Charleston trip: Part 3 (Sunday, Monday, and our house!)

On Sunday evening we finally got to walk through quintessential Charleston: water (!!!), pastel hued houses, sailboats, fountains, and old, old, beautiful homes. Since our house was on the northern edge of the city, quite a hike from the historic area, we drove to the historic area and parked along the water. The weather was wonderful and the breeze was much cooler than we expected.

Some highlights of this evening include watching little kids giggle through the fountains, staring at the sky and clouds as the sun started to set, eating gelato on a bench near the water, and taking what could totally be a band cover photo...

 

Our last day in Charleston, Monday, was a rainy, buggy day. We went to Magnolia plantation which is a 30 minute drive from downtown Charleston. It was gorgeous and I highly recommend visiting if you ever go to Charleston (which you should!). Our spirits were dampened a little due to at least two hours of rain and the resulting mosquito stampede we experienced afterward.

 However, the petting zoo was really fun. Plus, Lauren met us there!!!! The gardens were amazing and we got to see a couple small alligators. If it hadn't been so nasty outside, we might have done the swamp tour, which is where you can see a lot more alligators. Sounds really fun, but not when it's hot, wet, and buggy.

One of the absolute highlights of our stay in Charleston was the house we rented. Since there were four of us traveling together, we figured it'd be cheaper to stay in a place with two bedrooms and a kitchen where we could make some of our own meals.

Melissa found this property on vrbo.com. It was about $500 per couple for 4 nights and 4 days, which is much less expensive than staying in a local hotel. Plus, we bought breakfast ingredients at the store for the mornings and we used the grill to cook dinner at home one night.

The house was seriously awesome! Clean, fresh, modern, and within walking distance of tons of restaurants, shops, and sights. We had off-street parking, wireless internet, a grill, cable TV, and super helpful owners who accommodated our requests and gave us the insider's scoop on the city.

I would HIGHLY recommend using VRBO for your future vacations and of course would recommend staying in the specific house we rented in Charleston.