Juliette and I had such a ball galavanting around Paris last October that I wanted to make our mother-daughter getaway an annual thing. We don’t need to jet off to Europe every year, per se, but I figured we could swing some sort of trip together to do some exploring and focus on each other without little brother interjecting himself into any and every conversation. I’ve had the South on my to-visit list for some time now and Shane…has not, so I asked Juliette if she wanted to spend a few days romping around Charleston and Savannah and she said OF COURSE and I bought tickets and we kissed our guys goodbye and we were off!
We arrived at our little AirBnB carriage house on a Wednesday afternoon, ditched our sweaters, and set out to grab a snack before our late-evening dinner reso.
This place was going to do juuuuust fine.
We found acai bowls and tons of shopping on nearby King Street. Plus plenty of charm and twinkle to boot.
We had a bit of time to rest and settle into our cozy quarters before dinner. What this place lacked in square footage, it made up for with character!
I wanted to do something a little fancy, it being my birthday and all, and Husk did not disappoint.
Get a load of the porch on this place!
The roast chicken was tender, the cocktails were crisp, and the company was perfection.
Such a birthday treat.
Thursday was dedicated to roaming around Charleston. We had a few sights on our to-see list, but found that we loved the in-between strolls as much as anything.
First stop: Harken Cafe for coffee and scones. Loved the cozy vibes here.
We took a spin through the Charleston City Market and Juliette picked out a pair of earrings for herself and for a friend. We bought a toy car for Isaac, not because he needed it, but because we missed him so dang much and it felt nice to have a Hotwheels in our bag, like we were carrying around a little piece of him.
More walking, more charming street scenes…
And then we landed at the International African American Museum, where we spent a couple of hours processing the South’s black history. There was obviously much more there than we could unpack in a single morning, but we scratched the surface of Gullah Geechee culture, sat with the region’s painful stories of oppression, and spent several minutes marveling over this hand-beaded Mardi Gras garb.
We lunched and got off our feet for awhile at Fleet Landing. Best crab cakes I’ve had in a long, long time.
After lunch…more walking! Through Waterfront Park, along the Battery, then through the French Quarter. We racked up our steps, but we also took our time and chatted and laughed along the way. UN-hurrying felt so good.
The trees in these parks! The dappled-light tunnels they make are magical.
Back at our AirBnB, we took advantage of the well-stocked fridge and the breezy porch.
We drove over to Sullivan’s Island for dinner and sunset beach time. The pizza and gnocchi at Obstinate Daughter hit the spot after a long day of walking.
Man, I’m funny sometimes. I wish I could remember what had this kid laughing so hard.
We landed at the beach with about an hour till sunset and did a little walking before finding our perfect patch of sand.
We really did miss Isaac, but we also really leaned into the opportunity to kick back with our books.
Although who are we kidding? This girl loves to run almost as much as her kid brother.
Getting closer…
We stayed till the sun fully dipped below the horizon and then I said something silly that had us both doubled over with laughter and it’s hard for me to put into words how thankful I am for how much freaking fun I have with my daughter. Also, how thankful I am that Shane happily holds down the fort at home while we giggle on a beach clear across the country. What a gift.
On Friday we hit the road to Savannah for Part II of our southern tour. First, though, tea in the salon… I could tell Juliette felt very fancy, perched on a velvet couch in a room covered in floral wallpaper. When in Charleston…
We stopped at Church and Union before hitting the road and did our daily NY Times word puzzles over bacon and cinnamon rolls.
In the name of taking our time, we detoured to Folly Beach to read on the pier and put our feet in the surf.
Pineapple whip? Don’t mind if we do… Perfect road trip snack as we head to SAVANNAH. Comin’ right up.
