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Monday, August 4, 2014

Southern Comfort

Sorry to disappoint those of you who thought this post was going to be all about whiskey. Well, some alcohol is involved but the southern comfort I am talking about today is our trip last week to the charming city of Charleston, South Carolina. Seriously Charleston has to be one of the cutest cities in the US with some of the best food (Southern Comfort food... get it...). Our sweet friends Kevin and Rebecca live in NC and chose Charleston to host their destination wedding and this was the perfect opportunity to visit a city we've never been. We flew in a few days before the wedding to immerse ourselves into the deep South and stuff ourselves full of shrimp and grits and collard greens. Jon thought it was so funny I kept calling the area "The South" because Texas is obviously a lot lower than what most consider the South. When I talk about "The South" I think of cities nestled along the East coast, wrap around porches, twangy accents, hoop skirts, and American history. Texas is a whole other story in my mind.

Back to Charleston. 

We spent the week exploring the city with lots of firsts for our little Ford. We took a boat tour around the Harbor to see Fort Sumter and other Civil War sites, took Ford to his first aquarium (remember we have to visit either a zoo or an aquarium on every vacation), a horse drawn carriage ride touring the cobblestone streets, and a fun afternoon at the Firefly Distillery (Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka is a staple in our house. Mix with lemonade for an adult Arnold Palmer... mmm). We are totally tourists everywhere we go, minus the fanny packs, and my favorite excursion was the carriage tour. We traveled up to Battery Park and drooled over the gorgeous $10m Victorian homes and Ford had a blast waving at everyone we passed. 

First vineyard visit

We sampled 6 different Firefly alcohols (vodka, liquer, Moonshine, and rum)



Ford loves the wind in his face



I wore Ford in the ergo a lot of the trip and he loved it! 

The theater from The Notebook



Had to get a selfie with a bald eagle

Ford couldn't take his eyes off the big horse pulling the carriage

My southern gentleman breaking hearts





The Mr. and Mrs!

Restaurants I recommend

Toast- a must visit for breakfast! They serve it all day so no need to be up early for a killer homemade omelet and biscuits. 

Charleston's Cafe- this is across the bridge in Mt. Pleasant and worth the 10 minute drive. O.M.G. Jon got this "casserole" that was layered with homemade potato chips, chicken, bacon, cheese, and topped with eggs. Droollllll.

Fish- the wedding was held at Lowndes Grove Plantation and was catered by Fish so I can't speak on the actual restaurant but the food...yes. On point. Fried chicken, shrimp and grits, truffle mac and cheese. A must visit. 

Hominy Grill- two words...Charleston's Nasty. A piece of fried chicken on a homemade biscuit, smothered in sausage gravy. 

Jim N Nick's BBQ- we got takeout at 9pm from Nick's the night we flew in and pretty much acted like Bob on What About Bob at that dinner table scene. 

Jestine's- adorable hole in the wall home cooking. Prepare for a long wait but the food is worth it! Order the meat loaf with brown gravy. 

Taziki's- Jon and I both share a love for Greek food and one day we were feeling a little large after days of fried delicious comfort food and enjoyed a huge Greek salad from here. 

Outings/Excursions I recommend
*Traveling with a baby who naps twice a day limits your outings since you have to go back to your room for nap. It is actually nice to take a break and relax yourself. I wish we would have had more time to do a few things: home tours in Battery Park, visit Boone Plantation, Charleston Slave Mart Museum. 

Thanks for the good food and fun times Charleston!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You may have said this before but what baby carrier are you using?

Lauren H Edmondson said...

Charleston is one of my favorite places (and Firefly one of my favorite beverages haha). So glad y'all had a good time in "the South" and that Ford got to celebrate several firsts!

Carolyn said...

Awesome! I just started a new diet today so I totally drooled over all the food references.. I die.

We just got back from vacation and my son still naps 2x a day and you are right, it's limiting! But I just roll with it. My boy needs his sleep! I have a wedding coming up in Savannah - in October. I am not sure if I am going though - I just can't figure out how I will work it with bedtime and the reception.. there is absolutely no way I could keep him up - the kid is OUT like a light at 7pm.. Hmmmm

Bri said...

What a fun trip! One place I've always wanted to visit...and I still cannot get over how ADORABLE Ford looked in his wedding outfit!!!

Unknown said...

Fun trip! Oh my goodness, Ford's outfit for the wedding is theeee cutest thing ever!!! :)

Unknown said...

Sounds like a fun trip! That lil wedding outfit you had him in is too cute!!

Sarah Tucker said...

Charleston is on our "Want to Vacation" list. So charming! And Ford, seriously?! I get baby fever every time at look at that precious boy!

Raena said...

I'm dying for a Charleston or NOLA vacay. Hopefully soon.

Anonymous said...

I went there last year and we had a good time. Very cute!

Carroll said...

What a great recap of Charleston! I can't wait to add all these restaurants to my list. :)

Mary Lytle said...

Ruthie,
Your blog is one of my favorites, and your little boy is adorable! I don't think I have ever commented before, but today, I must. I am a South Carolinian; I have lived in the Upstate of SC for 65 years. Charleston is my favorite city, and my family visits there frequently. My nephew graduated The College of Charleston, a renowned institution. The city of Charleston is illustrious, magnificent, glorious, delightful, distinguished, spectacular, splendid, gorgeous, historic, famous, significant, prominent, and unforgettable. But Ruthie, as cute as you are, you must know that Charleston is not "cute."

Erika said...

We went to Charleston in April with our 6-month old. It was my first time visiting 'The South', and I loved it!! We went to Magnolia Plantation and it was absolutely breath-taking, however we missed out on seeing the aquarium. Lots to see on another visit!

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