If you're a fan of Julia Engel's sweet southern charm blog
Gal Meets Glam you will definitely want to read this post!
I love following Julia's beautiful blogger adventures on
Instagram so when I got the chance to visit Charleston South Carolina this
summer I decided to see if I could recreate her 48
hour guide to the charming southern city. Julia is a fashion and
travel blogger who I’ve followed for awhile. Her feed is so inspiring because
she has turned her blog into a business and even has her own line of dresses
now. I love her picturesque photos and girly style so I couldn’t wait to do a
little of my own exploring in her home city of Charleston.
I arrived in Charleston late on Wednesday night and headed straight to my hotel. The next day I woke up and checked Julia’s itinerary for day 1. Since I didn’t arrive until late at night in Charleston the first day I decided to skip straight to her Saturday morning post and come back to the previous afternoon recommendations. I followed her advice to start off my day with some coffee and a stroll through the South of Broad neighborhood. I loved seeing all the beautiful old houses and finally ended my walk with a mini photo-shoot in White Point gardens as Julia recommended. The gardens were beautiful, and I loved wandering around underneath the giant oak trees. They even had a beautiful white gazebo in the middle which completed the quintessential southern vibe. Afterwards Julia recommends taking a historical home tour at Aiken House, but I decided to check out the Calhoun Mansion instead since it was a little closer to the gardens and I was on foot. This home tour was so interesting because the home had been owned by so many prominent Charleston residents over the years. It was owned by a prominent family during the civil war and then passed on to several other rich owners through the years until finally ending up in the hands of a collector. He now fills the house with antiques and art pieces from around the world. It is amazing to walk through the house and see every room filled with priceless collectibles!
Next I followed her tip to take Rainbow Row back into town
and check out the shopping and cute boutiques on King Street. I headed over to
Lily, the French inspired boutique she recommends and loved seeing all their
fun and sparkly baubles. It was definitely one of my favorite shops in the
city. Since I already had plans with a friend for dinner that night, I decided
to try her restaurant recommendation for lunch instead. I headed over to Queen
street to look at Husk, the restaurant Julia mentions in her blog. However, the
popular spot was already all booked up for lunch. However, I found a place of
my own right next door that was just as good. I ate lunch at this beautiful
little restaurant called 82Queen and it turned out to be one of my favorites
because of the hidden back patio and traditional southern food. When I asked if
they had sweet tea my waiter just laughed and asked me if I was from out of
town. It was a true southern experience and I even tried BBQ shrimp and cheese
grits! Paired with some authentic sweet tea to cool off from the heat of the
day it was the perfect way to enjoy the afternoon. While it may not look like
much from the outside this place is really nice once you get in and walking
back to the patio almost makes you feel like you’re entering a speakeasy!
After lunch I ended up walking back up King Street to see
more of the shops. I also met my friends for pre-dinner drinks at a rooftop bar
right off King street called The Watch. The trendy place has great views of the
city and a fun atmosphere. Julia recommends several seafood/oyster bars in
Charleston so for dinner we headed over to a seafood restaurant on the water
called Fleet’s landing. The food was delicious, and the views were even better.
I loved the nostalgic theme of the restaurant and enjoyed feeling the ocean
breeze as we ate on the patio and looked out over the water.
The next day I followed Julia’s advice and got a delicious
southern breakfast at the Hominy grill. After a leisurely morning I followed
Julia’s arrival day advice and headed over to the Cannonbury/Elliotborough
neighborhoods. I didn’t end up staying at the Inn Julia recommended so I had to
ask some locals directions to the area and everyone knew what I was talking
about when I mentioned Julia of Gal Meets Glam. I stopped by the Inn to check
it out and it is definitely a cute little place to stay although this
neighborhood was a bit far out of town from the main tourist areas in
Charleston.
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