Charleston, SC

Life on the Road- Short Excursion

Time Spent: 2 nights

Hotel: Wild Dunes Resort - the Boardwalk booked via Chase, using points from the Chase Sapphire Reserve

Transportation: Enterprise Rental Car (Cumberland, MD to Key West, FL)

Best Restaurants: FIG, 167 Raw, Honerable mention: Coastal Provisions

Must see: Entire downtown district

Fun Fact: We made the drive from Northern Virginia to Charleston during the east coast gas shortage. We were able to find one gas station in Virginia to fill the tank before we left and stopped in Kenly, NC to fill up again where we were only able to spend $35 to fill the tank of our Jeep Grand Cherokee. After Charleston we had no problem finding gas, but we came very close to cancelling the first part of our trip!

We kicked off our 7 hour drive to Key West with a two night stay in Charleston, SC. Because we were taking a car, it made sense for us to stay at the Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palm. This beautiful complex provided everything it needed to be considered a resort, complete with a beach boardwalk, multiple restaurants, and a pool deck with fire pits. It was certainly family friendly.

With all it has to offer, we could have spent the entire weekend at Wild Dunes, but we wanted to explore the city of Charleston. It took roughly 35 minutes to drive downtown and we were able to find parking both in garages and on the street for relatively cheap. We were lucky to have few friends familiar with the city, and obtained wonderful recommendations from them. The weather in mid-May was perfect for walking the city streets, but a little chilly along the beaches on Isle of Palm. A jacket was only necessary in the evening.

First, 167 Raw was a MUST. It’s walk in only, but completely worth the wait. Our recommendation is to get there early, put your name in and continue to walk around the Charleston marketplace. The marketplace offers everything from high end shops to little boutiques and antique stores. It’s very walkable, and if you’re looking to have a drink while you’re waiting, there are plenty of bars full of southern charm. 167 Raw offers wonderful seafood and drinks with a great atmosphere and fantastic service. We sat at the bar and experienced amazing service from the bartenders, complete with their personal take on the best oysters of the day. Overall amazing experience.

Downtown Charleston is very walkable, and perhaps one of the most gorgeous cities we have explored.

We took in the bright colored houses along Rainbow Row, walked along the water toward The Battery, and listened in on some of walking tours as the guides explained the relevance of the revolution era houses along the cobblestone streets. We took in the views from the top of the X hotel at Vendue rooftop before heading to one of Charleston’s amazing restaurants, FIG. Highly recommended, and located not far from the downtown market, FIG offers an ever changing menu of unique food and drink combinations. Southern hospitality is at the core of FIG’s business model, and they did no disappoint. Our favorite dish: surprisingly, a farm veggie salad topped the list. A creamy Cesar dressing over a set of unique local veggies (no lettuce). Most unique: crudo with popcorn.

Things we missed: Golfing on Isle of Palms or Kiawah, Taking a boat out into the harbor, A tour of Fort Sumter, Explore the College of Charleston