Big fan of South Carolina! We were able to knock 4 things off our 1,000 Places to See Before You Die checklist this long weekend. We got into town mid afternoon Friday and went to a bar on the bustling King Street for drinks and food. There were quite a few graduations going on so King street restaurants and bars were flooded with people! After dinner Bret had gelato for the first time and we walked around downtown.

One of the major reasons we chose this weekend to visit S.C. was Spoletto USA Festival. One of the 1,000 Places, it only takes place for 2 weeks around Memorial Day. There is a massive art festival and performances all over the streets of Charleston culminating with a Firework finale at Middleton Place Plantation(maybe next year). Our hotel was located right next to the Spoletto Art Festival in Marion Square. We walked around for hours, eating Beinegts and talking with all the artists. Unfortunately all the paintings we liked were too expensive. Saturday also coincided with the farmers market so Bret and I got to pick up some fresh food as well.

 After we looked at every tent we headed to the pier, jumped in some fountains and toured the city on foot. I think we walked for 8 hours all around this amazing and historic city looking at the blossoming gardens, civil war sites, and impressive old homes. After a long day of walking we snuck in an appointment at Adagio Spa for massages and relaxation=)

Next on the agenda was a late night dinner at Magnolias (1,000 Places check). Magnolia’s is king of low country cuisine and they happen to also have the best fried chicken in town. It was amazing and worth the wait. We kept the party going at another local bar down Bay Street who had a fabulous country band and we stayed out waaaaaaay too late.

After we crawled out of bed we left our beautiful hotel and headed south towards Hilton Head Island. The drive south was wonderful. When we arrived at our resort I could not get out of the car fast enough. The hotel Tiki bar was overflowing onto the beach and there was an amazing country band playing. Bret and I quickly grabbed some beers and headed to the beach, where we stayed (and slept and walked) til the evening. After dinner we drank on the beach and watched the sunset as we combed the beach for drift wood.

The next morning we woke up at 6 am to watch the sunrise. It was low-tide so we walked the beach for more driftwood and shells for a while. After breakfast we were supposed to go paddleboarding but instead it turned into a kayaking trip around Shelter Cove. We didn’t get to see an dolphins like I’d hoped but we had unbelievable weather and scenery.

We biked around the island from Forest Beach to Folly Beach!