Charleston

December 4-6, 2018 and February 25-28, 2021

TL;DR: We knew Charleston was charming when we visited for a wedding recently, but now we really get it. Every colorful street, home, and window is beautiful, and the trees are magnificent. The food is also excellent.

The sights

Husk

Went here for a drink and got two spots at the bar right as two others left. Don’t you just love when that happens? Delicious drinks and really cool vibes. Saw the burger go by and think we definitely need to go back. Also everyone we talked to is appalled we didn’t go.

Came back in 2021 for dinner and managed to get a table outside and have a very gorgeous and very delicious dinner, followed by a moonlit ride back to the campground.

Walking around

We walked quite a bit throughout Charleston, including down King and Main Streets and past Rainbow Row. Strolled along the waterfront on the south end to marvel at all the old mansions and gorgeous oaks.

They also had a Christmas tree setup that reminded us of the Festival Lights in Austin (where Brian’s from).

Angel Oak!

It’s sort of weird that a tree would have hours, but this one does. We were a little early and a little worried about parking, but both were totally fine. Just parked right outside. Even the road leading up to it was beautiful. The tree was huge, with the longest limb over 180 feet long. Just so beautiful and clearly very well taken care of. Possibly the oldest living thing in America at 400-500 years old. Supposed to live another 400-500 years but only if people don’t f it up. Don’t f it up, people.

Details, details, details

It was a very long journey to Charleston, and very different than where we had just been. A lot of wetlands. Really pretty areas with sort of run-down houses and lots of roofs torn off from the hurricane. Saw a gorgeous sunset.

Charleston’s streets are so charming. And the houses. And the windows.

Charleston and all these east coast cities have inspired us to think about whether we need to live by the water or not and/or if we need a view. We think water is essential.

We did drive up north to check out a few lakes but didn’t love what we saw (Confederate flags among the sites…). Stopped at Hobcaw Brewery on our way back, which means “the place between two waters.” We think that’s because Hobcaw Creek is between Wando River and Cooper River (though there are a lot of water features in the area…). At some point we had a craving for pimento cheese and Ritz crackers, and Harris Teeter obliged.

And then this happened…

Made it to N. Myrtle Beach and stopped at Chick-fil-A (don’t judge)… where the power went out. Apparently a car had crashed into a utility pole and knocked out power for 10,000 people. Luckily we had Layla.

Prior to arriving in Charleston in 2021, we had to take Layla to Camping World to fix the back window, which we thought would take maybe an hour, but it basically took all day and they ended up not even fixing it. Very frustrating day, but we powered through.

Road food

A fried pork chop to feed a family, pimento cheese fritters with tomato jam, & ham-dusted (!) ribs are a few Lowcountry favorites at Poogan’s Porch.

At Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, inventive biscuits such as cinnamon and black pepper bacon are paired with sweet and savory butters, jams, and spicy pimento cheese. Plus it was 2 minutes from our parking lot home (see Where we stayed).

In addition to its famous bone marrow bread pudding, The Macintosh serves pork confit on tots, a perfectly cooked slider, and a PBLT — all at happy hour prices.

Where we stayed

2018

Night one: Cracker Barrel, Murrells Inlet

Nights two and three: Parking lot on King Street, Charleston

So we stayed for two nights in a parking lot right in the middle of the city on King Street. Pretty insane location, and a nice lineup of RV parking spots, with no one else there. Looked a toouchhh sketchy and it was at night with lots of noisy kids. But really convenient.

2021

Nights one through four: Site 54, Mt Pleasant KOA, SC

Charleston was about 30 miles away.