Sorghum & Salt | Farm and sea to table with locally sourced ingredients. Seasonal menu that changes frequently. A variety of plates that are perfect for sharing. This was our favourite dinner in Charleston. Tip: make your own tasting menu, based on your favourite menu options. They do offer a tasting menu, but it’s just a selection of items on their menu (rather than items off-menu). We preferred to pick items that stood out to us, rather than going for the pre-selected options. While the menu will likely be different when you go, our favourites were all of the vegetarian items (they nailed these!), the scallops & gnocchi.✨🤍

Chubby Fish | A sustainable seafood restaurant with a menu that changes daily. I was super excited to check this spot out but we unfortunately didn’t get there early enough to secure a seat – they don’t take reservations and we swung by around 6:30PM, but the only table available was 9:45PM. Probably worth the wait but we were too tired to hold out. Definitely add this spot to your list – the reviews are superb.

Darling Oyster Bar | A bustling seafood spot with a raw bar and great atmosphere. We sat at the bar and enjoyed oysters, crab cakes, shrimp and hush puppies. The menu is relatively small and the portion sizes vary (we found them to be on the smaller end). Would recommend heading here for happy hour oysters before dinner elsewhere – sit at the bar, and enjoy a dozen or two! Give them a call to confirm what time their happy hour is. ✨🤍

167 Raw Oyster Bar | A New England style oyster bar right on King Street. It’s always busy so be ready to put your name down and meander King Street while you wait. Highly recommend a lunch visit – we sat at the bar, enjoyed spicy margaritas, ceviche and shared a lobster roll (they even cut it in half for us and plated it on two plates). ✨🤍

The Obstinate Daughter | A go-to spot on Sullivan’s Island. I’ll flag that the food here was good, but not mind blowing (the shrimp roll was great!), but it’s a great option for a late lunch and a cocktail after a beach morning. The menu has a little something for everyone and the interior is costal cute, and it’s one of the better spots near the beach. ✨🤍

Here are a few other spots that were on our list. While we couldn’t visit them this trip, I recommend checking them out (based on my pre-trip research):

• Leon’s Oyster Bar: Combine oysters, Southern-style seafood & fried chicken, and I’m in!
• Wild Common: Opt for the tasting menu or sit at the chef’s table
• The Ordinary: An upscale seafood restaurant housed in a 1920s bank
• Miller’s All Day: the spot to go for brunch (just be prepared to go early or wait)

Citrus Club: A great rooftop bar at The Dewberry Hotel. Highly recommend for both indoors or outdoors – they have great, creative cocktails, the indoor space is bright and fun and the outdoor terrace is sprawling – the perfect place to rest your feet during a hot afternoon (or to wait out the rainfall, as we did!). ✨🤍

167 Raw Oyster Bar: Already mentioned above for their lobster rolls, but worth mentioning here as it’s a great place to grab a cocktail (we opted for spicy margaritas) for a pause during your shopping haul on King Street. Sit at their bar or in their back courtyard. ✨🤍

Peninsula Grill: A great spot for a nightcap and coconut cake. Book a post-dinner reservation in their garden, and order a slice of coconut cake to share. Pair with bubbly for perfection. TIp: be sure to book the garden – the indoors is a little old school stuffy. ✨🤍

Palmetto Carriage Works: It was so hot when we were in Charleston that one day we opted for a last minute carriage tour. We went with Palmetto – the highest recommended and over 10K reviews – and it did not disappoint. The carriage industry in Charleston is super fascinating in the way it’s regulated. Rather than picking a specific tour, you actually don’t know where you’ll be headed until you’re on the carriage. As the carriage heads to the main streets, it stops at a booth where an attendant pulls out a bingo number that dictates which of the ten routes the operator must take. Our route took us off the beaten path a little bit and we found it to be quite educational – the guide pointed out several interesting historical elements of the city that we might have otherwise missed. Albeit a little pricey, I’d recommend one of the tours if a) it’s hot! or b) you’re interested in history. ✨🤍

Sullivan’s Island: We didn’t plan an official beach visit, but we decided to pop over to Sullivan’s Island (and the beach) on the Saturday mid-morning before we left the city. Sullivan’s Island is a short drive from downtown (approx. ~15 minutes) and there was plenty of street parking a few blocks from the beach entrances. The sand was incredibly well groomed and the water – in mid July – was the warmest ocean water I’ve felt north of the Caribbean. The beach wasn’t too crowded (a good number of people, but well spaced) and the water wasn’t overly wavy (there were lots of people of all ages were swimming). If we were to return to Charleston, we’d definitely plan a full beach day. Pop over to The Obstinate Daughter for a late-lunch after your beach stroll. ✨🤍

DIY Walking Tour | Wander around Charleston following this route to take in some of the beauty and absorb the important history of the city. Alternatively, book a guided walking tour (there are plenty of operators!).

• Pineapple Fountain: According to Southern legend, sea captains would come home from their voyages and impale a pineapple at the gate of their home, signifying they had returned from sea and was welcoming guests into their home
• Slave Auction Site Memorial: In addition to the Museum (below), the memorial is worth a stop to read the simple but profound sign to learn a small piece about the incredibly sad history of the United States in the 1800s.
• Rainbow Row: Thirteen colourful historic houses in Charleston, South Carolina. The houses are located north of Tradd St. and south of Elliott St. on East Bay Street (79 to 107 East Bay Street).
• The Battery: A seawall and promenade at the edge of Charleston, named after a civil-war coastal defense artillery battery at the site. Tip: extend your walk along S Battery St to see some prominent homes.
• Heyward-Washington House: A historic house museum at 87 Church Street. Built in 1772, it was home to Thomas Heyward, Jr., a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and was where George Washington stayed during his 1791 visit to the city.
• Four Corners of the Law: A city intersection (at Broad and Meeting St) where 4 historic buildings meet. You’ll find federal, state, local & religious institutions, dubed the “four corners of the law”.
• Old Slave Mart Museum: The Old Slave Mart once housed a slave auction gallery before the American Civil War. Constructed in 1859, the building is believed to be the last existing slave auction facility in South Carolina.
• Historic Charleston City Market: This historic market was established in 1790s and extends four city blocks. Most of the market is exposed to the elements, and vendors come and go each day, setting up their stalls from morning until evening.