Guide to Shopping & Eating in Charleston

02

Apr

After visiting New Orleans, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and a quick visit to North Carolina, my last stop on my adventure was Charleston for a girl’s weekend! I have been to Charleston a few times before, and it’s definitely one of my favorite cities in the U.S. It’s so pretty and colorful! One of my favorite things to do in Charleston, aside from taking photos of every colorful house I see (which will be in a post soon!), is going shopping and eating at amazing restaurants, so I’ve put together a guide to shopping and eating in Charleston to share all my recommendations! πŸ™‚

Guide to Shopping & Eating in Charleston

Farmer’s Market atΒ Marion Square

We started our walk in downtown Charleston at the farmer’s market at Marion Square. They had TONS of different stands, from produce to jewelry, and my favorite part was trying free samples! My favorite stand was an olive oil stand and if I didn’t have a limit on liquids for my carry-on bag, I would have given them lots of business.

Charleston farmer's market

Charleston farmer's market

Charleston farmer's market

He was the cutest salesman!

Charleston church

King Street

The most unique store we went to (and my personal favorite) was The Hidden Countship. We just happened to see a sign for it and headed down a little side street to see what it was about. The woman working was very helpful with all our questions and told us that the store was opened a few years ago by an actual Italian count and his wife, and everything in the store is made by artisans in Italy to help spread Italian craftsmanship in the U.S. My friends and I had just returned from our trip to Italy, so we were really excited about the store! Everything in it was so beautiful and well-made, and I wanted to buy everything I saw.

The Hidden Countship in Charleston

The Hidden Countship in Charleston

The Hidden Countship in Charleston

The Hidden Countship in Charleston

After admiring everything in The Hidden Countship, we headed down King Street. Even if you don’t want to go shopping, King Street is such a pretty and colorful street to see! There’s a good mix of small businesses and chain stores, and I loved the variety.

King Street Charleston

We stopped inΒ Vom Fass, and I was amazed how many different types of liquors they had! I could only get a small bottle of their peach vodka (I think I learned my lesson to take a checked bag the next time I go to Charleston), and I would love to go back and try more. The peach vodka was highly recommended by the girl working in the store and lived up to the hype, and my friends also loved all the different kinds of liquor they got.

Vom Fass Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston

King Street Charleston Riviera Theater

Horse and buggy tour Charleston

Historic Charleston City Market

We also went into Savannah Bee Company (highly recommend) and a small art gallery and window shopped the rest of the way down King Street before going to the City Market. They have a ton of different shops and places to get food (we got biscuits from Callie’s Hot Little BiscuitΒ and they were great!), and my favorite vendors are the sweetgrass basket makers. Weaving sweetgrass baskets is a Gullah tradition with African origins, and the tradition has been passed down in families for centuries now. Sometimes you can even see the vendors weaving the baskets at the market!

Historic Charleston City Market

Green railings in Charleston

Sweetgrass baskets in Charleston

Historic Charleston City Market

Charleston candy store

Across the street from the market isΒ Savannah’s Candy Kitchen of Charleston, which has TONS of sweets, and you can try free samples of pralines!

United States Custom House Β  Historic Charleston

Charleston architecture

Restaurant recommendations

Since I have been to Charleston a few times and my friend Stephanie has been half a dozen times, we have quite a few recommendations (I don’t have photos of all the places we’ve eaten, sorry!).

Cru Cafe Charleston

During our girl’s weekend, we tried out Cru Cafe and it was delicious! It was pretty crowded so we ate outside (and thankfully they had shades on the porch when a rainstorm came), so you may have to wait if you go during a busy time. But it is worth the wait!

Cru Cafe Charleston

Cru Cafe Charleston

Cru Cafe Charleston

Cru Cafe Charleston

I’ve been to Blossom twice, and they have great food! We tried lavender martinis that were surprisingly delicious, and I also recommend the she crab soup. They have outdoor seating on a cute patio with walls covered in ivy, so it’s worth sitting outside if the weather is nice!

Blossom Charleston

Kaminsky’s might be my favorite bar in Charleston. It’s a dessert cafe and bar, so you can get dessert and drinks in one spot! There are also dessert themed drinks, like theΒ White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle in this photo, which I highly recommend getting!

Kaminsky's Charleston

More restaurant recommendations

Poogan’s Porch
Hyman’s Seafood
Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar
FIG
Hominy Grill
The Darling Oyster Bar
Hank’s Seafood Restaurant
Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar

Bar recommendations

The Rooftop Bar at the Vendue (lots of space and great views)
Eleve at The Grand Bohemian Hotel (really cool space with indoor and outdoor seating, but it took a while to get drinks)
The Gin Joint
Stars Rooftop Bar

There are lots more stores and restaurants to check out, but I hope this guide to shopping and eating in Charleston gives you a good place to start! πŸ™‚

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Blog, North & South Carolina, North America, Photography, Travel, USA

  1. Ellie says:

    Ok so I defo want to visit Charleston now! It looks so cute, such lovely place to visit.
    Thanks for sharing x

    My recent post: https://lifeofellabella.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-to-stay-motivated.html

  2. Julia says:

    After reading your others posts about Charleston, I had to read this one too! The variety of places to go for everything (from food to History and house-sightseeing) is incredible. The food from Cru Cafe looks so yummy! Thank you for sharing so many different places to check out πŸ™‚

    Julia x
    Last Post: Why You Should Do Things NOW | http://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/lifestyle-why-you-should-do-things-now.html

  3. Gorgeous shots! I had no idea Charleston was like this. It’s on my bucket list now for next time I do an east coast road trip πŸ™‚ Beautiful photography btw.

  4. Amy says:

    Beautiful pictures!!

  5. Kate says:

    Charleston is also one of my favorite cities! Such gorgeous and bright architecture with beautiful weather. We did the horse and carriage ride to get the lay of the land, which was perfect. Now I need to go back and try out all your suggestions!

  6. I really need to get to Charleston! The scenery and vibe look amazing! Esp love that whiskey bar and martini!

  7. Diana says:

    Charleston looks so charming! I have heard so many great things about its colorful buildings. I’m dying to visit so hopefully, I get to go soon!

  8. Oh my! I am not sure why I have not made it to Charleston yet! I love the colors, the architecture and the food. That plate of mussels looks to die for. Actually, the food looks very similar to the food I had today in Santa Barbara (California). Can’t wait to visit!

  9. Carly says:

    That martini looks so indulgent! I love creative cocktail bars!

  10. I love Charleston too, but I’ve only been once! I will definitely use your shopping suggestions when I return.

  11. constance says:

    What a great list of recommendations, the food looks so delicious. And the city of Charleston, WOW, those cute, pastel buildings are so pretty! Pinning this for later πŸ™‚

  12. Wendy says:

    I think I mentioned this on Instagram, But wow, I am totally amazed at how colorful Charleston is!! so pretty. I love exploring new farmer markets they are so fun. That peach vodka sounded up my alley too!! haha. I never considered Charleston for a visit, but since you ranked it as a favorite I am intrigued to go and check it out someday.

  13. Charleston is the BEST place for shopping and eating! We live about 2 hours from it so it’s a day trip. Last time we were there we hit up Husk which is near Poogan’s Porch. It was so yummy!

  14. Charleston has been on my travel Wishlist for a while now, but after reading your post I want to go even more haha thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

    Perrine

  15. tonya says:

    I can’t wait to go back and check out Charleston again this time with your recommendations!

  16. Jes says:

    A tour of the deep south?! This is my all time favorite type of vacation, so much history in such a calm relaxed atmosphere! Charleston is one of the few places in the south I have yet to visit, but is definitely on my “soon” list. Pinning this article so I can revisit again while planning my itinerary!

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