W e have found the city of our dreams. Actually, I think we’ve known this for awhile, ever since getting engaged in Charleston – but it was reinforced during our recent road trip from Miami to Vermont. (For the record, New Orleans also has a hold on our hearts. It makes sense, because these two cities seem so strikingly similar. The beautiful architecture, the southern charm, the friendly people, the quirky little shops…) Basically, I’d be happy as a southern clam if we were to end up in Charleston or New Orleans long-term.

Want in on our Charleston adventures? I don’t blame you! We only spent a couple days there but honestly loved every minute. Here’s a little photo diary of sorts. If you’ll be visiting this lovely city anytime soon, I hope you can make some of these stops…

A trip to The Battery was at the top of our list, since that was the spot where Bobby proposed four years ago. SO MANY BUTTERFLIES, SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES. I’ll write about his proposal at some point because it deserves its own post – it was honestly a series of small disasters followed by magic. For now, though, here’s a quick pic. A kiss marks the spot!

We walked along King Street and popped into dozens of cute shops. A gorgeous honey shop called Savannah Bee Company was one of our favorites. We did “honey tasting” to our hearts content and I gasped at the illuminated displays.

We (of course) stopped into Anthropologie and I took note of their amazing displays. Don’t be surprised if you see me re-creating this installation at some point (maybe minus the mannequins)…

We breathed deeply in the Spice and Tea Exchange, sampling tasty concoctions such as Chocolate Tea (so good!). It’s a treat to be in a space with so many fresh teas and spices. I wish we could have bought one of everything. One of the guys working there is a chef and was just on a Food Network show. We met a TV star!!

We ate an AMAZING dinner in a laundromat. Yes, a laundromat!

Persimmon Cafe is the place to be. You simply MUST go if you’re ever in Charleston. We ate there twice in a row because we loved it so much. In fact, these guys deserve their own post – so that will come later and you’ll get ALL the juicy details about the rad people running this place and the incredible creations they’re pumping out…

We peeked in a toy shop that had jaw-dropping structures such as this elephant:

All made out of flat, wooden blocks called Kapla blocks. (That’s an affiliate link – I think these could make a great Christmas present!) They don’t come with instructions – so kids and adults just utilize creativity and gravity to put together such masterpieces! I met the lady who helped make these pieces and was like, “Wow, you are an amazing artist!” She shied away from the title of “artist” but I MUST disagree with her – don’t you think this is incredible art?

Our FAVORITE thing about Charleston, though, was simply holding hands while wandering the downtown neighborhood streets. The houses couldn’t be cuter.

Look at the sweet, hand painted address!

Look at the font on this building! (These are literate realtors, I’ll have you know.)

Look at this darling mailbox!

Look at this perfectly distressed, old wall!

And this old brick wall with the gorgeous doors!

Look at these dreamy window boxes!

Basically, I think I could walk the neighborhoods of historic Charleston for the rest of my life and never run out of darling details to photograph.

The biggest praise, however, goes to all the beautifully friendly people of Charleston. We had the best experiences with EVERYONE we encountered – from the maintenance man at our hotel to the lady who went out of her way to make sure we got the parking spot she was vacating to the dog owners we met in the park – seriously, everyone was warm and welcoming. Residents of Charleston, we’re your biggest fans!

Who wants to move to Charleston with us?!? I’m ready to start a commune there!