We love a good Charleston summer. Even when the heat index is 112ºF (????), there are still endless activities around town. We asked each of our team members what their favorite summer stops, events, and activities are!
Camille
Now that I work remotely in Aiken, my favorite summer spots in Charleston are even more special when I come into town for work (or for a weekend)! After spending a day at the beach on Sullivan’s Island, I love grabbing a drink at Home Team BBQ and forgetting that carbs count with a burger from Poe’s Tavern, both right on Middle Street. When I get to play tour guide for anyone visiting, I always suggest stopping by Charleston Tea Plantation, America’s largest tea garden. There are so few chances to see anything like it and summertime is one of the best times to tour! You can watch the tea leaves being harvested and the factory in action and complimentary tea tastings are always included!
Camilla
Despite the heat, summer is definitely my favorite season in Charleston. My favorite thing is to cruise the Harbor on the boat all day, then cap it off with a drink at The Royal American. It has great outdoor space and some awesome marsh views. If it’s not a boat day, then I’ll drive out to the beach at Sullivan’s Island. That drive has some of the best scenery Charleston has to offer! And with the windows down weather, I’m always driving from place to place with the windows down and my music blaring. Since my car doesn’t have Bluetooth or a USB connection (#vintage), I’m constantly tuned in to 105.5 The Bridge – they always have my favorites playing!
Jenn
Living in Charleston definitely has its perks. We live where others vacation, so we constantly have friends and family rolling through town. We definitely enjoy visitors because it gives us a chance to play tour guide or tourist in our own town and experience new things. So far, my favorite things to do/see is certainly the beach. It’s one of the main reasons I wanted to move and I’ve always wanted to live on the coast for as long as I can remember. Since we live on Johns Island, we typically drive out to Kiawah for a beach day. It’s a perfect family beach with amenities like bathrooms, showers, and a snack bar attached!
Most of the time our guests want seafood, so we love to head over to Bohicket Marina to Lokal. They have amazing food! I’m not a big seafood person, (I know…I know…I live at the beach and don’t like seafood) so I like to get their chicken, which always hits the spot after a beach day! Next, we love to head downtown for drinks at Cane Rhum Bar. Their mojitos are the BEST! After dinner and drinks, we like to catch a comedy show at Theatre 99 or a concert at the Gaillard.
Being a crazy cat lady, I love to step out of the heat during the day and stop by Pounce Cat Cafe to grab a drink and cuddles from their cute (adoptable) cats. It’s ameowzing! And finally, if my friends want to shop, I like to take them to BootJack. It’s a local store with lots of Southern flair that my friends can take back home to remember their visit.
Hillary
One of my favorite things to do on a beautiful day is walk or bike around downtown and look at all of the beautiful and colorful houses! I love grabbing brunch at Basic Kitchen and walking up and down King Street browsing through all of the little eclectic shops. Later in the day, I’ll head over to Saltwater Cowboys for a drink on the water and hope for a dolphin sighting!
Alex
2018 marks my first Charleston summer, and I have had no shortage of options for Lowcountry frolic and exploration. One standout discovery was the “Run For Brews” run club “headquartered” at Charleston Beer Works downtown Wednesday nights. RFB has been a game changer – for one, I met some quality friends with the same strange affinity for running that I have. Two, it’s gotten me into a consistent exercise groove that has inextricably given me a new medium to explore my new town. And three – I have expanded my craft brew knowledge (s/o to Palmetto Brewing Co. for my new favorite beer, Mango IPA!) – as well as tater tots which apparently is a very Charleston thing (PSA – Kickin’ Chicken and Voodoo also have bomb tots). When not borderline-obsessively running, I’m keeping tabs on the live music scene. My favorite spots so far are Charleston Pour House, The Roost and Party At The Point on Fridays (Tom Petty Cover band was >> by the way). All that said, when time, traffic and weather affords it there’s nowhere I’d rather be than the beach, my forever favorite summer spot.
Chloe
Cold weather and I are not friends, so summertime is pretty much my favorite time of the year. Especially because I love the beach and everything having to do with water! One of my favorite summertime activities is to go stand up paddleboarding through Nature Adventures. You can rent a paddleboard for a few hours and go paddle yourself through the Shem Creek area! This year was the first year I brought my son along (he’s five), and he was able to sit on the board with me, and he loved it! So it’s kid friendly, too!
I also love to eat (who doesn’t?), and a few of my favorite stops downtown are Juanita’s, CO, Magnolia’s, and Kickin’ Chicken (I just love me anything buffalo chicken, plus there are tons of options for kids). Second Sunday on King is another favorite each month, as they close down Lower King so everyone can walk and eat in the street.
Kylie
Now that summertime in Charleston is in full swing, my goal is to spend most of my free time by the water. Folly Beach is my go-to spot, and there is nothing better than putting my toes in the sand after a busy week. After soaking up some sun, I like to stop at Taco Boy for a frozen screwdriver or drop by Woody’s Pizza to visit some friends. The perfect ending to a beach day? Catching the sunset by boat. I most recently booked a sunset sail with Charleston Harbor Tours Tall Ship, Schooner Pride, and I’m looking forward to joining some friends for their wine tasting sunset sail next month!
Audrey
Summertime definitely has a special place in my heart. The beach, cocktails, jams on 105.5 The Bridge, and time with friends are just a few of the things I look forward to. My typical summer day, when I’m not working, starts off with running the Ravenel Bridge. I then make my way over to my favorite beach spot on Sullivan’s Island and spend copious amounts of time splashing around in the water. Once I have my fill of sand and sun, I enjoy stopping by Home Team for a Game Changer or meeting up with some friends.
I almost always end my day by stopping at TCBY and grabbing some dairy free fro-yo. That said, if it is a Friday evening you can more than likely find me at Party at the Point or a RiverDogs baseball game!
What do you love most about Charleston summers? Tweet us at @TargetMarketCHS to let us know!
