Menu
Menu
The Charleston Charm – Winter 2021
- By Michael Lakus
- Read Time: 5min
Road trip to Charleston
Winter is quickly becoming spring, and it’s a lovely time to have the windows down driving on the highway. March starts off with a little perusing in Charleston with Mila, which will fall under the weekend trips category. And after looking back at some older posts, I may have to bring back some sort of challenge for these weekend trips, like the one from Toronto.
The 4K footy is published, featuring the hit song of the road trip. So it was only right that I included it. Funny how things turned out. We probably spent more time outside of historic Charleston, but for good reasons!
Travel Logistics
Logistics were light this time around. We stayed at a Marriot, running $280. The majority of the expenses were for good food and entertainment, so logistics alone (gas, lodging) were around $350 in total.
As you can see from the map, the places we hit were spread all over the place. The gardens and plantations were a small drive out (20-40min), but other than that, everything else was central.
Charleston Tea Garden
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, nevertheless the Charleston Tea Garden was up first. I had to set the expectations going in. The U.S. is definitely NOT known for tea production, so that makes this place pretty unique. The garden is one of only a few commercial facilities in this country. It had a full-fledge shop inside where you could sample tea, buy souvenirs and take a self guided tour to learn about the history and how they produce the tea – a pretty cool place for those into this stuff.
On the drive back form the tea garden, there was a very instagrammable oak tree, named Angel Oak. This tree has been growing for centuries, has been battered by hurricanes, yet keeps on doing its thing. It’s wild and majestic. Very spherical and aesthetic. Geometree.
Patriots Point
If there is a military museum to visit on a trip, I’ll be there. Charleston is home to Patriots Point, which features many exhibits, but the standout was the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier. I could have spent several hours here and still not have seen everything aboard this carrier. It was straight information overload! The self guided tours were very similar to what I remember aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. We were able to go down several levels on the ship, checking out the engine room, kitchen, medical and many more. I 100% forgot I was on a ship – it’s just that freaking yuje.
After leaving the USS Yorktown, there was another smaller exhibit featuring vehicles and knick-knacks from the Vietnam War. This section was all outdoors and it was a nice change of pace to be able to walk right up to the choppers, and wield some 50cals.
Historic Charleston
I do feel a little guilty about not spending more time in the heart of Charleston, but there was just so much to do and so little time! However, the time we did have here was time well spent. I would’ve had more pictures, but I was tied up eating confectionary at Carmella’s, mead tasting at Savannah Bee or browsing at the historic Charleston Markets. Whoops 🙂
Even though our gluttonous ways got the best of us, we still managed to walk all of King Street, which took us through the plethora of shops and restaurants – in the heart of the southern charm.
Moreover, walking the waterfront and admiring the well-preserved architecture in its many pastel colors was meditative. This place slowed me down, and invites you to sit back and relax.
NICO French Cuisine
Although across the bridge in Mount Pleasant, I have to give a shoutout to NICO for that fine French cuisine. The oysters, gnocchi, duck and escargot were delicious. But the best was saved for last - the Alaskan (divine dessert).
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
We were probably a little early in the season for this, but Magnolia Plantation and Gardens was still quite a popular spot as we passed through admissions. It was a bluebird day, and a perfect opportunity to take a stroll around the grounds. There was a gentle breeze as we made our way down countless paths lined with mossy oaks and shaded blooms.
There were even some visitors along the walkways and at the main plantation house – peacocks!
The Evening Drive Back
Charleston actually isn’t that far from Orlando – just under a 6 hour drive. Being so, we were able to stay a little into the evening and caught the sunset on the drive out. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since I talked about comparing Savannah to Charleston. Both are a great representations of the past meeting present and preservation of this country’s history. I’m glad I was finally able to spend a weekend in both spots and would surely visit again.
-ML
Recap of Places
Check out the MAP for links!
- Charleston Tea Garden
- Angel Oak – spectacular, ancient oak tree
- Patriots Point – Naval museum on the USS Yorktown and more
- Magnolia Planation and Gardens
- Carmella’s – luxury desserts
- NICO – French cuisine
- Savannah Bee – awesome mead and tastings
Want to share?
Want to share?
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
All Posts »