Cheers to Charleston

2nd annual Girls' Trip 2024

Last year my mom, sister, sister in law, and I all did a girls' trip in New York City and it was so incredible that when timing worked out with my mother in law taking time off of work and being able to take my children for a few days, I decided we needed to do it again this year. We decided on Charleston and it did not disappoint! We made the absolute most of our days and ended up fitting so much in our 4 day trip (including 2 full days and 2 half days with travel). I am currently at the airport with a delayed flight so here's to hoping it's not too much later than it is supposed to be but so so worth it and I am forever grateful to my mother in law for being willing to take the children and even help my husband on Saturday when he didn't have work too.

We obviously had to begin the trip with these cute welcome gifts that I made and they also came in handy during the trip as well! I had such a fun time planning this whole thing with the itinerary (that quickly became the ever changing itinerary - the keyword was "flexible" for our trip) and I loved getting these cute Stanley cups put together. I decided to wash them before the trip and that was an excellent idea as when it wasn't raining, it was quite hot in Charleston so we did need cold water throughout the day.

Three pink drink cups with lids and heart decorations arranged in a row.

Day 1

Shopping & Exploring

My mom and sister landed first and after getting the rental car taken care of, they headed to the outlets where they spent most of the morning. They each got a cute new Kate Spade purse and looked at many other stores while they waited for me to land. They also went to Walmart and apparently walked down every single aisle. After I landed they picked me up and we went back to the outlets to spend a little bit of time until Alison got there! After she arrived we checked in to our hotel which was so cute and RIGHT downtown - literally the location couldn't have been more perfect. I absolutely loved that we were able to walk to dinner every night.

After exploring Rainbow Row and Waterfront Park we walked to our dinner reservation which was at Little Palm and it was absolutely adorable - every restaurant we went to was so cute and had the best vibes! It was voted as best vibes by Alison and we all really liked what we ate there! After dinner we headed to a gelato shop next door that gets 3/5 stars but was a nice finish to our meal before we headed back to the hotel to get cozy and play some games that Alison had brought (bless her).

Outdoor shopping center with colonial style architecture and lamp posts.

Banana Republic Factory Store exterior with black awnings and large storefront windows.

American Eagle store exterior with palm trees and black awnings at an outdoor shopping center.

Modern glass shower enclosure with white subway tile walls and blue toiletry bottles.

Cozy living room corner with blue armchair, coral pillows and brick fireplace.

Hotel room with gray upholstered headboard and crisp white bedding.

Three friends posing together on a city sidewalk in casual attire.

Ornate pineapple fountain spraying water in a landscaped courtyard setting.

Colorful row houses along a Charleston street with palm trees and parked cars.

Three friends pose together on a wooden dock overlooking a waterfront on a sunny day.

People sitting at outdoor cafe tables under orange umbrellas browsing menus.

Two-story hotel courtyard with balconies decorated with string lights and tropical plants.

Pink cocktail with salt rim and lime garnish in stemmed glass.

Mirror selfie taken in bathroom with orange walls and pendant lighting.

Small round cactus plant in terracotta pot with white pebbles.

DAY 2

The ocean in a tropical storm

On Day 2 we felt the effects of Hurricane Helene. In the morning it started off by just drizzling so we walked the streets of Charleston with our umbrellas, went shopping on Market street, and of course had a cute brunch at Millers All Day. When I was doing my research for the trip I read that there is usually quite a long wait (like 1 hour or more) but every blog said that it was worth it so I had it on the itinerary but luckily due to the tropical storm, not very many people were hanging around Charleston so we went right in and were immediately seated! We quickly realized that we don't really love the typical southern food but I did try grits for the first time this trip and they just tasted like mashed potatoes to me but anyway, I really liked my French toast sticks and Alison said it was the best latte she had all trip! We quickly realized that dinner portions are small, and brunch portions are large, and that everyone sleeps in in Charleston (our guess is that they are busy sleeping off the prior night's drinks).

After exploring the streets a little more, we decided to go visit Angel Oak Tree which is a 400 year old tree that is just stunning! Again, almost nobody was there due to the rain but it was really fun looking at the giant tree that it was. After the tree we went to the beach! We decided to hit Folly Beach since it was closer to the Angel Oak Tree and it was still raining when we got there but we didn't let that stop us and we got SOAKED but it was so so fun!! Alison was the only one with her swimsuit on so she got in the water but we all walked in the water up to our calves and the water felt SO WARM - it was seriously like bath water. It must have just been because the air was cooler and the rain was cooler but it was really a fun experience. The only people at the beach were us and a few surfers and it was a day to remember for sure.

As we were driving away from the beach we were noticing how all of the houses were up on high stilts and we did hit a few nerve wracking streets that were a little flooded. We ended up parking on the higher floor of the parking garage just in case and we literally trudged through about 6 inches of water on foot as we walked back to our hotel due to flooding so that was kinda crazy!! Luckily the next day all of the streets were fine but we were a bit nervous about the streets for sure. We couldn't even enter the parking garage at our normal entrance due to flooding!!

After we got home and all showered and cleaned up again, we headed to The Rooftop at the Venue. This was probably cuter when it wasn't raining but again, immediately got seated because nobody was out in the rain. It was kind of a fun experience walking through a sort of art gallery to get to the actual restaurant on the top floor and this place had my absolute favorite meal of the trip - some absolutely delicious pork cheek tacos with a pineapple salsa. Oh it was incredible!! We also loved the chips and queso and we were very happy we ordered that appetizer. After dinner we got some delicious dessert from Caramello's - carrot cake, lemon & pistachio cake, and key lime pie and we ate that and played games in our hotel room.

Two people taking mirror selfie in black and white tiled bathroom.

A mint green circular sign reading 'MILLERS ALL DAY' hanging outside a white building with classic architecture.

Storefront window display with 'MILLERS ALL DAY' text and minimal decor.

Coffee drink in white cup with heart latte art design on wooden table.

Illuminated retro-style signage spelling out 'PRESCRIP' against a brown textured wall.

Scrambled eggs with gravy sauce served on a pink plate with green beans and tomato relish.

French toast sticks dusted with powdered sugar served with sausage links and blueberries on a white plate.

Fresh garden salad with mixed greens and yellow cheese served on a white plate.

White archway leading to a garden path with lush greenery and stone pavers.

Garden entrance with ornate iron gates and stone pillars surrounded by lush greenery.

Historic Charleston row houses with classic brick architecture and a tall palm tree in between.

Outdoor cafe seating with a round white table on a charming city sidewalk.

Green coffee cup with 'Sorelle' written in white script, held against a bright background.

Two people chat in a charming arched walkway with stone pavers and lush greenery.

Three friends pose with umbrellas on a historic Charleston street with pastel buildings.

A group stands beneath the massive Angel Oak tree in Charleston on a cloudy day.

Visitors admire the sprawling branches of the ancient Angel Oak tree.

Friends with umbrellas enjoy a rainy day at the beach with crashing waves.

A person with an umbrella walks along a wooden pier overlooking a stormy ocean.

Two friends share an umbrella under colorful decorative lights on a rainy day.

A figure in a teal dress stands in the surf holding an umbrella against a misty beach backdrop.

A playful mirror selfie showing reflections in an elevator with red striped walls.

A feast of Mexican food including tacos, chips, and various colorful salsas spread across a table.

A large bright red inflatable character poses next to someone in a casual outfit in an indoor setting.

DAY 3

Swamp tour & Beach day

The boat ride swamp tour was probably one of the biggest highlights of the trip!! After we had a delicious brunch at Gingerline (well, apart from the avocado toast that was trash) we went back to the hotel and grabbed our swimsuits and then quickly pivoted when we found out at the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens was closed due to the storm and instead headed to Cypress Gardens where we went on our self guided boat tour around the swamp that was just BEAUTIFUL!! The photos don't even do it justice to how beautiful it was being surrounded on all sides with those gorgeous trees with the Spanish moss. Alison and I rowed and always seemed to overshoot it so we went from left to right but we still finished to tour very quickly. I would've loved for it to even be twice as long because we all loved it so much! We even rowed right under the bridge where they filmed the opening scene of The Notebook so that was fun! We saw a giant crocodile (in a cage, not in the swamp) and headed to the Butterfly Garden where we saw some beautiful flowers and many many butterflies!

After Cypress Gardens we headed to Walmart to grab some snacks for beach day!! The water did not feel quite as warm as the day before but still felt really really good! There was SO much sea foam that just kept blowing away (aka right toward us) - the winds were very strong. We all went wading in the water and we just snuck our bath towels out from our hotel and it was totally fine that we didn't have an umbrella or beach chairs. We really were soaking up the last day of summer with the sun that finally came out! While we were at the beach my dad asked if we had gone to any super fancy restaurants and we said not any crazy fancy ones and he told us we should so we spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out where we could go, but unfortunately (or actually fortunately) all of the restaurants in Charleston were booked because the food and wine festival had started that day and it was a Friday night so we ended going back to our original plan which was to go to the Citrus Club (a rooftop bar/restaurant) which didn't take reservations.

We had to wait an hour until a table opened up but we were SO happy we did!! Unfortunately we didn't make it up there with any daylight left so I didn't get cute photos of what it looked like (google Citrus Club Charleston to see the cute pink and white stripe theme you know I loved) but it was incredible!! The wind was blowing and the weather was PERFECT and we really enjoyed eating outside on the roof. Our server was pretty awful as he didn't even fill up our water once and we had a pretty salty meal but we didn't even care because it was just so so nice to enjoy that ambiance. I think it was my mom's favorite meal of the trip! She really liked her lobster roll. We were all impressed with ourselves because we were living the Charleston night life instead of being in our pajamas in our hotel room by 7:30 like we were every other night :D And of course, we finished at home with the rest of our cake from the night before and by getting in pajamas and playing our two games we had!

A round 'gingeline' sign mounted on a red brick wall.

A restaurant table set with glasses and place settings against floral wallpaper and striped booth seating.

Restaurant interior with exposed wooden ceiling beams, pendant lighting, and casual dining furniture.

Modern restaurant interior with blue bar stools, wooden tables, and decorative wall panels.

French toast topped with fresh berries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream served with maple syrup.

Wooden camera decoration mounted on white painted brick wall next to floral wallpaper.

Restaurant booth seating with floral wallpaper and wooden tables in a casual dining setting.

Bluegreen Vacations Lodge Alley Inn sign mounted on yellow wall with flowering plants below.

Glass door with ornate chandelier and triangular design elements visible through reflection.

Spanish moss hangs from trees with golden magnolia leaves in a lush Southern garden setting.

Casual outdoor portrait of someone in a white t-shirt and navy skirt with a crossbody bag.

Person in casual summer attire standing by a crepe myrtle tree along a paved path.

Scenic view of a cypress swamp with moss-draped trees reflected in still waters.

Two people enjoying a boat ride while paddling through a scenic swamp.

Peaceful swamp landscape with tall cypress trees reflecting in dark water.

White ornamental bridge spans across green algae-covered water in a garden setting.

Classic white arched garden bridge spanning across green waters in a southern garden.

Back view of someone in a striped tank top and green shorts looking at a garden bridge.

Picturesque white garden bridge with ornate railings spanning across algae-covered water.

Person enjoying a sunny boat ride wearing sunglasses, a white t-shirt and navy blue bag against a backdrop of trees.

Two people standing on a wooden path under a canopy of crepe myrtle trees in a garden setting.

Close-up of delicate pink pentas flowers blooming in clusters against blurred green background.

Delicate purple plumbago flowers blooming on vine with soft bokeh background.

White plumeria flowers with yellow centers blooming among dark green and burgundy leaves.

Orange and black butterfly perched on a flower stem against green foliage.

Ocean wave foam creating diagonal pattern on sandy beach with dramatic contrast.

Person in purple shirt and baseball cap sitting on beach with sunny coastal background.

Person in blue and white swimsuit smiling while sitting on beach towel.

Person in white t-shirt and navy shorts posing cheerfully on sunny beach.

Feet standing at edge of ocean wave foam on sandy beach.

Scenic ocean waves rolling onto sandy beach under clear blue sky.

Person in blue swimsuit relaxes on white towel at beach with coastal buildings visible.

Woman in floral swimsuit poses on sunny beach with ocean waves in background.

Small seashell on wet sand with seafoam bubbles.

Two people in casual dresses standing on brick pathway near palm trees and garden.

Modern hotel entrance with glass doors and overhanging roof in downtown setting.

Three people posing near white church building with palm trees in background.

Group sitting on stone steps taking selfie outdoors.

Hand holding white circular Citrus Club coaster against metallic background.

Outdoor rooftop dining scene at dusk with city views in the background.

Lobster roll sandwich served with crispy french fries and pickles on a white plate.

Colorful plate with seared tuna, mango salsa, black beans and avocado.

Evening dining scene on an outdoor terrace with city lights visible.

DAY 4

Brunch & Gardens

This was our last day but it was another great one!! We started with a delicious brunch at Frankie & The Fox - a restaurant at the Emeline hotel and recommendation from Hope Taylor (a photographer educator that I have followed for years) and even though they didn't have the cinnamon rolls covered in frosting like the photo I had seen before, they did have an Apple Pie Sticky Bun that was INCREDIBLE!! It was also super super cute and the weather was great! I am glad we made the reservation for 9:30 and that the heat hadn't quite hit yet.

After Brunch we headed to the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens as it was indeed open. We took a Nature Train Tour and saw a couple of alligators in the wild and even saw one move a little bit!! It was fun learning about the area and the nature and wildlife. We took lots of photos with the Spanish moss and had a fun time walking through the trails (especially after we came across the box with bug spray available for use). We saw some cool rescued animals like the fox, giant tortoise, prairie dogs, and opossum. We then got out our chips, crackers and cheese and had a little picnic on the grounds before we headed to the airport.

It was SO fun to go out for a fancy brunch and dinner every night and spend time together!! I really enjoyed being able to sleep a full night without having to be alert for a baby monitor and I enjoyed going to a restaurant without having to pack snacks and activities for Nellie. I know little Nellie and Lewis missed me (as I am sure Bryan did as well) but it was fun to have a little break - always good to recharge and be ready to go be a full time mom again!! I am so incredibly grateful for my mom for paying for our meals and Alison and Brynn for taking time off of work to come take this vacation together (and for paying for food for us as well). I am already excited for our Vermont Girls Trip 2026.