Linley and I had never been to Charleston until this weekend, and Alex hadn’t visited since he was a kid. We enjoyed Charleston and the surrounding area, and found the cutest AirBnB that made us feel right at home! We arrived on Friday feeling excited to check out the amenities and the neighborhood.

After checking out all the AirBnB and neighborhood had to offer, Linley snuggled up and Alex and I headed out for our food tour. We’d won these tickets at a silent auction at the Georgia Aquarium, and figured we’d take advantage since we were heading to Charleston anyway. The food tour was great, our host and people on the tour were lovely, and the food was absolutely delicious!

After the food tour, we came back, scooped up Lin, and grabbed dinner at an outdoor spot on the water. Although our food and drinks were nowhere near what it was like on the tour, it made us appreciate the food we’d had even more, haha. It was cute to see Lin get all the attention per usual, and he even got a free bandana!

We were hitting a wall because of what felt like our food comas, so we had a night in, enjoyed the hot tub and some wine we’d brought from home, and talked under the stars. Alex and I are usually talking during TV or long drives, so it was peaceful and much-needed to have a conversation with no other distractions (aside from the cute raccoons we saw in the trees!) Linley was outside with us, but had no interest in being near the hot tub (I’m pretty sure he thought it was a stew or witch’s cauldron or something, haha!) We all slept great that night!

Saturday morning, we headed to Folly Island to hit up the dog beach. The sand and sea were beautiful, and it was so much fun to check out a new place together.

Seeing these two walk, run and play on the beach together always makes my day! ^ 🥹

We continued strolling on that side of the beach for a while, because the water was calm, the beach was private and the shells were too good to pass up! Once we could tell Lin was getting tired of chasing after things, we decided to grab coffee and a snack in town, then head to the other side of the beach. On the other side, there was a pier that dogs weren’t allowed on, but at least we could explore underneath it…

The beach was so beautiful that it was hard to leave, but we knew it was time. We were craving brunch outside and found a place that one of my coworkers recommended to me, and it was delicious! Ellis Creek Fish Camp on James Island had the friendliest staff, the best grouper and shrimp and grits, solid Bloody Mary’s and an amazing R&B playlist that made us feel like we were back in Atlanta! 10/10 would recommend. It may not be our Hudson’s spot on Hilton Head Island, but it was a close second…

After brunch, we headed to a local dog park and bar in Charleston. Broken Leash was a ton of fun for all of us, and we always love taking Linley to these sorts of places during our family vacations (we did in Birmingham, Asheville and other places). We chatted with the locals, Linley had a blast playing with the big dogs, and enjoyed the sunshine a little longer.

We swung by one more brewery for a snack and a couple cocktails before heading back to the AirBnB to relax in the afternoon. Linley needed the nap, and Alex and I enjoyed some trash TV local to Charleston. The boys went on a long walk before dinner and then Alex and I headed to a great seafood restaurant just us two. We sat at the oyster counter and enjoyed some incredible soup, shrimp, oysters and fish. I think we were still full from the night before; that’s how good we ate in Charleston!

We were exhausted after dinner and I’d passed out like I normally do during the week at home (I love a 9 or 10pm bedtime haha!) Linley was clearly still tired, too. Until next time, Charleston!

Media taken Friday, November 14 & Saturday, November 15, 2025 in South Carolina.