The Mansion on the River

"It was my father who called the city the Mansion on the River. He was talking about Charleston, South Carolina, and he was a native son, peacock proud of a town so pretty it makes your eyes ache with pleasure just to walk down its spellbinding, narrow streets." - Pat Conroy

(Photo Credit: Susanna Crestetto)

Although I like to consider myself well traveled, I am not the expert when it comes to having unlimited amounts of inside knowledge about every city. I love to give people travel guides or advice about cities that I have already been to, but that obviously does not make me the travelling connoisseur. However, the only place that I can claim to know better than any of the experts at Travel & Leisure or Condé Nast Traveler is Charleston, South Carolina. Some people call Charleston one of the most charming cities in the U.S., but I call it home. I have lived in the same house in downtown Charleston for my entire life, making me a fairly good authority figure on what makes Charleston special. I have been asked many times what would constitute the “perfect” day in Charleston, so I thought I would share how I would spend one (very full) summer day in the Holy City.

Because I am an early riser, day would ideally start with a morning workout. I would definitely recommend taking a run or walk across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge that connects Downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. You won’t want to miss the view of the early morning sunlight hitting the harbor from the top of the Bridge. From this vantage point you can see the plethora of beautiful steeples that stand watch over Downtown.

You can then stop by the Park Café on Rutledge Avenue for a very Instagrammable breakfast. Despite its small menu, this cozy restaurant serves high quality food that everyone will like. If you’re feeling more conservative, the Avocado Toast or Fried Egg Sandwich never disappoint. But if you’re willing to play up your sweet tooth and step out of the box, the Pumpkin Waffle is amazing.

Once you’re energized from breakfast, put on comfortable shoes and get ready to walk around. The best way to see Charleston is on foot. One of my absolute favorite things about Charleston is the architecture. Charleston is one of the few cities in the U.S. that has its own specific architectural style, called the Charleston Single. This means that many of the houses are unique in that they are very narrow from the front, but extend perpendicular from the street, making these houses very long and thin. One has to walk around South of Broad, the most historical neighborhood in Charleston. South of Broad is home to some of the most beautiful, famous houses in Charleston, such as the Edmonston-Alston House, the Nathaniel Russell House, and the Heyward-Washington House. All of these houses offer quick tours that are open the public, so it’s a great opportunity for visitors to not only see the preserved interiors of these colonial homes, but also to learn about Charleston’s history in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. While you’re South of Broad, you definitely have to walk along the Battery and White Point Gardens to get a view of the Harbor and the other islands surrounding the Charleston Peninsula.

(Photo Credit: Susanna Crestetto)

Since you can’t go to Charleston without eating seafood, you have to try Leon’s. Leon’s is one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston because of its outstanding oyster selection and drink menu. To offset the sometimes-stifling Charleston heat, I would suggest the Siam Salad with shrimp and a glass of frozen Rosé.

After spending such a busy morning exploring Downtown, the best way to relax is by spending a day at the beach. My favorite beach is Sullivan’s Island because it’s only a 20-minute drive from Downtown Charleston, and it’s generally quieter and more relaxed than Folly Beach.

(Photo Credit: Mikayla Ceraso)

Once you’ve spent some time recovering at the beach, it’s definitely time to go back downtown for a full evening. Charleston has many great rooftop bars, so I love having a cocktail and watching the sunset at bars, such as The Watch, The Rooftop Bar at Vendue, or Élevé at the top of the Grand Bohemian Hotel. All of these bars have extensive cocktail menus and provide exceptional views of the Holy City at sunset.

If you’re extremely lucky, you can get a reservation for dinner at FIG. The owner and chef, Mike Lata, is a James Beard Foundation Award winner who uses locally sourced food to highlight the unique food culture of the Lowcountry. Because the restaurant and Lata are very highly acclaimed, it can be difficult to snag a reservation. However, I can confidently say that the Ricotta Gnocchi is definitely worth the persistence and perseverance that it takes to book yourself a table.

That is my very packed overview of how I would spend my perfect 24 hours in Charleston. This may seem like a very broad overview of the city, but it’s impossible to capture everything that Charleston has to offer. If there’s one thing that I want every tourist to experience it’s the fact that Charleston is an old, historical city that is going through a culinary and cultural revolution. Regardless of whether you like shopping, art, gardens, or music, Charleston has it all. Few people can articulate how unique Charleston is other than Pat Conroy. So, I’m going to use his words to prove how easy it is to have a love affair with my favorite city in the world.

“There is no city on Earth quite like Charleston…it’s held me in its enchanter’s power…Wandering through its streets can be dreamlike and otherworldly, its alleyways and shortcuts both fragrant and mysterious, yet as haunted as time turned in on itself.”

xx