Charleston: Travel tips.

Oh man, even today, I am still wishing I was back in Charleston—there's so much that we didn't get to see or eat or do, and I'm totally making a mental list for my next trip. In the meantime, here are three little travel tips (in lieu of my usual three Friday links) if you're planning a trip to Charleston yourself—and by the way, if you are, I'm totally jealous.

Plan your itinerary carefully. Next time we go back, we're making time to spend at least a few hours at one of the local plantations—Magnolia, Drayton Hall or Boone, for sure. We didn't have time this trip and I really wish we did. There's also a tea plantation (!) on Wadmalaw Island, just outside of Charleston, and I'm dying to go there, though I did pick up a box of its Charleston-made breakfast tea at a local gourmet store. I'd also like to hit some antiques shops; we didn't do that and I feel like there's probably a lot to be found.

Make restaurant reservations well in advance. I made our Thursday-night Husk reservations two (maybe even three) weeks in advance and I'm glad I did: There's no way we would have gotten in otherwise, or at least not until late at night. I couldn't get us into FIG, Chef Mike Lata's much-applauded restaurant, on Friday a week out, and Fulton Five, an Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel, couldn't seat us until 9:30 without a reservation, which would have been fine if we weren't starving. We ended up getting into another nearby restaurant without a reservation (although at first we weren't sure if we'd be able to), but I have to say that, compared to our other meals, it was by far my least favorite. So my advice: Pick where you want to go in advance (Charleston magazine is helpful for this, as is Olivia's blog and, of course, good old Google), and then make OpenTable your best friend or just call.

Walk everywhere. Seriously, it's worth it. Walk down Meeting Street to the Battery and gaze at the amazingly beautiful houses—seriously, they're jaw-droppingly gorgeous and impeccably maintained—and the stunning water view. Walk up and down King Street and shop. Walk through Charleston City Market, which bustles every day. Walk down little side streets, where you're sure to find tons of gems—I wish we'd done more of that. Walk to the Charleston Museum, or to the Old Slave Mart museum (and enjoy the feel of the centuries-old cobblestones beneath your shoes). Your feet might hurt at the end of the day, but you'll feel good.

Have a great weekend, friends! xoxo

P.S. We're thinking New Orleans for our next trip!

P.P.S. There're more Charleston photos on the Pink O'Clock Facebook page, too! Click here to see.

Photo: My own.

Charleston: Historical sight-seeing.

On Friday, after spending Thursday afternoon and night shopping and eating, my mom and I decided we wanted to do some historic sight-seeing, so I busted out our map (hello, tourist) and...promptly led us away from where we were planning on going. We walked quite a long way in the opposite direction, but it was a happy accident because we ended up being able to look at all the amazingly beautiful homes on Meeting Street and ultimately wound up at the Battery. It was really cold--at least for us Floridians--and the wind was whipping off the water, but the sun was shining and dogs were playing in the park and it was just so cool to stand and look at buildings and trees that had been there for hundreds of years.

While we were in that area, we took a tour of Calhoun Mansion, which is...well, I'll let its website do the talking, but it was amazing. Thirty-five rooms, 35 fireplaces, a 90-foot cuppola, the most incredible woodwork I've ever seen and, oh, 24,000 square feet housing the most eclectic collection of...stuff...I've ever seen--we're talking Egyptian furniture, taxidermy, silver, Persian rugs, Tiffany lamps, etc. It's a private residence, too, so someone lives there most of the year. Totally cool and over-the-top--I mean, you just have to shake your head and laugh at the ostentatiousness of it all--and the landscaping is equally gorgeous. Plus, the history of the house was interesting.

After our stop at Calhoun Mansion, we walked back up Meeting Street to the Charleston Museum and Joseph Maginault House, and then over to Chalmers Street (above--cobblestones!) to see the Old Slave Mart museum. The Charleston Museum is great and gives a great history of the city, especially its role in the Revolutionary and Civil wars, and the Maginault House is amazingly well-preserved, but you cannot miss the Old Slave Mart. It's possibly the only known building used as a slave auction gallery still in existence, and it's incredibly moving to stand within its walls.

You know, it's a really neat feeling--especially when you're used to standing in buildings that were built in 1980 (oh, Florida)--to stand in those that were actually constructed in, like, the 1780s. I'm an inherently nostalgic person, too, so it was really affecting.

Honestly, I could have spent the entire two days (and then some) walking through historic sites and gazing at stately old houses and peeping through gates and standing by the water letting the wind tousle my hair (and then going out for amazing meals afterwards). Charleston, I never thought anything would usurp Savannah as my favorite Southern city, but you've managed to do it--and you've managed to make me want to live there some day, too.

Photos: My own

Charleston!

My mom and I had the best time in Charleston this weekend--it was seriously a fantastic trip and I keep finding myself thinking about when I can possibly go back. We managed to make the two days we spent there a perfect mix of historic sight-seeing (home tours, the Charleston Museum, a walk to the Battery), eating (particularly dinner at Husk, which I'll be posting about tomorrow, breakfast at Hominy Grill and treats from Caviar & Bananas and Wildflour Pastry) and shopping (hello, King Street stores!).

Actually, I'll be posting about our trip most of this week, so if you're interested in hearing about Charleston from a tourist-y perspective, stay tuned. But first: How were your weekends? How are your weeks going so far?

See you back here tomorrow. xoxo

Photo: My own, of beautiful white camellias in bloom outside Calhoun Mansion on Meeting Street.