It’s only been a little over a week since I was in Charleston with my family, and I’m already trying to figure out how/when I can go back! It was my first time visiting, and the city met and exceeded all of my expectations – my camera was in overdrive because this city is just so very picturesque and charming! Everywhere you look there’s beautiful antebellum architecture, historical landmarks, candy-colored houses, flowering vines, palmetto trees…just such a pretty and peaceful place. You can tell that everyone there really takes pride in maintaining the beauty and historical integrity of the city, and that’s really wonderful to see. Read on for more…

Pretty window boxes are the norm in Charleston.

The tree of Charleston is the palmetto, which is a variety of palm tree. There were also a lot of palm trees around and I couldn’t tell the difference!

A beautiful house with a lovely front yard garden.

Maybe a palmetto tree. Maybe a palm tree? I guess you have to be a Charleston native to know!

The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel. Charleston has a lot of pink buildings which is part of what makes it the best place ever.

The rounded porches on this house are unusual for the city – our tour guide told us it was because the husband and wife couldn’t agree on a style so they split the difference! Not sure if that’s true but this house is pretty nonetheless.

The double porch was everywhere in Charleston! Our walking tour guide explained to us that pretty much every architectural feature you see around the city was there for a practical purpose: to keep things as cool as possible. That’s why most of the porches are on the side of the houses, rather than the front (something to do with the direction of the sun or the wind or something, I can’t quite remember).

Painted porch ceiling, eee!! I love it.

That flowering plant is called “confederate jasmine,” and it was everywhere. It smelled INCREDIBLE. Also, pink house. Double porch. Sooooo good!!

And of course, our gorgeous hotel was the icing on the cake.

Sadly, pictures hardly do Charleston justice. If you have the chance, I highly recommend a visit!

photos by me