A Weekend In Charleston, SC Alongside Kids

Last week our family took a last-minute, 2-day-3-night trip to Charleston, South Carolina and it was *chef’s kiss*. It was our first time there, and we arrived having done zero planning and no itinerary with the goal of exploring, enjoying the sights, and eating some good stuff along the way (spoiler: we achieved all three!). Honestly, it might have been our go-to weekend trip yet (tied with New Orleans). So here are all the places, activities, and meals that made our trip so strong.

Family With Dog And Children Walking On Rainbow Row In Charleston South Carolina

Why We Vacationed In Charleston

Ever since we moved to Florida three years ago, our family vacations have changed a bit. We used to nearly consistently pick places with a beach and/or pool nearby, but now that we have both at home, we find ourselves more interested in walkable cities or small towns with interesting sights, shops, parks, restaurants, and more. And Charleston was simply about ideal for that! As our children have gotten older – they are now 9 and 13 – they enjoy exploring more, and we no longer find ourselves seeking out playgrounds and children’s museums. So while everything we did here was totally kid-friendly (and dog-friendly!) it may not be ideal for younger kids.

Where We Stayed In Charleston, SC

Part of the reason we booked this trip so last minute is that we came across this excellent-looking Airbnb that happened to be marked down to fill a few days between bookings (and you know we enjoy a sale). We stayed for 3 nights, and it was such a strong spot and a well-managed rental, as the many reviews attest to, which is what made it straightforward for us to click that book button. It would’ve totally been worth the full price too. Note: this was not paid or sponsored in any way & they do not know us from Adam.

Charleston South Carolina Airbnb Charleston Suites Poppy Suite

We had the upstairs unit (“The Poppy Suite”) but the downstairs is also available from the same host, as well as a few other listings around Charleston. We cannot say sufficient good things about it. It was well decorated, quite clean, well stocked, and both kid- and dog-friendly. The only drawback for some people might be that it only has one bathroom, but you all know that we are quite comfortable with that!

Charleston Suites The Poppy Suite Bedroom

The middle bedroom pictured above is where our daughter slept, and our son had a cute bunkroom in the back. Sherry and I took the front bedroom because it opened out to the front balcony, which we heavily used and enjoyed. We spent a couple of hours out there during both of the full days that we had in Charleston, simply hanging out and reading and enjoying the breeze. It was the ideal spot to take a break from walking around (especially during the hottest parts of the day) because it stayed shaded and I cannot promise you will experience the same breeze that we had, but it was there both days we were out there, and it was good.

The house team Reading On Porch of Airbnb In Charleston South Carolina

And as much as we liked the Airbnb itself, we mostly picked it because it was in a strong location that was walkable to restaurants, coffee shops, and more. It is in a neighborhood called Cannonborough / Elliotborough, for those familiar with Charleston.

Where We Explored In Charleston, SC

Since we were only in Charleston for two full days, we chose to use one day for exploring the city and the other for checking out some of the surrounding beach communities (not simply for the beach – a friend tipped us off about some strong food and things to do out there too).

We opted for a go-with-the-flow style trip, rather than popular tourist activities like visiting historical sites or museums so keep that in mind. There are many of those things to do in Charleston if your family is looking for that kind of trip as well. During our city day, we walked from our house on Spring Street down to King Street – the main street full of shops and restaurants that traverses Charleston – and simply kinda popped into shops, ate, and enjoyed the architecture along the way.

Yellow House With Vine Around Portico In Charleston South Carolina

We likely could’ve spent a whole day (or more!) simply walking and looking at all of the historic homes. They also had guided walking tours that looked fascinating, so if we ever went back I think we’d try one of those. I will share our go-to stores and restaurants in a minute, but first I have to drop in a few more striking homes. We enjoyed seeing all of these iconic Charleston side porches with their own “hospitality doors” along the front (they look like a real front door, but simply lead to the open-air porch on the side).

Historic home in Charlestown South Carolina Cannon Street

Charleston felt like such a cool city because although there are so many quite old homes and historic details, it was also colorful and lively. It did not hurt that we were there when everything was in bloom. And let me tell you, this city LOVES window boxes.

Historic Home With Window Boxes In Charleston South Carolina

And simply look at this bright pink church we wandered past in Charleston’s French Quarter (yes, they have one too, simply like New Orleans, which is another weekend trip we took & enjoyed this year).

Pink Huguenot Church In French Quarter In Charleston South Carolina

Speaking of color, we of course hit up Charleston’s iconic Rainbow Row, which is a row of brightly colored Georgian homes along East Bay Street (do not worry, “Rainbow Row” comes up in Apple and Google Maps, so it is quite straightforward to find).

We clocked about 6 miles of walking on our first day and, after looping home for a midday break, we drove back in the evening to hit up some of the further spots from our house (like Rainbow Row and Pineapple Fountain). We do a lot of walking around our neighborhood at home, so our kids did not bat an eye at this sort of mileage – especially since it was broken up with meals, a couple of hours back at home in the A/C (well, we were reading on the porch but they were inside with the AC), and plenty of stops in shops.

Where We Shopped In Charleston, SC

Most of the stores we popped into were located on or near King Street, and we in short simply wandered into anything that looked interesting. Like the tented rattan paradise that was this Amanda Lindroth store.

Inside of Amanda Lindroth Store In Charleston South Carolina

We consistently try to hit up an independent bookstore whenever we travel, so we were glad to stumble upon Blue Bicycle Books. Somehow we missed the sign for Buxton Books further down King Street, but that seems to be another popular local bookseller.

Inside of Blue Bicycle Books In Charleston South Carolina

We did not encounter a ton of kid-specific stores (except for this toy store in the Charelston City Market) but at 9 and 13, our kids enjoy random things like plant stores, art shops, and even a stationery store (they buy pens and felt pointer markers like they are connoisseurs). They also had a surprising amount of lively smelling soaps at the Old Whaling Company (pictured below) and we all enjoyed checking out the art in the Mitchel Hill Gallery furniture store. We rounded things off with a strong time in the Mildred Newberry stationery shop (see: they like markers and pens).

Inside of Old Whaling Company Store In Charleston South Carolina

And of course, Sherry made sure we stopped into Sewing Down South, which is the pillow store opened by Craig Conover from Bravo’s Southern Charm. There were no actual sightings of any Bravolebrities, but that was not for lack of effort (the effort largely being Sherry randomly whispering “Craig?!” and “Paige?!” as we walked around town. Cannot believe that did not work…).

Sherry At Sewing Down South Southern Charm Craig Shop With Pillows

As much lively as we had walking around Charleston itself, our two go-to stores were in fact over the bridge closer to some of Charleston’s beaches.

Exploring Charleston’s Beaches

As I mentioned, hitting the beach is not truly the main reason we book a vacation anymore simply because we live at the beach full time, but we were all excited to drive out to Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island one morning to check them out, since we have heard such strong things about those communities and a friend gave us some pointers about where to eat and some other lively stuff to do and see out there.

Children Walking Down Beach Access At Isle Of Palms South Carolina

We parked near The Boathouse at Breach Inlet in Isle of Palms to enjoy a pleasant morning walk on the beach since IOP seemed to be the most accommodating to dogs on the beach. After a pleasant beach walk (they had some good shells & Penny enjoyed sniffing everything) we went on the hunt to find a place for coffee & brunch and stumbled upon a store in Sullivan’s Island called A Maker’s Post. It had the coolest mix of art, housewares, and plants. And both of our kids walked out with new books that they purchased, so it was a hit for all ages.

Green Filing Cabinet Display At A Makers Post In Sullivans Island South Carolina

After posting about our trip on Instagram last week, the photo above likely got the most interest – so much so that I am sure Sherry’s fingers hurt from typing “it is called A Maker’s Post” over and over again in her DMs. It is fairly hard to miss from the road, but it is next to a bright pink place called The Co-Op (where we ended up getting coffee) if that helps.

Shelving With Home Decor At A Makers Post In Sullivans Island South Carolina

Our other go-to stop out that way was a shop we hit up on the way back from the beach in more suburban Mount Plesant. It is called Plant House and – after A Maker’s Post was such a hit for our whole family – I found it simply by googling “plant store.” I am a hero.

Shelves with Houseplants At Plant House In Mount Pleasant Charleston South Carolina

We have since learned that it is a chain with 7 locations in the Southeast (even one back in our old hometown of Richmond, VA!) but it was totally new to us here in Charleston and it is likely the longest we spent in any single store the whole trip! They sell every plant and pot you could imagine, and the store itself is simply filled to the brim with stuff to look at. Plus there is a quite lively activity they offer anytime you stop in…

Colorful Plant Pots At Plant House In Charleston South Carolina

… they have Hands-on terrarium stations! So for $25 each, our kids got to assemble their own plant terrarium. They each picked out two small plants along with their round glass vessel and then all of the “toppings” on the worktable were free: soil, sand, rocks, shells, moss, etc. There was a woman who guided them through all the steps, and each kid had so much lively. Sherry also had lively when our son occasionally asked for a hand.

Children Making Terrariums At Plant House In Mount Pleasant In Charleston South Carolina

The staff was especially friendly and helpful, so the kids got strong guidance for building and caring for their terrariums too. They literally let you simply walk in and make one anytime – but they also have scheduled workshops for grown-ups, and there is even a bar with booze in the store!

Wrapped up Terrarium Made At Plant House In Charleston South Carolina Mount Pleasant

As much as we enjoyed all of these shops and activities, the real highlights of our trip were likely the meals.

Where We Ate In Charleston, SC

We are by no means fine dining people and our vacation MO is simply to find places with delicious food and a lively atmosphere. Charleston did not disappoint on this front!

Breakfast in Charleston

Both mornings we got breakfast at neighborhood spots within a short walk from our Airbnb. The first was Daps Breakfast & Imbibe which had strong coffee, giant egg sandwiches, and even more giant pancakes. In retrospect, the kids could’ve shared an order (we knew they were big but we did not realize they’d be THIS BIG). I also likely could have gotten a “side” of pancakes with my order that would have fed them both! These were the Fruity Pebble ones that our daughter got (our son went with something dusted with cocoa powder).

Our other breakfast was at Holey City Bagels which, first of all, earns points for a quality pun in its name (Charleston’s nickname is “the Holy City”). The bagels themselves are the closest thing we have had to a New York style bagel in a while and the attached coffee shop was strong too.

Holey City Bagel Breakfast Restaurant In Charleston South Carolina

Lunch & Dinner In Charleston

Another couple of strong spots within walking distance of our Airbnb were Pink Cactus and Fuel Cantina, both with Mexican menus. Pink Cactus looks fairly unassuming from the street (the patio is kinda plopped into a couple of parking spaces) but the food was delicious and generously sized. They do not have a kid’s menu and prefer not to make substitutions, but both of our kids enjoyed what they got (they can each handle a bit of spice which was certainly present). We later met someone who worked at Plant House who said her friends drive 40 minutes to go to Pink Cactus, so apparently it has many devoted fans.

Torta Mexican Sandwich at Pink Cactus In Charleston South Carolina

Fuel Cantina certainly beat Pink Cactus in the outdoor atmosphere department. It is located in an old gas station and the back patio, where we ate, was the ideal place to chill on a striking summer evening. Think strings lights, TV, big fans, along with bocce and giant Jenga to keep the kids entertained.

Fuel Cantina In Charleston South Carolina

I took the above photo the following morning on our walk to Holey City (hence it looking closed… because it was). But I snapped the pic below the previous night on our way out to the patio. They truly leaned into the former gas station thing by turning some fuel pumps into sconces!

Lamp Made From Gas Pump At Fuel Cantina Restaurant

Another especially chill meal we had that was big on atmosphere was our dinner at the Port of Call Food Hall. The food hall gave us several options – I got Greek, one kid got seafood, and the rest got smash burgers – and the seating area was pleasant and shady. For dessert, we all tried pineapple soft serve for the first time at The Pineapple Hut.

The Pineapple Hut And Port Of Call Food Hall In Charleston South Carolina

Likely our go-to meal food-wise was across the bridge in Sullivan’s Island at a place called The Obstinate Daughter. A friend recommended this as a place with fantastic food where we could “dress up a bit”, so initially we wrote it off (none of us packed anything remotely dressy). But then we happened to drive by around 11am and saw several families eating on the patio in quite casual attire, so we chose to have an early lunch. And boy are we glad we did.

The Obstinate Daughter Pizza Restaurant In Sullivans Island South Carolina

I got the special of the day, a peach flatbread pizza with balsamic drizzle, and it totally hit the spot. The kids split a cheese flatbread and some pasta, which they both declared: “the best.” Sherry got some delicious ahi tuna special with a cream sauce and potatoes. This was the only meal we did not have leftovers from, as in, we licked each of our plates clean. Yes, that whole pizza went into my belly.

Peach Pizza At Obstinate Daughter In Sullivans Island South Carolina

There is a gelato shop in the same building called BeardCat’s Sweet Shop, which we got for dessert. You get to select two flavors even for a small size, so Sherry and I split a dark chocolate + olive oil and salt gelato. They literally drizzled olive oil on the top, which I was not so sure about at first, but it ended up being extremely good.

Was Charleston Dog Friendly?

Yes! Apart from a few stores that said “service animals only,” we found everything in Charleston to be extremely dog friendly: our Airbnb, the beaches, and the outdoor restaurants. Because we had such good weather during our stay, we were able to eat every single meal outside. For some meals – like the breakfast places and the food hall – it meant one of us staying outside with Penny while the others placed our order, but that is no big deal and something we do at restaurants back home too.

Sherry With Penny The Chorkie At Rainbow Row In Charleston South Carolina

Since Penny’s a small dog, we typically pick her up whenever we go into a shop simply in case. This is more for our & her safety than anything else (that way she does not try to eat something under a display, get spooked by a shop cat, or unintentionally knock something over with her leash). We also typically ask an employee “is it okay to bring our dog in here?” simply to be safe. Everyone was more than glad to have her! She was also the only family member who asked to be carried a few times outside when she did not feel like walking. #spoiled

John Holding Penny The Chorkie In Charleston South Carolina

As our Airbnb hosts pointed out in their booklet, most of the Charleston area beaches are dog friendly too – but the rules vary by area and time of year, so be sure to check before you go. In May we were able to take Penny on the Isle of Palms beaches with no problem.

Our Trip To Charleston, SC: A Summary

For Charleston first-timers who did quite little planning for this 2-day-3-night weekend trip, we had a strong time. For convenience, I thought I’d bullet the places mentioned in this post all in one spot for you.