A Charleston Birthday [Baby]

I'm a milestone person as I've said before. Birthdays should be celebrated! It's another year, you've made it! And for me, this year, it was a BIG one. Wow, my big 3-0. I can't believe it. Not only that, it's my golden birthday! 

If you've never heard of a "golden birthday", it's just a fun little saying when the date of your birthday lines up with the year you are turning. So, really you can only have a golden birthday up to year 31. Anything under 21 is probably not celebrated as largely so really you're probably only in luck if the date of your birthday is between 21-31. For me, it lined up so we figured we'd celebrate! 

At first I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or if we'd do anything but after some more thought, I said yes! Let's do it.

My husband and I love historic old buildings, beautiful scenery, and learning about history. I'm not a fan of the cold and with my birthday in November; it can be sometimes hard to figure out. We both have been to Charleston, SC before but never together. See, we both went for our bachelor and bachelorette parties but not together and certainly wasn't a trip that we used for exploration haha. So, we used this excuse to go together finally and we brought out 7 month old, Cal, with us! 

We took this opportunity to see many of the "Notebook" staples as well. You'll see all that reflected below.

​The Itinerary 

We weren't there for very long so I tried to make everything as attainable as possible. Which is something I don't normally do, I usually try to jam pack everything because I want to see it all, but this time; I felt (with a baby) we needed to totally give ourselves additional grace time. We went the Sunday after Thanksgiving and came back on Tuesday afternoon. 

Our schedule:

Sunday
10:15am - Flight from BNA to CHS around 10:15am. Landed around 12:15pm. Charleston is an hour ahead so that flight only took about an hour
12:35pm  - Uber to hotel. We stayed at the Harbour View Inn. I cannot say enough great things about our stay there! More on that later
2:00pm - Brunch at Church & Union
3:30pm - Walked around the streets, stopped in at The Dewberry Hotel 
4:30pm - Quick Beach Trip
6:15pm - Dinner at Slightly North of Broad 
7:30pm - Back to Hotel to Chill (the Hotel had a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us! ). We went to the the little rooftop where they had a fire pit to hang out for a little bit

The Hotel provided breakfast every morning. They left a form to fill out in our room and before you go to bed you hang it on the door

Monday
7:00am - Breakfast at the Hotel 
9:30am - Off to Boone Hall Plantation, lunch at the Butterfly Cafe 
1:00pm - Uber back to hotel 
3:30pm - Change and walk over to Rainbow Row
5:00pm - Dinner at High Cotton

Tuesday (we did a lot of walking this day because it was so nice outside and it gave Cal a good time to nap)
7:00am - Breakfast at Hotel Pack up and provide the doorman with our luggage to hold onto 
9:30am - Walked around waterfront park (which our hotel was right next to)
-Walked to Williamson Mansion aka Calhoun Mansion (which is closed currently) 
-Walked through Battery Park
-Walked to King Street to see The American Theatre 
12:30pm - Ubered back to the Hotel to pick up luggage and went to the airport
3:30pm - Flight back home
Was home by 6:30pm // in great time for bedtime for Cal! 

​The Details

SUNDAY FUNDAY
​
Flight from BNA to CHS!

CHECK IN AT HARBOUR VIEW INN

When we were trying to decide on where to stay in Charleston, we were really choosing between the beach location or downtown location. With a baby with us, we almost thought not downtown because we didn't want it to be loud and not kid friendly but with the time of year we were going, we knew this wouldn't be a beach trip. If this were the summer and we planned on hitting up the beach, that would had been a no-brainer but it wasn't!

Ultimately, we decided on a property that was near downtown but definitely not on King Street. We decided to go with a hotel because I felt safer for some reason than an airbnb. With an airbnb, we would of potentially been able to have an additional room so putting Cal in the pack 'n' play would had been easier than just a one big space hotel room. I know it sounds weird but I felt like many of the airbnbs were condos and for me (in my head) it made sense to do a hotel because they know everyone who's in and out, the doors lock after certain time of night, and with the doorman and security, it just made me feel better. Even so, Charleston in general is still a very safe place to be but having that extra security did make me feel better. 

On top of all of that, everything I was finding airbnb wise, it was very expensive! Even most of the hotels were pretty hefty as well. When we decided to shift our days to be a Sunday-Tuesday, that made it much more affordable so we were able to try out our searches again and come upon the Harbour View Inn which is a waterfront property. There was some construction going on outside but it was still beautiful. The property was stunning as well, great location, and the service was top notch! 

​BRUNCH AT CHURCH AND UNION - CHARLESTON

I highly recommend going to eat at Church and Union in Charleston. It is a really cool old church and historic building. It is a bit smaller than I thought it would be but it was quaint and definitely had A+ service. The dining room is one large space and there is a large bar all on one wall. There is writing on the wall all from the book, "The Art of War". It was kind of warm in there which I was not anticipating and I wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt but I easily forgot about that when we got our mimosa flight. We went for brunch on the Sunday we went and it was so good! They offer brunch Saturday and Sunday mornings until 3:00pm! 

Devon got the Huevos Rancheros and I got the Fried Chicken BLT, and they were both so yummy! 

WALK AROUND CHARLESTON STREETS

After brunch, we walked around the streets of Charleston, it was about 3:30pm so it was still light out and it actually felt pretty nice! It was November 27th and probably in the 50's so it was nice pleasant outside for a walk. 

We stopped in at The Dewberry Hotel bar and grabbed a drink

​QUICK SULLIVAN ISLAND BEACH TRIP

We knew we wanted to visit the beach at least once during our short trip but really was unsure of when we could fit it in. Because of that, I did not "schedule" a time to go but we found a little pocket of time right before the sunset to go the first day! We took a 20 minute uber ride from The Dewberry Hotel to go to Sullivan Island and I'm so glad we did!

As soon as we got to the beach, I got so emotional, I was just so overwhelmed with happiness that it all hit me. I was here at the beach, one of my favorite places to be, with my amazing husband and my little boy in one of my favorite cities! 

SLIGHTLY NORTH OF BROAD

We hopped a quick trip back to Charleston from Sullivan Island and had a small dinner at Slightly North of Broad on East Bay Street! We opted to sit outside since we had Cal and had some appetizers a drink. When I tell you everything was absolutely so convenient it really was. This restaurant was probably a 7 minute walk from our hotel and right across from High Cotton restaurant. 

We had some bread for the table. I had the butternut squash bisque and Devon had a small salad with a beer. I was able to give some of my bisque to Cal which was the best part! He loved it!

FIRST NIGHT IN BACK AT THE HARBOUR VIEW INN

After our small dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax and have a chill night. We checked out the rooftop where there were great views and fire pits. The hotel also had cookies and milk at 9pm. But when we got back to the room, there was a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries with a note from the hotel that read "Happy Birthday Kayla". I thought that was so sweet! What an impression! 

MONDAY

BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL

When I said our hotel was amazing, I mean it. It was kind of like a bed and breakfast because every day they gave you a form to fill out to put out on your door at the end of the night for what you want to be delivered to your door for breakfast! It was so perfect. You picked the time you wanted it to be delivered and all different kinds of options. 

BOONE HALL PLANTATION

We decided against renting a car and Uber'd or walked most places. This was one of the places that we definitely had to uber to as it was about 20 minutes from Charleston and was actually in Mt Pleasant. 

Boone Hall was beautiful and we got the tour of the mansion in which you aren't allowed to take any photos of the mansion because it's actually still considered a private residence. I didn't know this, I just figured the property was owned by the city or state and generated revenue that way but it's still privately owned. I will say the tour was a bit underwhelming for me because we were only able to see about 3 or 4 rooms and was only about 45 minutes but it was still beautiful. 

I do say this because if you've been to some other large historic building/mansions like the Biltmore, you may be a bit underwhelmed. So. I would say, don't have that type of expectation and understand it's has it's own lifetime and different history and go into without those intensions. Ultimately. I am very glad we went and visited though! 

From start to finish, I believe we were there for about 3-4 hours. Like I mentioned, you get to tour parts of the mansion, they have many other cabins to visit, we watched a Gullah show, saw the barn (in which Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds got married in), and did the open air bus tour! We did do a little lunch at the Butterfly Cafe which was really like a convince store with some tables and chairs (so don't think of it like an actual restaurant). 

WALK RAINBOW ROW

When in Charleston, you have to walk down Rainbow Row! It's a staple and you just have to do it! It's so easy to find and very fun to walk through. Just puts a smile on your face! 

DINNER AT HIGH COTTON

After we got all ready for the evening and walked around Rainbow Row, we went to our dinner reservation at 5:15pm. Now this one was a "main event" for me. This dinner and Boone Hall were really the two highest priorities for me this trip as far as things to do go. I love a good nice fancy dinner with the white tablecloths and all. This particular restaurant was one that was in "The Notebook" too.

Do you remember the scene where Noah is on the bus and he looks out the window and sees Allie randomly walking down the street. He hasn't seen her in years (but of course, never stops thinking about her). He jumps off the bus and runs to restaurant where he looks through the window and finds her meeting a man for lunch; which we find out that it is her fiancé, Lon. They are very lovey dovey and you can see Noah's heart immediately drops to his stomach. After that, he goes home and starts a highly driven mad craze to restore the old manor. Well, that restaurant is High Cotton. 

I honestly wasn't sure how all this was going to work out with a baby so we just thought we'll give it a shot! I still never know what to do with reservations when we have a child, so we just wing it! Especially since this was a pretty "fancy" place. But, we didn't want to miss out so we tried it! I made as early as a reservation I could in order to not try to not disturb other guests who may be there later and also so that we could potentially make it for Cal's bedtime. I made the reservation for (3) in order to make sure we had a big enough table so we didn't feel squished. 

The hostess at the front were more than accommodating when we walked in and thanked us for making the reservation for 3 instead of 2! They made great compliments of Cal and was so kind! I was so relieved. The waiter was also very accommodating and so very kind! He brought us over a high chair.

I cannot say enough good things about this dinner. Not only was the food, atmosphere, and service phenomenal but they just genuinely made us feel so special! Our waiter asked us if we were celebrating something special and of course, we obliged and said my birthday. Not only moments later did they bring us out two glasses of champagne. 

After dinner had finished, we went back and forth on dessert and ultimately decided on the lemon pie. He told us it was on the house, their treat! I mean they just gave us champagne and now this, wow. I was totally on cloud 9! Then after that, I see him coming towards our table again but this time with two espresso martinis! Now this was a surprise from our best friends back home. As soon as that came out, I teared up. I felt so incredibly loved and special. It was truly the most amazing night and dinner. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND! 

TUESDAY (TRAVELING HOME DAY)

Once again, we had breakfast at the hotel. After which we packed up everything and left it with the bellhop so we could go ahead and check out and walk around the town one last time. 

We hit up some last minute famous sites like:
-Waterfront Park
-Williamson Mansion (Calhoun Mansion)
-Battery Park
-Rainbow Row (again)
and lastly, the American Theatre. The famous theatre that Allie and Noah dance in front of in the street that night after their first date

Then it was time to grab an uber back to the hotel to grab our luggage and head to the airport! ​

Basically, if you're thinking or wanting to take a trip to Charleston and you have a little one, don't let that stop you! There are many kid friendly things to do, you just may have to think outside the box a bit. One of my goals as a new parent (mom) is to show how our whole life doesn't have completely change or stop because we become parents. We want to immerse Cal into our lifestyle and hopefully add to his sense of the world this way! let's normalize travel with kids, with family! 

Even though we had a short trip, it was absolutely worth it and I hope I helped you find more fun things and ideas to do on your trip to Charleston! 


**if you click on some the photos with links, it may take you to a website on where to purchase the items. When doing so, I may receive a small commission on the products. I am not paid to advertise and have not been asked to promote specific items. These are my real opinions, ideas, thoughts, plans, and items purchased because I wanted to purchase them. Only items purchased here with links are items that I would want to share with you!*