CHARLESTON CHRONICLES

Last year for my 50th birthday my mom told me I could have a trip to go anywhere that I wanted. She had a trip planned that included Charleston that got canceled due to the darn pandemic in 2020. I’ve been itching to go there for a girls trip so I thought that would be the perfect spot for some mother daughter time. And what a great time it was! Charleston is an absolutely beautiful city and seeing as we both love architecture and great food along with beautiful weather, it was the perfect city for us. AND this was the first flight for my mom and I since the pandemic so we did it right! 


Here are just a few of the highlights.

We arrived on Easter and thought that two of our days were going to be a rain washout but the only time the weather was a little bit sprinkling was Monday morning. Sunday was so gorgeous so we packed in lots of sightseeing. We were enamored with the beautiful homes, hotels and flowers!



The well known Pineapple Fountain by the Water

The famous Rainbow Row of houses, they are an average of $3 Million 

This trip was planned just three weeks ago so we did not have a lot of options for accommodations are where we wanted to stay but one that kept popping up to us was the Mills House because that is my mom‘s last name; my maiden name. How adorable does my mom look in these pictures.

I do want to note that the best thing about this hotel was the central location with the walking distance to everything. The lobby and courtyard was gorgeous but the rooms are extremely dated, small and the staff not very knowledgeable. My mom even asked for a little something in our room to celebrate it being a birthday trip and they said the best they could do was order champagne from the restaurant and charge it to the room, lol! However, if you do want to be century located to be able to walk everywhere you probably would want to check it out.

 

Dessert kind of came first for the evening we walked by Carmella's Dessert Bar with the most beautiful desserts in the case. Just look at this cannoli cake.

That night we had dinner at a restaurant called Eli's Table and should not have ordered the duck, lol! F-ing Duck mom called it, lol! I have never had duck and I probably will not have it again but Charleston is known for the fried green tomatoes and the fried green tomato stack was delicious!


Churches

Speaking of architecture in the homes and hotels; the churches are absolutely magnificent so I’m sharing a few of those for sure!




As we were walking around the historic district, we came upon a large camera crew, a local told us they were filing Outer Banks 3 and yes, John B was on the top porch!!



 

Our favorite spot for brunch was Millers All Day. In fact, we loved it so much from the food to the retro vibe to the fact that it was a two minute walk from our hotel that we went two days in a row. Highly recommend this place if you were in Charleston, it was our favorite meals.



Poogan's Porch is also quite delish. Funny story too, the waiter brought me  straw for the chafe of mimosas because mom only had one, so guess who drank the rest, lol

Cute mama with her one mimosa, lol


Me, with them all, lol


And another great must try restaurants is Hyman's. There are pics all over the wall of famous people who have eaten there. We were at Neal Diamond's table, lol.


A Carriage Ride! 

What a fun way to see the city and Old South Carriage does it right. Highly recommend the hour tour if you're there. The walking tours are great too.

 


After the carriage ride, we made out way to King Street for lots of shopping. This store, Spartina 449, was our favorite and I got the cutest linen jumpsuit there!


The last night we found an amazing hotel lobby to explore as well as it's rooftop bar. We love Hotel lobbies and many in Charleston are great. This one, The Venue, was all modern with lots of white and red. And how funny is this big gorilla. I teased it was Mr. Nine's competition, lol.


Look how Beautiful Mom looks.



My Dress HERE
CHECK out some of the dresses I wore HERE
(more on what was worn in Charleston 
in a dedicated post soon)


Sunset from the rooftop


Last stop was Kaminsky's Dessert Bar, voted the best desserts in Charleston for 24 years in a row. I was in heaven with the dessert martini's as you know my fav is Key Lime and of course I had to get a slice of bourbon Pecan Pie, YUMMY!



I will say this; unless you’re planning on staying on one of the nearby islands at the beach, this is not a laid-back relaxing vacation. In order to see Charleston right, there is lots and lots of walking and you will be tired in the evening, lol! It’s really somewhere where you don’t need more than four days so pack it all in. Really the only two things that we missed doing was the pink Champagne bar which we went to on Easter but it was closed and seeing a couple of the plantations and flower gardens but it was hard to plan everything when we thought the weather was going to be rainy a couple days. As you know, we also go on a trip every five years for mama‘s milestone birthdays; seeing as one is this year, we just might shoot for somewhere relaxing come this Fall. All I know, is that I am extremely lucky at my age; when many people I know have lost their parents, that I get an opportunity to enjoy sweet vacations like this with my beautiful mama!


Have you ever been to Charleston?

HUGS to you all!



xoxo 



 



30 comments:

  1. I went on a girls trip to Charleston with my mom and sis and we loved it just like you did. Such an amazing city! All of the food looks amazing and those churches are so cool. Thanks for sharing your travels Andrea!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  2. It looks like such a fun trip, perfect for a girls get away. And you two look like you fit right in, southern belles! I am glad this trip worked out and you still have another one on the calendar to look forward to.

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  3. What a great trip! I definitely want to go to Charleston. It looks so lovely and sounds like a fun place to visit. You and your mom are too cute and you are right - getting to take these kinds of trips with your mama is very special!!!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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  4. Oh Andrea, this looks like the perfect trip! Such quality time and a beautiful destination- you are blessed!

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  5. My mom, sister and I took a trip to Charleston in 2019 and it was wonderful! Truly one of my favorite US cities that I have been to at least 5 times!! I am so happy you guys saw, ate and did so much!! Perfection!

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  6. Anonymous25.4.22

    What a fun trip!! My moms maiden name is Mills!!
    Jaymie Ashcraft

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  7. What a fun mother/daughter trip to Charleston Andrea. I've never been there but it looks like a fun place to visit and sight see. I enjoyed reading about your trip and the photos of you and your mom.

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  8. I have always wanted to go there. I'm always impressed by how young you and your mom seem to be!

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  9. What a fun and fabulous trip. You two are beautiful wherever you go. I love Charleston. We visited when we were on a trip to Savannah and Folly Beach. We didn't stay in Charleston so I liked your tips. We got to go to a plantation that was gorgeous and also Ft. Sumter. I can't believe you got to see John B and Outer Banks filming. Woo hoo! All of your food, drinks, outfits and activities were amazing!

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  10. Anonymous25.4.22

    What a fabulous vacation with your mom! You both look great. I completely agree that city breaks are anything but relaxing. Fun but not very restful! That's too bad about the hotel. Yes, you are so blessed to enjoy spending time with your mama!

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  11. Your Mama is beautiful--you know just what you'll look like when you reach here age! It looks like ya'll had so much fun, I've never been, but have thought about it. P.S. I've had my eye on that red Farm Rio top! ***Think it's going to be in my cart this week!***

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  12. It sounds like you had an amazing trip!! You and your mom look so cute in all your outfits and poses too. I have only been to Charleston once (in August!!-- It was HOT!) but we did love it. We stayed outside the city proper over on Mount Pleasant and took a boat from our hotel into Charleston each evening. We also did a boat tour up and down the river/channel to keep us nice and cool and let us still see the area since it was so uncomfortable walking around.

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  13. What a wonderful celebratory trip! The cannoli cake looks yum and I enjoyed these pics from your trip.
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  14. I am so happy that you finally made it to Charleston and you both look beautiful! It is a charming city and we always have a good time there. We have also stayed at the Vendue and loved it. Have a glorious day friend! XO, Caroline

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  15. I have always wanted to go to Charleston, but never have been. And now I want to go even more. I am so glad that you finally got to go and enjoy it!

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  16. What precious memories you get to still make with your mom - love she's still a traveler. You two can take a town over!

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  17. It was wonderful to see the fun you both had Andrea. And you are right...it's a blessing to still have our mom's with us.
    I remember going to Savannah and walking WAY more than we thought (in fact, I had to buy new comfy shoes because of it, haha)
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  18. Oh my gosh...Hymans has the best hush puppies ever. I could have just eaten those. I'm so glad you made it to Charleston and had fun. I'd love to go back.

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  19. You two are the cutest - what a fab mother daughter trip! Can you believe I still have never been, and it's only about a 5-6 hour drive away. That needs to change! And do I spy 1st class seats on the plane? You girls did it right <3

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  20. Anonymous25.4.22

    Looks like a great trip with your beautiful mom. I have been to Charleston several times since it’s only a 3 hour drive. Love the area.

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  21. We Love Charleston!!! We went on our Mother/Daughter trip there last July and ate at Hyman's!! Ella would have freaked out if she saw John B!

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  22. I've always wanted to go to Charleston and this makes me want to book a trip right now! It looks like you and your mom had the best time!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

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  23. Oh, what FUN! Charleston is one of my favorite places to visit. I love all of the fun color pops all over the city (a bloggers dream! haha). What a special time you must have had. I know you'll hold those memories close XO

    Shauna

    www.lipglossandlace.net

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  24. Loved your post, and you and your Mama are both adorable. My daughter lives
    in that area, so I am gonna send her your post, so she might have been to some
    of the restaurants you went to, and if not, she will know some that are good.
    So nice yall had such a great time, and you are right .....it is a real blessing you still have your Mom and can take trips together. Lovely,
    Blessings, Nellie

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  25. This looks like a wonderful girls trip! I would love to visit Charleston one day. All of the photos are gorgeous and that food looks amazing! Glad you had a great time!

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  26. Oh what an amazing trip! I love Charleston and haven't been in ages! It looks like y'all made the very most of your time there.

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  27. What a beautiful trip Andrea! You and your mama make such a cute duo. Love that you also got to visit Charleston. It’s been a place I would like to visit and after seeing all your pictures. I am definitely feeling the itch a lot more now! And gosh, hungry too. All those food pics - gimme!

    Maureen | www.littlemisscasual.com

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  28. Anonymous28.4.22

    What a fun trip! We loved Kaminsky's and went more than once. We were in Charleston to check out the college with our youngest. He decided he loved the city, but not the school and ended up in Dayton (Ohio). Not the destination spot! Yes my parents are in great health and we are so blessed to have them in our kids' lives! xo laura in Colorado

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  29. We love Charleston and have gone several times. I will have to check back to this post for restaurants. It is always nice to try some new ones!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  30. I guess I better start saving my millions (LOL) so I can buy one of those adorable rainbow houses! Your mom is so cute, Andrea! :)

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