Things To-Do In and Around Charleston, SC

Charleston has become one of my favorite places to visit. It was "love at first site" when Will and I went for the first time a few years ago and I'll never get enough of this beautiful city filled with cobblestone streets, gas lanterns, plantation homes, and the best waterfront views. Recently, I went back and spent time at Folly Beach for my friend Allison's bachelorette getaway. I had never been to Folly before and had such a great time so I thought it would be fun, and also helpful, to make a list of some of my favorite spots and recommendations in Charleston, Folly Beach, and Isle of Palms (where I celebrated my bachelorette that you can see here and here)!

Charleston:

Places to Stay: Historic Renaissance Hotel for it's top-notch southern hospitality, The Mills House, Planters Inn, The Restoration, Zero George for a great for a romantic getaway, or even the Holiday Inn which is good for a short or last minute stay.

Shopping: King Street is a MUST! V2V, Sassy Shortcake, Copper Penny (I found the most amazing smelling candles here), Luna, and Carolina Girls are a few worth checking out. I honestly haven't done much shopping in Charleston, minus picking up souvenirs for family and friends because I'm always snapping photos and wandering the streets which is probably a good thing since the shopping is endless!

Food: Virginia's On King, Poogan's Porch (they have really cute t-shirts you can purchase here) Toast, Blossom, High Cotton, King Street Grill (get the mac & cheese egg rolls), and Peninsula Grill at Planters Inn (ask to sit in the courtyard if it's available and order the coconut cake for dessert!).

Drinks & Nightlife: The Rooftop at The Vendue has tasty appetizers, amazing views and was my favorite in overall atmosphere. The Gin Joint, Pavilion Rooftop Bar, Prohibition, and Stars Rooftop Bar are a few others. Stars comes in second place for best atmosphere in my opinion.

Activities: Stroll down Rainbow Row (make sure to take a photo), snag one of the wooden swings and watch the sunset at Waterfront Park, take a sunset cocktail cruise with Adventure Harbor Tours (by far my favorite activity we did for my friends bachelorette getaway and will be doing this again), visit the Charleston Aquarium, and ride a horse-drawn carriage to tour the city.

Isle of Palms:

Places to Stay: Wild Dunes Resort, or you can easily find something that will fit your needs by checking out VRBO or Airbnb. 

Food: The Boathouse, Coconut Joe's Beach Bar, Island Joe's (perfect place for when you have a sweet tooth), Sea Biscuit Cafe, Coda Del Pesce, The Windjammer, and Banana Cabana.

Drinks & Nightlife: Coconut Joe's, The Windjammer and Banana Cabana all have live music at night with laid-back atmospheres.

Activities: This one isn't exactly IN Isle of Palms but it is close by and if you like live music then it's worth checking out Party At The Point which my girls took me to on my bachelorette!

Folly Beach:

Food: Lost Dog Cafe, Rita's (have gone here for breakfast and lunch and both were good), The Grill and Island Bar, Taco Boy, BLU, Black Magic Cafe, and Locklears.

Drinks & Nightlife: Snapper Jacks, Surf Bar, Loggerhead's, and the Sand Dollar (cash only).

Activities: Walk the Folly Beach Fishing Pier, visit Morris Island Lighthouse or rent kayaks.

 

Summer Inspiration

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm trying to save money, I would have already gone ahead and started purchasing swimsuits, sandals, floppy hats and all things summer clothes and accessories. Summer is by far my favorite season and I've been counting down the days until it's warm enough to spend lazy days by the pool, going on picnics and driving with the windows down. In the meantime, I've rounded up my favorite inspiration for warmer days that I'm lusting over!

Backyard Bonfire

There's something about backyard bonfires that brings a smile to my face. Actually, bonfires anywhere speak sweet words to my soul. I just love them! The smell. The sound of wood crackling. Making s'mores and nestling close to those dear to you. All of these things are simply wonderful. I've already been thinking about the day that Will and I buy a house and can make a bonfire of our own in our backyard and have all of our friends over on a regular occasion to enjoy it with us. I love entertaining and haven't always had the right amount of space to be able to do so, but when Paperless Post reached out to me about creating a summertime entertaining inspiration post, I knew the task would be right up my alley since I've already been dreaming up the perfect backyard bonfire. Here's what I would say you need to create just that:

1. First you'll need to round up some chairs. They can be chairs of any kind but preferably the kind that has a back to them so your able to sit and relax without your back starting to ache. If you don't have the money to invest or space to store a bunch of chairs, you can ask your guest to bring their own but it's really not too expensive to snag a couple of these plastic chairs or these camping chairs. You are able to fold both types, and while your at it, pick up some fluffy pillows. You can't go wrong with extra layers of comfort.

2. After you've secured a handful of seats, I would invest in outdoor lighting. Cafe lighting or market lights please! That will always be my first choice. They give off just the right amount of light, set the mood and remind me of Paris (even though I've never been). If those aren't your style, there are a number of other options to choose from, along with in-ground lighting if it's really hard to see the ground when it gets dark outside.

3. We can't forget about blankets to snuggle up with! Temperatures always seem to drop as soon as the sun goes down, so it's a good idea to have blankets in tow that will help you to stay warm and cozy throughout the whole night.

4. When have you every gone to a gathering of any sort where there's no food? I hope you haven't been to many and you sure wouldn't come to a gathering of ours without a few dishes and snacks for you to munch on! At any bonfire in my opinion, there should always be s'mores and other "campfire food"like mini bowls of soup, chili, trail mix and candy bars to satisfy your taste buds as you enjoy the night socializing. It's also wise to have a few refreshments to go along with the food. These could be anything from hot chocolate, to apple cider, sweet tea, flavored water or of course beer and bottles of wine too.

5. Depending on the time of year, the sun may set earlier in the evening or later in the day so it's nice to have a few lawn games to help pass the time before it gets dark. Some of my favorite games are ring toss and cornhole. And an old favorite nighttime game of mine is flashlight tag!

6. You might think that is pretty much all that you would need to enjoy a backyard bonfire but I've learned from experience that it's not. Something handy to have is bug spray or Citronella Filled Candles to keep the pesky bugs away. There's nothing worse then waking up the next morning covered in mosquito bites.

7. And lastly, instead of just making phone calls to spread the word about your backyard bonfire, why not go the extra mile to make the gathering even more special by sending out invitations? Paperless Post has both paper and online options and not all of them cost money! I used Paperless Post to send out my Bachelorette Beach Getaway invitations and they cost me all of ZERO dollars. A few other free options that I think are adorable include this, this, this, and this one.

Photo Sources: Circle of Chairs via 100 Layer Cake-let // Campfire by Nathan Abplanalp Photography via Style Me Pretty // Vintage setting by Brook Schwab Photographer via 100 Layer Cake // S'mores via Domestic Fashionista // Ring Toss via Two Shades of Pink Blog

This post is sponsored by Paperless Post.
No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

5 on Friday

I hope everyone had a good week! Will and I are heading to Wrightsville Beach this afternoon for my future sister-in-law's wedding! It's supposed to be raining off and on all weekend, so fingers are crossed that the the weather holds up just long enough for Ariel and Mark to say I do.

Today's post is going to be short and sweet, and I'm excited to get back into participating in the 5 on Friday series!

ONE

Glitter Guide came out with an article a few months ago called 30 Days of Gratitude. Gratitude is something that is widely focused on mainly around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's something that I feel we all tend to lack and appreciate as often as we should. This list has some pretty creative ways to show others gratitude. Remember, it's the little things that often mean the most to people! And hey, you might even surprise yourself with the number of things you've already done that show up on the list.

TWO

Fact...i'm a huge fan of Glitter Guide. And did you know they're on Pinterest?! GG has seriously been killin' it with their pins lately. If you only have time to scroll through a few of their boards, I highly recommend checking out wanderlust, design desire, we like shiny parties, and color love. You won't regret it I promise.

White Like A Unicorn Holiday Party 

(Does this pretty lady look familiar? Duh! It's Julia from Gal Meets Glam!)

THREE

My bachelorette party is finally booked! In May, me and my girls will be heading down to Isle of Palms for a fun filled weekend together and I can't wait!

photo via

Wild Dunes Resort

FOUR

Have you ever heard of Bloggish? Well if not let me be the first to tell you about it! Bloggish is a brand spankin' new site were you can find new and encouraging blogs all in one place. How convenient is that? Go ahead and search through the lifestyle, faith, and health and beauty categories and discover blogs you may have never known about but will thoroughly enjoy! Psst...you may even see me in their lifestyle category :) Oh! Be sure to check back on this site regularly as they continue to add new blogs to the ever growing list.

FIVE

92 days until I become Mrs. Mackvick!! Ekk!! Will and I have recently been successful at checking off a number of items on our wedding to-do checklist list such as reserve blocks of hotel rooms for our guest in Raleigh and Durham, arrange for bridal party transportation from ceremony site to reception, arrange for our farewell transportation, purchase bridal party gifts, create a music playlist for the reception, confirm rehearsal dinner location and time, and order groomsmen ties! There is still plenty for us to do but for now i'm feeling pretty content with were we stand.

10 Summer Beach Essentials

Today is What You Wish Wednesday so be sure to link-up at the bottom of this post! 

And don't forget to enter my blogoversary giveaway! 

The winner will be announced Friday morning!

 

Summer Beach Essentials by mscheek featuring a beach tote

It's finally summer and I can't wait for trips to the beach, and for those weekends when I can't leave the city, you can still find me relaxing by the pool! I don't know about you, but I have a list of summer essentials that I can't go without and today I am partnering with Personal Creations on their Fun in the Sun project to bring you a list of my summer beach must haves.

ONE
A good pair of sunnies. I can't live without them and I have a pair with me at all times. I love how versatile sunglasses are and there are so many styles to choose from so you won't have to worry about finding a pair that you don't love. And they protect your eyes which I mean is kind of important ;-)

TWO
A sunhat. Another must in my opinion! For me, I have one floppy hat I wear 90% of the time, a handful of baseball caps and I just ordered this straw bucket hat that I can't wait to wear as soon as it arrives. And the nice thing about hats are that you can wear them off the beach too! Don't think they are limited to just the ocean side. I have a ton of friends who wear them casually all the time! Check them out here, here, here and here.

THREE
A Coverup comes in handy for a number of reasons. Let's say you are in a hurry to get somewhere. Well, they are quick and easy to throw on. Say your at the beach/pool and need to run to the store to pick up some snacks...with a coverup you don't have to worry about getting your regular clothes wet or dirty. There are so many reasons why I love coverups and think they are essential in the summer. And did I mention that they are so cute?!

FOUR
There is nothing better then a big ole' beach bag! In the summer, I fee like I am always toting around a bunch of stuff and want to have it all together. I carry everything from my Chapstick, sunscreen and phone charger to my planner, sunglasses and magazine. The bigger the summer bag, the better. All the more room to tote around a towel, an extra pair of sandals and maybe even a book, and water bottle. I am crushing over this Steve Madden and this over-sized Tory Burch tote.

FIVE
A swimsuit or five or six. Need I say more?

SIX
Sunscreen. I love the kind that comes in a spray so that my hands don't get all greasy and I like that I feel I am able to apply it more evenly. And remember, the higher the SPF the better! You want to make sure you are protecting your skin at all times, even when it's not summer. The sun shines pretty much all year long depending on where you live so it's vital that you take precaution as much as possible.

SEVEN
An iPad or book are always a must when I am spending time out by the pool or relaxing on the beach. Not only does it help pass the time but it's my favorite way to relax.

EIGHT
Sandals. They come in so many different colors and styles and keep feet from burning when walking on the sand if your at the beach. Sandals are also light weight and easy to style with outfits day or night.

NINE
A drink holder. I heard about these last summer and have yet to purchase one but think I will have to change that for this year! They seem so convenient and can even be customized and monogrammed! And plus, these make great gifts for friends and family and can be used for things other then holding your drinks...like your cellphone. Nothing wrong with getting creative! 

TEN
After finding this travel mat in the Fun in the Sun collection, I knew I had to add it to the list. I currently don't have anything I can use to sit on while enjoying an outdoor concert or picnicking and this waterproof, foam-padded has made it onto my to-purchase list! And the fact that it comes with a adjustable carrying strap and can be monogrammed seal the deal.

So I hope you enjoyed this post! What are some items that you find are a must? Be sure to check out Personal Creations on Pinterest in July to see my post and others featured on their "Summer Beach Essentials" board!

An InLinkz Link-up

Live Life Colorfully: A Lilly Pulizer Prize Package Giveaway!

Some of my favorite sayings have come from Lilly Pulitzer herself, one of them being "Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink" and that's exactly the words that come to mind when I look at the next giveaway that I have to share! Y'all, this one goes down in the books. These goodies (take a look at them below), valued at over $150, could be in your beach bag this Summer!

Tell me your not excited about this giveaway and all that's included??! So what are you waiting for? All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below...which will be live until next Tuesday. Obviously the more you enter, the better your chances will be! And don't forget to come back and "tweet" each day to rack up in entries :) 

Oh! And go show some love to all the sweet ladies who have helped make this giveaway possible, especially my girl Maeg over at The Modern Tulip for hosting this! Each of these woman have a beautiful heart (and awesome blogs) so you won't be disappointed when you check them out.

The Modern Tulip :: Make Me Up Mia :: Hope In A Blog :: HI & LO :: Simply Sweet Melissa :: Allena Mistral :: Health, Love & Fire :: Life :: The Strong Family :: Mandy Jean Chic :: A Brew of Blessings

a Rafflecopter giveaway