Charleston | SC
Charleston, South Carolina lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline. The winters are mild and living in the snow globe of PA - I would do anything to escape the cold for a bit, what better reason than my 30th birthday?
Captured by Corinne and Company
This past summer as I approached the milestone of turning 30, I had a slight sense of panic (how is this even possible) but also wanted to celebrate in a big | what an accomplishment | sort of way. I had been to Charleston, SC twice before and each time I felt so at peace. I knew I wanted to spend my birthday there with my favorite people!
I got to brainstorming and planning- I finally ironed out most of the details. Then our first AirBNB got canceled. Thankfully the universe gave us something even better. We were led to a house with more beds, a private dock and in the perfect location.
I also planned it out so that I’d be with my girls the first 5 days, Brandon would fly in Thursday and overlap with them before they left Friday morning and then my sister and brother in law would spend the weekend with us - it was the perfect plan to squeeze all my people into one week.
Our trip started with a 10ish hour drive through a snow storm (so thankful Jess agreed to drive us!) from Pennsylvania, to the cutest house right on the water with a gorgeous dock in Mt. Pleasant, SC. My girls and I were ready to celebrate turning 30! The location of the house was incredible - walking distance to Starbucks and just a short 10-15 minute drive to downtown Charleston!
We arrived Sunday evening, picked up Corinne from the house (who flew) and headed straight to The Southern Bar & Grill for a late dinner. The bartender told us Margaritas were a must and I didn’t need to be told twice - they were amazing. House made caramelized Brussel sprouts to start, burgers all around, and a salad to share filled our table. It was a perfect spot for comforting bar food.
Monday morning we woke up and walked to have a southern style breakfast at The Flying Biscuit, got the most luxurious pedicures at Star Nails with a champagne toast and then headed downtown. We walked through the Historic Charleston City Market to grab some souvenirs, enjoyed an iced Matcha and snacks from The Rise Coffee Bar, popped by to see the Pineapple Fountain and then drove around to see the beautiful historic homes of every color.
Monday night was spent cozied up back at the house. I gave my girls a little “thank you gift” I had made for them, we played games and enjoyed an easy dinner from Five Loaves Cafe. This was a great spot for healthier options - soup, salads, and sandwiches! We also used DoorDash to have it dropped off right to the house.
Tuesday was a slow relaxing day - we left the house around lunch to go to Crave Kitchen and Cocktails for the best Mac and Cheese ever. There were multiple different options to choose from but buffalo chicken and sautéed mushroom won me over. Jess and I shared both kinds and neither disappointed. We spent the rest of the day lounging at the house watching movies, then had Playa bowls delivered for dinner.
Wednesday started with breakfast at Another Broken Egg - Mt. Pleasant had so many delicious food options all within a few miles it was hard to choose! Then back at the house I received the most magical massage. Gabe was incredible - if you’re in the Charleston area, definitely reach out to him! He also uses Young Living essential oils in his massage oils and that’s a huge win for me. We explore the Boone Hall Plantation (Allie’s house in The Notebook) but it was a bit chilly so we didn’t last there too long - just a quick tractor ride tour and then we headed home to get ready for dinner!
Dinner was at Handcraft Kitchen & Cocktails and the cocktails were incredible! They made us custom drinks based on what we liked and they did not disappoint! I had a strawberry margarita (shocker lol) but food was only subpar.
Thursday was the day Brandon was flying in and I was so excited to see him! I drove early to my friend Morgan’s house to have coffee at Charleston Coffee Exchange with her before we got him from the airport around noon. We scooped him up and went right to a local deli to grab sandwiches. The Boulevard is a must if you like roast beef!
The girls got manicures at Star Nails during this time and when we got back to the house they had decorated it all with the cutest birthday decor!
We had the best weather this day and explored Cypress Gardens looking for alligators! This was my favorite adventure of the week and a must do if you’re in the area! There was a small aquarium, butterfly house and a swap to paddle boat through. It was also just so relaxing to walk throughout the gardens!
Thursday evening we had reservations at Le Farfalle for Italian! My plan was to have a dinner with everyone before the girls headed out Friday morning and little did I know, I would be getting engaged!
Brandon had a wrapped birthday gift for me and brought it to dinner. I requested to open it as soon as we ordered our food and inside were a pair of beautiful stud diamond earrings. Back story - he had bought me diamond earrings years ago for Christmas but I was allergic to the metal and he had to return them. I requested a new pair a few times after that but he was too defeated from the first pair. When I opened these I was so emotional and then he continued to tell me were made from recycled precious metals and sustainable diamonds. A few moments later, I watched as he reached into his pocket and said but that’s not all. This one isn’t wrapped but I think it’s about time I ask you… ya know the whole proposal deal haha and I was crying so many tears of happiness I couldn’t eat one of my dinner - I was just so happy. I was ENGAGED surrounded by favorite people! It was truly better than I could have ever imagined and I was genuinely shocked! We walked to a place to grab cocktails and dessert after to celebrate and it was the best day ever.
Friday morning the girls headed home, Brandon and I enjoyed a quick breakfast alone back at The Flying Biscuit and then my sister and brother in law, John arrived! (can you keep up? I barely can!) We took a bit of time to relax at the house before we grabbed lunch at Mozzo Deli again and then headed to downtown Charleston. Since it was their first time downtown we did a historic carriage tour and then walked through a few of the shops. The weather was a bit chilly and damp so we headed inside after to do an escape room. Brandon and I love escape rooms - we did the Egyptian themed room and managed to get out with a few minutes to spare!
Dinner at the Darling Oyster Bar was incredible if you like seafood - make yourself a reservation because you’ll definitely want to go! We started with the Seafood Plateau and then got the scallops all around, so good.
Saturday was BIRTHDAY DAY and the best food day. My sister and John made breakfast sandwiches while we relaxed at the house, watching About Time until lunch at The Butcher and The Bee. This restaurant vibe was so me - I had a kombucha and there were even gerber daisies on the tables! We got the homemade hummus to start and it was 11/10. Highly recommend! Right after lunch we went to Charles Town Landing State Historic Site and walked around. It was a bit damp but overall it was just nice to be outside! They have a bunch of rescue animals to visit and we spent a few hours there walking around. We went downtown afterwards to do a Haunted Jail Tour - since it was still light out, it wasn’t very scary - more historic but still very interesting!
Hands down my favorite meal of the week was this dinner. We ordered take out from Rodney Scotts BBQ and it was everything you want in a meal in South Carolina. BBQ, mac and cheese, corn bread, the best BBQ sauces ever. This would be my number one must try! We had an early night and then a full travel day on Sunday - $29 plane tickets are not for the weak. It was 11 hours of travel and we didn’t get home until 2am but I wouldn’t trade this trip for anything.
BEST WEEK EVER.