My husband and I are starting a vacation tradition. We are utilizing our precious vacation weeks to see America. It’s hard to turn down trips like Mexico and The Bahamas, but there’s just so much to see here in The States. I don’t want to look past my own backyard. There are so many people to meet, so many places to experience and so much food to eat!
This year we spent time in Beverly Hills/Santa Monica and Charleston, Charleston being our most recent. What a great city, what a historical city, Wow! The experience we had there will be one we carry with us forever. For those of you looking to do new things with your spouse, this is it! Go to a new city and get lost together, hold hands on cobblestone roads and run through the rain to get back to your hotel. So cheesy but so enchanting.
We’ll start from the beginning. Our hotel was The Mills House Hotel, a hotel that was originally opened in 1853, and a historical gem in the middle of Charleston. It’s rumored that this was Robert E. Lee’s most visited hotel when in the city. Let get serious, Matt and I were scared to death of this hotel, there was a major lack of sleep due to the fear of ghosts watching over us.
Moving past the intriguing hotel is the actual city. There are a few well-known roads; Queens, Market, King and East Bay. All represent the cities best shops and restaurants. Some are cobblestone, some are lined with thousand-year-old oaks and some have a lovely view of the water. There’s an amazing wine and cheese shop on Meeting Street, a great cigar shop on East Bay, upscale shopping on Kings and flea market shopping on, wait for it, Market. Should you be traveling to Charleston anytime soon, hit me up and I’ll give you more details on these quaint dwellings.
The food, the food, the food. We had some picture perfect and tummy pleasing dishes. Now it’s The South, so none of it’s healthy. We abandoned our diet of smoothies and fresh juices for a week to bathe in fried chicken and po boy sandwiches. Some of the best dishes can be found at Toast of Charleston, Blossom and Pearlz Oyster Bar, but none of them could beat Jestine’s Kitchen. Jestine’s is a whimsical diner with a gladdening menu of southern comfort food. As seen on your left, this is the fried chicken with green beans and mac & cheese. I topped it off with a slice of Coca-Cola cake… then I took a nap.
We spent time at Fort Sumter and Boone Hall. Both historical in their own exceptional ways, both beautiful in unique aspects. Fort Sumter opened our eyes to the courage, fear and tragedy that took place during The Civil War. Although three stories are missing from the Fort, its condition was impeccable. Boone Hall Plantation is the story of The South. The great thing about this plantation is that it’s still a working plantation, that’s rare, the care-takers and owners have outdone themselves on keeping the history alive. It’s such a beautiful thing to see.
One of the most joyous days of the vacation was my birthday. I had the honor of celebrating my 28th year in a dazzling city with not only my husband, but also my family. They drove up to Charleston for two days to spend some quality time with us; it always warms my heart to be among the people I love the most. We spent the day eating, drinking, chatting, laughing, exploring battery park and rainbow row and when the heat became unbearable, we relocated to a winery and quenched our thirst with some exquisite white wine.
All in all – this trip was electrifying. I touched on maybe 5% of the things we did. I didn’t mention The Ghost Tour, The Spa, The Historical Carriage Ride and The Hunley. Should you be interested in learning more about our trip, please schedule some back porch wine time with me and I’ll tell you all of our dirty little secrets!
Much Love – Our next trip, Newport RI!
Jacqueline Leigh 
Good time we hads in Charelstons. I am glad however that I can start sleeping again
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