Last updated August 7th, 2022 at 03:36 pm
This post was sponsored by Toyota USA. We drove the 2018 Toyota CH-R around Charleston, South Carolina for a quick vacation in the low country.
Last month, I headed to Charleston, SC for my third Haven Conference. I was thrilled that this year I was not only attending, but also working with my favorite store, JOANN to host a workshop and design their booth.
We had a blast at the conference as usual, with old friends and new. Three of us flew from Houston together and were picked up in the new Toyota CH-R! Admittedly, when I first saw the sporty little CH-R, I wasn’t sure we could fit all our luggage (we had about 10 bags!). But we got everything in and rode comfortably to the conference!
During the conference, our meals were covered during the day but in the evenings I got to try a couple different places:
- Harold’s Cabin
- 39 Rue de Jean
- Indaco
After the conference ended on Sunday, Eric flew in to join me for a few days. We found an Airbnb and made ourselves at home.
The house we stayed in was adorable and in the perfect area. I totally recommend this place and you should sign up for Airbnb ASAP! Use my link here to get $40 off your stay!
We only had a few days to explore Charleston, so we hit the ground running. I picked up Eric from the airport and we drove straight to dinner at Macintosh where we had an amazing meal. The next morning we had breakfast at The Daily
Side note: I tried to go to this place the afternoon before to get a coffee and use the WiFi to get some work done while I waited for Eric and they told me they don’t have WiFi and it’d be hard pressed to find a coffee shop around there that does! They are strictly a tourist destination!
After breakfast we drove out to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. This was well worth the drive and price.
We did the house and gardens tour and actually came back the next day to do the rice field boat tour. It was just as hot and humid as it is back home, so had no problems walking around and taking in the sights outdoors.
After we finished at Magnolia Plantation, we drove back into Charleston for lunch at Martha Lou’s Kitchen. The homemade soul food was delicious and the family run atmosphere made dining there fun!
Later, we went back to the Airbnb to rest (and answer emails – such is life!) then it was time to eat AGAIN! This time we took a recommendation from our Airbnb host and headed to Xiao Bao Biscuit. Everything we ate in Charleston was delicious but this place was one of my favorites.
Asian food is my favorite (check out our Thailand and China travel recaps!) and their unique Asian comfort food and classic Southern cuisine combination was fantastic!
On Tuesday morning we walked over to The Park Cafe that was in the neighborhood we were staying. We had lattes and breakfast then drove back out towards Magnolia Plantation. We planned to do the Slavery to Freedom tour, but it sold out so we took the rice field boat tour.
That afternoon we headed back to Charleston for lunch at 5 Church! We were really excited to see this place and it didn’t disappoint. The food was amazing and the interior was a spectacle. The Art of War is hand painted on the ceiling of this former church!
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Historic Charleston City Market and checking out Rainbow Row before it was time for dinner at Charleston Crab House.
I really wanted a low country shrimp boil while we were there and this is the place that came up when we searched. It was our most disappointing meal of the trip, but I did get my shrimp boil!
That evening we had our most fun night yet: we went on a historic ghost tour! We walked all around the city with a tour guide and saw some haunted spots. We also learned a bit of history! Definitely recommend taking a guided tour – and doing it at night is a LOT less hot!
On our last morning we stopped in to a place called DAPS for breakfast – it was some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had!
This post basically turned into a food recap, but that’s because there are SO MANY amazing places to eat in Charleston and we were lucky enough to get to stop at a few!
We loved driving the Toyota CH-R around to all these fun places in Charleston. The car not only looks fun, it drives fun too! We loved the sporty exterior and the fun details like the hidden back door handles and the under mirror lights that illuminate the ground at night when you’re getting into the car! Another special thanks to Toyota, USA for loaning us the CH-R for our trip!
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