Everyone loves a fun weekend getaway! My grad school besties and I have an annual “Girls Trip”. We live in different cities, so the annual trip is our chance to catch up in person! A Charleston vacation had been on our weekend getaway list for a while – having lived in the Carolinas for business school, the South will always have a place in our hearts! Charleston has beautiful architecture, rich history, great food, and tons to see/do! Highlights are below. For more pictures and details, see my guest post on the Black Southern Belle blog!
1. Hotel:
We enjoy boutique hotels that have a distinct look and feel, so we stayed at the lovely Zero George Street. Lots of bloggers post about it, so I knew this was the place to be! It has excellent rooms, top-notch service, and an amazing concierge staff. The reception desk is in a renovated historic brick house, and guest suites are in beautiful historic buildings just next door. There are tons of hidden gems to explore, including beautiful patios, gardens, and sitting rooms. The hotel also has cool retro bikes that you can take for a spin around the block! The outdoor areas at Zero George are the picture perfect places to relax after a long day and sip on sweet tea…or champagne!
2. Scenic Stops/Sightseeing:
Our favorite sightseeing activity was just walking around this historical area admiring all of the colorful buildings! Be sure to check out Rainbow Row, Waterfront Park, and Charleston Market.
3. Where to Eat: There are tons of places to eat amazing food in Charleston. A few to check out are:
- Hominy Grill: This is a quaint, casual restaurant serving Southern comfort food from James Beard award-winning chef Robert Stehling. We saw (on many tables) the Charleston nasty, which is fried chicken in a biscuit with sausage gravy poured over – so we had to oblige and try some ourselves!
- Husk Restaurant: The “Must See” place on our Charleston wish list. It’s yet another restaurant helmed by a James Beard award-winning chef, Sean Brock, that fully delivers!
- Callies Little Biscuit: We didn’t actually go here, but Zero George gets their biscuits each morning for breakfast, and they were freshly-made…sweet or savory, it was just what we needed!
4. Shopping:
Sometimes you just want to shop…and that’s just what we did. It was fun exploring the interesting stores and boutiques such as Moon & Lola. We stumbled across some great finds and enjoyed just taking a leisurely stroll. We even stopped to cool down with a sweet treat at Belgian Gelato!
5. Cooking Class:
We couldn’t come all the way to Charleston and not immerse ourselves in a culinary adventure! Thus, we signed up for the cooking demonstration at the Zero George Street boutique hotel. The class, led by Executive Chef Vinson Petrillo of Zero Restaurant + Bar, was a journey in gastronomy. We learned about flavors, cooking techniques, and even what types of oils to cook with! The food was great, and it was wonderful seeing a real chef in action! I think this will be a new tradition for us when traveling!
Bonus: Candle Making
We’re always looking for unique activities, so we took a scented candle making class at Candlefish. I was impressed with how darn cute this place is! They have a candle library along one wall where you can smell hundreds of candle scents. The store has a cool mix of candles and gift items such as art prints, notebooks, tote bags, etc. Nestled in the back of the store is their candle making area. Our instructor was a bundle of energy and told us more than I ever knew about candles! We got to pick our scents, pour the wax, and even make a custom label for our scented creations! Definitely a must do for a trip to Charleston! Classes fill up early, so plan ahead!
I hope you guys enjoyed these Charleston vacation photos and the full recap on Black Southern Belle! Let me know if you have any other local favorites or insider spots that we missed and have to go back for.
Hotel: Zero George
Restaurants: Hominy Grill, Husk, Xiao Bao Biscuit, Martha Lou’s Kitchen, Callies Biscuits,
Activities: Cooking Class at Zero George + Bar, Candlefish (candle making), Moon & Lola
Photography: All photos (unless otherwise noted) by Sloan Photography
Travel Planning: Elevated Occasions