I try to keep my Charleston list as up to date as I can! Feel free to message me if you have questions or suggestions. I only add things that I've personally enjoyed. (Links to everything below!)

Family Fun

Skyzone -indoor trampline park

**Velocity-bigger indoor trampoline park

Charleston Fun Park -putt putt, arcade, go carts

**Fire Museum-cheap, fun, educational, all ages

**Whirlin’ Waters Water Park

James Island County Park

Palmetto Islands County Park

Wild Blue Ropes Course -Not for babies (I am baby)

South Carolina Aquarium

Cooper River Bridge/ Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge -Fun to walk up the bridge when not too hot or sunny.

Children's Museum of the Lowcountry- young kids Nature Adventures-Kayak Rental,

Shem Creek

Charleston Zip Line Adventures

Charleston Water Taxi

FAMILY PICTURES WITH GALLERY BY LAURA!

Beaches

Sullivan’s Island

Isle of Palms -(IOP) Look on the SC Aquarium website to see if they are having a turtle release soon. The county park has a snack bar, bathrooms, and outdoor showers. Parking is per car. $10 Monday through Friday and $15 Saturday, Sunday and Holidays. After 4:00 p.m., visitors may pay an hourly rate of $2.00. Street parking is free, but follow the rules or get a ticket!

Folly Beach -Morris Island Lighthouse is at one end and the county park is at the other (showers and pay to park your car.)

Kiawah Island Public Beach

Treats

Kilwin’s Chocolate -Almost every shop on this street will give you a free sample of something sweet

Republic Ice Cream

Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream

Kaminsky’s

Historical

Waterfront Park/Battery/Downtown

Angel Oak

Boone Hall Plantation

Magnolia Plantation

Charles Towne Landing

USS Yorktown

Downtown Carriage Ride Tours

Charleston Ghost Tours

**Pitt Street Bridge -One of my favorite spots for sunset watching. Do NOT just type "Pitt Street" into your gps, it will take you to the wrong side of the bridge. The bridge was destroyed by a fire and what is left is now a fishing pier and great place to walk.

Day Trips

Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia, spend anywhere from 2 hours to the whole day, includes animals, botanical gardens, splash pad, and ropes course.

Aerial Adventure- Zipline, Highest view on Hilton Head Island.

Bee City Zoo-Honey farm/Petting Zoo in Colleton County, be sure to purchase the food, so you can feed the animals. Also sign up for free "safari ride."

Botany Bay- Edisto Island, Beautiful mossy trees, boneyard beach, and tons of huge shells, but don't take the shells home with you!

Restaurants

(Get fried green tomatoes from one of these)

Salt Water Cowboys -9 out of 10 times I see dolphins in the creek. Dumpster Nachos!!

Poogan’s Porch-Super fancy/downtown/popular

**Page’s Okra Grill- Banana pudding in a mason jar!

Hall’s Chophouse

Toast-Get the Crabcake BLT

Taco Boy

82 Queen-Super fancy/downtown/popular

Lowcountry Bistro

Hometeam BBQ

Locals -sushi and burgers

Sesame Burgers

Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island (Burgers)

Mex 1 Coastal Cantina

Swig & Swine

Bessinger’s BBQ -Tea sweet enough to rot your teeth

Verde-Make your own salad, great for taking on picnics at White Point Gardens

Basil-Thai food

Coast

Bowens Island Restaurant-beautiful view of the water

Toni's Detroit style pizza

Shopping

Straw Market/Charleston City Market

Tanger Outlets-North Charleston

King Street-Downtown -Where the fancy stores be

Mt Pleasant Towne Center-

Seasonal

**Cooper River Bridge Run (10k) -Usually late March or early April -Last year I tried for a good time, this year I’m trying for a good costume.

James Island County Light Show -2 mile long Christmas light drive

Belmond Charleston Place, 6pm it snows during December!

Farmer’s Market April 8 to Nov 25, 8am- 2pm Saturdays, then Christmas Market

Spoleto Art Festival- Music/Dance/Theater

Charleston Fashion Week

Charleston Restaurant Week -Fancy restaurants offer 3 course meals at discount flat rates -Usually January & September

The Notebook filming locations

Seabrook Island is a real place in South Carolina, but the town of Seabrook that the book and movie are based on is fictional.

Cypress Gardens, 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd.

This is where Allie and Noah take a rowboat in the rain and the lake is filled with swans. (The swans are not there, they were flown in, but the alligators are!)

Boone Hall Plantation, 1235 Long Point Rd.

The exterior of Allie's childhood home. Definitely worth a visit, lots of events happen here and they work to include the actual history of the plantation.

Calhoun Mansion, 16 Meeting St.

(Now the Williams Mansion)

When Allie is fighting with her parents about Noah, this is filmed in a private mansion near the battery in downtown Charleston, SC.

Martins Point Plantation, Wadmalaw Island

(Uhh, do not trespass here, it's someone's actual private home.)

This is the house that Noah renovated for Allie.

College of Charleston, 66 George St.

When Allies leaves for college in New York she's actually "attending" College of Charleston.

High Cotton, 199 E. Bay St.

When Noah sees Allie after years apart, he follows her to a restaurant where she meets her fiancé Lon.

The American Theater, 446 King St.

Where they lay in the street outside the theater and almost get run-over watching the traffic lights change.

Pitt Street, Old Village Dr.

Lots of the houses here were used in the background to make the movie seem historically accurate.

William Aiken House, 456 King St.

Where Allie tried on her wedding dress and fainted after seeing Noah in the newspaper.

Black River Plantation, Private residence, Georgetown

The retirement home where Noah read the notebook to Allie that she had written.

Netflix Outer Banks filming locations

(#1 fact you need to know, the actual location of Outer Banks is in NC, but the TV show is definitely filmed in Charleston, SC. There are no signs saying "Outer Banks" to stand in front of in SC.)

Shem Creek
One of my favorite places to visit for any reason, but now extra special because of the show. Almost anytime you see the cast in a boat or paddle board they are coasting along Shem Creek. There's lots of great restaurants and places to walk and go fishing.

Totally worth the visit, you can even rent a stand up paddle board or kayak to go explore. (Usually you will see dolphins.)

Lowndes Grove
Sarah’s family’s waterfront home, Tannyhill Plantation. This is a beautiful waterfront wedding venue that is not open to the public, you can only view from outside the gates. (Fun fact, I met my future wedding photographers there, I was photographing a wedding and they were doing the video. I just thought they were the coolest people ever! Still do!)

Kiawah Island Golf Resort was the locale for the Kooks’ Midsummer Night’s soiree party. If you make reservations to eat dinner at The Ocean Course Club House you can see most of the sights.

Morris Island Lighthouse
All the fun parties on the show take place on the beach in front of the light house. The lighthouse and cool trees are located about a quarter mile walk away from the last place to park on Folly Beach.

Ben Silver was the store John B and Sarah walked into for their new clothes (southern seersucker!) before heading to UNC Chapel Hill (…but really it was the Gaillard Center).

Dunes West Golf & River Club
I used to photograph the cover photos for the Dunes West Neighbors magazine and I've photographed many weddings there. The tree overlooking the water is gorgeous!

It was the location of the dreamy summer evening outdoor movie theatre on Outer Banks. The club is private for residents only, you can eat at The Grille Room.

Old Village of Mount Pleasant
This is an old historic neighborhood with beautiful homes, (my grandparents and great-grandparents once owned property there.) I love to walk down Pitt Street Bridge. JJ drives his dirt bike to the end of the fishing pier.

When Pope runs out of his scholarship interview, this house is in Old Village.

The Wreck

Kiara’s parents’ restaurant, The Wreck, is actually called The Wreck and you can eat dinner there.

Edmondston-Alston House

The Edmondston-Alston House is the home of Carla Limbrey. John B and his father give Carla the fake shroud. You can pay to tour the house.

Palmetto Islands County Park
When John B falls after fighting with Topper, this is the tower at Palmetto Islands County Park. Great playground and small waterpark for kids, lots of walking trails through the woods and marsh.

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

(Also The Cooper River Bridge)

John B and Big John drive across the bridge on their way to The Charleston Museum. You can walk or run the bridge which has a great view of downtown Charleston. Park at the Mount Pleasant Memorial Water Park walk up the bridge from there! Or join in for a 10k in April for The Cooper River Bridge Run, Get OVER it!
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

I thought it was hilarious when the show pretended John B was driving from Wilmington back to Charleston, he went over the bridge which is a 20 minute drive from downtown to Mt. Pleasant, not a 4 hour drive.

Joe Riley Waterfront Park

John B and Sarah steal a wallet and at a totally fake restaurant that was just some tables laid out by the fountain and waterfront park downtown Charleston. I love to come here and look for dolphins, walk in the fountains, and swing on the huge swings. A popular date night for me and my husband :).

If I had one weekend to spend in Charleston...

Here's my dream itinerary:

Where I'd stay:

I would stay at the Wentworth Mansion in downtown Charleston.

Or the Mills House because they have a pool, a parking garage, and are walking distance to lots of fancy restaurants.

...Or Wild Dunes Resort because I like being able to walk to the beach, and it's pretty drivable to all the other fun stuff in Charleston.

Friday

Lunch at Verde! I absolutely love piling toppings on my salad and having a meal I've never eaten before.

Saltwater Cowboys for dinner and watch for dolphins along Shem Creek.

-Early dinner at Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek so I can actually get a table and maybe see dolphins. Honestly I've just ordered appetizers and dessert before, no dinner. Trashcan nachos and fried green tomatoes with banana pudding for dessert.

End the night with drinks at Grille 225's roof top Pavillion Bar downtown.

Saturday

For breakfast I would get donuts from Annie's Hot Donuts.

For lunch I would take subs from Publix and eat on the beach. I'd go to Sullivan's Island if I'm by myself, and Isle of Palms if I have a sandy kid to wash off. Be sure to check the SC Aquarium website to see if they are having a turtle release soon!

I'd probably need a nap and then eat dinner at Page's Okra Grill. There are great entrees, but I love to just get my favorite appetizer and dessert; Redneck rolls (bbq), mac n cheese, and banana pudding.

Then a walk along Pitt Street bridge for the breeze and sunset.

Sunday

I would eat breakfast at Mercantile & Mash because they always have a unique menu, internet access, and a huge parking lot in downtown Charleston (rare)!

I'd walk around Charleston waterfront park, swing on the swings, play in the fountains, and watch for dolphins.

For lunch I would get Toni's Detroit style pizza. I've literally been stopped 3 times while picnicking for people who wanted to know where I got this delicious pizza.

Then head towards Folly Beach Shrimp & Crab Cake from Bowen's Island Restaurant for dinner.

Then walk out to Folly Beach Lighthouse for my sunset evening family photo shoot with Gallery by Laura Photography!

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