There are a few spots that I consider “unmissable” when friends or family come to visit.  We always do AT LEAST a driving tour of downtown proper (the historic district), hopefully a walking or biking tour if there is time.   I make sure to show off my favorite streets — basically anywhere South of Broad but I particularly love Church, Water, lower Meeting and Legare to name a few.  Rainbow Row is fun and feels like quintessential Charleston with its pastel hues and proximity to the harbor.   Of course we always stroll down the battery; I particularly love to visit before 10 am as it’s quite quiet.

There is always something in bloom in Charleston, a perk of living in this climate.  I have no idea what these amazing yellow flowers are but I have seen them all over town and would love to know (so fill me in if you recognize them!).  We’re about to enter camellia season which is one of my favorite times of year — Hampton Park is close to where we live and is spectacular and off the beaten path.   Our neighborhood is quickly expanding and we spend a lot of time at nearby Goat Sheep Cow North where we grab wine, cheese and have long, leisurely lunches or quick drinks with friends.  It’s the perfect place to pick up last minute dinner party supplies.   If you have watched any of my instagram stories, you might have seen that we frequent the Daily — it’s my favorite grab and go spot in town and I often go more than once in a day.

Of course with the baby we find that we spend more and more time at home — it’s so easy to have friends over for long dinners without worrying about a babysitter on the clock or whether he is waking up.  We feel lucky to have our porch with it’s most comfortable furniture as a base where we can play music and hang late into the night.  We have had a very mild winter so far and have found that it is our most used space, like an outdoor living room.  I often start the day out there with a cup of coffee answering e-mails and bookmarking inspiration.

We have great friends staying with us right now and our table from Stori is the perfect place for us to come together — we can comfortably seat six but we are often just the four of us.  It has been so much fun being together as we make a point to have “family meals” every night rather than flipping on the TV.  We have learned to look after each other and it has been a truly enjoyable period for us.  We all appreciate little luxuries like setting the table, lighting the candles and having fresh flowers and delicious wine in the house.

We have even been known to have the occasional dance party out here.  Luckily our neighbors are equally young and energized and are happy to join in!