Back at the end of May/beginning of June my life long friend and I took a extended weekend girls trip to Charleston, SC! What an incredible trip. We both turned 30 (her birthday was in May and mine in June) and we thought there wasn’t a better way to celebrate a big birthday than by going on a trip together! We left at midnight on Wednesday and drove through the night and arrived in Charleston Thursday afternoon around 3:00 PM. The first thing we did when we arrived, before even checking in to our hotel, was go to the Middleton Plantation. When we got out of the car, the temperature was reading just under 100 degrees, but we spent about an hour doing the walking tour through the plantation. Since we had been sitting in the car for so long, walking in the heat didn’t even bother us too much because it just felt good to be out of the car and walking around. 

After spending some time exploring, we left and checked into our hotel in Charleston and got ready for dinner that night. 

Middleton Plantation photos: 

 

Friday morning we got up early and at breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to check out Boone Hall Plantation! So freaking beautiful. You pull up and the driveway is lined with these huge, beautiful, spanish moss covered trees that cover the driveway. We of course had to stop and take some photos because it was just so breath taking. Both of us are huge fans of the movie the Notebook, so what we loved about this place is that part of the movie was shot here! So fun. The home on the plantation is not the original home, however it was built early 1900s. It was still really cool to tour through and see the beautiful architecture. What is original though is the 12 slave shacks. So much sad history in those shacks. 

One of my favorite parts of the day was going to the Gullah Woman show. She came out and talked all about the history of the slaves at the plantation and talked about the gullah culture. Her words were so beautiful and her message at the end about how it was her history, our history, and HIStory. She pointed at each one of us and repeated it, and it truly brought me to tears. I wish I would have taken a video because it was powerful. 

Boone Hall Plantation: 

Friday afternoon we got lunch at Tavern’s Table which was along Shelm Creek. While eating lunch out on the deck we got a chance to see dolphins swimming up the creek! Its just so fun watching dolphins. Definitely a highlight of the day. After lunch, we caught a water taxi across the bay and walked downtown Charleston. We walked rainbow row, saw the pineapple fountain, did a little shopping, looked at so many beautiful doorways and took in all the sites while walking around the historic downtown. At the end of the day we took the water taxi back across the bay, and drove into town to grab dinner at Swig & Swine. Then we ended the day by walking through a cute downtown artisan market. 

Downtown Charleston: 

Saturday we ate breakfast at the hotel again and took off for Botany Bay Plantation. This was such a fun spot to check out! When we drove in towards the entrance, again we drove down this road that was lined with so many beautiful, moss covered trees. It’s so fun to explore new places and take in sites that you just don’t see by us here in Michigan. Once we got in, we drove out towards the beach. It was just a little hike to get out there, but boy was it worth it. This beach is covered in seashells and dead trees from the beach eroding over time and the trees not being able to survive the salt water. The fine is very large if you take anything from this beach, so it was really cool to explore a beach that has basically been untouched by humans. After exploring the beach we hopped back in the car and did the driving tour of the plantation. 

Botany Bay Plantation: 

After we left Botany Bay, we headed back towards Charleston and made a stop at the Angel Tree. The Angel tree is this massive 300+ year old tree that they have protected. Basically we stopped to check out a super old tree, but it was worth it. The branches are so big that they have posts helping hold them up. 

Angel Tree: 

We ended our day by stopping at Folly Beach. When we got there we got a late lunch at Taco Boy. After lunch, we hit up the beach! We spent a couple hours laying out in the sand and walking the board walk. We were hopeful to see some dolphins out in the ocean, but no such luck. When the sun began to set we took a drive to go check out Morris Island and see the lighthouse. This was just a peaceful walk on the beach. The sunset was gorgeous and the perfect end to an amazing weekend. Before driving back to our hotel we grabbed a late dinner at Rita’s in Folly Beach. 

Folly Beach & Morris Island: 

Sunday morning we were up and out the door by like 6:00 AM and started our journey back home. 

This trip is one that I will never forget. The long car ride karaoke with my best friend, chats about life, soaking up the adventure, and kicking off our 30s in the best way possible.