Exploring Old Historic Cities

Just got back from a ton of traveling and I’m excited to share about my recent visit to three different historic towns. I never knew how much I had a thing for charming old towns until now. Just this year after getting married, I visited Charleston, St. Augustine, and Savannah. To keep this post organized, I will break it up in three parts depending on the location I visited with my husband, Dillon 🙂

Charleston

If I have to be honest, I would say Charleston is my favorite out of the three old cities that Dillon and I visited. It was so charming! I must also mention that I was so looking forward to coming here after watching the Patriot movie with Dillon one night (the characters’ dresses in the movie were beautiful!) We went in March this year so it was about two months ago. We drove over and stayed 2.5 days. Instead of a hotel, we opted for an Airbnb in North Charleston near Park Circle. I will also recommend anyone going there to visit between late March to late April. During that time, it is azalea season and they will be blooming beautifully!

The first full day we decided to walk a short distance to breakfast. We walked to breakfast at The Junction. It was close and convenient. They had a cute coffee bar in the corner which I really liked. I ordered a delicious breakfast sandwich that came with really good bacon flavored Shitake mushrooms. Very yummy! Later that day, we went to Isles of Palms for some beach time. We walked to a seafood lunch spot right by the beach called Lawrence Seafood Company. It’s a nice casual spot with a bar as well. Later that day we explored the Battery in Charleston which I will absolutely recommend for anyone visiting! It’s a historic landmark named for its coastal defense artillery. I love how pretty the ocean view is over there! You can also get some great pictures. After quite a bit of walking, Dillon and I went to Pavilion Rooftop Bar for drinks. Ok so we really got into rooftop bars recently and now when we visit a new city, we love to search for the best rooftop bars in the area (more posts on that soon). But a big part of why we love rooftop bars is for the views! Usually they are in prime locations. To end an amazing day of exploring Charleston, we ate dinner at Hyman’s Seafood. I already want to go back there just by writing this right now! They have an elaborate menu of seafood with so many great options to choose from! We were so full at the end because we wanted to try so many different things. The service was great. It’s no wonder so many famous people have visited this restaurant!

The following day was rainy so Dillon and I weren’t in the mood to sightsee outside in the rain. We were able to work a little at Orange Spot coffee shop. Then we went back to our Airbnb and relaxed in the afternoon. That night we walked to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I’ve had better Italian food in my life but we were craving Italian that night so it was still nice. The next day we went to Magnolia Plantation before heading back home. As I mentioned previously, you will want to go when it’s azalea season because there are tons of azalea in this plantation and it makes it that much more beautiful! Plan to go close to opening time if you want it to be less crowded for pictures!

This is what what we were able to do in the 2.5 days we were there. But next time I go I want to visit these spots:

The fountain at Joe Riley Waterfront Park
Morris Island Lighthouse
The historic John Rutledge House Inn
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
Afternoon Tea at Camellias (I love my tea!)

St. Augustine

I’ve been to St. Augustine maybe two times prior so this was not my first time going. However, it was Dillon’s first time. It was kind of last minute because we were making the drive from Charlotte, NC to South Florida and we wanted to break up the drive. This was a quick trip and we only booked the hotel for a night. We stayed at a Best Western hotel in St. Augustine. We booked it the same day we arrived and it was a really good convenient option downtown. We were right in front of Matanzas River and within walking distance of the Fort and other restaurants!

That evening, we went to River & Fort Rooftop Bar which faces both the river and the famous Fort. Like I said earlier, we love our rooftop spots! For dinner we went to Harry’s Seafood. I loved this restaurant! The portion sizes were pretty big. I was happily satisfied after eating here.

On my list for next time I visit St. Augustine:

St. Augustine Lighthouse (been here before but I would go again)
The Fort (also been here before but would go again)
St. Augustine Distillery
St. George Street to walk around
Columbia Restaurant

Savannah

In our most recent trip, we visited Savannah in the middle of the week. We stayed at an Airbnb downtown in the Historic District. I loved our Airbnb location because we were walking distance to several spots. We stayed in Savannah from Tuesday afternoon until Friday afternoon.

On Tuesday, we ate at Savannah’s Seafood Shack. Not the healthiest spot but convenient if you’re craving fried seafood. Then we checked in to our Airbnb. In the evening we saw the most gorgeous sunset from Top Deck rooftop bar. We were facing the river too. Such a good view! For dinner, Dillon and I ate at The Olde Pink House. This might be on the top of my favorite restaurants list! It is very unique because the house was built in 1771. You can even walk upstairs after your meal and explore the structure. I would easily recommend this place to anyone visiting Savannah. And plus, the house is pink so does it get any better than that? Nope. Great service there too!

The next day we walked to Forsyth Square and checked out the popular fountain. It’s a great spot for photos too! We did a lot of walking this day and ended up on the River Street watching sunset with the cargo ships passing by. After, we finished the night with dinner at B. Matthews. I would easily order the shrimp & grits from their menu again! It was so flavorful and delicious!

On Thursday, we ate brunch at The Pirate’s House to keep the historic theme of our trip going. This is actually Savannah’s oldest building structure. It was a meeting point for pirates back in its day. Later that day Dillon and I drove to Tybee Island to lay out at the beach. It wasn’t that crowded because we went midweek in the afternoon. For dinner we ate at Salt Island Fish & Beer and I had the most refreshing salad while watching the sunset with Dillon!

Friday was our last day there and we went to Wormsloe Plantation. I recommend visiting the visitor center because they show a quick video about the background of Noble Jones who owned the estate. The initial drive through the spanish moss trees is very beautiful!

What I would love to do next time I visit Savannah: