Stop searching for a great beach destination that your whole family will love and head to the Charleston area!
We were so excited to head back to the Lowcountry for the second time. One major setback was a week prior to our beach vacation, our youngest son broke his three middle toes in the growth plate (of course-the worst place). He was put in a cast………..they asked if we wanted a waterproof cast (Who wouldn’t?!) and we paid $90 extra to have it be waterproof. At that point, I would have paid pretty much anything for our youngest to be able to go in the ocean and pool on vacation.
This year we decided to drive straight through from Pittsburgh to Isle of Palms. Yes, we stopped many times to eat and go to the bathroom. Eventually we ended up at the Harris Teeter on Isle of Palms in the early evening to load up with some groceries for vacation!
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| So excited to be back in Isle of Palms! |
We stayed in Wild Dunes again in Summerhouse 103. We rented this for the second time through Beachside Vacations, which did a great job for the second year in a row for us.
We had our beach chair rentals delivered daily by the Isle of Palms Beach Chair and Bike Co. They set up the chairs daily about 9am and picked them up in the afternoon. For 6 days it was $130 to rent 2 chairs and an umbrella. We would carry down one or two other chairs that were in the condo if any of the kids felt like sitting (which the two older ones did-the younger one never wanted to sit although he should have been the one sitting because of his cast!!)
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| Using our beach chairs from Isle of Palms Beach Chair and Bike Co. |
The first evening, we headed over the amazing Ravenal bridge to Slightly North of Broad. I highly suggest a reservation here. If you go early enough, it is a great place for families. They have a kids menu, but it is also a more elegant restaurant. This was actually my favorite meal of the trip. I had the amazing Shrimp and Grits. The food at S.N.O.B. is sourced from local farmers in the area. My husband had the duck breast and loved it. I had the Peach Cobbler for dessert which was wonderful. The hostesses and waitresses were so kind to our kids and so helpful with our youngest son and his crutches. Don’t be turned off by the name of the restaurant being S.N.O.B.; it is the farthest thing from a snobby place!!
The next morning we had breakfast at Page’s Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant. Our family split the Loaded Home fries and Fried Green Tomatoes for a breakfast appetizer (who knew there was such a thing?!) Combined with my tasty mimosa, it was an excellent change to have a breakfast appetizer! I had to go for it again, and I ordered Shrimp and Grits-my favorite meal in the Lowcountry area. I hadn’t had it in one year since July, and I was blessed to be able to eat it over and over again for a week! It was a great choice. My husband got the Country Fried Chicken and Eggs-description: Two boneless skinless chicken breasts lightly breaded and fried to perfection. Topped with white pepper gravy and served with two eggs any style, homefries or grits, and toast or a biscuit. He gave me a small plate to try, and it was delicious.
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| Page’s Okra Grill |
My other kids ordered omelets and also enjoyed them. It was a great place for breakfast. If you are looking for somewhere with a view or more of an atmosphere, this isn’t the place for you. It is a basic restaurant with booths, tables, and great food. It is right on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, which is a pretty busy street with many different kind of businesses on the street.
The next day we decided to try Poogan’s Porch. We had heard many stories about this establishment and stories of it being haunted. I loved the history regarding this restaurant. It was built in 1888 and sold in 1976 by the owners. There was a little dog that stayed behind named Poogan. He would wander from porch to porch and was fed by people in different houses and restaurants. The restaurant felt he was their “official greeter.” Therefore, they named the restaurant “Poogan’s Porch.”
There was an interesting wine list with many different wines we don’t often see in Pennsylvania! I decided to try a wine that was recommended to me-Gruner Veltliner 2014 from Austria. I loved it and have found it now in Pa at one of our liquor stores.
Surprisingly, I ordered the shrimp and grits for the third day in a row………it was also amazing! We all enjoyed our dinners. It wasn’t very crowded here at all. I enjoyed the decorations inside and the food as well. The shrimp and grits still weren’t as good as the meal at S.N.O.B., but they were tasty.
The next day, we ventured to Folly Beach for a surf lesson. All three of the guys in our family had planned to do a surf lesson, but with the cast, our youngest could not participate. I scheduled the lessons from recommendations on Trip Advisor. They did a 90 minute semi-private lesson with Charleston Surf Lesson. They separated the groups off, so my husband and oldest were alone with one instructor named Norman. It was $40 per person for 90 minutes.
They learned information first about safety, equipment, ocean awareness, etc. Then went out in the ocean for the last hour to get a very specialized lesson. Both of them were standing on the board and surfing within several minutes. They had a blast and learned so much. We cannot recommend this business enough. They were awesome, and now the rest of us want to try it!
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| We had to find something to do while we waited for the guys during their surfing lesson!
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Folly Beach
After Folly Beach, we headed to Charleston. It is only about 15 minutes there from Folly Beach. We went to Amen Street Fish and Rawbar because my husband and my oldest had been craving oysters all week. I got the peel and eat shrimp as my lunch. It was great and fresh.
 Amen Street Oysters
 Amen Street
We had the Fried Green Tomato appetizer which came with a side of Pimento cheese. What a great combo! We also had the Amen Street’s Famous Shrimp Corndogs as an appetizer. My husband and oldest son loved the oysters.
Shopping on King Street is always a great experience as well. It is fun to go into stores that we don’t often get to go to in Pennsylvania. I got myself a new Lilly Pulitzer dress at Palm Avenue while my husband entertained the kids at Starbucks filling them with sugary drinks and sweet treats.  For dinner, we ordered pizza from a local place in Mount Pleasant, but the owners were actually from Pittsburgh, called Steel City Pizza Co. It was great and came in under an hour to our condo in Wild Dunes.
The next night we stayed on Isle of Palms and ate at a restaurant near the end of the island, almost between Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms called The Boathouse at Breach Inlet. We had a reservation for 6PM and still were seated on the screened in porch. It was probably 95 degrees at that time. Although the food was very good, the porch was so extremely hot, we had trouble even enjoying our meal because we were so hot. We would only go back if we were seated inside. I would not suggest sitting on the porch/deck anytime between April-September before 8 or 9PM.
Outside they have a nice bar area and a little deck where you can watch the dolphins by the bridge that runs over to Sullivan’s Island. We enjoyed standing out there to watch the dolphins after dinner.
  The Boathouse at Breach Inlet
 If you get the chance to drive around Sullivan’s Island, it is worth it to see the multi-million dollar mansions. We saw a very interesting one right on the beach.
 Our last night, after a long day at the beach, we ate at Southend Brewery and Smokehouse. I was a little weary when I asked the waiter about a sandwich on the menu, and he said he wouldn’t order the seafood. The food was okay but nothing spectacular. I found out recently that this establishment closed on September 25th. It is a great space and hope the new establishment Lagunitas Taproom and Beer Sanctuary does well there.
   We were able to explore the Charleston City Market after dinner. It is a bustling experience with people selling many different items such as the famous Sweetgrass baskets, jewelry, artwork, and many other interesting items. It is open 9-6 Monday-Sunday and on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it is also open from 6:30-10:30pm. It is worth a walk through to see the interesting items for sale. You may be able to pick up some unique souvenirs for family or yourself.
We had other plans of things to do before our youngest broke his foot, but we had to adjust our plans a little bit……..which is normal for any family with kids!
It gave us time to just relax and spend time as a family. We spend every day at the beach and the pool the majority of the day. It was nice to get to
spend all day, every day together. Yes, the kids did pick at each other as
usual, but at least when they were fighting, we could
look out the window at the beach and ocean.
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Some sights in downtown Charleston
My favorite start and end to each day on the deck of our condo………
If you’ve never traveled to the Lowcountry,
what are you waiting for??
It is the best combination of getting to learn about the rich history of the area, enjoy beach days, eat some of the best food the south has to offer, and have a wonderful week with your family! You won’t regret your visit to the Charleston area!
Hockey Sticks, Grips, and trips 