So apart from our little Toms Eco Lodge trip recently, our main family outing was to the US for a bit of a road trip, first stop Charleston…
We arrived to what has to be the smallest arrival hall I have yet experienced in the US. It was the middle of the night, and once we had navigated customs, it wasn’t long before we were out in the warm night air searching for the hire car and then on to our hotel for the next couple of days.
I would definitely recommend The Wyndham Garden City Hotel with its huge rooms, friendly staff and a plunge pool for an over-excited, completely jet-lagged 3-year old to let off a bit of steam in. A stay here also includes breakfast which happens to feature a waffle machine. Whilst probably standard in many a US hotel, this was THE BEST THING EVER for those of us under the age of 20…
As our hotel wasn’t in the Historic District, we had a short drive in every day over the beautiful bridge – but parking is easy and plentiful (during the week at least!). We parked next to the Visitor’s Center, worth a visit in itself if you happen to have a miniature train enthusiast with you as it’s currently housed in the Train Museum, and home to the most beautiful old green and red steam locomotive sweetly named “The Best Friend of Charleston”. It’s a good place to start anyway, as you can arrange tickets for many things here and advice on what you might like to see…
We spent the day exploring the extremely well preserved Historic District, taking in the obvious sights such as Rainbow Row, and the French Quarter, but also ducking off the beaten track from time to time to discover quieter things, our favourite of which had to be the a gorgeous old cemetery, quite overgrown and draped in Spanish Moss which meant it was very atmospheric.
Afterwards it was down to the waterfront to cool off in the fountains before the biggest seafood lunch at Fleet Landing. This place gets busy, so be prepared for a bit of a wait, but it’s definitely worth it.
Look out for the hundreds of tiny crabs that live along the river bank whilst you wait. If you like them, the oysters with cocktail sauce are Soooo good here. I can also recommend the shrimp po boy!
Having eaten enough for the remainder of our time in the US on our first day alone, we decided to take in a bit of Charleston Street Art and walk to the Aquarium…
Charleston far surpassed my expectations, it’s gorgeous and friendly and we would return for the very end of our stay too…
Zena's Suitcase says
I do love it when a destination surpasses expectation and I can see why this happened with Charleston. It wasn’t on my radar before but it is now
Emma says
It’s really lovely Zena, thank you! :) x
Ava Meena says
I have lived close to Charleston my whole life and have visited too many times to count, and it is so refreshing to see it through your eyes! So happy that you had a nice visit :)
Emma says
Honestly Ava, we loved it. I would actually be happy to move there! :D Thanks so much! x
Chloe: Picture Taker Memory Maker says
Charleston is somewhere I REALLY want to visit. The street art, the architecture and the cemetery have just decided that for me. I’ve heard such good things – looking forward to reading more about your stay there. Hotel sounds fab too!
Emma says
Thanks Chloe! It’s a great place to visit! :)
Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World says
I lived in South Carolina as a child and we loved visiting Charleston. It is all sorts of charming. And your bit about the little crabs conjured memories – we used to scoop them up in a bucket – for a bit of investigating – before we let them scurry off again. Cheers to fresh seafood and hotel waffles! (Maybe not together). #farawayfiles
Emma says
What a lovely part of the US to grow up in! Thanks Erin! :)
Nancy | MapandFamily says
This is just how i imagine Charleston! Lovely photos and introduction, looking forward to reading more about your road trip. #farawayfiles
Emma says
Thanks so much Nancy! :) x
Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles) says
Charleston is one of the places I’d most like to visit in America – it always looks so pretty and I love the architectural style of the buildings. Sounds like the seafood is well worth a visit too! Thanks for sharing on #farawayfiles
Emma says
I know you would love it Clare, it’s so gorgeous! :)
Karen Beddow says
I appreciate there is a lot more to charleston but my kids would have loved the waffle machine in the hotel too!
Emma says
It’s the little things isn’t it? :D Thanks Karen!
Janet says
How lovely!!! It’s a place I have yet to get to and I’m on this side of the pond!!! I hope your US stay was completely enjoyable.
Emma says
We had such a great time. We will have to make it to Texas one day! :) xx
Nell (Pigeon Pair and Me) says
Charleston looks like such a haunting place – and I don’t just mean that beautiful cemetery! I’d love to go some time.
Emma says
I would really recommend it Nell, it’s gorgeous! :)
Ting at MTM says
My husband would die for those oysters. I love architecture too – Charleston looks wonderful
Emma says
I loved everything about it, even the Oysters! :D x
Cerys says
This looks amazing. I love the Spanish moss in that cemetery it would be amazing to see and walk through I also imagine cooler too! We are planning to visit at some point as have friends that live there. So it’s really nice to see how family friendly it really is.
Emma says
Oh you must, it’s such a beautiful area! :) x
Jenny says
Oh we love a good road trip and love the sound of this one. And a waffle machine you say?! Wow!
Emma says
We had such a good time. Thanks Jenny! :)
Claire says
Oh my gosh, I don’t blame you for digging into that amazing seafood. Charleston looks great. Love the street art you found.
Emma says
Thanks Claire, it was fab! :) x
Victoria says
Sounds amazing xx
Emma says
Thank you. xxx
Grace says
The news and features we are fed by the press show America in a very different light, it restores my faith in human nature reading about such a quaint, beautiful town there.
Emma says
It really is beautiful… I think we only get to hear negative things about a lot of places in our media… x