Ahead of a family wedding in Florida, my husband and I decided to add onto our trip with a stop in Charleston, South Carolina, to visit our friend. Three of our other friends also ventured there that weekend. While we’ve visited the southern city several times over the last few years, we always find new places to explore.

On this visit we stayed with our friend at her home in North Charleston. We made sure to hit up some of our favorite spots in her neighborhood including Park Pizza, Jackrabbit Filly, Commonhouse Aleworks, Holy City Brewing and Edmund’s Oast Restaurant.

This was the first visit for two of our friends, so we also spent time exploring downtown Charleston’s food scene. We shared dinner family-style at Lowland, which serves elevated Southern comfort food. Another afternoon we visited Husk’s patio, which doesn’t require a reservation. We indulged in a delectable selection of country ham with pimento cheese and Parker House rolls. We escaped the heat with cocktails and snacks at Thoroughbred Club at The Charleston Place.

In addition to our unofficial culinary tour, we learned more about the city’s history on a walking tour with Walks of Charleston. Our guide brought us to many popular landmarks including Rainbow Row, Dock Street Theatre, Old Slave Mart Museum and The Battery, detailing the city’s storied past. The last full day of our trip we visited USS Yorktown, which now houses Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in nearby Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. We enjoyed learning more about the city’s maritime history and the aircraft carrier.

Our trip included a mix of favorite and new-to-us locations, piquing our interest for our next visit!

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director