Phil and I were so blessed to be able to sneak away for almost a week to Charleston to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Our families made it possible- Phil's mom and dad along with his brother, Tim, and his fiance, Taylor, came to town to watch the kids (who had a blast while we were gone). My parents gave us their timeshare points for the week, and we were able to stay at The Lodge Alley Inn, right downtown on East Bay Street, within walking distance of practically everything!
This was my view our first day in town. For Phil's birthday, I had told him to pick out a nice golf course in Charleston, and he decided on the prestigious Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. They offered an amazing military discount, thankfully, so we even splurged to have a caddie to carry his bag and offer tips along the way. It was a memorable experience for him, for sure! Meanwhile....I read my book and walked along the practically deserted beach for about 5 hours. I was not complaining! win win!
Sending love notes back home!
This poor sick Loggerhead turtle was washed up on shore and created quite a stir. A rescue group was called and came to help pretty quickly. It's almost time for them to come lay their eggs!
A few pics Phil took while on the course...
Phil finished the last hole just as the sun began to set.
He posed for a picture, and we grabbed a yummy dinner in the the Ryder Cup Bar before heading into Charleston. Kiawah is beautiful, but the road back was somewhat nerve wracking in the dark with deer all around. We made it in one piece!
The next morning we walked to Black Tap Coffee, highly recommended by my friend, Melissa. It did not disappoint. We had reservations for High Cotton for brunch, so we just needed a snack to tide us over. Love the heart on Phil's latte. Very appropriate for our anniversary!
We walked and walked and walked all over town. I think Phil's running watch had counted almost 20,000 steps the first day! It was so nice to just get out and to explore. We aren't able to do that much these days with the kids in tow. I love Charleston for all the history and the architecture and the food and the shopping and the water.....I could go on and on. ;)
My handsome hubby in front of Rainbow Row.
Here he is in front of Philadelphia Alley (AKA Dueler's Alley). Dueling was an acceptable way of solving disputes in the 1700s, and apparently this alley was the place to do them. There are even gun shot marks on the walls as evidence. The alley is also believed to be haunted by the whistling ghost of Dr. Brown who was killed there in a duel in 1786. We didn't see any ghosts, but it did feel as though we were stepping back in time by being there.
We signed up for a walking ghost tour of downtown, which I usually love for the history and scary stories, but we were so disappointed in this one that we asked for our money back. Phil ended up downloading a $2 app that gave us an awesome walking ghost tour, instead. Take note if you're planning a Charleston trip!
We took the money we'd gotten back from the ghost tour and did a historical carriage ride. We really enjoyed leaning more about this beautiful city and didn't mind being able to sit for this tour. ;)
The old jail was particularly creepy with the alarming number of deaths that have occurred there. It really is cool that they have turned this building into a school now that teaches the art of restoration as it applies to the buildings around Charleston. You just can't run to Lowes for these building supplies!
I loved seeing so many beautiful churches and hearing the bells throughout the day.
We hit up the city market practically every day (and night of the weekends), as the vendors change and it seemed to be on the way coming from or going to everywhere. Between this and frequent stops to the shops on King Street, it's a good thing Phil likes shopping, too. We mostly window shopped, and I especially enjoyed going into some of the old antique stores. These aren't antique stores like what I'm used to ($50,000 grandfather clocks and $9,000 candle holders!). Definitely not kid-friendly!
The Moon Pie General Store was right off of the market and provided a great backdrop for another photo opportunity. :)
Our nicest date night was to Poogan's Porch. The food was fantastic, and it was fun to get a little dressed up. Gotta love a man in a suit (especially when he's mine!). ;)
After dinner, we walked to the Vendue Hotel to check out their roof top bar. We got there pretty early, and had no problem getting in. The views were pretty amazing, but it was a little chilly. We stayed long enough for a drink a piece and to snap a few more pictures.
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge in the background. ..
Water and church steeples all around...
Sun beginning to set...
Toast was one of the yummy breakfast places we stopped. They are always busy, but it was a nice day, and we enjoyed people watching while sipping coffee out front while we waited.
We also really liked Dixie Supply Bakery and Cafe, a hole in the wall right around the corner from our hotel. It has been featured on Guy Fieri's Diners Dives and Drive-ins, and they had the cheapest but best breakfast we'd found in town. Loved their grits and even went back a second morning! Can you tell that much of our trip was planned around where we wanted to eat?! No kids' menus this time!
Besides our first day in Kiawah, we also spent a day on the beach at Isle of Palms and at Folley Beach. It was super relaxing to sit and read our books, watch the waves, and listen to music without chasing the kids. Although, we did ooh and ahh over some of the cute little ones we saw there which made us miss our own kiddos just a little bit. ;)
One of our last nights in town, we walked all over the historic district and ended up at the Battery and White Point Gardens, right on the water. We learned on our carriage tour that this is the second most popular spot to get married in the US, only behind Vegas. However, its past isn't quite as romantic. It was the spot of many executions by hanging, and the bodies were just dumped on the ground to wash out to sea or rot at the water's edge. Over 20 pirates were supposedly hung at one time from the trees here. It sure is a pretty place now, though. :)
Lastly, no trip to Charleston would be complete without a trip to the pineapple fountain!
We were glad to get home to see our munchkins, but we had a wonderful trip! I'm thinking we shouldn't wait another 6 years to go somewhere just the two of us!
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