When one of your best friends who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska asks you if you want to meet in Charleston for a long weekend in the spring, you say YES as fast as you can. And then immediately book an Airbnb because prices for accommodations in the beautiful Southern city only get more expensive as travel dates get closer. 

It’d been about a year and half since Stacey and I had seen each other. She was coming to visit her sister Lindsey in South Carolina and staying over in Charleston for a bit. We were so pumped to have some dedicated time together with our families and explore a fun and lovely place.

Me, Sean and Harrison arrived in the early afternoon. The drive from Atlanta is around five hours. Our Airbnb was on Kings Street but not right downtown – although still extremely near to everything and convenient in addition to being old and charming. The jasmine covering the entrance stairs was glorious.

After getting settled, we went over to Westbrook Brewing to have some tasty suds. Right as we sat down, several families with toddlers arrived so Harrison had a blast playing with the other kids. 

We kept it low-key that night and ordered sushi back at the loft after a quick grocery run. Stacey, Derek and the twins Myra and Magnus arrived around 10:30 pm and we were so excited to see them. <3 But also tired, LOL.

The next morning we headed out to see the Angel Oak Tree on John’s Island which was a 20-minute drive away. This tree is 400-500 years old with a life expectancy of 900 years! Southern live oaks are all amazing but this tree was probably the most spectacular tree I’ve ever seen. Being under and among its long, winding branches was serene. I could have stayed here all day relishing in the wonder of nature.

Stacey with her twins Myra and Magnus, and my little Harrison. <3

We’ve been friends since middle school – about 25 years! It’s wonderful to still be in each other’s lives and sharing our experiences. 

Our next stop was the Charleston Tea Garden. We drive another 20 minutes out toward and coastal marshes to this lovely place and the only tea plantation in the US. There was a video-guided tour, a lovely gift shop, tea samples, a big front porch with rocking chairs and ceiling fans, and gravel roads covered with Spanish Moss-draped live oak trees. Ahhhh.

Many of our friends had recommended Taco Boy to us for lunch and there was one by our Airbnb so we headed there after our tea time. It was a sunny but slightly chilly day at ~62 degrees but we opted to sit outside on the adorable patio. All the food was yummy and I thoroughly enjoyed my Baja fish and Southwestern shrimp tacos. 

Everyone had quiet time back at the house. Stacey, Derek and the twins were still jet-lagged so the rest was extra necessary. Harrison didn’t really sleep but played in his crib happily for over an hour. Then he got some sweet snuggle with his auntie Stack. 🙂

Turns out Harrison WAS tired though because he fell asleep on the 15 minute drive to a nearby park later that afternoon. HAHAHA. He’s soo cute. Massive amounts of fun were had at the park. We cooked dinner at home later that night and all three kids got in the bath. They then ran around and around and around the house laughing and playing and it was so much fun!

Friday morning we took our time getting up, getting breakfast, and getting out of the house. Our first stop was the Charleston City Market and a little strolling around town.

Turtle finger puppets were too cute to pass up for my turtle-loving son.

We then headed out to Folly Beach for some sun, sand and swimming. We picked up Publix subs for lunch along with watermelon and had a little picnic. Myra and Magnus both swam with Stacey in the super cold water and had a blast. Harrison was all about the sand and happily played for over 3 hours. It was an awesome way to spend a spring afternoon in the South with friends and kiddos.

There was another kids bath back at the house and then stories before bedtime.

Stacey and I went out for a little one-on-one, adult time and a beverage. Many friends sent recommendations and we ended up at the rooftop of the Vendue Hotel just past sunset. The sky was still a lovely pink and we had 360-degree views of the city, harbor and bridges. I haven’t been out with a friend in almost a year (since I went out with Lindsey, her twin sister, in Fort Mill, SC last summer) and I really can’t describe how nice it was to not only be out but also catch up with one of my best friends. 

On our last morning, we were all kind of scrambling to pack, eat breakfast, get showers, etc. It was hard to say goodbye since we know it’ll be awhile before we’re together again but we were so thankful for this time that we did get to spend with each other.

After we departed the Airbnb, Sean, Harrison and I tried to go to the Charleston Farmers Market that was supposed to be happening on Marion Square. It was not. I was super bummed as I had been looking forward to this after reading lots of positive things about this market. I told Sean he should find a really nice coffee shop for himself and the one he chose was a bit far so he got us a rickshaw ride! Trey was a young guy and super friendly – he kept checking in with Harrison to see how he was liking the ride. Harrison, of course, was completely enamored with the experience. We got our yummy caffeinated beverages from Second State Coffee and walked through town before heading back to the car and driving home.

We stopped for an ice cream on the way home and were sure that this meant Harrison was definitely, absolutely and without a doubt not falling asleep during the drive. To our surprise, he fell asleep about 30 minutes later for the last part of our trip. Sugar crash!

What a fabulous trip. Charleston is a lovely city if you have young kids. I wasn’t sure how it would be since I’d only ever been there for a bachelorette party years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by how many kid- and family-friendly things there were to do. I’m still a Savannah girl through-and-through but would keep Charleston in the rotation of weekend trips in the South.