So Tyler was SUPER sweet and planned a surprise trip for us to take Memorial Day weekend (just a month after our anniversary.) I didn't find out where we were going until we got to the airport, which was super fun and exciting because I really like surprises! It did make it a little challenging to pack though, but Tyler was nice enough to tell me to bring a bathing suit, some sundresses, and things I'd be comfortable wearing in 75 degree weather. I dropped Stella off at the vet early on Thursday. She was real sad. She had no idea what was going on and why I was leaving her - she definitely gave me her best puppy dog eyes and cried when I walked out the door. She was getting fixed the next morning, so timing actually worked out perfectly so she could stay there a few days and heal while we were on vaca.
We had a late flight which was nice because we could just get to the hotel and go to bed and not worry about trying to squeeze some activities in when we got there. We decided that morning that we were going to make it a beach day. We went to Sullivans Island - there are some amazing houses, and the beach is HUGE! Now, we're not talking Caribbean clear waters here, but it was actually pretty nice.
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| Got my flippy flops and beach bag! |
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| Beach houses |
We went to dinner at Hall's Chop House, which is one of the top restaurants in Charleston right now. I'm not a huge red meat eater, but this filet was awesome. Would totally recommend this place.
The next day we had lunch reservations at Husk. This is where we celebrated our engagement 2 years ago, so it is a special place for us. They change up their menu everyday and all ingredients are locally sourced. The chef is a James Beard award recipient, so you know it is good! I had shrimp and grits (a Charleston staple!) and Tyler had fried catfish.
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| Shrimp and grits |
We walked around a little after lunch and found the bed and breakfast we stayed at last time. This is the actual location of where we got engaged, so we had to take a picture.
The temperature started warming up a bit, so we changed after lunch and then walked across the street from our hotel to the Spoleto Festival. Spoleto is a huge art festival that occurs every year in Charleston and is a huge tourist driver for the area. There were lots of art vendors, and I even bought two prints for the kitchen. :)
Our friends Braden and Adriane also live in Charleston. Adriane is finishing up her residency program, so she was working all day Saturday, but we got to spend some time with Braden and their two adorable daughters. Braden picked us up and we went out to the Magnolia Plantation. Last time Tyler and I were in Charleston, we didn't have time to fit in any plantations, so this was definitely on our list for this trip. Magnolia Plantation has beautiful grounds. It reminded me of something you'd see in Gone with the Wind. So many flowers and plants - it smelled so fragrant!
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| Oh, hey, random bamboo forest at the plantation. |
The next day we decided to go to Toast for brunch. We waited FOREVER (okay, an hour and a half) but the brunch was money. I got a crab cake benedict and Tyler got a surf and turf dish. Best part of brunch? Unlimited mimosas! Our waitress even gave us to-go mimosas in a coffee cup. After being completely overserved, we decided to go to the market area and dropped a pretty penny on some sweetgrass baskets. You may have seen some pictures of these baskets from our last trip to Charleston. They are specific to the area, and its a skill that has been passed down throughout generations (starting with slaves back in the day) but skilled basketweavers are slowly disappearing because the kids of our generation just aren't into it. They take hours and hours and days and weeks to make (especially the big ones) and they're sturdy enough to put in the dishwasher, but even the small ones can cost triple digits. Luckily, I have some mad negotiation skills, and with my to-go mimosa in hand, I was able to get us two for the much discounted price of one! Super excited!
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| This sucker ran about $1500. Needless to say, this is not the one we bought. |
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| We got this little guy and a bread basket. :) |
We also decided to take another buggy ride. We were walking towards the barn when a buggy salesperson walked up to us, found out we were interested in a ride, radioed to the barn that we were on our way because there was a ride about to leave. We hurried over there, jumped on the buggy, and somehow didn't have to pay. Score! There are 3 routes in Charleston that are all mandated by the city. All buggies have to stop at this little house that has a bingo cage with 3 different colored balls in it. Depending on which color you get, that's the route you go on. Our ride ended up going into the old part of Charleston, which was different from the ride we took two years ago, so we got to see some different stuff.
Overall, a super fun trip! I'm usually the trip planner, so it was a fun experience to go into it not knowing what we were doing. I'm super lucky to have such a thoughtful husband that loves to travel and explore new places and foods as much as I do! Can't wait for many more trips to come!
