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Sara Kate Styling

My Charleston Trip {on a $100 Budget}

As you all know {based on my relentless social media sharing and most recent blog posts} I went to Charleston for the first time this week and it was absolutely wonderful! So what did I do? Well, let me tell you…

I went for 3 days and stayed with a friend, but budgeted only $100 for the trip. This is what I did!

Sunday

Walked College of Charleston’s Campus, King Street & Market Street {Free}
These are some of the main spots in town and some of the best sight seeing. It’s what Charleston’s known for, after all!

 

Dinner {$10}
This place was not the best, so it’s going to remain nameless, but hey, it was affordable!

Drinks at the Pavilion {$14}
*Splurge* This was one of my favorite parts! The Pavilion Rooftop Bar is located on top of the Market Pavilion Hotel and is super swanky. It has a pool, lounge chairs, a bar and high top tables. We went right at sunset and it was absolutely gorgeous!! I highly recommend it!

 This is what I wore – See the full look here!

Monday

Breakfast at Caviar & Bananas {$6}
Caviar & Bananas is a gourmet market that was located right near to where we were staying so we grabbed a quick breakfast from there on Monday morning before my friend headed to meetings. I got the breakfast burrito which had egg whites, cheese, avocado and veggies in it and it was perfection!

Toured Nathaniel Russell House & Aiken Rhett House {$18}
The Historic Charleston Foundation has done an amazing job of preserving some of Charleston’s oldest properties, and I am a huge history nerd, so during the day on Monday I walked to two different properties and toured them. One of them was fully restored by the foundation and offered a guided tour. The other was preserved in the state in which the foundation received the property and was guided by an audio tour. For only $18 for the both of them, it was a great deal!

 

Drinks at the Grand Bohemian Hotel {$7}
The Grand Bohemian Hotel is a really new, posh hotel and it has an amazing rooftop terrace. The design is chic and they have great deals for happy hour, so when I reached out to Gillian {the founder of The Charleston Blog Society} this was where she recommended we go. It was so, well, blog-worthy! I could not get enough of it!

Dinner at Taco Boy {$14}
I heard about Taco Boy from this local Charleston blog and it did not disappoint! Those of you that know me, know how obsessed I am with Mexican food so anytime there are tacos, guacamole or margaritas involved, I’m in heaven!   

Ghost Tour of the Old Charleston Jail {$22}
I know it seems crazy, but going on a ghost tour is something that I’ve always wanted to do. Since the Old Charleston Jail is supposedly one of the most haunted places in South Carolina, I figured it would be one of the best places to give it a try. It was crazy!! 

 

 This is what I wore – See the full look here!

Tuesday

Breakfast at The Park Cafe {$10}
I heard about The Park Cafe from the same blogger that I heard about Taco Boy through and again, her reference did not disappoint. The cafe was so cute and the food was amazing! I ordered a fried egg sandwich, with bacon and avocado. It was so messy, but it was definitely worth it!  

 

Walk Rainbow Row {Free}
Rainbow Row is another one of Charleston’s most well known spots, so naturally I had to stop by. If there was ever a dream neighborhood, this would definitely be it! #goals 



Walk The Battery & Marina {Free}
Right next to Rainbow Row is the Battery and Bay Street Marina so after a quick jaunt through the colorful houses we made our way to one of the marina’s nearby docks. The scene was gorgeous! Even though it was still about 90 degrees during my trip, some of the leaves in the marina area had started to change and I was dying over them!

 

 

 



Tour Sullivan’s Island Fort Moultrie {$3}
This was the last thing we did and it was so nice to be next to the beach! Like I said, it was about 90 the whole time we were there, so getting even the slightest breeze was a huge victory. Plus, Fort Moultrie has an amazing history. It was used in three different wars AND they still have some of the office spaces in the fort set up as if the officers will be walking in at any minute.

Long story short – I went $5 over budget, but it was totally worth it! The trip was filled with historic site visits, fun restaurants and great memories!

Stay tuned for more outfit pics from the trip! 

 

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Comments

  4. Sara, you look STUNNING in pink and white, this combination was made for you, girl!

    This is so awesome that you were able to do that much with $100! Thanks for sharing your experience, it's given me the motivation to start considering my every penny when traveling 🙂

    Have a wonderful day, beauty!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    http://www.thestylecontour.com

    Reply

  5. I really enjoyed reading this post! It was fun to read and well-organized. I literally read it from top to bottom and am now ready to go to Charleston. I will actually be moving there next year, therefore it was nice to get tips on the best places to visit. Great photography, writing, and of course, you look gorgeous in all your photos! Looking forward to seeing what other outfits you will be blogging about from the trip!

    Xoxo, Amy J.
    Bowlines and Lace

    Reply