Charleston! Oh, how I love that place. I surprised my dad with a trip for his 50th birthday. I tried to pack an itinerary of firsts so we were all experiencing new happenings. We agreed the peak of the trip was the Lowcountry Oyster Festival - named one of the top 20 events in the southeast. That's how we started this trip, cruising right into the festival upon our arrival on Sunday. I read a lot of reviews on the parking situation, so we did a park and ride lot, but I think parking at the event would have been just as well.
Not only is this an event with one of my favorite eats, but it takes place on gorgeous Boon Hall Plantation. It's 'Blake Lively & Ryan Reynold's wedding / where The Notebook was filmed' gorgeous. The main drive is breathtaking with oak trees encasing the road. The cost of the festival was $20 per person, and the cost to get into the plantation on any given day is $20. I thought it was a steal for the uniqueness of being able to eat oysters and peruse the property with a local brew in hand.
Now back to these oysters. Aww shucks! The festival was packed, and live music was coming from the stage. We purchased our food tickets and did a lap before saying cheers! to a bucket of oysters and beers all around. The bucket was $12, and it was a perfect 'round one' for three people. The festival sells oyster knives for a reasonable, unmarked-up price of $5. We purchased one, found a spot at the massive area of shucking tables and got to work. They have crackers and local condiments for you. It was so much fun to shuck away, drink some beer and listen to live music. The weather was amazing. We loved this event so much we went for 'round two' on a bucket of oysters before calling it a success.
We checked into our hotel, Frances Marion, on King Street and relaxed a bit before heading to dinner (and to watch the Carolina basketball game) at Guy Fiere-recommended restaurant, Fuel. I dined on ho-cakes (crispy corn
fritters
with
onions,
garlic,
jalapenos,
roasted
corn,
topped
with
pepper
jack
cheese,
crème
fraiche and
tomato
chutney), braised pork tacos (pulled
pork,
green
chili
aioli,
sweet
onion
relish and
green
slaw) and a cadillac margarita. The atmosphere was cool, and the food was great, so I was all for it.
The next morning was my dad's birthday... Happy Birthday! I decorated the hotel room before we headed onward to enjoy the day. After a nice walk on King Street, we started the morning at Toast!, home of bottomless mimosas and an awesome breakfast. They treated my dad like a birthday king, and we had a delicious feast of french toast and eggs meeting street. From mimosa land, we walked to Charleston's historic City Market to do a bit of shopping. Then it was time for our carriage tour with my favorite tour company in Charleston, Palmetto. We saw the sights and took in a lot of history.
Hank and I had yet to find the elusive pineapple fountain, so as soon as we found it, we basked in the sun for a bit to take it all in. We walked around The Battery and marveled at pretty homes too.
Above is where Hank asked me to marry him in 2010 (!!!).
We explored a lot before heading back to the hotel for a bit, with a side of people watching in Marion Square (where we saw the best hula hooper of all time).
Monday evening we toured Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown. My dad is a retired Marine so this was a must do on the trip. There was a private party that night, so we toured around after hours having the three ships all to ourselves. My favorite part was watching the sunset and touring the submarine. When we came back up to the dock, there were dolphins in the harbor - all so pretty.
That night we had dad's birthday dinner at one of my favorites, Coast. I don't think I could go to Charleston without a stop at Coast (haven't yet!). After dinner, we celebrated 50 years. One of my favorite gifts to my dad was a collage of photos from family and friends around the world, as far as Afghanistan, holding signs wishing dad a happy 50th.
Tuesday morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading home early-ish due to the ice storm heading Charleston's way. It was a fab trip, and I can't wait to return later this year.
