located on the lovely Queen Street, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s located in a restored Victorian Mansion, and named after the neighborhood pooch, Poogan, who used to porch hop in the area. (RIP Poogan circa 1979.)
The 2-story outdoor dining patio is supplemented by a sophisticated, yet charming, indoor dining area where Ben and I were seated. I feel I’m in a movie everywhere I go here. It’s just all. so. Southern. I love it!
Ben and I were feeling crazy, so we started off with, wait for it, Fried Alligator with Honey-Jalapeno Dip. This was the best alligator I have ever had – probably because it was local, and fresh! Sorry to be gross, but the gator I’ve eaten before has been sinewy and just not that great. This practically melted in our mouths. Must. Try.
For our main dish, Ben and I split a couple of sandwiches. A Fried Green Tomato BLT with smokey bacon and tangy chevre for her (delish),
and the Duck Confit Sandwich with Pimento Cheese for him. This was absolutely incredible. The best duck confit we’ve ever tried, and so jazzed to finally try pimento cheese, which we’ve been seeing everywhere here. My sandwich was good, but this was GREAT.
Can’t forget the complimentary, warm buttermilk biscuits with whipped honey butter on the side. Heaven.
I tell you what – we have yet to go hungry in Charleston! :)
With that, I hope your week is going well! More from Charleston soon, plus keep up with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. See y’all!
I love Charleston! Such a fun town and you are adorable. I can’t believe you have never had pimento cheese! I am sending you a recipe for the best pimento cheese ever strait out of Southern Living magazine.
Everything looks gorgeous. I will have to remember this place if I ever tour the US.
First of all, in true Southern Hospitality, let me say, “Welcome Y’all!” Glad to see you’re enjoying your Southern Adventure in the quintessential Southern charm of Charleston, SC. If you get a chance and you’re still in Charleston this weekend, they’re having the Cooper River Bridge Run on Sat., April 6. It would probably be worth seeing the amount of people running over this large bridge. The Family Circle Cup WTA tournament is also going on this weekend and wrapping up. To see some top female tennis athletes, try to get a semifinal match in on Sat. or a final match on Sun. So glad you’re visiting the best kept secret in the country… the South! :)
My brother makes some AMAZING homemade pimento cheese! Let me know if you would like the recipe. It is seriously delish and addicting!
I graduated from the College of Charleston. I loved the beauty of the campus, especially the trees dripping with spanish moss. When you walk on the campus, you can tell who is a freshman and who is visiting because they are always tripping on the bricks (which is the way you know you’re on campus because of those bricks). For graduation, the girls wear white dresses and the guys wear white dinner jackets and we walked across the cistern at Randolph Hall. Those are just a few of my favorite memories about being a student at College of Charleston.
Whenever I see pictures of Charleston I just think “that place is too beautiful for words”– and these are no exception!
Your second picture looks like you are holding up a mug of beer and photoshopped Ben into it later.
OOOOH! I loved Poogan’s Porch when I went to Charleston. I had the fried green tomato appetizer and shrimp and grits! Best. Southern. Meal. Ever. (At least to a California girl like me!)
What a beautiful place! Definitely on my travel list!
Aw these are making me so nostalgic!
I’m from Davenport and went to school at Iowa, but spent a summer interning at Charleston Magazine as a designer. (Check it out while you’re down there, it’s a truly beautiful magazine!) I lived on James Island, and I was so excited when I saw you ate at Lost Dog! Definitely my favorite restaurant for breakfast. If you are looking for a good brunch spot, check out any of the restaurants on Shem Creek. It’s in Mount Pleasant, right across the Ravenel Bridge. I went out for brunch/happy hour once a week while I was there. Dolphins will swim up the creek and you can watch while you eat, so great.
Have a great trip, if you are like me you will never want to leave!
I’ve always wanted to see Charleston! Looks like you’re having a fabulous time. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! Your rundown on Charleston makes me miss it SO much!! And the South, in general. I’ve spent time in New Orleans, Charleston (check out Isle of Palms, if you have time….the water is, like, 80 degrees or something ridiculous like that) and Mobile, AL. New Orleans (pronounced “Na Lens” drawing out the “Na”!) and Charleston were my favorite Southern cities, for sure. I just love your posts, recipes and following your adventures, Kristen. How fun to be able to do something like your blog! Keep up the great job, and good luck to you and Ben with your soon-to-arrive baby boy!!
I’ve never been to Charleston but it looks beautiful. I think it would be a great place to visit at some point!