Charleston is one of my favorite cities in the U.S.! There’s so much to do, and it’s so beautiful and colorful ๐ I’ve been a few times now, and I visited again recently for a girl’s weekend (Charleston is a great spot for a girl’s weekend!) so I put together an itinerary for my favorite 7 things to do during a weekend in Charleston!
Go shopping
I’m not the biggest fan of shopping, but I do love going shopping in Charleston. King Street is one of the prettiest places I’ve been shopping before, so even if you don’t want to spend money, it’s still a nice area to walk around and take photos. I think King Street has a great mix of bigger chain stores and smaller local stores, and I have a whole post on my favorite stores, including an awesome Italian one!
There is more to Charleston than the famous King Street, and I definitely recommend visiting the farmer’s market at Marion Square and the Historic Charleston City Market.
This is my favorite store in Charleston!
Eat a lot and go bar hopping
Charleston has some AMAZING restaurants and some really unique bars! You can’t really go wrong with any of them, but I do have a whole list of the best restaurants and bars in Charleston (including where you can get aย White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Martini!) on my Charleston restaurant guide.
Yes, it’s as amazing as it looks
Walk around the Waterfront Park & the Pineapple Fountain
You’ve probably heard of the famous Pineapple Fountain and seen photos of it on Instagram, and you can see it on the waterfront! That area is really nice to walk around and do some sightseeing while you cool off with the breeze off the water.
Obligatory girl’s weekend “selfie” of sorts!
See Rainbow Row and houses in the historic districtย
Aside from eating, I think seeing all the historic houses in Charleston is my favorite thing to do there! I LOVE how colorful all the houses are, and Rainbow Row really is a rainbow! After you see Rainbow Row, I also recommend walking through the neighborhoods in the historic district to see some more beautiful homes in Charleston, and I have a post on all my favorite houses there.
Visit cemeteries and churches
I visited some cemeteries and churches and learned about their history on a tour I took previously in Charleston, and it was really interesting. Did you know that Charleston has the last remaining Huguenot church in the U.S.? Even if you don’t do a tour, you can still walk through the cemeteries and see the Huguenot church in the French Quarter.
Walk around the historic district
The historic district has all kinds of beautiful houses and buildings, and the French Quarter has the famous Philadelphia Alley! There are a lot of rumors about duels and ghosts in Philadelphia Alley that don’t seem to be true, but they do know that it was named Philadelphia Street and later Philadelphia Alley because Philadelphia had sent funding to Charleston after a big fire in the 1800s. There’s a long history about the alley if you’re interested. Since I moved to Philadelphia after my previous visit to Charleston, I had to stop by again and represent Philly!
Go to the beach!
There’s a beach! While it may not be technically “in” Charleston, Folly Beach and Isle of Palms are right outside and just a short drive from the city. Everything I’ve mentioned in Charleston so far is easily walkable, so the only thing you would need a car for is the beach. We went to Isle of Palms, and it was a beautiful area and not overly crowded, even on a holiday weekend!
The only thing we had trouble with was parking, and if you’re going to park somewhere other than a parking lot, make sure you read the signs to make sure it’s allowed. You don’t want to block someone’s driveway or park on the wrong side of the street. We had to drive around for a while before we happened to see that parking was allowed at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church after church was over, so check out that church if you can’t find parking.
So there you have it- my favoriteย 7 things to do during a weekend in Charleston! ๐ If you haven’t been to Charleston yet, I highly recommend visiting soon!
I still haven’t been to Charleston and I don’t know why. It’s such a gorgeous city. Thanks for the tips. Will keep them in mind when I eventually go!
I hope you can go soon! It’s such a nice city!
Charleston has great architecture which makes it so pretty. Great pictures to inspire a visit. Thanks Julia.
Thank you!
Definitely one of my favorite cities in the United States! I’m an architecture nerd so I could spend days wandering around the historic district.
It’s an awesome place for architects to visit!
Like you, I love Charleston, and you captured it well.
Thank you!
Charleston is on a short list that my girlfriends and I have for a getaway! Your pictures are amazing! I’ve never been, but ALWAYS wanted to!
Thank you! ๐ It’s such an awesome city!
Charleston is on my list of cities to visit and your post just confirmed the need to get there! Thanks for sharing!
I hope you can go soon!
Charleston has been on my list for a while, for an East Coast road trip! I love how laid back your recommendations are, it feels like a place to meander around and soak up the city’s energy. This has definitely made me more excited to visit, thank you for sharing!
It’s such a great place to leisurely walk around!
Great photographs and fun blog
Thank you!
These are awesome tips and the pictures are beautiful!! There were two women I know who loved Charleston. And now I know why????
Thanks! ๐ It’s such a fun city to visit!
Charleston, SC is such a fun place and I love that pineapple fountain!
It’s one of my favorite spots!
The houses at the beach are dreamy! There seems to be so much to do and see, and I would love to spend a few days in Charleston to explore everything – and try that Martini, it sounds amazing!
The history of places like Philadelphia Alley and the cemeteries must be fascinating too ๐
Julia x
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You should go soon!! Just that martini alone is worth it! ๐
Julia, the pictures in this post are gorgeous! I’ve never been to the US but I have a few places on my bucket list I want to visit there and now Charleston is definitely on that list, it looks so beautiful and there are some great things to do on this list!
Em ~ http://thisisemsworld.com
Thank you! ๐ I hope it helps!
I have seen so many photos of Charleston and it looks like such an adorable town with all of the colourful buildings! I really want to plan a road trip around the USA and Charleston is on my list for sure – saving your itinerary for later!
It’s such a pretty city! It’s definitely worth visiting if you get the chance!