November 2018 –
Adam and I were married in Charleston in October 2015. When looking for the perfect spot, we knew we wanted to do a destination wedding, but we also wanted to make sure it would be a fun location where our guests could hang out and catch up outside of wedding activities. Adam and his family traveled to Charleston for family vacations, so it was already near and dear to his heart. My parents enjoy vacations they can take by car rather than plane, so Charleston was also doable in that regard from Ohio. Match those factors with the opportunity to work with best, wedding planner of all time (thank you, Lauren!) and Charleston just felt like the right place for us.
But there was an important piece missing at our wedding, Mabel. I was really torn about whether to bring her. In the end, we decided there might be too much going on and she would likely be happier at her second favorite place to home, The City Dog Daycare. (Seriously, I don’t know what we would do without them!!) But it was still on my list to take Mabel to Charleston, so she could see this place that had become so special to us.
We decided to drive down for the week of Thanksgiving with Adam’s family meeting us for the holiday. We rented a dog friendly house on Sullivan’s island and loaded our gal up for the drive. Luckily, being a bulldog, sleep is one of Mabel’s favorite pastimes, so she was a rockstar on the drive.
The moment we got her on the boardwalk to the beach her little legs and chubby little behind just took off. It was like she knew something amazing was waiting for her over the dunes.
Needless to say, Mabel loved Charleston just as much as Adam and I do. We joked that she’s very confused as to why we live where we do when we could live at the beach. (Same Mabel, same.) It may sound silly to people who aren’t “dog people” but of all the trips I’ve been lucky enough to take, in some ways this one was my favorite because she was able to attend.
I think I took 100 hundred pics of her on the beach but each one felt like I was capturing a different moment. Each day, we would both walk home happy and content.
While we had never stayed on Sullivan’s before, Adam and I have spent quite a bit of time on the island. The beaches are so peaceful and there is no better way to spend an afternoon than walking along the beach and dreaming about what gorgeous house we’ll buy in retirement. Just don’t ruin the dream by looking at the actual prices…
There may be 200 hundred delicious restaurants in Charleston but my top three always still include Obstinate Daughter. Years ago, I had shishito peppers here for the first time before they were a popular restaurant appetizer and I was hooked. I’ve been in love with this place ever since. The pizzas are delicious, but the pastas are equally good. If you go, always pay attention to the special. It is usually something worth checking out. Another notable feature of OD is that it is very family friendly.
In the mood for BBQ? You are in luck with Home Team BBQ located right in the heart of Sullivan’s. We are also partial to Dunleavy’s Pub. Adam loves a good Irish bar and we stopped in here the night the Cubs won and made it to the World Series! That’s a good enough excuse to go back the next time I need a little sports luck!
While in town we hit up our other favorites, Leon’s and The Ordinary.
One day while Adam was out golfing, I treated myself to a day of shopping along King St. and lunch at the Citrus Club on top of the Dewberry Hotel. Even in the gray November skies, the view was spectacular.
We also fit in our first trip to the Angel Oak Tree. The size of this tree is so incredible in person and it is estimated to be 400-500 years old!
We split our return drive into two days and stopped in Wytheville VA for a night. We stayed at the Bolling Wilson Hotel which was an adorable little hotel that caters to our four-legged friends. Mabel even got a little welcome bag when we checked in. I would definitely recommend it!
Interested in learning more about Charleston? We head back at least once a year so check out my other Charleston related posts including my list of favorites!
Postcards To Mabel 