Oh my goodness. I mean oh.my.good.ness.
I have always said that I wanted to go down South just to eat the food.
Not even kidding. Seriously, just escape and stuff my face with some downhome Southern comfort food.
So when our ten year anniversary was approaching, Andy planned just that.
A trip down South to eat.
It was one of the most blissful 5 days of my life.
Charleston, South Carolina has to be one of the most charming cities in the entire United States.
When we first arrived we walked around taking in all the gorgeous historical houses. Then we found a little cafe, and I had shrimp and crab stuffed fried green tomatoes. After that we took a horse drawn carriage tour of the city.
Later we checked into our hotel in downtown Charleston.
We had a beautiful room with fun local magazines waiting for us...
That evening we took a boat tour to Morris Island....
Where we saw dolphins and walked along the beach...
And saw the Morris Island Lighthouse...
Our tour guide had an adventurous spirit and got us really really close to the lighthouse. It was incredible.
We bought fresh boiled peanuts!!!
I mean fresh.boiled.peanuts.
I should live in South Carolina for these alone.
We ventured to the Charleston Farmers Market!
Be still my heart.
Heirloom tomatoes....sunflowers....fresh homemade lemonade...fresh cut flowers and herbs in mason jars...
Seriously, it was a country girl's dream!
We took a farmers market selfie.
Word.
We ate at Jestine's Kitchen...
Where they serve you sweet tea when you order the table wine and serve you pickles instead of bread with your food...
Their fried green tomatoes made the entire trip worth it. I think they breaded them in crack! Because I could not get enough. And still daydream about them today!
Their fried chicken....fried shrimp....fried okra...mashed potatoes were pretty good too...
We found a lovely, whimsical little antique shop, and visited with the owner for awhile. Can you imagine your life is scouring the east coast for antiques, living in Charleston, and renting an adorable little space in a historical building where you chat with customers and play with antiques all day?! So envious of that shop owner! What a charmed life!
We went to the beach a few times...just to chill and read and play in the ocean.
#follybeachselfie
We walked to the edge of Folly Beach one night and watched the full moon come up out of the ocean. It was breathtaking. The smell of the ocean...the sound of the waves...the feel of the soft sand between my toes...a huge full pink moon rise up out of the water.
I ate shrimp and grits on a huge front porch restaurant one night. Because that's what you do in the South. You eat a lot of grits. And shrimp.
We drove under canopies of tree branches draped with hanging Spanish moss....to see the Angel Oak. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. This picture does not do it justice. It is estimated to be between 300-400 years old. With a circumference of 31.5 feet and 17,000 square feet area of shade. It's a beautiful beast of a tree that just keeps going and going.
We were on a mission to find out where the locals hung out and ate...and found out about the Queen Street Grocery...
Which we heard and can validate makes the best crepes in Charleston.
We ended up at Bubba Gumps one night. Yummy drink with a sneak attack buzz. Food not so great. At all.
We walked off our heart burn around town and wandered into a game store where we played games with the sales dude for over an hour. It was awesome and got some fun new card games and board games.
We indulged in iced coffee and pecan pie one night. Because you can't go to the South without eating pecan pie. It was rich. It about killed me. But it would have been a happy way to die.
#deathbypecanpie
The window boxes were stunning...
And everywhere....
We may have gone back to Jestine's Kitchen for more of the crack breaded fried green tomatoes....
And coconut cream pie...
I may have weighed at least ten pounds more when I left Charleston.
But it Was soooooo worth it!
#bringonthenexttenyears
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