After Savannah, which you can read about here, my next stop on my road trip through the South was Charleston. After a busy day learning about the history and architecture of Savannah and a lovely drive over the Sea Islands, I arrived in Charleston rather famished and headed straight for dinner at Xiao Bao Biscuit, which was certainly the BEST meal of the entire trip. You can read more about my favorite restaurants on my road trip through the South here.

The following morning I got up bright and early and headed to Sullivan’s Island to watch the sunrise from the beach. I was surprised to see that I was not the only person out and about that early in the morning but luckily the beach is pretty large so I could still enjoy the beautiful sunrise in peace. Although I am not much of a morning person, I always appreciate the early morning hours when I do make the effort to get up early and there is no better way to start the day than drinking coffee while watching the sunrise (preferably on the beach of course)!

The following two days I spent exploring Charleston by bike – they have a very user-friendly bike share scheme, Holy Spokes, and with the heat, stifling humidity and limited time I had, I thought biking was a better option than walking as it would allow me to get around more quickly and see more.

On my first day, after sunrise, I grabbed a bike near the College of Charleston and headed down past Colonial Lake, along Murray Boulevard and past the mansions that overlook the Ashley River, to White Point Gardens and then wound my way through the lovely streets of South of Broad and The French Quarter, ending near the Waterfront Park.

On my second day, I headed slightly further north toward the Fort Sumter Visitor Center. Charleston was, and still is, home to a number of military establishments, none of which really interest me so I gave Fort Sumter itself a miss and continued exploring the streets to the north and south of Calhoun Street, ending at the City Market.

On my final evening, I got an Uber across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge to Mt Pleasant. After a wander along the pier, I climbed up onto Wonder’s Way, the pedestrian and cycling path the runs along the southern edge of the bridge, and enjoyed the sunset and gorgeous views over the Cooper River.

A quick run the next morning marked the end of my road trip through the South and I have to say I really enjoyed the South more than I expected to – the food far exceeded my expectations and was the absolute highlight of the trip, but the charm and prettiness of both Savannah and Charleston made me glad that I took the time to explore them both.