I am so excited to share our girls weekend in Charleston with you – all the details of where (and what) we ate, where we stayed, and what we saw and did. I wouldn’t call this a GUIDE, because I’m not a Charleston native (although I wish I was). So, this time, I’m just sharing a recap of our girls weekend in Charleston. We spent all of our time right downtown on and near King Street. On my last trip, we stayed further outside of downtown and I have visited several other really nice spots outside of Charleston. I may need to make another post separately just for that! But after my second visit, I feel like I have a better understanding and appreciation for one of the most beautiful cities in the world!
I am fresh off the plane home from my weekend away with my best friend, Rachel. We decided to take a girls’ trip to Charleston to celebrate her 30th birthday, and 20 YEARS of friendship! I was a little nervous to leave my son because it was my first time away, and honestly I hate traveling without my husband. But it was SO nice to get quality friendship time, which we haven’t had (without kids and husbands) in a VERY long time!
Girls Weekend in Charleston – Hotel Bennett
The Hotel Bennett is a luxury hotel in the middle of downtown Charleston. Each morning we would walk out of the hotel doors and into the beauty of Charleston. Adjacent to Marion Square, in the midst of King Street shopping and dining, and directly across from St. Matthew Lutheran Church, the Bennett Hotel’s views and atmosphere do not disappoint. The hotel itself is beautiful down to the very last detail. Not to mention, there are several things you can do and places to eat without even leaving! The champagne bar, Camellia’s, is the most “instagram-worthy” pink room that also serves tea (you must have a reservation for tea-time). Fiat Lux (the rooftop bar) is less pink, but just as stunning. The decor was so my style, with navy blue walls, beautiful moulding details, and classic leather chairs indoors, and a really cute patio that connects to the hotel pool outside!
There is also a restaurant, Gabrielle, which we did not eat at, but had their crab cakes at the hotel lobby bar, and oh my goodness! It was amazing. We spent some time at the hotel lobby bar before our dinner reservations and even came back late-night after dinner our last night in town. The bar service was fantastic and drinks were delicious.
Our room at the Hotel Bennett was also stunning and the staff provided turn-down service with after-dinner mints. It’s going to make staying anywhere else extremely unsatisfying- haha! Basically, I felt like the southern-lady version of Eloise at the Plaza. I could write a whole post on the Hotel Bennett, but there is so much else I want to share with you!
Where We Ate (& Drank)
There is no shortage of restaurants or bars when you’re visiting Charleston. On my first visit, my husband and I had such a hard time deciding where to eat, which gave me major anxiety (if you get it, you get it). I did not want that to happen again, so about a week before our trip I made sure to make reservations for the places Rachel and I KNEW we wanted to try. Something to keep in mind about planning your trip to Charleston is it’s not impossible to get a table without reservations, but it makes life a lot easier if you have them. It has such a good restaurant scene that often times places book up early, so make sure to schedule your reservations in plenty of time!
Day 1
I made reservations for us at Poogan’s Porch, and it may have been my favorite meal the entire trip. The restaurant is inside an old Victorian-style house. It exudes Charleston charm and was the perfect way to kick off our trip. Poogan’s Porch prides themselves on being a true southern restaurant (“if it’s not southern, it doesn’t come through the door”). So you can trust that anything on the menu is local, fresh, and completely delicious. The fresh biscuits we started with had a delicious honey butter and I could eat them with every meal. I had some delicious local pork tenderloin for my entrée, and Rachel had a really yummy chicken fried steak. I’ll definitely be going back to this spot with my husband!
Day 2
The Hotel Bennett has the most insanely beautiful and tasty La Patisserie on its first floor. The decor is modern French country and I want to design my kitchen with it in mind. Seriously, the most beautiful little bakery/café and probably the best blueberry muffin I’ve ever had. It’s a great way to start your day on King Street, especially if you’re trying to get to some sightseeing or shopping down the street!
For lunch on Friday we headed to Fleet Landing, an ocean-side fishing-themed seafood restaurant on the bay. It’s delicious, budget-friendly, and has a great atmosphere to experience the coastal aspect of Charleston. We had some delicious stuffed hush puppies as an appetizer. We both had very good fried shrimp and French fries for lunch. Then, to finish up, we shared the most delicious key lime pie I’ve ever had. (Obviously we were going for indulgence and not health at this point in the trip.) My friend also had the most delicious pomegranate mojito, and if I hadn’t already had a glass of wine I would have ordered one for myself. It was to die for!
For dinner, we visited 5Church, which is literally in an old church (hence the name) and has the coolest artwork throughout the entire building. I won’t ruin it for you by getting to descriptive but it’ll have you looking up your entire experience. The food was also pretty good, but it IS kind of pricey, so keep that in mind!
Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped in at Parcel 32 for a glass of wine and it was such a beautiful spot! Perfect for our girls weekend in Charleston. I’ll definitely schedule a dinner here next time I’m in town – it had a great atmosphere and beautiful aesthetic.
Day 3
One of the top recommended places to eat in Charleston is Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. When the line is typically out the door and down the sidewalk, you know it’s good. I had the buttermilk, the shortbread, and the blackberry biscuits and they were all three delectable. I also got to try Rachel’s bacon biscuit and that was very good too! We had to wait in line and wait for our food for about half an hour total and it was one hundred percent worth it. Something fun about Callie’s is that it’s open until the wee hours of the morning. So if you’re out hitting the bars on King Street, you can stop in for a late-night bite!
The Rooftop at Hotel Vendue was the perfect place to pop in for a little snack and drink! We had just done some quintessential Charleston sightseeing and honestly had been eating so well all weekend, we didn’t think we could handle a heavy lunch. Instead, we had some lobster artichoke dip and a glass of wine and we were set until dinner! SUCH a good spot that was recommended to us by our bike taxi driver!
Our last dinner spot of the trip was PEARLZ Oyster Bar and it was a fun joint! It’s definitely more of a bar/restaurant atmosphere with TV’s hanging above the bar and more of a casual menu. They don’t take reservations so plan to wait a couple of minutes if you visit during a busy meal time. I had the shrimp and grits and it was the BEST. We also split some crab dip and it was delicious.
The BEST Dessert Bar
Before we headed back to the hotel for the night, we made sure to stop for dessert at Carmella’s Dessert Bar (which is right down the street from PEARLZ) and I’m actually mad at myself for not getting a picture of the s’mores cheesecake I got – it was perfection. They have the most delicious and beautiful dessert bar. I would have gone here every night had we had it earlier than our last night in town- ha! Rachel’s salted caramel gelato was also SO good. Definitely going to be revisiting Carmella’s on my next trip!
Other Girls Weekend Activities
Our first day in town, we wanted to treat ourselves so we started the day with a blowout at The Dry Bar. I’m so glad we did this because neither of us had to spend time washing our hair the remainder of the weekend, which meant less time getting ready, and more time doing fun things! The staff was incredible and we left feeling our best!
Shopping on King Street
It could almost go without saying that we spent a decent amount of time shopping. After all, it was a girls’ trip and we were staying on King Street, the epicenter of shopping in Charleston (definitely a must-experience). We stopped by several boutiques and one I will revisit is The Skinny Dip. It has an adorable boutique downstairs and a coffee/wine bar upstairs! Unfortunately the upstairs was under construction when we visited so we didn’t stay for a drink, but I will stop by during my next visit!
The Battery
Two very important stops every visitor must make are the Pineapple Fountain at The Battery, and Rainbow Row. These are within a short walking distance from each other and are two notable Charleston landmarks. In case you didn’t know, the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality – you will see it often around town. The Pineapple Fountain is a symbol to welcome visitors to Charleston. It also makes a beautiful backdrop for a photo to remember your trip!
Right around the corner, Rainbow Row is a row of houses first built in 1730. The houses originally doubled as merchant shops, which were on the first floors of the buildings, with living quarters in the upstairs stories. The homes were painted pink in the 1930’s when a new owner wanted to revive the area. The other pastel paint colors were added over time by various owners. It remains a little bit of a mystery or controversy why pastel colors were chosen, but it sounds like it was just the style during that time. Regardless, it is a beautiful and historic part of Charleston you must see!
A Little Bit of Charleston History
Rachel and I are both history lovers and we knew we wanted to do at least one historic tour on our girls weekend in Charleston. We settled on the Aiken-Rhett house, so we walked over a few blocks from King Street and took the self-guided audio tour of the Aiken-Rhett property. It is a completely preserved home that was built in 1820 (kept the way it was found, not restored to look like it WOULD have). The tour included the slave quarters and stables. Some of the original wallpaper and artwork was still on the walls of the house. But, parts of the house had been updated by a few generations and damaged by hurricanes over the years. It was a good tour and didn’t take very long. If you’re trying to squeeze something into a busy day of exploring Charleston, this would work perfectly!
Bike Taxis over Ubers!
One last suggestion I would make for a girls weekend in Charleston is this: weather permitting, take a bike taxi. We had so much fun being out in the fresh air and riding around seeing the sights via pedicab. It is slightly more expensive than taking an Uber, depending on the time of day (it’s $6 a person unless it’s a surge time). But it is completely worth it! We had great weather so it was super enjoyable. You can even call them (just like a taxi service) and have them come pick you up, as long as you give them a 10-15 minute heads up. Obviously if you are headed somewhere outside of downtown (like a plantation or across the Ravenel bridge) you’ll want to Uber. But for shorter distances it is so much fun!
A Quick Girls Weekend in Charleston
So needless to say after all of that recap, we had a great trip. I had so much fun reconnecting with my best friend, enjoying cocktails and the most beautiful city. We were definitely eager to get home to our husbands and babies. Honestly, missing them a little was good for our momma souls. After this trip I’ve realized that sometimes it is good to get away for a little bit!
Keep in mind we were only in Charleston for 2 and a half days. If we had visited longer, of course there are TONS of other things we could have done (like visit plantations, tour churches, more historical homes, etc.) and places we could have eaten. I think that’s what will always make me want to go back to the Holy City! If you’re planning a girls weekend in Charleston, I would love to hear from you. I may even have some other suggestions not listed in this blog post. Follow me on social media and send me a direct message and I’d love to chat all things Charleston.
Thank you guys so much for stopping by the High Cotton Style Guide and reading all about our Girls Weekend in Charleston. Make sure to check my LIKEtoKNOW.it or Shop My Style tab for all of my outfit details and more Charleston photos. I hope to keep you updated with more travels this year!
Cait
