We are so excited and honored that you have chosen to spend your weekend with us in this gorgeous city!
We decided to host our wedding on a holiday weekend in order to give you all at least a few days to spend making memories of your own in the city that we love. Take a trip to Battery Park and explore the waterfront in a horse drawn carriage. Stop in the many shops on King Street or pick up an authentic sweetgrass basket from one of the vendors on Market Street. Spend a few hours soaking up the sun on Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island. Spend a day golfing at any of the pristine courses in the area. Take a tour of a historic plantation. Grab a plate of fried green tomatoes and drink sweet tea at Slightly North of Broad. The possibilities are endless. The city’s warm and hospitable embrace will make it hard to leave!
Recommendations
In order to help you take advantage of the many wonderful activities and restaurants Charleston has to offer, here are a few of our suggestions:
Restaurants:
- Martha Lou’s Kitchen, a Charleston institution! Excellent soul food-Martha Lou’s Kitchen has been praised by the New York Times, The Travel Channel and even Martha Stewart as one of Charleston’s finest restaurants.http://marthalouskitchen.com/index.html
- Husk, very well reviewed, farm-to-table theme, spins on classic Southern dishes www.huskrestaurant.com
- Fig, innovative Southern fare, very well reviewed: http://www.eatatfig.com/about/
- Hank’s Seafood, voted best seafood restaurant in Charleston for 15 consecutive years: http://www.hanksseafoodrestaurant.com/
- Magnolias, Cypress, or Blossom http://magnolias-
blossom-cypress.com/ - Butcher & Bee, inventive, straight-from-the-farm gourmet sandwiches: http://butcherandbee.com/
- Hominy Grill, creative Southern comfort dishes: www.hominygrill.com (
breakfast and lunch) - The Grocery, http://www.thegrocerycharleston.com/index.php
- Mercato http://www.
mercatocharleston.com/ - Pane e Vino http://www.
panevinocharleston.com/ - SNOB http://www.
mavericksouthernkitchens.com/ slightlynorthofbroad/ - McCrady’s http://www.
mccradysrestaurant.com/ - Carolina’s http://www.
carolinasrestaurant.com/ - Peninsula Grill http://www.
peninsulagrill.com/ - Jestine’s Kitchen (breakfast and lunch)
Snacks and treats:
- Callie’s Charleston Biscuits: http://www.calliesbiscuits.com/
- Cupcake down south: http://www.freshcupcakes.com/index.html
- Sugar bakeshop: http://www.sugarbake.com/
- Glazed Gourmet (amazing doughnuts, huge variety of flavours): http://www.glazedgourmet.com/map.html
- Black Tap Coffee: http://www.glazedgourmet.com/map.html
- Macaroon Boutique: http://www.macaroonboutique.com/
- Jeni’s (huge variety of interesting and delicious ice creams and sorbets): https://jenis.com/scoop-shops/jenis-king-street/
Cocktails:
- The Cocktail Club: http://www.thecocktailclubcharleston.com/
- The Gin Joint: http://theginjoint.com/menus/
- Rooftop Bar at Vendue Inn http://www.vendueinn.com/
rooftop-bar (attire: casual) - Pavilion Bar at Market Pavilion Hotelhttp://www.
marketpavilion.com/index.cfm? page=pavilion Notes: Better rooftop views, more upscale - Red’s Icehouse http://www.
redsicehouse.com/ Notes: If you’re looking for a casual night on the water, try Red’s Icehouse on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant. It has indoor and outdoor space, with two large decks overlooking the creek. It is definitely the place to go to enjoy a bucket of beer at happy hour and watch the boats come in (you can usually see dolphins too). It’s inexpensive, but offers good fresh fish sandwiches.
Beaches
- Sullivan’s Island (Map: http://goo.gl/maps/N3bkm
) Notes: This beach is generally less crowded, but has no bathrooms or beach chair/umbrella rentals. If you spend the day here, check out Poe’s Tavern for lunch (http://poestavern.com/ sullivans-island/). - Isle of Palms (Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WPIvR
) Notes: This beach tends to be more crowded as it provides certain amenities such as bathrooms and chair and umbrella rentals.
Tours
- Walking Tours http://www.charlestoncvb.
com/visitors/tripplanner/ tours~32/walking~61/ - Carriage Tours http://www.charlestoncvb.
com/visitors/tripplanner/what_ to_see_do~3/tours~32/carriage~ 52/
Plantations
- Middleton Place http://www.
middletonplace.org/ – this is the wedding venue! - Drayton Hall http://www.draytonhall.
org/ - Magnolia http://www.
magnoliaplantation.com/ - Boone Hall Plantation http://boonehallplantation.
com/ Notes: This plantation has gained some notoriety lately because Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds got married here in the fall of 2012 and scenes from the Notebook were also filmed here. The “avenue of the oaks” is very picturesque. - Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw island
Golf
- There are several courses in the area. Here’s a list.
Gardens
- Cypress Gardens
- Middleton Place (see above)
Art & Music
- Art Galleries – Queen Street and Church Street
- Spoletto Festival – For 17 days and nights beginning May 22, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters, churches and outdoor spaces with performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in opera; theater; dance; and chamber, symphonic, choral and jazz music. http://spoletousa.org/
Shopping
- King Street, Downtown Charleston
History
- Fort Sumter
- USS Yorktown
- Citadel