I am mentally and physically exhausted. Between working my actually job, planning Jay’s 30th birthday trip abroad, and making sure that I am spending enough time with my family…a girl is TIED. (I spelled that correctly btw LOL). I’m completely burnt out. I absolutely need to get out of North Carolina, and I need to do it as cheap as possible.
I texted a few of my girlfriends to ask if anyone was down to spend 72 hours by the beach? To be honest- I was just throwing things out there, I didn’t even know what beach I wanted to travel to. One thing I knew was I wanted some water + sand. Then BOOM, the idea of traveling to Charleston was formed.
The last time I blessed Charleston with my presence was three years ago, to celebrate “gal-entines weekend” (this is what us single girls used to do, to celebrate not having a man). It was so much fun! This time around, we were celebrating being working adults who needed a break (as cheap as possible).
Here is the breakdown on how we accomplished traveling to this beautiful city, on a budget.
Thursday night we picked up the rental car from RDU airport, and left super early Friday morning so we can have the entire day to explore Charleston. Friday morning we checked into the Aloft in North Charleston. Personally- I was not a fan of the hotel in this location, but in general I like Aloft hotels. What I was a fan of, was being walking distance to the Tanger Outlets. That came in handy. We spent our evening touring King Street and trying a staple Soul Food restaurant called Hannibals. I’m not sure if Hannibal’s would be my first choice for a Soul Food restaurant, but it did the trick for the night. We had a late night sweet tooth, so at 11pm we traveled to Carmilla’s to enjoy cheesecake, and a glass of wine.
Saturday, we woke up with every intention to spend the day at Folly’s Beach, but unfortunately a huge thunderstorm hit Charleston so we opted to shop til we dropped at the Tanger Outlets. I’ve been on the hunt for new workout shoes anyways, so this was perfect. A few people messaged me on Instagram to tell me to try Hyman’s Seafood, which was great because I was craving some good seafood. Ya’ll…their hushpuppies tasted like pound cake (I’m not exaggerating), such a great place to eat!!!
Dress| Free People
Sunday, was our last day 🙁
We hit the road as early as possible, so we could unwind before it was time to go to work on Monday. This trip was so relaxing, and even though I was not able to put my feet in the sand. It was a much needed getaway.
Overall for car + hotel stay [3 days], we probably spent less than $150 per person. To me, I think that is very cheap!
While I was there, some people told me of places to visit if I had more time. Since I was not able to visit these places, I figured I would share them with you all! If you are planning a trip to Charleston try out these places below:
Breakfast:
Lunch
- Taco Boy [So GOOD!]
- The Establishment
Dinner [Soul Food/Seafood]
Bars/Nighttime Food
If you have any Charleston suggestions OR places that are quality for quick weekend visits, please comment below so I can start planning my next mini getaway. 🙂
Infamously Yours,
Joi