Last week, my family went on vacation to South Carolina. It was much needed, as this time of year is bittersweet for us. Bitter because it marks 1 year of losing my dad, yet sweet as we celebrated my mom’s birthday and the holiday season. The time away together was time well spent, and I know my dad was smiling down on us.

This was our first time traveling to South Carolina, and we all loved it! I enjoyed myself so much that I had to share all the places we visited and things we enjoyed most with you.

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in beautiful Isle of Palms, South Carolina, which is about 15 minutes away from Charleston. It’s such a nice town that features a beach, and tons of gorgeous vacation home rentals. And speaking of vacation homes, our rental was absolutely amazing. It’s brand new and thoughtfully designed with families/groups in mind. Plus, the modern design was everything! It gets a 10/10 in my book, and it was almost like the house was made just for my family.

The main level featured 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and access to a spacious backyard, which was perfect for my family of 4. The second level featured a beautiful master bedroom with a balcony and stunning bathroom for my mom, a living room, gourmet kitchen, 2 dining tables, laundry room, powder room, and a spacious deck accented with a swinging egg chair, rocking chairs and an outdoor dining table. As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a third floor that featured a bar with a refrigerator and sink, lounge space, master bedroom with bathroom for my brother, and a deck with lounge chairs. Check it out for yourself below.

Mention the Franklin Family referred you when booking

PLACES WE LOVED

The cities of Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant and Charleston - These 3 cities are all within 30 minutes of each other, so it kind of reminded me of the DMV’s close proximity. I loved that we actually stayed in Isle of Palms, as the beach and cute town vibes were warm and welcoming. Mount Pleasant was nearby and where did a lot of our venturing out for food and fun, but it still had the laid back vibe that we enjoyed. Then, Charleston had more of the city vibe, plus good food and activities.

Hall’s Chophouse - We accidentally went to the Nexton location instead of the Charleston location, where we had reservations. However, the amazing staff was still able to accommodate us, so we gave them extra customer service points for that. We dined here on my mom’s actual birthday for dinner, and loved it! The food was excellent, plus they had live music. I had the shrimp and grits, which was perfection! Other dishes my family ordered were the New York strip, parmesan crab encrusted flounder, scallops, greens, brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, caesar salad, and more. They were also nice enough to give the birthday girl a caramel cake, which she loved. I highly recommend checking Hall’s out. In terms of the vibe, I would say it’s southern fine dining.

Home Team BBQ - This was our first food stop when we arrived to South Carolina, and it was a great first taste of the low country cuisine. This laid back barbecue restaurant was perfect for our late lunch and casual dining. I had the pulled pork sandwich with succotash gratin - it was so good! We all thoroughly enjoyed our food, with the exception of the mac and cheese, which was too loose. Otherwise, the food and service was great. We went to the Sullivan’s Island location.

Hyman’s Seafood - This casual seafood restaurant seems to be a popular Charleston staple. It’s also a place where lots of celebrities have dined like James Brown, Oprah, Pharrell, and more. The must have on the menu is the hush puppies! I know it’s seems like a small thing, but they were the best hush puppies ever and tasted like they were soaked in butter. I loved them so much that I bought a bag from their gift shop. I ordered the salmon cakes which were really good. While the jambalaya sounded tempting, that wasn’t a fave. However, everything else we ordered was awesome. The owner was also nice enough to give the kids free ice cream. All guests exit out of the restaurant through the gift shop/general store, which has lots of cool items and souvenirs. My family fell in love with the salt scrubs and soaps, and purchased some (Holy City’s Ginger Verbena) to bring back home.

Byrd’s Cookies - During our time in Charleston, we stopped in this local cookie shop and got to enjoy some yummy samples. The kids loved the chocolate and salted caramel, so we got 2 bags for the road.

Escape in 60 - When vacationing with family, it’s important to have fun bonding activities, and this Charleston escape room definitely provided that. What we loved most was our room (Davey Jones Locker Room) was ideal for both the kids and adults. I’m excited to share that we escaped - with 8 minutes and 24 seconds to spare. This was such a good time, especially us all working together and cheering each other on when one of us cracked a code.

Charleston Fun Park - There’s nothing like some good ole miniature golf, arcade games and go kart racing for family fun. Since our family ranges from age 7 to nearly 60, it was important to have activities that appealed to all us. Although we went to this fun park primarily for the kids, we all ended up having a good time.

Woodhouse Spa - We treated my mom to a trip to the spa for her birthday, and she absolutely loved it! We were happy to learn that there is a location in Bethesda, MD, too, so we’ll be checking that one out, as well.

THINGS WE LOVED

Bike Riding and Walks on the Beach - Although we went in December, the weather was nice ranging from the high 40s to the low 70s. Thus, we spent time at the beach, which we really enjoyed. It was too windy and cold to swim though; however, the weather was perfect for bike riding and walking the beach. My daughter had the best time collecting seashells, too.

Home cooked breakfast daily - Our family loves ‘big breakfast’, and since our vacation featured a gourmet kitchen with plenty of pots, pans and utensils, we took turns cooking breakfast daily. It was nice to start the day together around the breakfast table enjoying pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit and more. My mom won the unspoken breakfast challenge when she added potatoes and fried apples to her menu.

Family + Alone Time in our rental - Another great thing about our rental was there were tons of communal areas, but it was also spacious enough to enjoy alone time, too. In addition to daily breakfast, we also played games every night together (Uno, Monopoly and Family Feud) and enjoyed movies/tv shows. With living rooms and bedrooms on all 3 levels, we were also able to spread out and do our own individual things, too.

Having a rental car - Although I’m more of an SUV girl, we rented a minivan for the trip and it worked out perfectly, especially with me being 7 months into the pregnancy. Everyone had their own seat and plenty of room for luggage, which worked great for the road trip down and back. Then with traveling between multiple cities in South Carolina, it was nice to have our own wheels instead of relying on Uber, which wouldn’t have been ideal for our group of 6.

Relaxing and Friendly Vibes - The end of the year is typically a time where you begin to wind down, so traveling to an area that was more laid back was perfect. While there was lots to do, it didn’t have the hustle and bustle that big cities do, which was a nice change of pace. Plus, everyone we encountered was so nice. South Carolina definitely has tons of charm and southern hospitality.

THINGS WE’LL DO NEXT TIME

Stay longer - We arrived around 2pm on Monday and left early that Friday morning. This wasn’t bad in terms of time away, especially so close to the holidays. However, next time we’ll leave on a Sunday and come back on a Saturday or Sunday, so that we can buffer in more days of relaxation, along with more time to sightsee.

Visit the South Carolina Aquarium and/or Children’s Museum - These were 2 places we had on the list that we didn’t get to, so we’ll have to check these out next time, especially since the twins will be here then.

Sign up for a boat, food or carriage tour - I think tours are always cool to learn about the history and popular sights of the place you’re visiting, so we’ll sign up for one next time.

Go in Spring or Fall - We loved going in December; however, I think the weather would be even better in Spring or Fall, so we may switch it up next time we visit.

Check out more of what Charleston offers - We only spent 1 day in Charleston, so next time I think we’ll shoot for 2 or more days there to really take in all the city offers.

Possibly visit Hilton Head and/or Savannah, GA too - Since both are less than 2 hours from Charleston and supposedly really nice cities too, it might be nice to split up the trip next time amongst 2 or 3 locations.

I think that sums it up for our family vacation in South Carolina. Overall, I give it a thumbs up, and look forward to visiting again in the future. Have any questions about the trip? Drop them in the comments below.

Have a glowing day!

Xo,

Shalyce