Adventures in Charleston

I often joke that I was supposed to have been born in the South.  Growing up, my family often vacationed on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, and it has always felt like a second home to me.  There's truly a beauty throughout that region that cannot be found anywhere else.  Chris had never seen Charleston before, and I've  always wanted to visit there with him.  Taking a few days this spring pre-baby was the perfect opportunity.

We spent 4 days in Charleston and that was perfect for us, but you could enjoy the city in a day or two and feel like you got the full Charleston experience.  I have tried HARD to narrow down the pictures included here to my favorites, but as I mentioned in my first post, pictures are my jam and I am obsessed with the region, so I apologize in advance for the onslaught!

Broad Street!  We spent LOTS of time walking up and down Broad - Charleston is easily walkable. 

Are these pretty, or are these pretty?!  Chris was very patient with my window-box picture taking obsession.  

I'll spare you the 173 other pictures I have of window boxes.  

The city has so much history, it's fascinating to learn the stories behind all the creepy/beautiful graveyards.  We even spent one evening doing a ghost tour, but were spared any supernatural encounters.   

One of our stops was at City Hall to see a specific painting that one of our tour guides had suggested viewing.  When we arrived, the woman who was on guard duty totally obsessed over my pregnant belly and asked us allllllll about the baby, and then chastised me for my shoe choice.  "GIIIIIIIIRRRRLLLLL, you're gonna need somethin' with more support!  I know you're tryin' to be cute for your man & all, but those ain't gonna cut it! Go get yourself some Nike's!"  She cracked us both up, and was definitely our favorite townie that we met.  She kept telling us how cute we were and offering to take our picture, which is how this picture came to be!  She was too fun.

The Edmondston-Alston house was one of five historic homes we toured.  Each home has been carefully preserved and/or renovated and offered a unique glimpse into the city's history.   

We really enjoyed wondering down alleys like this one, peeking in gardens and just enjoying the city. 

Maybe one more window box picture. 

Rainbow row: home to brightly colored historic homes.

East Bay Street, a must see on any Charleston tour.  You can't tell from the picture, but these are ocean front antebellum mansions.  I suppose I could adjust to living in one of these.      

City Market: a very fun touristy stop for shopping.  

Anytime we are visiting a new city, we try to check out the local farmer's market. 

Sweetgrass baskets made by local Gullah women (we bought one for Adelaide's nursery)

Pecans!  With a super cute sign.

Beignets seemed like a great idea since they are so very Southern and it was breakfast time...plus who doesn't love a fried piece of dough with powdered sugar?!

Yup, that just happened.

   

The wind picked up OUT OF NOWHERE, lifted the plate of powdered sugar, and flipped it on to my BLACK jacket in the middle of the farmers market.  

Can't make this stuff up.  

Moments like this one in the farmer's market are little reminders to STOP TRYING to cover up my mess because, really, I'm not fooling anyone.  Especially not the other 379 attendees at the Charleston Farmer's Market.